Xref: utzoo comp.databases:1466 comp.misc:3637
Path: utzoo!attcan!telly!evan
From: evan@telly.UUCP (Evan Leibovitch)
Newsgroups: comp.databases,comp.misc
Subject: Re: Empress pricing policy
Summary: technically great, marketing brain-damaged
Message-ID: <366@telly.UUCP>
Date: 30 Sep 88 12:22:36 GMT
References: <1988Sep28.150224.26393@lsuc.uucp>
Organization: System telly, Brampton, Ontario
Lines: 40

In article <1988Sep28.150224.26393@lsuc.uucp>, dave@lsuc.uucp (David Sherman) writes:
> I'm a little surprised at the pricing policy of Empress Software
> Inc. (formerly Rhodnius) for their Empress (formerly Mistress)
> database software.  I'd like to know whether others agree with me.
> 
> We obtained a license to Mistress version 1.13 in 1985.  It runs
> on this machine, a Perkin-Elmer 3220, and cost about $4,500 at
> the time.
>[...]
> Since no database applications will remain on the P-E, I was
> hoping to transfer our license to the 3B2 at some reasonable cost.
>[...]
> Empress will only transfer the license if we pay for three years
> of RETROACTIVE maintenance -- pay for maintenance we never received.

I didn't run into that problem - when I wanted to transfer a Mistress
license from my Convergent Megaframe to a 386 Xenix system, they said
there'd only be an administrative fee. They said nothing about retroactive
support.

I never found out for certain what they would have charged, because I
didn't take them up on their offer. Frankly, I have my own personal
boycott of Empress going, and I refuse to recommend it, because of
the company's marketing policies. Here is the worst one of many:

This Canadian company refuses to sell its products or support
to other Canadian companies in Canadian currency. Every time I have been
quoted a price for anything from Rhodnius, it's in US dollars - I have to
worry about the exchange myself. As recently as a few months ago, I was told
that the company neither had nor planned to produce a Canadian currency price
list. This from a firm based in Toronto.

I'm sure Americans would be more than a little irate at a US company which
forces them to pay for products in yen. This policy is nothing short of
odious, and I ask my Canadian associates and clients to show their
displeasure with their chequebooks. Buy something else.
-- 
 Evan Leibovitch, SA of System Telly, located in beautiful Brampton, Ontario
evan@telly.UUCP (PENDING: evan@telly.on.ca) / {uunet!attcan,utzoo}!telly!evan
                           Don't worry - Be happy.