I have had an ongoing debate on this subject with more than one list member
since this subject came up................Thanks Ron.............just
kidding. Great debate.

I am a raving American patriot (fought in viet nam etc). But my take is, if
I can buy it somewhere else for a better price with better support, then
America needs its butt kicked. You don't get strong as a country, company,
or anything else,  thru protectionism. If you can't compete...........then
figure out how to compete........else curl up and die.

I am extremely interested in opinions from our extremely bright forum
members (I am not being a smart a**). I would not know how to be in the
manufacturing business if it meant having to eventually compete with the
upcoming China wave.......that is coming. China is coming online, and that
is only one example. But given only that one, where does America, or better
yet, Canada, US, and Mexico stand relative to the huge wave of production
that is rising up in the country of China. We will be having even more boat
parts etc being offered from the far east, not to mention customer support,
etc.

This is an exciting time to live. Huge challenges.

Dan Lanier
danlanier@earthlink.net
Gulfstar 43
Danali Star

Dan Lanier's comments are right on target, IMHO, and I live north of the
49th parallel.

Two weeks ago, I had to renew my subscription to Symantec's Norton Internet
Security.  After a terribly frustrating weekend, with two 2 to 3 hours
conversations with Symantec's technical support, I finally requested a
refund and switched over to McAfee.  I won't go into detail here, but I
think a couple of observations may be appropriate.

First, both calls to Symantec required a minimum one-hour wait in the queue.
By the time each call was answered, I was already angry.  Add in the fact
their software was not working as advertised, and that the virus definitions
I downloaded were 4 months out of date, and I was not a happy camper.  Each
call required about three hours from the time I dialed until I hung up the
phone.  The only positive thing in the entire process was that the 800
number worked.

Each call was to Cupertino, CA.  I assumed that Californians, with the
possible exception of the Governor, spoke English, and could communicate.  I
allowed for the possibility that I might encounter a Hispanic accent (I
don't speak Spanish, but I can handle the accent), but I was not prepared
for a thick East-Asian accent (which is what I got), for the person on the
telephone not to be able to understand me, and for that same person not to
have the answers to my questions at hand.  In both cases, I could hear a
supervisor speaking in the background, giving advice to the operator, who
did not appear to know anything about the product, but in neither case did
the supervisor pick up the call himself.  By the end of the second call, I
had determined that I would no longer use Symantec products (after more than
15 years of supporting them), because the quality of technical support
available was abysmally low.

If North American companies are going to compete effectively, they have to
concentrate on providing the type of customer support that brings their
customers back and that encourages those customers to promote their products
and service.  Even if the cost of a product made in the NAFTA zone of
influence is more expensive, consumers will accept that increased price if
the service and support capabilities of the manufacturer and or the retailer
outstrip that available on foreign products.  It doesn't matter where the
product is made.  It has to demonstrate the highest available level of
quality, support and service.  Unfortunately, often the North American
products fall short.

Collectively, we need to get back to the basics.  Give me a quality product,
show me you will stand behind it, and I will buy it.  Fall down in any one
of those areas, and I am quite prepared to go offshore to achieve my
objective.  With the Chinese product invasion poised on the horizon, North
American manufacturers need to forget about maximizing profits, and find
ways to maintain their market share when the lower-cost products hit the
shelves.  IMHO, the only way to do that is to outshine them in all three
areas.

Bob Davies
Toronto