Author: Larry Proffer
Date: 05:52:16 05/19/01
Go up one level in this thread
On May 19, 2001 at 03:10:02, Bruce Moreland wrote: > >Okay, so the idea is that some other computer chess company (is there more than >one other one these days?) may assign someone to check out Ed's new stuff and >bitch about it and his support, in order to try to wreck his sales by showing >that Ed's company sucks. There are maybe ten or more computer chess companies either publishing or buying in and selling at retail. > >This is pretty violent, but the computer chess world is full of goofs, so I can >imagine a parallel universe where this happens. No problem. > >I wonder if this tactic would achieve anything? For companies relying on mail order sales the occasional dribble of complaints about 'not-replying', 'promising stuff and not delivering' and so on, can be very damaging. Customers usually like to *see* and *feel* what they buy. They like to think if they don't like the thing they can get a refund. So they are naturally cautious before sending money to some company in another country. Maybe they don't receive the goods? Maybe they don't get support if it doesn't work? Maybe the company is crooked? Maybe anything? They think all these things; and, if there's newgroup messages even mildly attacking the supply behaviour of the company in question, it can be enough to stop the purchase. That's the damage. Like your friend abusing his power in the office to try and kill a restaurant with 10,000 emails just because of some minor act that he feels insulted by. > Someone complains, Ed responds, >and some unknown number of people have learned that a new version of Rebel or >Tiger or whatever is out, and that if you complain in CCC about the product or >its support, the author of the program responds. > >This doesn't sound terribly effective to me, and unless Ed responds by drooling >like an idiot, a few people get a few more "nice Ed" neurons going on in their >brains. > >I think a more likely explanation for customer support grousing around the time >a new product comes out is that a bunch of people buy it and some have a problem >getting it to work. > >But that's not fun enough. I should be able to do better than that. > >Maybe Chessbase is a front company for the CIA, or for the phone company. >Supposedly a copy of Fritz burned up with Mir re-entered the atmosphere. Maybe >it didn't burn up -- the whole re-entry thing was just a cover. Maybe it's >still out there, WATCHING us. Chessbase isn't the only other company out there. Motivation isn't proof of action. Or a sufficient condition. > >Thorsten, if you are reading this, it is watching you ESPECIALLY. Ok, if you want to make gratuitous rants on Chessbase, and try and draw Thorsten in with the above provocation, feel free, but I'll not be part of it. Count me out. > >bruce
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