🚀 go-pugleaf

A few days ago I got a phone call at about 5:00 am from a young
lady from Microsoft's "international" desk.  She was calling
about a letter I had sent asking for Word 4.0 and asking why I
never seemed to receive product upgrade notices from Microsoft
even though I diligently fill out and mail registration cards.

(I must add here that I live on Saipan in the Northern Mariana
Islands (NMI).  We're about 100 miles north of Guam and about
1800 miles south of Tokyo.  The NMI recently became a
"Commonwealth" in political association with the US - essentially
a US territory.  People born here are US citizens, we fly the US
flag, use US dollars, are served by the US Postal Service - yes
we have a ZIP code - etc.)

The nice lady explained that Word 4.0 wasn't out yet but that she
would send it along when it arrived.  She also said that she
didn't know the price of the upgrade.  (Here I began to worry.)
She also explained that I am considered an "international"
customer and that international customers don't get upgrade
notices.  When I protested that a friend here on Saipan did
receive a Word 4.0 upgrade notice she exclaimed that he must have
"used a Florida address".  (Here I began to worry more.  How can
you have much respect for an "international" representative who
doesn't seem to know what time zone her customer is in (remember
the 5:00 am phone call?) or even what hemisphere he resides in
(did she think that Saipan was near Florida - in the Carribean
perhaps?).)

[Flame on>>>]  I would like to challenge Microsoft to explain
their seemingly inexplicable policy of treating overseas US
territories as if they were foreign countries.  I can understand
their wanting to market things differently in genuine foreign
countries.  But, after all, we speak English, we read the same US
magazines as do the rest of you, we buy Microsoft products with
US dollars with US credit cards issued by US banks.  It costs the
same to mail us a letter or package as it does to send one from
Washington to Florida.  What is the rationale for treating us
differently, for making us wait longer and pay more for upgrades?
Answers please.  [<<<Flame off]

However, maybe I don't mind so much being treated as "foreign" as
long as it means I can live on a nice little island and avoid US
income taxes and grow tropical fruit in my backyard all year long
and spend my Sunday afternoons in December windsurfing in a warm
and peaceful lagoon....  ;-)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
^ Michael G Newman      |  mike_g_newman@cup.portal.com ^
^ BX 1510               |  mci: mnewman                 ^
^ Saipan MP 96950       |  (670) 234-7726               ^
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ .. ...-....