zumbachl@uunet.uu.net (09/28/89)
Are Artecon and ERI Electrorep good sources for Sun equipment? We are interested in buying a SPARCstation with a Magnet-Optical drive, Exabyte tape drive, FrameMaker, and Software through Pictures? Any info on putting together such a system would be appreciated.
battan@qtc.uucp (Jim Battan) (09/29/89)
In article <1757@brazos.Rice.edu> softeng1!zumbachl@uunet.uu.net writes: >X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 8, Issue 140, message 12 of 13 >Are Artecon and ERI Electrorep good sources for Sun equipment? My company bought 16 Artecon 3/60 systems with local 327MB disks because they could deliver sooner than Sun at the same price (this was in early 1988). I have NOT been pleased with either the Artecon product or their support. The disk shoeboxes are very poorly made. The 11 screws that hold on the cover are too short and strip easily (Sun shoeboxes have two large screws). The power supply looks cheap; we had one blow on us. The mouse is mechanical, and not as smooth as Sun's optical (although some of the users like them better). The monitors (by Moniterm) do come with an anti-glare coating (a no-cost benefit), but the stands aren't too sturdy, and the Moniterms aren't as sharp as Sun's Philips monitors. We do have a set of Artecon's Workstation Extender cables, which work well. The CPU box is virtually identical with Sun's, except for the label. The big complaint I have is with Artecon's service. We had depot repair. Once it took several calls and many weeks just to get an RMA number. I had to repeat the problem to the service person many times before he understood what the problem was (his English was very poor). This wasn't an isolated incident either: Their average response time for telephone calls was about four days. It took 9 days to get a replacement power supply. We now have one vendor supplying on-site service for both our Sun and Artecon systems, at lower cost than Artecon's depot repair service. Larry Hunt (Artecon's service manager) promised me they were improving the customer service department, but for us it was too late. Jim Battan uunet!sequent!qtc!battan +1 503 626 3081 Quantitative Technology Corporation (QTC) 8700 SW Creekside Place, Suite D Beaverton, OR 97005