In general, GW Micro continues to move to a policy of supporting our local dealers more and more. If we look at the U.S. for a moment, about half of the states have exclusive GW Micro dealers which means that our customers need to work with the dealer in their state. Of course we provide additional products in the U.S. and have some other exceptions. But your question isn't limited to online orders but goes to the issue of ordering directly from GW Micro in general. Our policy remains the same - GW Micro is not a huge company and we absolutely need our local dealers to extend our reach so we will take steps to encourage them.
This is even a greater problem outside the U.S. in countries that don't speak English as their primary language. But English speaking countries still have requirements different from the U.S. For example, we cannot sell the payment plan version of Window-Eyes in the UK because their laws see this type of transaction as being a bank and violation of this carries a severe penalty. We wouldn't know this without dealer feedback. Some countries require hand delivery and training with each sale of Window-Eyes to an individual. Insurance plans which don't exist in the U.S. are used in many countries. I certainly understand that you, as a member of gw-info might not understand all of the issues that we see as a manufacturer and you might not understand the value of our dealers since you already use Window-Eyes. But to be effective we must consider not only our existing customers but future customers. We absolutely must support our non-US dealers to provide products, support and marketing. We cannot attend every international conference or visit local schools. We rarely visit international employers or software developers. One person mentioned that there are few Window-Eyes users in their country. If we take actions which will give you more WE users in your area, then we all win. If we take actions that discourage our local dealers I can absolutely guarantee that we will all lose. We need you to support your local GW Micro dealers. Regards, Dan -----Original Message----- From: Neville [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 6:28 PM To: Vaughan Dodd; GW Micro Subject: Re: online ordering from GW Micro Hi, Living in Australia, I also would be interested to hear a response from GW Micro on this subject. I usually deal direct with GW Micro because it is both cheaper and faster. The only time I dealt with a local dealer, the item had to go to the dealer first and then on to me with two lots of postage as well as their mark up. In fact, the cost of postage from the dealer was greater than that charged to send the item from the US to Australia. Neville. On 11/01/2012 6:39 AM, Vaughan Dodd wrote: > Hi all. > > I may have been a bit slow to notice this, but I have discovered that online ordering is now only available to people living in the United States. > > This is a backward step, as I have enjoyed a very positive relationship with the sales and ordering people when I have placed orders for Window-eyes upgrades, smas etc. I do not wish to have to go through a dealer just because I want an SMA or replacement cd. > > Online ordering is as secure (or as unsecure) depending upon your viewpoint regardless of where one lives, and I have always enjoyed the direct ordering arrangements which have been part of the GW experience. > > Can online ordering be reinstated for overseas customers? > > We already accept that we pay extra for Window-Eyes by living outside of the United States due to currency conversion, credit card charges etc. There is an extended wait time if cds ARE POSTED and having now to place orders through a dealer just adds to the purchaser's overheads. It is true: the actual price of Window-Eyes products as charged by GW cannot influence these other factors, and in the end, all that I am asking for is the same online access to purchasing as United States residents. > > Doug, Dan et al - Hope you can remove this restriction to overseas customers soon. > > Thanks. > > > Vaughan. > > > > > ------------------------------- > This email and any attachments may contain information that is confidential and subject to legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or duplication of this email and attachments is prohibited. If you have received this email in error please notify the author immediately and erase all copies of the email and attachments. The Ministry of Social Development accepts no responsibility for changes made to this message or attachments after transmission from the Ministry. > ------------------------------- > If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your message to [email protected] so the entire list will receive it. > > GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo. You can manage your list subscription at http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv. > If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your message to [email protected] so the entire list will receive it. GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo. You can manage your list subscription at http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv. If you reply to this message it will be delivered to the original sender only. If your reply would benefit others on the list and your message is related to GW Micro, then please consider sending your message to [email protected] so the entire list will receive it. GW-Info messages are archived at http://www.gwmicro.com/gwinfo. You can manage your list subscription at http://www.gwmicro.com/listserv.
