[c-nsp] Article: Beware of counterfeit Cisco gear

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

We don't usually get that question because we make it clear at the
beginning of the sales process that they are buying the full meal
from us.  If someone called up asking for just a price on a
router only, they are going to install it and configure it themselves,
we would probably refer them to MicroWarehouse or some
place like that who sells Cisco routers (some of them) out of
their catalog.  Those kinds of sales are a big waste of time,
there's no profit in them.  The profit is in the labor installing and
configuring the device, and while being in there and getting intimate
with their network, seeing their needs and turning over what you
find to the salespeople for further sales efforts.

It takes a lot of coaching of the service techs by the sales
staff, to get the techs to keep their eyes open for more
opportunity, but it does pay off.

On the occasions we have had that question asked, our
pat answer has been to encourage the customer to buy the
stuff off Ebay themselves, and we'll install it for them.  Most of
the time they won't.

it's kind of like the guys who take their car in to be fixed,
and the mechanic tells them they need a new wonkulating
gronkulator, quotes them the part, and then they bitch
about being able to get the part for half that cost at the local
Autozone.  Most service writers have learned to seize up
the customer and make a decision as to if they are reasonable
or not.  If not, they tell the customer their choice is to pay
what is quoted or take the car elsewhere, if the customer
is reasonable, they usually let them get the part themselves,
while making it clear that if the part doesen't work it's going
to cost more, and if it fails early, it's not warranted.  Most
customers end up just having the mechanic supply the part.

In the long run, the customers that are after the quick buck
are going to fall into 2 pots, those who you can educate
out of the pot, and those who are going to stay in the pot
regardless.  The ones that are going to stay in the pot you
generally lose money on, so it's best to get rid of them early.
The ones that can be pulled out of the pot it's better to educate
out of the pot, then try to FUD them out of it.

YMMV of course.

Ted

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Shane at Doretel" <sbreen at doretel.com>
To: "Jon Lewis" <jlewis at lewis.org>; "Ted Mittelstaedt"
<tedm at toybox.placo.com>
Cc: <cisco-nsp at puck.nether.net>
Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 11:41 AM
Subject: Re: [c-nsp] Article: Beware of counterfeit Cisco gear


> Jon,
>
> As a Cisco Partner I can tell you for sure it is bad. We often find that
we
> cannot even get close to the Fake Cisco prices:( It is really hard to
> explain to a customer that yea our Factory Refurb WIC-1T is $160 ea when
> they can get it from someone on EBAY that has a 5000 Positive Feedback
Score
> for $25 ea. When you try to explain that by placing Fake Cisco into your
> authorized gear you run the risk of voiding your SMARTnet's and warranties
> often they don't care they are only trying to save a quick buck and do not
> think of the long term issues they can have.
>
> The whole thing sucks! My 2 cents:)
>
> Shane Breen
> Doretel Communications, Inc.
> Director of Sales & Marketing
> Cisco Registered Partner
> Office: 404.755.5721
> Fax: 404.529.4617
> sbreen at doretel.com
> AIM: shanebreen2003
> www.doretel.com
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jon Lewis" <jlewis at lewis.org>
> To: "Ted Mittelstaedt" <tedm at toybox.placo.com>
> Cc: <cisco-nsp at puck.nether.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 2:25 PM
> Subject: Re: [c-nsp] Article: Beware of counterfeit Cisco gear
>
>
> > On Tue, 24 Oct 2006, Ted Mittelstaedt wrote:
> >
> >> It isn't as bad as your making it out to be.  A lot of the fakes aren't
> >> fake at all, they are theft.  What they are is illegal runs off the
same
> >> production lines that the authorized runs are under.
> >
> > The conspiracty theorist in me says cisco may be making things sound
much
> > worse than they are in order to scare people into buying from "normal
> > distribution channels" rather than ebay or shadey network gear
resellers.
> >
> >> Additionally, in the auto industry, this sort of thing goes on all the
> >> time, and there's nothing illegal about it, they call it "aftermarket
> >> parts"  General Motors does not have a problem if I buy a new
Alternator
> >> from NAPA and put it in my GM car.  Cisco should not have a problem if
I
> >> buy a new WIC card and put it in my Cisco router.  The fact that they
> >> do, pushes this stuff underground which exacerbates the problem.
> >
> > If the parts skip quality control, are sold cheap by 3rd parties (not
> > cisco) and claim to be cisco (not cisco compatible, but actual cisco)
> > parts, there are multiple problems there.
> >
> > ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >  Jon Lewis                   |  I route
> >  Senior Network Engineer     |  therefore you are
> >  Atlantic Net                |
> > _________ http://www.lewis.org/~jlewis/pgp for PGP public key_________
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>