Re: advice on office setup

["Doug, Data Librarian at Ext 4225" <engstromdd -at- PHIBRED -dot- COM>]

Yvette:

Whoa, there.  You just libeled on of the great names in computer mail
order and I feel compelled to protest.  MacConnection and its companion,
PC Connection, are NOT distributors to "stay away from." *Especially* for
someone who does not want to be technically proficient and needs reliable
support.

Granted, they do not have that "absolute, rock-bottom, can't be beat
price" advertised in the tombstone ads in the back of MacWeek.  HOWEVER,
they have excellent return policies and friendly, helpful, knowledgeable
staff.  I've never had a problem with anything I've ordered there that
wasn't quickly and completely resolved.

I used to sit in a cube adjacent to a guy who prided himeself on "knowing
how to buy."  He *always* (at least in his accounts) got stuff for the
lowest possible price on the planet.  But you know what?  He also spent
most of his breaks and lunch hours (as well as an appalling amount of work
time) on the phone arguing with vendors.  Missing cables.  Faulty
components.  Damaged or missing software.  Warranty problems.  You name it,
he was stuggling with it.  Just to get what he ordered orignally.  And,
more than once, he discovered his "low price leader" had disconnected the
phone and left no forwarding information.

This is not to say that there aren't some excellent, low price vendors
buried in those tombstone ads. However, for the average buyer, they're
indistiguishable from a nest of snakes until you've made your purchase.

Even for a very price-sensitive customer, some things are worth paying
for, and a stable vendor with a long-term view of the business is one of
them. MacConnection is such a vendor.

Doug
ENGSTROMDD -at- phibred -dot- com