Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!umich!vela!lmbailey
From: lmbailey@vela.acs.oakland.edu (Laurana Bailey)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.advocacy
Subject: Commodore Business Machines
Message-ID: <7471@vela.acs.oakland.edu>
Date: 23 Jun 91 17:12:57 GMT
Organization: Lemming-Aid 1992 - Benefit Concert To Save The Lemmings
Lines: 79


Every day, in every way, I see myself agreeing more and more with Marc
Barret on more and more things. Not so much the technical aspects of
the machines as much as the simple fact that Commodore keeps screwing
up. This bothers me because I really can't stand Marc that much and
yet I keep nodding my head when I read his posts. I don't know if he
has a clue as to what needs to be done to fix things, but he's right
on the money when he says CBM is screwing up.

My boyfriend runs a Paragon BBS off and on when he's got the extra $$$
to do so. He writes a door program called Castle Dungeon for it that
is popular on a lot of Paragon/StarNet, TransAmiga, and XenoLink BBS
systems. This puts him in contact with a lot of other BBS sysops. One
of the ones he's become good friends with runs ClickMeTwice BBS, a 6
line system dedicated to serving the Amiga, which also happens to be a
computer dealer for the Amiga. Al, the owner of the store and BBS
system, is going bankrupt selling Amigas. He has recently been posting
some of the reasons why in the Amiga FidoNet Echomail areas. Some of
you may have already seen them. He is not alone. We have heard from
other dealers around the country who have had multiple problems with
Commodore resulting in their not being able to maintain a profit and
thus closing their doors.

To me, this says that something just isn't right down at the blue and
red. Al cited the fact that at the dealer's conference that was held
when Copperman first arrived more advertising, a virtual blitz they
were told, was about to be launched. TV, Print, Radio. The works.
Everyone was excited and went home to wait and watch. Alas, there were
many market areas virtually untouched by this "Blitz". Al's area, and
even here in the Metro Detroit area, saw little, if any, of the ads
and then they were usually on around 1 or 2 A.M. when most of the
world was asleep.

Al called Commodore and voiced his complaints and was only told "Come
up with $10,000 and we'll co-op one with you for your area." What? If
Al had $10,000 he wouldn't NEED the advertising that was PROMISED,
he'd be making a profit on a machine that would have to be selling. He
isn't though and as such he will be closing down. He's fully expecting
Commodore to pull his dealership status for having the gall to speak
out about his problems, and with the way Commodore has been the last
few years, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they did.


My SO has been a Loyal Commodore user since the days of the Pet
computers and has owned several different Commodore machines. Pet,
Vic20, C-64 (several of these), C-128, and Amiga 1000 and 2000. I
converted from Apple with the arrivial of the Amiga. All in all we
have little complaints with the machine itself, even if it is getting
dated compared to the rest. Our complaints are with the relative
in-activity at Commodore with selling machines. Sure they're doing
great overseas, but I don't live in Europe so that does me no good.

There were even rumors for awhile that Commodore was thinking about
shutting down US sales seeing as they couldn't do well here. Couldn't
do well? They haven't done anything to promote good sales here. Makes
you wish you could sit down with the CBM big-wigs and say "Hi! I'm
Jane/Joe User." (SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!) "WAKE UP YOU IDIOTS!"

I once had big hopes for Commodore and the Amiga, but both seemed
doomed to stay a second class company with  a second class machine.
When the rumors of the Hewlett Packard buy-out were floating around I
PRAYED it would happen! Whatever HP did with the Amiga, it would STILL
have been more than what CBM was doing. Same thing with the recent
Sony rumors. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE will someone with some
advertising BRAINS and interest in advanced R&D PLEASE BUY OUT
COMMODORE and get this thing MOVING in SOME sort of direction!?!?

Enough of my ramblings. I've given up hope on CBM and the Amiga. I
will continue to use my machine happily until Commodore inevitably
dies off and then I will probably buy a Macintosh. Sure it's more
expensive, but there won't be a CBM around to offer anything better so
why sweat it. It's been fun Commodore, wish you would have done a
better job.

Laurana
-- 
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
|Just another lemming...        | Yet another Amiga maniac set loose   | 
|                               | on the world...and you thought things| 
|lmbailey@vela.acs.oakland.edu  | couldn't get any worse.              |