> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> For what >> they've done to some school districts they should be in court, but >> > Please elaborate.
Not much to tell -- I have personally witnessed their salespeople sail into a school district, wine and dine the admins and supervisors (literally!), lie ferociously about Apple and other PC competitors and provide very good per-unit prices that the district usually finds irresistible. Once the units are bought, however, the Maintenance Contract shows up. The MC offers either a) really poor service, no parts, not much of anything really BUT is pretty cheap **or** b) excellent service and parts, but costs at least as much PER YEAR as the machines themselves! Dell then threatens/discourages the district from trying to use non-Dell-approved service providers (like the school's own staff) by threatening to withhold any custom parts or tear up the Maintenance Contract. Basically blackmail, IMHO. If the school doesn't turn out to be "profitable" enough, the emails and phone calls stop getting answered pretty quickly. To their credit, I have to say that in my experience I've found Dell to be very responsive and good when they ship a DOA machine or part out by accident. But unless you're under the MC they want you to be under, they won't give you the time of day once the machines are actually up and running. There are a few things Apple needs to learn from Dell's sales force (like how to bribe school officials and how to respond quickly to DOA machines/parts), but for the most part I find their EDU business model to be pretty despicable. Schools should not be targeted as profit centers for computer vendors. _Chas_ Come to ... The CHASbah! http://thechasbah.blogspot.com **Go see BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE. It may change your life.** -- The iMac List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | - Epson Stylus Color 580 Printers - new at $69 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> iMac List info: <http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/imac-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- >The Think Different Store http://www.ThinkDifferentStore.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
