From: alberto@parsec.mixcom.com (Manuel Alberto Ricart)
Subject: A CD-ROM Story on Customer Relations
Followup-To: alberto@parsec.mixcom.com
Reply-To: alberto@parsec.uucp
Organization: I keep everything where I <most likely> can find it.
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 02:07:39 GMT

September 29, 1992

Dear Mr. Jobs:

Like others, I ordered my CD-ROM/3/0 bundle, and
to no surprise given my previous dealings with
NeXT, it was no where to be found. So after waiting
and waiting for 6 weeks I decided to call to find out
what in the world was happening.

I was promptly told that the cable had shipped, the
CD ROM Drive would ship by September 30th (2 weeks
later), and the software would arrive sometime in
between then. Great!, I thought, this is much
better than my previous ordering nightmare (My
NeXTstation took a good 4 months to arrive last
year).

Well to no surprise, cable and software were
received. And for the hell of it, I decided to give
NeXT a jingle to see if the drive was going to ship as
I was led to believe (this week).

Well...What could I expect. A blatant NO was the
answer.

"We are sorry, but the response to the promotion
was so great that we are totally out of drives,
because we didn't anticipate so much
response...You can expect your drive to ship LATE
OCTOBER/DECEMBER". I was told. So much for good
faith and expectations, these guys have a
problem.

My drive was ordered as part of my developer status
with NeXT. Which for some reason you'd think would
have a special symbolism, meaning, or status,
after all you'd think it would be a good idea for
developers to be on top of 'new developments' in
software - Look at the Apple developer program,
developers pay a fee of about $300 last time I
checked and tons of goodies arrive monthly in CD
and printed form [HINT, that's not a bad thing].
Including system software, beta versions,
release version, sample code, etc. Guess NOT -
Developers don't really need to be on top of
things, [deep sarcasm], they should be the last to
get the stuff, thus guarantying that
applications that make the computer company look
good, don't see the light until late in the game.
NeXT position? Must be.

Not only I am a developer for NeXT, but also direct a
NeXT User's Group - I try to keep people informed
and hype-up/convert new people to the platform.
Well if it hadn't been for a kind soul from a
different NUG, all my members would have found out
about 3.0 MUCH MUCH later. - Sounds stupid! How am I
supposed to keep on top of it? Don't know, and
seriously, I am beginning to doubt if I care at all.
I do this gratis, out of my interest in "this great"
computer, in hopes that it does become
successful. Interest quickly fades.

I ask myself, NeXT has the gull to take my money long
ago, and product isn't delivered. Not even a kind
note in the mail or email, telling that they are
sorry they are such boneheads,for such and such
reason. And because of that, here's a check for the
drive, if you wish to receive it at a later date we
will be glad to send it COD, please call our 800
number to set you up, type of thing.

In some states, Wisconsin one of them, such
practices of taking your money and not even
acknowledging a delay or problem, are not only
rude, but frowned upon by the law. Worse yet, they
cannot figure out what to stock! They know who they
have sold systems to. So couldn't anyone at NeXT
make a educated guess, specially since the
promotion has been going on almost since April?
You'd think a trend would have been starting early
on.

And really, do you think that I am going to believe
that NeXT has absolutely NO CD ROMs in stock? - I bet
if I were someone else, one, two, 100 could be
easily found.

So furious, I came back to my phone conversation,
and cold as ice, I asked to talk to the supervisor,
(to which I had talked to regarding a certain
computer that took 4 months to be delivered -funny
how that got solved when I asked for my $$ back!). So
there I was, listening to The SAME EXACT story,
that Young had so precisely, devastatingly
delivered a few seconds earlier. 

Memorizing speeches must be the thing to do. This
time I asked for some sort of satisfaction, or help
because I'd really would like to get the 3.0
software installed before you release 3.1 is out!
Although some slightly scary stuff has been
posted by some people, telling why they would not
upgrade.

I was promptly told that I should try my local
reseller (They don't even have 3.0! - I have close
relationship with them since the lend me their
training center monthly for the User's Group
Meeting - They have an uninstalled 3.0 beta CD,
with no CD Rom.) So she'd volunteered to do some
legwork to find my a way of installing this thing.
So I gave her 2 phone numbers where I could be had,
and 8 hours later, no message or response to be
found. BAD, BAD service. If I did this, I'd loose my
clients, perhaps soon enough you'll will loose
some.

I am sure this is the last item that I will purchase
directly from NeXT. Next time I want someone who I
can confront in person. I am tired of being toyed
with.



Sincerely,
-- 
Manuel Alberto Ricart
alberto@parsec.mixcom.com <NeXTMail Welcome>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next.advocacy