Re: [Ql-Users] QL Today article.
there who has ever bought an item from me without getting an invoice and every invoice was recorded on the main database. It got more complex with Just Words when he started offering discounts for buying multiple programs but I never owed him any money and returned a whole load of manuals when he took it all back 'in house' asked me to do so. At the time I thought I had settled everything with him and this was the first I heard of any problem. QDT was a different matter. We had high hopes of that being a good seller but I sold only 28 copies in over 3 years (to 2008). Each one had a unique licence number and I sent a spreadsheet with all the licence numbers, names and emails addresses to Jim and he invoiced me for the sales. I think I may owe him for 2 copies since his last invoice (in 2006) and, if he emails me privately I can give him those details and sort out that payment. Like most businesses QBranch worked on forward sales, you are, essentially paying part of the previous bill from the current sales because running expenses take their toll. When there are few sales for a couple of years running expenses figure large in the equation. I should have closed QBranch two or three years back but I enjoyed running it, liked the shows and the people and kept thinking something would come up to make it get better again. When QBranch did close it had over 200 copies of QL Today back issues which represents a sizeable amount of money as well as a few unsold programs which had been invoiced and paid for because I always felt I should have at least one of each item in stock to avoid delay in shipping to the customer. I also still had a swathe of QDT / Easyptr / QPCPrint CDs and manuals made up. Some of this I have now disposed of, the rest I will donate to Bruce but I suspect he will not be able to sell any. Gradually, as my diving activities became more prominent and then my rock band started to happen I got less and less time to devote to the QL but then the QL scene devotes less and less time to itself. After 25 years it is in great need of new programs and a bit more drive from the people who are still involved. It's future is in the hands of the users now because there is but one trader and nothing new to sell. A parlous state. There we are. This has been a lot longer than I intended it to be at the start and I hope you are all still awake. I have done this without suggesting that I was misrepresented in the article and I hope without raising anyone's hackles or creating a disturbance. I just wanted my side out there. I hope you were not too bored and that the above will not raise any blazing rows. They don't do us any good at all. -- Roy Wood Q Branch. 20 Locks Hill, Portslade, Sussex.BN41 2LB Tel/ Fax: +44 (0) 1273 430501 NOTE NEW PHONE NUMBER! web : www.qbranch.demon.co.uk skype : royqbranch ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm __ NOD32 3974 (20090330) Information __ This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system. http://www.eset.com ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] QL Today article.
Evening Roy, Roy wood wrote: > I have spent the last week deliberating about whether to write anything > here about the article in QL Today. In some ways I was very disinclined > to do it because I did not want it to turn in one of those acrimonious > arguments that run on these pages. As I wrote in my article in the latest QL Today, I personally have had nothing but good service from QBranch and you. I wish you all the best Roy. At the moment, things are not so great for businesses - I run one myself, so I know. Good luck and good health to you and yours. Cheers, Norman. ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] QL Today article.
P Witte wrote, On 30/03/09 16:30: Roy wood wrote: I have spent the last week deliberating about whether to write anything here about the article in QL Today. In some ways I was very disinclined to do it because I did not want it to turn in one of those acrimonious arguments that run on these pages. I would, however, like to run in a little background information. > Thanks for the clarification, Roy. And sorry you had to make it. Thanks for the service, subsidy and fun you have provided over the years! I wish you better satisfaction with your other ventures. For those of us who have not read the QL Today article, could someone explain please privately. I too don't want this to expand here unnecessarily. thanks, Tony -- QBBS (QL fido BBS 2:257/67) +44(0)1442-828255 t...@firshman.co.uk http://firshman.co.uk Voice: +44(0)1442-828254 Fax: +44(0)1442-828255 Skype: tonyfirshman TF Services, 29 Longfield Road, TRING, Herts, HP23 4DG ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] QL Today article.
In message , Roy wood writes Hi Roy, I think that you did well to keep your QL interests going as long as you did. You were always a notable character at the many QL events that have been held over the years. I hope that you are able to keep on working towards clearing all the debts that closing down the QBranch business has incurred. As you say, without any real new products it is not possible to keep the real business side to your activities for the QL viable. Again I hope that you will still, though, have some time to find for the QL. Norman Dunbar has done a very good job too of responding to your last thoughts in the "Byts of Wood" series from QL Today ... so let us believe that we have not yet heard the last you on the QL scene. I have spent the last week deliberating about whether to write anything here about the article in QL Today. In some ways I was very disinclined to do it because I did not want it to turn in one of those acrimonious arguments that run on these pages. I would, however, like to run in a little background information. -- Malcolm Cadman ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
Re: [Ql-Users] QL Today article.
