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From: mcb@LLL-TIS-B.ARPA (Michael C. Berch)
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: Amiga Launch!/Commodore support
Message-ID: <222@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Sun, 28-Jul-85 00:37:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.222
Posted: Sun Jul 28 00:37:33 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 31-Jul-85 01:00:49 EDT
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> Commodore's support has traditionally been cruddy. They have a nasty habit
> of running support through their dealers, making their dealers cover
> all warrantee jobs whether purchased at that stor or not, making the
> dealer cover two way shipping, and selling the same products to
> Major toy stores such that the big stores can price them lower than the
> dealer cost. I was once a Commodore dealer, I know.

If that's cruddy support, let's have more of it. DAMN STRAIGHT a
dealer ought to cover warranty jobs for units not sold by them.
There's nothing more discouraging than having bought something out of
state, by mail order, or simply at a dealer you don't care to go back
to, and have the second dealer give you a hard time about a warranty
repair because he/she didn't sell it to you. After all, it's the dealer's 
use of the Commodore name and logo that gets people into the store in 
the first place. In return for that essentially free advertising, the dealer 
had better be pretty decent to his manufacturer's customers.

As far as major toy stores and so forth -- this is what's known as a
market economy. Certainly firms that buy Quantity 10,000 are entitled
to a better price than those who buy Quantity 100? This gives the
buyer an option -- buy at a full-service dealer at a higher price
and get good support, advice, help with installation and training, or
buy at a major discounter and get a low price but nothing else. That's
the way the industry works, and if you don't like it, I suggest
another line of business, like liquor sales in a fair-trade state.

Michael C. Berch
mcb@lll-tis-b.ARPA
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