Hear, ear!  HP is living on previous good service and the fact that other
big computer manufacturers do not do it any better.
 
NMD
 
 
On Wed, 29 Nov 1995, Guy Smith wrote:
 
> Forgive me.  It s time to vent (batten the hatches and stow the children
> below decks).
>
> Not so long ago I lived in near ecstasy.  I was blessed with the most
> competent of all HP sales representatives (that's you Allen, if you're
> lurking about) in a local sales office.  He proficiency was icing on the
> HP sales cake because Bill and Dave s Computer Emporium had a marketing
> team-scheme that couldn t be beat.  For example:
>
>         When I needed something, I would call my sales rep, who
>         worked in the same city
>
>         If my request involved hardware compatibility issues,
>         he leaned over a partition and spoke with my CE, who
>         was familiar with my installation and could spot
>         hardware incompatibility issue before a purchase was made
>
>         If there were software support issues, my sales rep
>         leaned over the other partition and spoke to my SE,
>         who (also) was familiar with my installation and could
>         promptly offer advise on which contracts to place new
>         support on, or perhaps where I could save a few dollars
>         in support costs
>
>         My sales rep would then provide me with one quote, which
>         was right the first time, which fulfilled my every
>         computing need, and which made sense for my installation
>
> Let us contrast this ideal situation with the current state of affairs:
>
>         I have two sales reps (this is *not* something to envy).
>         One works out of a city in another state, graces us with
>         his presence once a week, but only communicates with
>         the VP of MIS.  I ll note in passing that this sales
>         rep cannot even spell 'MPE', focusing as directed by
>         HP to pitch UNIX to the top MIS management types
>
>         My other sale rep is a tele-sales sort (to whom the
>         first sales rep directs any problem more complicated
>         than picking up the check).  He too is MPE illiterate
>         and I find myself spending more time checking and
>         correcting his work than in ordering actual products
>
>         Neither sales rep knows enough about my installation,
>         software or history to provide informed advice
>
>         Neither has a working relationship with CEs locally
>         and seem not to consult with CEs, thus producing
>         proposals and quotes which simply will not work
>         (quite recently we had a left over brace of SCSI
>         drives which we wanted to use on our 935, and by
>         their recommendation bought a SCSI controller for,
>         only to learn shortly before installation that we
>         would not be able to boot from said drives)
>
>         Neither has a working relationship with our SE
>         (who lately has been given a tele-support person
>         of his own).  This distance enhanced duality
>         has caused every new piece of hardware and software
>         to be bid without support being purchased (this despite
>         my occasional prodding about to which contracts
>         said support should be added)
>
>         Combined, it has become useless to do anything
>         remotely innovative.  For example, for the last
>         four months I have asked HP to provide a simple
>         quote or analysis to determine if we should
>         switch to CD-ROM software distribution and
>         perhaps save a few quid.  In the same four
>         months, having spoken to three sales types and
>         two SE types, HP has yet to deliver the requested
>         product.
>
> "Guy you pompous baboon", you must be asking, "what is your point".
> Simply it is that in HPs attempt to streamline their sales and sales-
> support activities, they managed to destroy a relatively simple and
> efficient, teamwork based approach, and deliver instead a marketing
> branch that resembles a school room full of children with attention
> deficit disorders.  Not only can you not get what you need and want from
> them, you often can't get one of them to pay attention long enough to
> unserstand the problem.
>
> I doubt anyone from HPs marketing group frequents this forum.  However,
> I hope one of HPs attendant techies firmly thumbtacks a copy of this
> mailing to the collective foreheads in marketing.  In a highly
> competitive market place, service buys loyalty, and that s one asset I
> would hate for HP to loose.
>
> [given the nature of this posting, I'll state here that these are my
> opinions, which do not reflect those of my employer, my bosses, or
> any real or imagined sentient being]
>
> ========================================================================
> Guy Smith                              Voice: 804-527-4000 ext 6664
> Circuit City Stores, Inc.                FAX: 804-527-4008
> 9950 Mayland Drive                    E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
> Richmond, VA 23233-1464       Private E-Mail: [log in to unmask]
> USA                                 Web page: http://www.infi.net/~guys
>
> The thoughts expressed herein are mine and do not reflect those of my
> employer, or anyone with common sense.
>