Hi all fellow Listers !

Wirt wrote :

> The problem is once again perceptions.


I second that as strong as I can.

> The people at CSY, who
> have generally
> acted as the "good guys", really do see themselves as the
> "good guys", and
> they ask questions from that point of view. Unfortunately,
> because of that
> perspective, they're often surprised at the answers.

People at CSY (and, for that matter, other HP divisions) know what a
customer is and how she/he can react. They should not be surprised by the
anger and frustration expressed by some communications from customers. Yes,
there's a lot of emotional stuff down there. That's precisely what drives us
: emotions.

> I think its very important for everyone to understand each
> other's points of
> view.

For various reasons, I could not agree more.

> For most long-term HP3000 users, the very question
> tends to raise more
> than a bit of ire. HP, by killing the HP3000, has betrayed
> the trust and
> confidence that it has worked so hard to engender in the user
> group over the
> past 25 years. Indeed, if all of the recent promises are
> taken into account,
> many as recent as HPWorld 2001, the perception that HP has
> outrightly lied to
> the customer base is not unreasonable

I second that too. Remember, there was that data sheet (P/N 5980-3746)
entitled "What hp executives say about the HPe3000", dated February 2001.
And every bit of news leads us to think that the decision to kill off the
3000 was ALREADY MADE by then ???

So whom should we believe ?

> and HP has put itself
> in the same
> corporate trustworthy category as Enron.

Perhaps, Wirt (with due respect to you as an individual and your outstanding
contribution to this community over the years), you are pushing the cart a
bit too far. After all, Enron + Andersen Consulting et al may be guilty of
outright fraud. hp (but, morally speaking, is it less of a sin ?) may only
be guilty of misleading its customers' trust. But I have to say I understand
your frustration. Really. Deep in my heart.

In another mail a few weeks (months, already ?) ago, someone else detailed
all the possible stages of grief, and it sure included anger and
frustration. I second that.

> By asking the question, "How much are you willing to pay for migration
> assistance," is like asking someone who you just stabbed in
> the back and who
> is now lying face down in a rain-soaked gutter, gushing
> blood, "How much are
> you willing to pay for me to drive you to the hospital?"

Yes, that's it. Besides, it's like two different lines of conduct. On a
regular basis, the HP9000 product line marketing in France invites me and/or
my staff to seminars. These seminars have always been free of charge, and,
to quote someone else's words (George Stachnik, I think), they all had setup
costs. That means hp invests (gambles ?) significant money on their dealer
network. After all, we could all be moles gathering hp information and
taking it back to IBM or Sun.

Er ... I have to say, at this stage, I'm NOT an IBM or Sun mole.

And these CSY people would think we are going to pay for HPe3000-related
(understand : soon-to-be-obsolete) info ????? Are they THAT naive?

> The question just tends to make you a little mad.

Wirt, even your wildest understatements deserve due respect.

> Wirt Atmar

Christian Lheureux

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