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From: es1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Ethan Solomita)
Subject: Re: Commodore Business Machines
Message-ID: <1991Jun24.003834.4258@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu>
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Reply-To: es1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Ethan Solomita)
Organization: Columbia University
References: <7471@vela.acs.oakland.edu>
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1991 00:38:34 GMT

In article <7471@vela.acs.oakland.edu> lmbailey@vela.acs.oakland.edu (Laurana Bailey) writes:
>
>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.
>
	"screwing up" is the wrong phrase. Most of Marc's
complaints (at least the valid ones) are a LACK of action. It
isn't that what they are doing is wrong, but that they aren't
doing all the things we feel they should.
	As to the dealer, you quote no Commodore policy that
caused him problems except the idea of co-oping advertising
costs. Inform your DEALER that he should wake up. You don't
simply say to a computer company "HI! I wan't to sell your
computer" and expect to have them pay all your costs. There is
investment required. Commodore's policy is we'll help you
advertise. If your dealer can't afford $1,000 to advertise, then
he is in DEEP trouble and there is little Commodore can do.

	But, to the subject of Commodore spending on marketing in
the U.S.: Please tell me, whence the money? They don't have any.
Commodore's profits for July 1, 1989 through June 30, 1990 were
five million dollars. This year it looks like they will make
about $40-50 million or so, back to their standard before last
year. That's on sales of appr. one billion dollars. They simply
don't have the money. There are STOCKHOLDERS who do kinda demand
that profit.
	I'm not defending every action at CBM, but realism needs
to creep into these discussions. It isn't that Commodore doesn't
have any ideas of how to spend money, they simply don't have
money.
	-- Ethan

"...Know-Nothing-Bozo the Non-Wonder Dog, an animal so stupid that it
had been sacked from one of Will's own commercials for being incapable
of knowing which dog food it was supposed to prefer, despite the fact
that the meat in all the other bowls had engine oil poured all over it."