RE: SWMA question

No doubt.

-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jerry Draper
Sent: Monday, July 02, 2012 6:09 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: Re: SWMA question

I believe the "after market fee" is charged to stop people from avoiding
paying for SWMA until they absolutely need/must have it.

The SWMA also provides a known cash flow that IBM can go to the bank with
and get a loan or at least use the numbers to juice up their stockholders
report.

Jerry



On 7/2/2012 3:26 PM, Shannon ODonnell wrote:

I don't understand why there is a penalty in the first place.

That is, I get that IBM is trying to encourage customers to renew
their SWMA and they "penalize" them for waiting.

I get it, but I don't understand it.

To me, this seems like an arbitrary, and capricious, tax on the
customer, and it gives business' yet another reason not to stay on the
i5 (I forget, is that the name everyone is foaming at the mouth at the
moment and jumping all over anyone who dares to use AS/400, iSeries
or some other name?...wouldn't want to offend...).

IBM is saying to their customer, "Listen bub. You have 60 days to renew
your maintenance agreement. If you don't do it in that time frame, then

we

are going to arbitrarily tax you on it. And we'll keep piling on the
penalties until you finally agree to pay. That'll keep your dumb ass
in line! Teach YOU! To play with the big boys!"

That is so dumb.

Now, if the client was still USING IBM's software maintenance service
to get upgrades, software support to resolve issues, etc...and they
had not PAID for the service they were currently using...then I can
see a penalty interest. Just like any bill that you owe for goods and

services rendered.

But if you're saying pay me a penalty on something you're not even
USING, whenever you decide you want to use it AGAIN! On something
that is already so expensive that you are already looking for a reason
to get rid of...then that makes no sense to me at all.

So..."Who should pay?"

No one.




-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Chris Bipes
Sent: Monday, July 02, 2012 4:38 PM
To: 'Midrange Systems Technical Discussion'
Subject: RE: SWMA question

Can't help you but I never use an individual email for such things.
We use distribution lists such as purchasing@ or renewal@ . We always
have more than one individual in the list. We missed renewals and paid

for it before.

Not just from IBM either.

What is wrong with the picture? Well 1. IBM did not follow through. 2.
Their business partner did not keep track, 3. Their Accounting / IT
department did not tack it.

Who should pay for the mistake?


-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Paul Nelson
Sent: Monday, July 02, 2012 2:27 PM
To: 'Midrange Systems Technical Discussion'
Subject: SWMA question

List,

Do any of you know the person at IBM who deals with business partner
relationships? I have a customer whose hardware and software
maintenance agreements expired last winter.

I just learned about it when I tried to order their V7 upgrade. I
tracked down a clerk at the BP, who told me that she had emailed a
renewal notice a month or so before the expiration date, but hadn't
heard back from the customer.

She told me the person to whom she had emailed the invoice, but got
real quiet when I told her that guy had been gone for almost a year
prior to her email. She got even quieter when I asked if she had
bothered with a follow-up phone call.

She just sent me a copy of the quote for setting up an new agreement,
and the penalty is 116% of the agreement amount!

What's wrong with this picture?

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--
Jerome Draper, Trilobyte Software Systems, since 1976 iSeries, Network, and
Connectivity Specialists -- iSeries, LAN/WAN/VPN Representing WinTronix,
Synapse, Netopia, HiT, and others .....
(415) 457-3431; www.trilosoft.com