Over the  last few days  we have  been receiving very  disturbing reports
from some of our customers, who were called on the phone by CREN and told
that CREN had paid for their LISTSERV and/or LMail support until June 30,
1995. To the  best of our knowledge, however, these  customers are not on
the list of sites  whose support is paid by CREN, nor  did CREN notify us
that they should be  added to the list (and that  CREN should be invoiced
accordingly). These sites  will only receive support if  they purchase it
from either CREN or L-Soft. Obviously,  after this free offer made on the
phone in a very assured tone, we are having serious trouble talking these
customers into  sending us  money for something  they think  CREN already
paid on  their behalf. One customer  asked us to confirm  he could cancel
his PO for LISTSERV service, and  people generally think we are trying to
rip them off. To quote one of the "victims":
 
>CREN absolutely gave me the impression that maintenance was paid up thru
>June 95, after  which I would be  on my own. They weren't  the least bit
>vague about it, and I asked them more than once.
 
I am sure that this was  an unintentional misunderstanding that CREN will
correct promptly. In the meantime,
 
                DEMAND THAT CREN PUT THE OFFER IN WRITING
 
The person making the call probably doesn't have the authority to confirm
the offer in writing. It will go to a CREN officer, who will confirm that
there was in  fact a misunderstanding (or then actually  put the offer in
writing, in which case CREN will have  to pay us for your support and you
will indeed receive it). Note, again, that CREN did offer free support to
core sites, and to a few other  sites. But, in that case, you should have
received a formal e-mail notification from CREN, with copy to L-Soft. Ask
us if  in doubt.  CREN also  offered free one-time  upgrades to  1.8a and
1.2a, which  are indeed genuine and  a benefit of CREN  membership. These
upgrades, however, do  not include support or future  versions. They just
give you  the right to  replace your current  1.7f and 1.1d  servers with
1.8a  and 1.2a.  This is  a good  interim solution  while you  work on  a
purchase  requisition, but  it  does not  replace  support. Obviously  we
cannot speak for CREN, but we have  not heard of any plans on CREN's side
to offer free  support or free upgrades for LISTSERV  next year, and such
plans would appear to conflict with CREN's current strategic plan.
 
This message is  being posted to the L-Soft mailing  lists because enough
customers have been writing  to us about CREN calls in  the last few days
to  suggest that  CREN  has in  fact  been  calling all  or  most of  our
customers on  the phone. There  are probably 10 unreported  incidents for
each reported one, and having a public  answer from CREN now will save us
a lot of time in the future.
 
We  apologize for  the inconvenience  and confusion  that this  and other
messages have  caused you in the  past. We realize that  this CREN/L-Soft
contract has  made it much more  difficult for you to  understand what is
going on and  what you should be doing.  We did not know it  was going to
turn out that way. On August 31,  the last deadline will expire, and this
confusion will be over (or, at  least, no new confusion will be generated
:-) ). There will be no further amendment extending the deadline, because
there will  be no  unfulfilled assignment  in the  contract. All  but two
sites have  been sent  and have  accepted the updates.  The two  sites in
question are  getting rid of  VM soon. We feel  that the benefits  of the
amendment  (about   100  free  1.8a  upgrades   delivered)  outweigh  the
inconvenience it has caused.
 
  Eric