I agree with you that service is important to small business (that is my
clientele). However, I disagree that buying a brand name system, no matter
which one, will get them better service. There are very, very few brand
names that give good service and that number is decreasing daily. However, a
high quality, clone built with brand name components can get you better
service.

First, because they are/can be local. If you get a brand name system you
have to deal with a long distant number and/or 800 number. If they have a
local service organization that services their product, rarely, have I seen
same day service, usually 3 ~ 5 business days to get in the cue. I can get
any component necessary to get any of my systems up and running on same day.
If I have to RMA the component, I do that on my time, not on the customers
time, if necessary, depending on the client, i.e. do they want cheapest
price to compare with others who do not provide service and then bitch about
the price or do they pay a fair and reasonable price to include outstanding
service.

If I die or go out of business, I provide them only brand name components
that any educated puter service person can work on~and~they get the manuals
and phone numbers/web sites of the component manufactures so they can have
anyone do the service, repair, upgrade, etc. and do not even have to come
back to me if they so choose or if God chooses, e.g. I die, etc.

Even if not local, if they can get it to me overnight, I can repair in a day
and return overnight. That is 3 days down time if not local. Better than
most brand name service by several fold. Why do I know....from experience.
Even if these brand name manufacturers have a local service organization, it
is usually based on lowest bidder and my experience of these services is
slow and lacking.

Plus the client get the personal service of years of experience to know what
system will work best for them without paying for things they do not need
and getting what they do need. And extreme upgradability as their
needs/usage changes.

Daniel Wysocki
Twin*.*Star Computers
770-498-2582 /800-816-0663
[log in to unmask]
Fast - Reliable - Wallet Friendly



-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Gillett <[log in to unmask]>
>  While this would probably provide most bang for the buck, that's probably
>not the primary consideration for this application.  Few people use a
>Peterbilt, a Jaguar XJS, or a McLaren F1 to go
>
>  Top priority has to be reliability.  In a lot of businesses, if you can't
>bill your customers, you can't make any money.  Billing may be a s close to
a
>"mission-critical system" as many small businesses get.

>  But every system has some likelihood of breaking some time.  So the
second
>priority is service.  While it could be an advantage to *you* if they have
to
>come to you to get the machine fixed, is this really the best choice for
>them?  What if you're sick?  What if you're hit by a truck tomorrow?  What
if
>you can't get a replacement for the broken part in less than 72 hours?
What
>if you narrow the problem down to two components, and each manufacturer
>swears it's the other's fault?  In general, being able to go to a Dell or
>Compaq or IBM means that they pay a little more up front not to have to
worry
>about these questions.
>

>
>

         The PCBUILD web site always needs good submissions.  If
          you would like to contribute to the website, send any
               hardware tech tips or hardware reviews to:
                           [log in to unmask]