(no subject)
So, I've decided I want to buy a copy of Microsoft Office.
I emailed MS's customer service email address, asking if they have the previous model available at a discount, as I can't afford the current one.
When I re-iterate that I wish to haggle the price, they provide me the phone number for their Sales Information Team.
I called that number, and they referred me to the Digital River online store, who apparently handles all of their student discounts.
So, once calling Digital River, I get forwarded to the Microsoft Team. At first, she was confused. Once she understood that I was trying to negotiate the pricing, she was a little more direct. Apparently, the full version costs almost $700. Thusly, the mere $59.95 that she was offering was a great price. I continued to offer $39.95. She said that they can only charge what the website charges.
I brought up the price for StarOffice 9.1, which is $34.95. I used this to assert that their offered price was not cheap, given that it's nearly double the cost of the competitor. (For lulz, note that Sun sells Star Office via Digital River.) And that it's nearly twenty times the price of the competitor, if you want the full version of MS Office 2007.
She continues to stand firm in her pricing, and I ask if there is anyone in the company who had the authority to negotiate pricing. According to her, no one in Digital River has the authority to negotiate pricing.
So, next step is to call Microsoft back and let them know that Digital River is firm on their pricing, and that if MS wants me to buy their product then they will have to be willing to negotiate with me on the pricing directly.
I have to admit that I'm having a bit of fun with this, and that this is shaping my view of MS more than Digital River. Digital River is probably nothing more than a front for the folks they are selling software for, with pricing fixed by the companies who own the software they sell.
Slight update:
Called Microsoft back, got forwarded to the Microsoft Store. From there, they don't answer their phones. Just.. ring.. ring..
So I've fired off an emailed offer, noting the price difference between their offering and the competitor's, and offering to pay $34.95 for the software.
I'm having some fun, trying to negotiate with such a behemoth as if I were on equal footing. If I were being pragmatic, I'd just pirate the damned software and be done with it. Instead, I'm trying to take the honest route. (For reference, the StarOffice 9.1 comes with equivalent features to MS's Office Professional, which costs $499.95. More than my whole computer.)
I emailed MS's customer service email address, asking if they have the previous model available at a discount, as I can't afford the current one.
When I re-iterate that I wish to haggle the price, they provide me the phone number for their Sales Information Team.
I called that number, and they referred me to the Digital River online store, who apparently handles all of their student discounts.
So, once calling Digital River, I get forwarded to the Microsoft Team. At first, she was confused. Once she understood that I was trying to negotiate the pricing, she was a little more direct. Apparently, the full version costs almost $700. Thusly, the mere $59.95 that she was offering was a great price. I continued to offer $39.95. She said that they can only charge what the website charges.
I brought up the price for StarOffice 9.1, which is $34.95. I used this to assert that their offered price was not cheap, given that it's nearly double the cost of the competitor. (For lulz, note that Sun sells Star Office via Digital River.) And that it's nearly twenty times the price of the competitor, if you want the full version of MS Office 2007.
She continues to stand firm in her pricing, and I ask if there is anyone in the company who had the authority to negotiate pricing. According to her, no one in Digital River has the authority to negotiate pricing.
So, next step is to call Microsoft back and let them know that Digital River is firm on their pricing, and that if MS wants me to buy their product then they will have to be willing to negotiate with me on the pricing directly.
I have to admit that I'm having a bit of fun with this, and that this is shaping my view of MS more than Digital River. Digital River is probably nothing more than a front for the folks they are selling software for, with pricing fixed by the companies who own the software they sell.
Slight update:
Called Microsoft back, got forwarded to the Microsoft Store. From there, they don't answer their phones. Just.. ring.. ring..
So I've fired off an emailed offer, noting the price difference between their offering and the competitor's, and offering to pay $34.95 for the software.
I'm having some fun, trying to negotiate with such a behemoth as if I were on equal footing. If I were being pragmatic, I'd just pirate the damned software and be done with it. Instead, I'm trying to take the honest route. (For reference, the StarOffice 9.1 comes with equivalent features to MS's Office Professional, which costs $499.95. More than my whole computer.)