Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!apple!ames!elroy!usc!hacgate!ashtate!peggyl
From: peggyl@ashtate.UUCP (Peggy Lerch)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.programmer
Subject: Re: Ashton Tate Developer Invitation Snafu
Message-ID: <615@ashtate.UUCP>
Date: 25 May 89 20:43:43 GMT
References: <2676@ssc-vax.UUCP>
Reply-To: peggyl@ashtate.UUCP (Peggy Lerch)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Ashton-Tate, Torrance, CA
Lines: 81

In article <2676@ssc-vax.UUCP> ted@ssc-vax.UUCP (Ted Jardine) writes:
>A couple  of weeks ago  I received an announcement from Ashton Tate
>inviting  me to apply for membership  as an A-T Developer.   I sent
>the  reply card back,  indicating that I owned a Macintosh II color
>system.   Last Friday  I received the application kit from A-T.  It
>contained  a description  of the  requirements  for  membership,  a
>5.25  inch diskette in MS-DOS  format on which were questions to be
>answered  and forms  to be completed,  and a card to request a copy
>of a book they were selling for $19.95 plus shipping and sales tax.
>
>What puzzled  me were two things.   First,  why send the owner of a
>Mac II  a diskette for an IBM PC?  And,  second, why do the ask me,
>a resident  of  the  State  of  Washington,  to send them 8.57% for
>Washington  sales tax  on the book, when the sales tax rate in this
>state  tops out at 8.1%?   Even  an investigation of potential near
>term changes in the sales tax rate uncovered nothing like the 8.57%
>value.
>
>Has anyone else  received diskette's from A-T that are incompatible
>with the type of computer they have,  or was this an isolated case?
>If  Ashton Tate  is listening,  maybe they could also determine how
>they arrived at the sales tax rate.
>-- 
>TJ {With Amazing Grace} The Piper
>aka Ted Jardine  CFI-ASME/I
>Usenet:		...uw-beaver!ssc-vax!ted
>Internet:	ted@atc.boeing.com

I called the Ashton-Tate Developer Services number (213-538-7358) this
morning to ask them about this, and they asked that I post the
following response.  I hope this helps clear things up.

Peggy Lerch
Ashton-Tate
Product Development

----------------------------------------------------------------------


May 25, 1989

To: Ted Jardine, aka TJ (With Amazing Grace) The Piper

We regret that you did not receive the Macintosh version of our
Developer Registry application kit.  We did, in fact, track
product and system usage of the announcement respondents for
Macintosh developers.  Out of over 15,000 kits distributed,
almost 3000 kits containing both a 3 1/2" Mac disk and a 5 1/4"
DOS disk were sent out.

We were thrilled to receive almost 7000 requests for applications
from our announcement mailing.  Unfortunately, data-entry in this
volume, even done with the utmost care, will unavoidably result
in some errors.   In the old 20/20 hindsight which is so
frustrating, it is obvious that all cover letters should have
included instructions to call Developer Services if a Mac disk
was desired and not included!

A 3 1/2" Mac disk is being sent to you today.  We certainly hope
you will choose to participate in the program.  

As for the question regarding the sales tax rate, we used a list
of published tax standards that we received.  We will look into
this to determine whether the Washington rate is in error, and
correct the rate, if needed.  We appreciate receiving the
information on the discrepancy.

Ted, thank you for bringing these problems to our attention.

Barbara Katzoff, Sr. Marketing Specialist
Ashton-Tate Developer Services


GENERAL NOTE:

If you received a Developer Registry application without a
Macintosh disk and would like one, please call Developer Services
at (213)538-7358 and we will send you one immediately.  If you
did not receive an application and are interested in becoming
involved in our developer program, please call.  There is still
plenty of time to beat the June 15th application deadline.