🚀 go-pugleaf

There are not many mac-related companies that I feel qualify to be called 
'slimey companies'.  Relax Technologies, however, is fully deserving of
that title.

How are they slimey?  Let me count the ways:

	1)  Their main mode of selling their product involves driving
	    around a $100,000.00 RV to dealers (blocking their parking
	    lots), and showing off their equiptment inside their networked,
	    air-conditioned motor/mac-home.

	2)  Their sales pitch to dealers can be roughly paraphrased as
	    follows:  "so the other drives may be a few mili-seconds
	    faster--with our drives you can RELAX -- we'll support any
	    and all drives we sell; even guarantee a 2 day turnaround 
	    time on drive repairs"  (which they have shown they are
	    not able to meet).  They then try to woo the computer
	    salesperson with promises of a night on the town in a limo
	    if that salesperson sales the most drives in that area.  That's
	    followed up by the $1/megabyte spiff offer (but once a large
	    hard drive is sold, the salesperson finds out that that 
	    spiff is only available on the smaller [20 Mbyte] drives).

	3)  After finding out that some computer stores sold the 80 Meg
	    Quantum drive (purchased via CMS) to customers coming in
	    off the street for *less* than Relax sold *the same drive*
	    to computer stores for resale, they immediately started
	    downplaying the quality of Quantum drives (after only the
	    week before touting the 80 Meg Quantum as their most reliable
	    drive).  >>Then, the started to allude to a 'rumor' they
	    had heard that CMS had purchased Apple reject Quantum drives--
	    that being the way that CMS could undersell Relax<<

	4)  In the August issue of "The RelaxLetter", Relax has an 
	    article called "Tips on Merchandising Hard Drives."  To
	    quote a relavant section:  "Saving the empty shipping
	    boxes will allow for an inexpensive pyramid that looks 
	    like your store is stocking and selling lots of Hard
	    Drives.  If you don't have boxes available we will be
	    happy to supply them at no charge....In our product line
	    we have the MiniMate as a promotional line and the
	    Hard Plus as our high end.  You can use the MiniMate as
	    a loss leader and sell it as your advertised bargain.
	    The Hard lus on the other hand is a natural up sell..."
	    Shades of bait-and-switch here...

	5)  In the same issue of "The RelaxLetter", they have an
	    article on spiffs, and I quote  "...One dollar per 
	    megabyte for the first ninety days.  Maybe that doesn't
	    sound like a lot but when you consider a $300 spiff for
	    a 300 megabyte drive..."  Never mind that the article
	    doesn't agree with what the company says.  Never mind
	    that if they didn't offer spiffs they could be more
	    competitive on pricing (and warranty).  Never mind that...


With all of this crap going on, I refuse to sell Relax drives, and I 
cannot recommend that anyone purchase a Relax Technologies drive, nor
any store carry Relax Technologies drives.


Peter "shit but I'm sick of slime" Korn

Disclaimer:  The above are my opinions, and are not meant to in any way
	     libel the company--all the stores I cite are either from
	     direct conversation with Relax Technologies sales staff,
	     or from Relax Technologies publications.
--
Peter "Arrgh" Korn
korn@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU
{decvax,dual,hplabs,sdcsvax,ulysses}!ucbvax!korn