On Tue, 18 Jan 1994 11:11:35 -0800, "John Noerenberg" <jwn2@QUALCOMM.COM> wrote:

> I'm less certain of how this works for support payments.  I would expect a
> provider to build the cost of support into the fee for using the software.
> The problem with leavening the cost of support in this way is that it
> assumes that all users require the same amount of support from the vendor.
> If you really want a model to charge for support based on need or use, I
> don't think superdistribution offers any help.
> 
> Nearly everyone makes this assumption about support -- I don't see a rush
> to replace 800 numbers with 900 numbers.  Every scheme I've seen tried to
> charge for support on a per use basis garners so much negative publicity,
> the vendor ends up dropping the idea.

I think people don't want to pay for support until they need it, at
which point they still don't want to pay for it.  :)

But 900 numbers don't seem to be any kind of panacea.  There are a
bunch of problems with them: 1) Corporate America blocks 900 numbers,
2) 900 number providers seem oriented around recorded information,
and 3) 900 number providers seem very greedy.  AT&T, for example, has
a per-user (one-time up-front) charge, a per-month charge, a per-call
charge, and a per-minute charge.

-- 
-russ <nelson@crynwr.com>      ftp.msen.com:pub/vendor/crynwr/crynwr.wav
Crynwr Software   | Crynwr Software sells packet driver support.
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