Bell Tech Pricing

[Paul Allen]

In article <236 at belltec.UUCP> dar at belltec.UUCP (Dimitri Rotow) writes:
>In article <294 at gandalf.littlei.UUCP>, martin at littlei.UUCP (martin) writes:
>> [...]  Bell Tech has been advertising Unix in almost
>> all of the Unix trade rags.  The add says "UNIX for as low as $145".  
>> [...]  I called the folks up and asked them how much for just a software
>> distribution (not the X package or additional non-v.3.? packages).  They
>> told me $235.  I asked them what I could get for the advertised price of
>> $145 and they said "Just the AT&T license".  Well that does alot of good!
>> I can't insert the license into the PC and boot it... (humor).  
>> [...]
>
>The pricing makes sense if (like most of our customers) you are buying more
>than one copy of UNIX.  If you are bringing up 10 machines, you only need 
>one copy of distribution media ($45) and ten licenses at $145 each.  This
>saves you $450.  You would prefer we charged you for ten copies of media
>you don't need?  Note that our $145 price includes ALL of UNIX as defined
>in SVID, including RFS, TLI, and Streams, all of the development tools,
>link kit, vi, and much other wonderful stuff.  
> [stuff about how much you can save by buying multiple copies deleted]
>- Dimitri Rotow, Bell Technologies

I'm an individual, not a corporation.  I would like to run unix on the
biggest, fastest 386 box I can fit into my budget.  I'm going to buy one
copy.  Your ad (I've seen it in the June Unix Review and the latest Dr.
Dobb's) screams (well, 23 point type, anyway!) that I can get Unix SVR3
for a 386 *complete* for $145.  Now that I know what to look for, I see
that one of the available options is a 'media kit'.  Sheesh!  Does the
$235 price include any documentation?

Come on, Dimitri!  Bell Tech's price is low enough that you don't have
to resort to misleading advertising like this!  I think it's fine that
you've unbundled the pricing so corporate buyers can save kilobucks, but
your ad doesn't make it clear that $145 doesn't buy me anything useful.  I
prefer dealing with vendors who are straight with me, rather than
squirming around on the price.

Paul Allen

[It just occurred to me that, since Bell Tech is willing to sell me just
a license, I should be able to copy a friend's floppies and
documentation.  That would give me a licensed running complete Unix for
$145, just like the ad says!  1/2 :-) ]


-- 
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Paul L. Allen                       | paula at boeing.com
Boeing Advanced Technology Center   | ...!uw-beaver!ssc-vax!bcsaic!paula