Unhappy Customers

[BostonU SysMgr]

	It never ceases to amaze me when someone (predictably)
	responds to a pricing/quality/service complaint
	"Hey, they're only trying to make buck" which is
	usually meant to justify most any outrageous practice
	and is usually an indication that this clever person
	has great insight and empathy into *business*.

	Somehow, I think this outright cynicism started around
	the watergate thing (ok, I date myself) the moral
	of which was "Hey, they're only trying to make a buck/win"
	strongly reinforced by the rapid decline into recent
	recessions/scandals/cynicism/apathy/despair-for-moral-values.

	Ok, my answer:

	Hey, I AM THE *#$%@!! CUSTOMER!!!
	And if YOU want my business ya better keep me
	happy or I'll find another game even if it's
	painful. I got bottom lines too and I can
	live w/o any vendor a heck of a lot easier then
	they can live without me, the customer.

	I started using UNIX cause a) It worked b) it was
	reasonably priced for a source license
	c) it looked like (in 1976) it was gonna be
	an area of real development by a community that saw
	the problems a lot like I did. If some of those things
	stop being so, I stop being a customer as soon
	as a reasonable alternative appears...poof, gone.
	And I have enough faith in the good sense of customers
	that I won't be the only one gone. And something
	will appear to fill the void (nature hates a vacuum,
	so does american capitalism.)

	Now, I don't mind paying a reasonable price for something,
	but what that price is depends on its value to ME NOT
	THE PROBLEMS OF THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT IT. Their problem
	is to convince me, the customer, it is worth to me
	what it costs TO ME, not them.

	Personally, I think the free pricing of UNIX
	to universities was wonderfully generous.
	What AT&T got back was an incredibly highly developed system.
	Probably, now as it matures it would not be unreasonable
	to adjust pricing but they better not think the world
	will magically stand still at SYSV or 4.2bsd, development
	continues to be critical.

	Notice, AT&T gave it away for free and made a killing
	on it...chew on that next time you decide to give in
	cause "Hey, they're only trying to make a buck."

	My suggestion to AT&T is that they charge some reasonable
	price for their source distributions that can be spread
	out over time (optionally.) Then, they buy back every
	bug fix and augmentation. At standard consulting rates,
	of course.

	I realize this is a bit frivilous but in fact I am
	half serious.

		-Barry Shein, Boston University