I never shrink from writing things that might upset people, and this column is no exception. This month's controversy stems from a conversation I had with a reader who was troubled about the price difference between computer systems offered by a local Apple dealer and a discount-club PC dealer. Although the reader really knew that a Macintosh system would be more productive, there was a price difference of several thousand dollars between the two options he had come up with.
After pointing out that the printer and scanner included in the PC price were not nearly at the same level of performance and quality as those specified by the Apple dealer, we were able to account for about half of the price difference. While it isn't the central point of this column, my experience is that PC dealers tend to cater to more price-sensitive customers and tend to under-specify ancillary components in graphic-arts systems.
Most of the remaining difference in price was eliminated when I convinced the reader to compare both systems in terms of their mail-order cost. To get him started, I provided a couple of names and phone numbers of authorized mail-order Apple dealers.
Initially, he was concerned about getting warranty service in his small town. I don't know if dealers are out there who pretend that they won't service your computer unless you purchased it from them, but Apple dealers must follow a strict service policy. In a nutshell, an authorized Apple service center must provide service to owners of Apple equipment, regardless of where that equipment was originally purchased.
Armed with this information, our friend called the two mail-order vendors, got prices, and then confronted his local dealer with his new knowledge. I imagine the dealer hemmed and hawed a bit, but he not only acknowledged that warranty service would be available, he offered the system for only a couple of hundred dollars above the mail-order prices. But the dealer made one thing very clear--at that price he would deliver the system in cartons to the buyer's loading dock and would offer the same lack of setup and training support that the mail-order vendors did.
When I heard this, I thought, "Wonderful!" followed immediately by, "Who cares?" The simple fact is that it is a rare dealer who understands the details of a serious graphics system or even the basics of organizing files and directories for serious graphics work. In most cases, a dealer's contribution to the process would be little or none.
Please don't get me wrong. I know that some good dealers are out there who understand your business and can provide support and training worthy of the difference in price. I also know that there are fewer of them every year because that simply isn't the way the industry is going. The clear trends favor the price-competitive dealer who turns stock quickly and offers a wide variety of software and components at or near mail-order prices. Alas, there is no margin in this kind of business for handholding, and there isn't enough market for handholding to support a dealer who wanted to provide it.
There is such a wide range of software, and such a wide range of uses for each package, that training and support need to be separated from the retail transaction. (This is referred to in the trade as "unbundling.") I can tell you that when I buy a product, I expect the dealer to cover me only until I get that product installed, and even then I am not surprised if I need to call the manufacturer because of some unusual feature of my system. Most of the time, I don't want dealers to include two hours of their time in the price of the product because I won't need or use it.
A case in point: I work with several companies in my local area who collectively have about 50 PCs. I recently went to my local computer store and asked for a price for three high-density 3.5-in. floppy-disk drives. The sticker price on the drives was $69.95, but the "unsupported" price for me was $50 because they knew they wouldn't spend half an hour walking me through the installation process. I make a point of supporting this dealer, both with my low-price business and with customer referrals, because they serve a real market in this small community, and I depend on them for components. But I wouldn't pay their marked price on a computer myself.
Since you know, or soon will know, more about graphic applications for screen printing than your dealer, it is in your best interest to buy at "unsupported" prices whenever possible. And often, mail-order dealers offer the best prices on computer products with only basic manufacturer support. Even the cost of premium support from the developer on a typical software package pales next to the difference between mail-order and full-list prices.
For product support and information, user groups and online services are far less expensive and provide better information than the typical computer dealer could possibly provide. Just remember, don't go back to the dealer looking for the support you didn't pay for! (By the way, I'm running into a lot of screen printers in the appropriate areas on CompuServe and BIX, and I hear that a lot of good activity is happening on America Online as well.)
Finally, I've had several people ask me over recent months if I have an Internet address. I always say, "Sure, it's at the bottom of the column every month." Well, when I recently visited a Midwestern screen-printing shop, the reader I was speaking with whipped out a recent issue and pointed out that my Internet address wasn't there. Anyway, my editor assures me that this oversight has been corrected and that my address will appear at the end of my future columns. If you have access to the Internet, it is absolutely the best way to reach me. At least it is the easiest way for me to respond, so I'll be more likely to get back to you quickly.
I've been meaning to cover training issues for quite a while, but nothing had really crystallized on the subject until now. While I won't provide a definitive approach to training in next month's "Computer Connections", I'll have some comments that are appropriate for every area of your shop.