Mike_G_Newman@cup.portal.com (12/07/88)
A few days ago I got a phone call at about 5:00 am from a young lady from Microsoft's "international" desk. She was calling about a letter I had sent asking for Word 4.0 and asking why I never seemed to receive product upgrade notices from Microsoft even though I diligently fill out and mail registration cards. (I must add here that I live on Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands (NMI). We're about 100 miles north of Guam and about 1800 miles south of Tokyo. The NMI recently became a "Commonwealth" in political association with the US - essentially a US territory. People born here are US citizens, we fly the US flag, use US dollars, are served by the US Postal Service - yes we have a ZIP code - etc.) The nice lady explained that Word 4.0 wasn't out yet but that she would send it along when it arrived. She also said that she didn't know the price of the upgrade. (Here I began to worry.) She also explained that I am considered an "international" customer and that international customers don't get upgrade notices. When I protested that a friend here on Saipan did receive a Word 4.0 upgrade notice she exclaimed that he must have "used a Florida address". (Here I began to worry more. How can you have much respect for an "international" representative who doesn't seem to know what time zone her customer is in (remember the 5:00 am phone call?) or even what hemisphere he resides in (did she think that Saipan was near Florida - in the Carribean perhaps?).) [Flame on>>>] I would like to challenge Microsoft to explain their seemingly inexplicable policy of treating overseas US territories as if they were foreign countries. I can understand their wanting to market things differently in genuine foreign countries. But, after all, we speak English, we read the same US magazines as do the rest of you, we buy Microsoft products with US dollars with US credit cards issued by US banks. It costs the same to mail us a letter or package as it does to send one from Washington to Florida. What is the rationale for treating us differently, for making us wait longer and pay more for upgrades? Answers please. [<<<Flame off] However, maybe I don't mind so much being treated as "foreign" as long as it means I can live on a nice little island and avoid US income taxes and grow tropical fruit in my backyard all year long and spend my Sunday afternoons in December windsurfing in a warm and peaceful lagoon.... ;-) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^ Michael G Newman | mike_g_newman@cup.portal.com ^ ^ BX 1510 | mci: mnewman ^ ^ Saipan MP 96950 | (670) 234-7726 ^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ .. ...-....