Rah for Patrick.

Sat Aug 15 00:31:15 UTC 1998

At 15:05 8/14/98 -0700, Patrick W. Gilmore wrote:
>At 03:51 PM 8/14/98 -0400, Dean Robb wrote:
>
>>>This is a perfect counter-example to what I was bitching about with the
>>>BBN fracas.  Serve the customers, _then_ worry about the money.
>>
>>What's horribly sad is that the lesson must be learned over and over:  If
>>you serve the customers, you don't *have* to worry about the money.
>
>Not to say that one should not service the customer - just the opposite -
>but I believe the case in point disproves this assertion.
>
>Don't get me wrong, I am definitely a "customer oriented" kinda guy, but
>you still have to worry about the cash flow or you end up making pleas to
>people on NANOG to help your customers before you die. :(

I guess I wasn't clear enough...that was intended to be generalization of
an good business model.  Clearly, you have to be concerned with
cashflow...as a small businessman, I understand this all too well...but the
bottom line should not come before reasonable customer service.  If you
take good care of the customer, the bottom line will come.  In your case,
it seems that it just wasn't coming fast enough...and the speed of the
Internet growth causes incredible infrastructure expenses that couldn't be
offset by the slow but steady growth of the customer base.

I'm very sorry that the fiscal situation has forced you into dire straits.
In this unique world, traditional business models must be modified.  In
almost any other industry, you would have succeeded.  

Let me say again...the comment was not intended for the exact situation
faced by Priori...it was intended to mean that if you take care of the
customers, the business will come.  Sadly, sometimes it doesn't come fast
enough.

Wabbit season!..duck season!..wabbit season!..duck season!..SPAMMER SEASON!

Dean Robb
PC-EASY computer services
(757) 495-EASY [3279]