usenet@saturn.ucsc.edu (Usenet News Account) (02/17/88)
Sender: Reply-To: avalon@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (Scott A. McIntyre) Followup-To: Distribution: na Organization: Banana Slug Central (UC Santa Cruz) Keywords: From: avalon@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (Scott A. McIntyre) Path: ucscb.UCSC.EDU!avalon +-In article <2281@charon.unm.edu>, hansb@ariel.unm.edu.UUCP (Hans Bechtel) wrot e:- +---------- | | I know of a store in a big city in New Mexico that after they buy the | software to sell, they open up the package, copy it, and pass it to | a few of their friends, shrink-wrap it again, and put it back on the | shelves for sale. | | I won't mention any names here, but I think it is wrong to do the above. | | Hans Bechtel +---------- I agree. I used to work for a company in Southern California whose policy it was that if a customer was in any way not satisfied with the product, the could return it, if they keep the receipt, for a full refund. We would then test it, make sure all of the docs were there, then re shrinkwrap the product and place it back on the shelves. MOST of the time we never had a problem with this. Most customers were able to realize that the policy was set there for those that REALLY did not like product, or felt that they had not gotten their money's worth, and did not abuse it. There were, however, a few people that would buy at one of our stores, and return at a different one. Every return is fully documented, whether or not we give cash or store credit back, and sometimes, if the sales person, or the manager thinks that the return is not quite on the up and up, he or she will phone other area stores and inform them that we have had a return, and they may want to be on the lookout for a series of them by the same person/people. The worst case of this abuse was a customer that purchased the FULL doctor's office manager, and several other IBM brand software packages, at different times, then proceeeded to return them within two days. The first time we said ok, the second we grimaced, and the third we informed that they were no longer allowed to return a product unless it was defective, and we would be happy to test it on our machines before they left the store so that we would know right off if it was defective or not. Overall, this policy, of being able to reshrink has a great number of ad- vantages, but it is too bad that some feel that this is an opportunity to "rip off" software manufacturers, authors, and dealers. Scott DISCLAIMER: The above mentioned opinions are nothing more than just that, opinions. They in no way reflect the feelings of others, unless by choice. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- avalon@ucscb.UCSC.EDU ARPA/Internet \ ...!ucbvax!ucscc!ucsck!avalon UUCP > Me! avalon@ucsck.BITNET Bitnet / "You will get a much better idea of how it works if you just PLAY with it" -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
haitex@pnet01.cts.com (Wade Bickel) (02/18/88)
Seems to me like maybe it is a good idea for publishers to put
there disks in a sealed paper envelope (as Aegis does) to stop stores
from pirateing their software.
When I buy something that is shrink wrapped I expect the manules
to be brand spanking new. The idea that someone else may have photocopied
it already infuriates me. Maybe those manules that I thought the publisher
had done a sloppy job on were messed up by the retailer or a dishonest
customer?
-Wade.
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INET: haitex@pnet01.CTS.COMcosell@bbn.com (Bernie Cosell) (02/19/88)
In article <2555@crash.cts.com> haitex@pnet01.cts.com (Wade Bickel) writes: > > The idea that someone else may have photocopied >it already infuriates me. Amen -- consider that if the manufacturer hid a serial number someplace in the manual and/or the program itself, it will look like *you* pirated your copy and gave it to this other person that turned up with your serial number. Geez... __ / ) Bernie Cosell /--< _ __ __ o _ BBN Labs, Cambridge, MA 02238 /___/_(<_/ (_/) )_(_(<_ cosell@bbn.com