Newsgroups: comp.lang.smalltalk
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From: jazzbeau@netcom.com (Steve Barnette)
Subject: Re: Protesting Digitalk sales practises
Message-ID: <jazzbeauD5t081.FDD@netcom.com>
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Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 18:48:00 GMT
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Dear, Legend in Own Mind,

Sounds like a load of sour grapes. I don't believe your story, expiration 
dates were clear.

Bob Byrd 
(using the FCS account)



Bill Baloglu (billb@rahul.net) wrote:
: I am very dispapointed with my recent experience with Digitalk 
: corporation which I wish to share with the Smalltalk community here.

: I strongly believe that a company's attitude to its customers and 
: prospects is as important as its technology. Business ethics and 
: curtesy is the basic, inseperable foundation of an organization.

: I am a noted expert on object technology and in particular, object 
: databases and OO encapsulation of relational databases. Until recently 
: my work has mainly focused on C++. With smalltalk's increasing 
: momentum and acceptance by mainstream, sometime ago I bought 
: Smalltalk/V for Windows to teach myself the language. I really liked 
: the language and the product.

: About two weeks ago, I contacted Digitalk to inquire about the new 
: "Visual Smalltalk" product. They graciously sent me an info pack which 
: amoung other things, included a price list and a glossy brochure with 
: a $395 special upgrade price for existing Smalltalk/V Windows 
: customers, that was emphatically repeated throughout the brochure with 
: NO sepcified date of expiration.

: When I called the West coast sales rep of Digitalk last week, to take 
: advantage of the special offer, I was told, that particular offer had 
: expired, at the end of December 94 and that the upgrade price was now 
: $800. Later on the same day, another individual at Digitalk indicated 
: that the offer had expired, but this time, at the end of February 95 
: and that the upgrade price was now $600.

: I subsequently phoned and left two messages with the sales director at 
: Digitalk. Unfortunatelly to date, I have not received any response.

: I am no longer bothered about the money aspect of this. However, this 
: type of business practises do not reflect well upon a company who has 
: an excellent smalltalk product and trying to pioneer the technology. I 
: hope that this posting will help prevent or at least, minimize such 
: occurances in the future.

: Regards

: --
: bill


: ==================================================================
: Bill Baloglu, ObjectFocus Inc., Tel: 408-973-7228 Fax:408-973-9778

-- 

_______________________________________________________________________________

FCS Systems Inc.                                             
jazzbeau@netcom.com

   A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse.



