Originally Posted by SBurns
What are the odds that someone could PM a contact number or e-mail that leads to someone at Toshiba that I would be able to talk to about getting a foot in the door to set up a new business in doing work on Toshiba systems? We don’t have any Toshiba guys, and the “partner” here we just subbed out, not only billed us just under $400 for time and travel only (no parts, or licensing, and didn’t even considering telling us that we pay for travel both to and from site, 1 hour minimum each way) for a 90 minute service call, to check configuration settings and say not enough licenses.

Not to mention part of his 90 minute was his chit chatting, and sales pitches (I know we all love it when sub contractors roll up in their company shirt, jacket, and passing out business cards like candy to kids on Halloween). As much as I would have preferred to re-negotiate with them over a friendly game of fisticuffs, I figured it would more professional to step up our game and go more head on in business competition with them. And if I sound vindictive, I’m not the “sub-contractor” that told (our) client to cut out the middle man and contact them directly; while eating his humbly inflated bill for a loss.

(The primary channel to contact Toshiba for partnership is currently closed, apparently.)

Was the customer under the impression that you were certified to work on their system? I know when we do sub work sometimes it is very difficult to keep my mouth shut when a customer is paying top dollar to a company that is subbing work out. We did a pizza place that paid big bucks for an AT&T SynJ system or something along those lines. That system is a piece of garbage and the customer could have done so much better. When he started talking about his other pizza shop and a new system for that i had a hard time not giving him advice.

I wonder how many of these customers know they are dealing with a vendor that is hiring subs??

John Corrigan
New Phone Systems and Service
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