Thanks for the clarification, Roy. And sorry you had to make it. Thanks for the service, subsidy and fun you have provided over the years! I wish you better satisfaction with your other ventures. Per Roy wood wrote: I have spent the last week deliberating about whether to write anything here about the article in QL Today. In some ways I was very disinclined to do it because I did not want it to turn in one of those acrimonious arguments that run on these pages. I would, however, like to run in a little background information. <> ___ QL-Users Mailing List http://www.q-v-d.demon.co.uk/smsqe.htm
[Ql-Users] QL Today article.
I have spent the last week deliberating about whether to write anything here about the article in QL Today. In some ways I was very disinclined to do it because I did not want it to turn in one of those acrimonious arguments that run on these pages. I would, however, like to run in a little background information. QBranch was doing fine right up to the Q40 / Microfast 2000 period. In retrospect both of these ventures were not the best conceived and I will not go too deeply into them but suffice it to say they left QBranch depleted and in debt. Quite apart from the various QL related problems I made the foolish decision of tying the QBranch funds to those of Microfast 2000. At the time I thought that would make the QL side stronger so I could invest the shop profits into the QL business. As it was the shop made a massive loss and was burdened with rent and rates (when QBranch was run from home it had neither of these problems.) Having closed the shop and taken on a job I had to set about rebuilding things. There was a lot of debt to be dealt with and, as usual, I dealt with the one who shouted loudest. Jochen, being a nice guy, was not shouting. I dealt with two year's unpaid rates and a whole host of other bills to do with closing the shop and tried to get QBranch back on an even keel. Fast forward a couple of years and Jochen and I started to try to get the debt to him dealt with. We started by paying off the oldest invoices whole. After a while I realised I was falling into a similar trap to the one I had built for myself in the shop and, because the QL Today Subscriptions were all sitting in the QBranch bank, account they got used for other stuff, so I then decided to open a separate account which required notice if I was to draw money from it. All the QL Today money would sit in there (and earn a bit of interest). Jochen wanted me to make regular payments to him. The trouble with this was that it was a bit of a struggle to do that. Young family, not a brilliantly paid job, etc. I was paying using my credit cards but, in the end just ran my credit cards up, added to my monthly payments, and all the while QL revenues went down. For the last five years QBranch has posted a loss. Last year it was around £3500. This year I expect it to be more. Almost every invoice was for QL Today (most of the rest were QPC2 and QPCPrint) and the profit from doing that was minimal. The most recent arrangement I made was that all QL Today payments were prepaid and all new invoices were settled in 30 days. In addition I would pay extra money to reduce the debt. There seemed to be a bit of confusion a while back when I thought the money I had sent was for QL Today and Jochen thought I had paid it off the debt and not paid for QL Today. But I have tried to do it this way. The main problem was making a regular debt repayment. It got worse 6 months ago when my car died, I bought a new one which proved to have two expensive faults. In spite of the continuing loss from QBranch I have paid off I have paid off around 80% of the money I owed JMS and the rest will get settled during this year. At any point in the above I could have closed QBranch and walked away from the debt but I did not do that. Although I have now closed QBranch. I have no intention of walking away from the remained of the debt. When I mentioned that 'I no longer thought about the QL' I meant it in terms of the fact that I was no longer gathering items for the article. Usually, a couple of weeks before the magazine was being prepared for printing, I would get requests for the adverts and for the article. With neither of those to worry about and a whole load of other stuff going on in my life - I was not thinking about the QL. Hence I needed reminding that I needed to sort this issue out and, since I had already spoken with Bruce about his taking it on and I realised he needed to do something about renewals so I contacted him. With regard to the software side. Geoff and I had a very loose arrangement about it. I made up the disks and he gave me labels and manuals. The financial side was mostly me saying 'I have no more manuals for x program' and asking how much money he needed from me. At no point was I ever asked to provide a list of people who bought the program. It would have been easy enough to do - in fact I still can do this (although it would take a while) because every sale is recorded on a database. I don't think there is a single customer out there who has ever bought an item from me without getting an invoice and every invoice was recorded on the main database. It got more complex with Just Words when he started offering discounts for buying multiple programs but I never owed him any money and returned a whole load of manuals when he took it all back 'in house' asked me to do so. At the time I thought I had settled everything with him and this was the first I heard of any
