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From: scott@blueeyes.kines.uiuc.edu (scott)
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: Re: Borland C++ 2.0
Message-ID: <1991Feb18.165403.3938@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>
Date: 18 Feb 91 16:54:03 GMT
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In article <26972@uflorida.cis.ufl.EDU> jdb@reef.cis.ufl.edu (Brian K. W. Hook) writes:
>Here is something interesting:
>
>I called Borland about the upgrade, and the guy asked me for my certificate
>number for the upgrade (if you have the registered product you WILL get a
>certificate in the mail)...I gave it to him, and he had my name and
>address.  Fine.  However, he did NOT have what product I had purchased!  He
>asked me specifically whethere I wished to upgrade from TC++ or TC++ Pro.
>Well, I have the Turbo Tools but I just purchased them last week and didn't
>send in the registration card yet, and thus I told him I had TC++ Pro (I
>wasn't really lying).
>
>He said okay, the upgrade is 99 dollars.
>
>That saved me 50 dollars.  Now, I believe everything I did was legal, but
>what intrigues me is the fact that they took my word on it.  They know
>where I live but they DON'T know what I own?!

I don't think they really care what you bought. I purchased Turbo Assembler
and Debugger 1.0 last year. I got an upgrade coupon for the new version of
Turbo Assembler, so I called them up to order the upgrade. The lady on the
other end offered me TC++ 1.0 Pro, even though the last Turbo C I had purchased
was 1.0, a long time back. I got it at the upgrade price of $125, no hassle,
no fuss.

Last week when I ordered BC++ 2.0 I was asked for my upgrade coupon number.
I explained that I hadn't received it yet, and prepared for a minor hassle
getting her to take my order. I needn't have worried - the order clerk just 
added me to the system, took my order for the $99 upgrade from my TC++ 1.0 
Pro, and that was that. No hassle, no problem, no fuss. I even had my original 
disks out to give her the serial numbers, but she never asked for them.

My guess is that they make enough money selling the packages at the upgrade
price that they don't have to be ultra-persnickety-careful about who they
sell to. Clearly they also recognize the value of giving their current
customers a hassle-free upgrade to a new product. By showing trust and 
taking the customer's word for it, they do nothing but improve their customer 
relations (which is no bad thing). I seriously doubt that Borland loses
any money by selling the upgrades at that price, so it's a big WIN for
them in every department, with the added benefit of being a WIN for us.

It's kinda like their no-nonsense license ageement - a no-nonsense upgrade
policy. You other software manufacturers out there reading this, you'd do
well to follow Borland's fine example.


-- 
Scott Coleman                                                      tmkk@uiuc.edu

"Unisys has demonstrated the power of two. That's their stock price today."
       - Scott McNealy on the history of mergers in the computer industry.