RE: What Do You Think?

Bill,

I hesitate to tend cynical without additional information.  Normally
when you purchase an iSeries, your business partner has generated a
configuration which includes the hardware, software, peripherals and
software subscription.  This configuration gets forwarded to their
supplier (not IBM).  When you make the commitment to purchase, your BP
will confirm the order with the supplier, who will then order the
configuration from IBM.  IBM will ship the order to you, the supplier
will send an invoice to your BP, and your BP will send you and invoice.
Assuming that the software subscription was part of the original
configuration, it should have flowed along with everything else.

So if the software subscription was part of the original configuration,
I would tend cynical.  If you ordered the software subscription
separately, I might give them the benefit of the doubt.

There are penalties for ordering software subscription on a machine
which did not currently have it, so this would be a dangerous game.
There would be a time window from the time the machine was installed to
the date at which a penalty would be assessed.  If your order for V5R2
came within that window, it is also possible that someone (either your
BP or their supplier) was generating interest on your money and then
planning on getting it to IBM at the last possible time.  This latter
explanation strikes me as very likely.  The likelihood of someone
ordering a new release shortly after delivery is slight.

Regards,
Andy Nolen-Parkhouse

> admin@midrange.com] On Behalf Of Bill
> Sent: Thursday, November 14, 2002 10:45 AM
> To: midrange-l@midrange.com
> Subject: What Do You Think?
>
> This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
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> I followed up a previous call to IBM trying to get V5R2 since I hadn't
> heard back from them.  I got someone quite knowledgeable this time and
> he replied that the reason I probably hadn't gotten any response to my
> order yet was because they didn't have our machine's serial number
> listed as having software subscription.  After much calling around to
> the BP I purchased the upgrade and SS through, I found out that it
just
> hadn't been filed with IBM when we paid our invoice.
>
> The cynical part of me is tending towards "They kept the money without
> filing the SS hoping I'd never find out".  The other part of me thinks
> it was just an innocent oversight.  What do you think?
>
> Bill