Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Re: Beware The reach of DaveNet

Author:Dave Winer
Posted:8/27/1999; 6:07:03 PM
Topic:Next clonemaker, Compaq
Msg #:10161 (In response to 10141)
Prev/Next:10160 / 10162

if it was the DG that gave him this power then there are many perl programmers with it too... and as far as i know not too many of them are getting help from the VP of Compaq...

Don't over-rate the importance of that VP of Compaq. He never got back to me, and at 2PM they came and took the computer back. And I heard back from the guy at Dell, and he said he just wanted to offer me a discount on shipping, and I said give me a break, I just want to be treated like a customer, quit offering me stupid incentives that are worth nothing to me (the discount amounted to $50). I waste that much money just navigating thru your voicemail system when I get disconnected by a surly tech person who thinks I owe him something.

No we need a captive clone vendor. One who makes a premium product and charges a premium price but who understands that the first letter in the word Customer is capitalized.

I have a friend who is into the DJ-Rave scene in SF. She has a friend who sells equipment to the DJs because they're so influential in what equipment the ravers buy for themselves. How much do you think the DJs pay for the hardware? Nothing! In fact they pay *them* to use the hardware. You know, the endorsement thing. Now you could say that the computer business is too new for that, but it's a lot older than the DJ scene. I just think the execs at the clone vendors are too tired and scared and full of themselves to get that their reputation matters and that the people who use a site like Scripting News influence the sale of lots of hardware, and that listening to us might make them some bucks.

Instead they treat me like a dumb schmuck whose only job is to give them money and every problem with the damned machine is my fault until I show that I'm willing to sit on the phone for hours nursing their idiot voicemail system. And they waste my time doing the troubleshooting for them.

Someday this will happen. The phone rings. "Hi Dave, this is Mark Mell, the CEO of Mell Machines, and we have a new PC in the works, it's wonderful, and I was wondering if you'd like to try it out? We'll bring it in a limo. We'll take it back anytime you get tired of it, and hopefully replace it with something you like even better. Will you tell us what that might be? Oh and if you like it, is it OK if we tell other people that you use our product?"

Oh well, nice dream. I'll find a local dealer next and let you know how that goes. In the meantime I'm still using a 233 Mhz laptop with a broken shift key. (It's weird, I'm getting used to it.)

(I wonder how Jason Levine is doing and if he's still thrilled with Dell. He gives them points for style, what matters to me is if I'm up or down.)

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