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From: preston@felix.UUCP (Preston Bannister)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Atari pulls its own plug
Message-ID: <7188@felix.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 11-Sep-87 13:18:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: felix.7188
Posted: Fri Sep 11 13:18:15 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 13-Sep-87 19:36:19 EDT
References: <8709110043.AA15386@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Sender: daemon@felix.UUCP
Reply-To: preston@felix.UUCP (Preston Bannister)
Organization: FileNet Corp., Costa Mesa, CA
Lines: 36

>The 1040 ST product may be sold only though authorized computer dealers who
>provide full product support including in and out of warranty service. This
>support is not available though mail order operations.
 ...
>Our desire to support the legitimate dealer network must, at this time, take
>precedence over other considerations. There is no room in the ST dealer
>network for those who see mail order as a part of their marketing plan.
 ...
>August J. Liguori
>Vice President Operations
>ATARI (US) CORP.

I've been to our local Atari dealers.  I wasn't impressed.

Supporting your 'legitimate dealer network' sounds like a good idea,
until you realize that (a) there isn't all that many Atari dealers, and
(b) a number of those dealers aren't really what I'd call an asset.

I'm sure that there are some areas that are serviced by some good Atari
dealers.  This isn't one of them.  The local telephone directory has
several pages crammed with listing of computer dealers.  In the same
area there are only 3 dealers that I know of.  All are hole-in-the-wall
type shops where the expertise of the people running the shops is very
limited.  If I were a first time buyer, these places wouldn't inspire
confidence in product.

Atari could do better with mail order.


--
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Preston L. Bannister
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