Support matters

[Bill Kennedy]

In article <402 at uport.UUCP> plocher at uport.UUCP (John Plocher) writes:
>> [stuff about meetings ]
>>                            Please explain to everyone on the net how those
>>poor unspecting people who glading ordered and paid for Dosmerge, found it
>>very interesting to see that what they purchased was a "PRE-RELEASE".
>
>History, not an excuse:

Bull!  Applicable history, but see below.

>	Locus did Dos Merge for us.  They kept shipping us "pre release"
>	versions.  The decision was made (for better or worse) to ship 
>	the stuff and to upgrade users when the real thing became avaliable.
>
>	V/386 DosMerge 1.1 (The *real thing*, not a Pre Release) is in
>	final engineering (Monday it starts QA)  As soon as I approve it,
>	it will go into production and out to our customers.
>
>	It is based on Unix V/386 ver 3.0, and will be handled as an
>	upgrade package:
>
>		Those with Upgrade contracts will have V/386 and DM
>		shipped to them automatically.
>
>		Those w/o an upgrade contract must purchase the Unix upgrade
>		from V/386 2.2 to V/386 3.0; the DM upgrade is free.
>
>		Contact your sales rep for details.

I have a letter, signed by an officer of Microport, thanking me for being
a "pioneer", promising me I'd get the latest and greatest no later than
May 1.  Your phone people resist approach, now you say I must have an
"Upgrade contract", gimme a break!  I bought your stuff, full price, not,
knowing that Locus was yanking you around, I went on what *MICROPORT* said.
I wasn't dealing with Locus, I was dealing with *MICROPORT*.  You say
(correctly) that this was "before your watch", fair enough.  If you  don't
want to reneg on your officers' promises, then stop teasing, stop posting, just
deliver.
[ I have already commented on the rest.  Sigh! ]

>	If *some* of you want to help with a "real" beta, send me mail.

Why?  The only credibility they have is you.  Show us something.  Prove
me wrong, I welcome it.  I was in a `"real"' beta and didn't even know it.
Now I have to pay (or so it seems from what you wrote) for what I was
supposed to get as a "pioneer".  I'm eager and willing to be flamed and
proven wrong...

>	This means being willing and able to provide in depth testing
>	on various hardware platforms and with different environments.
>	Timeframe is soon, duration < 2 weeks; quantity is *small*.  I
>	want quality beta testers, not quantity.  I know we all are tired
>	of Pre Releases and Betas and whathaveyou, so my requirements are
>	stiff:
>
>	"Beta" does NOT mean "production" or "placate an upset customer"
>	or "get a free upgrade"; now that I'm here, Beta means BETA, and
>	not early shipping.

OK, I'll disqualify myself because I have paid cash to be a beta and now
the rules have changed.  Used to be we got to pay full retail to do beta,
now we have "stiff requirements".  No sir! Credibility (admitted) or not,
*MICROPORT* will not get another sous of my money or another drop of my
sweat until they deliver what they promised in the first place.  I have it
in writing...

Sorry for the line eater food
but it seems that
I just can't satisfy it
otherwise without
eliminating some
of what John wrote,
that's not apropos to my follow-up
-- 
Bill Kennedy  usenet      {killer,att,rutgers,sun!daver,uunet!bigtex}!ssbn!bill
              internet    bill at ssbn.WLK.COM