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Technology Stocks : AUTOHOME, Inc -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: ahhaha who wrote (24012)	7/26/2000 5:18:46 PM
From: KW Wingman	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29970

You and the others who have voiced concerns over self install have made a few valid points. All of your concerns can all be overcome, by doing so the company will provide great customer support and a reliable cable system. The key to this, is planning and evaluation. Before the self install kit is issued, the customer should complete a checklist and planning form. This checklist and planning form could be quickly evaluated before allowing the customer to self install. If any problems are seen in the evaluation for example; if more than one computer are to be installed, if the location is not properly prewired (cabled), if the cable test shows an existing or potential problem, then roll the truck ASAP. The customer should be charged for installation beyond what is reasonable. The "as is" cable installation can be tested by the customer with a simple to use, returnable tester as part of the planning before allowing the self install @home installation. As part of the planning, a simple layout can be made and the required cable lengths would be indicated by the customer. Cables would be made for the approved self installs at the kit packaging facility. This would ensure that good quality, properly terminated cables are being used, and would reduce the probability of future problems. After installation, the self install customer would be required (as part of the install software) to connect with a web site to run certain on line tests which would verify a good installation. Failure of these tests will lead to a truck roll. The prospect either has the risky expensive proposition of self install or they have the option to wait. Please tell me what the majority will do? Pay the $100 for the kit? Whatever the cost of the kit is, it would not be much more than the material costs associated with a truck roll, so the cost of the kit should not be of concern. Including labor, the kit cost would be much less than the cost of truck roll installation. This kit cost is nothing, give the kit away for free, get them to sign a contract, in a few months the customer pays for the kits with sub fees. ATHM already did an analysis of the penetration of this strategy and they found a poor yield. It was for this reason that they have been reluctant about engaging a kit strategy. Not only was the expected yield low, but also there is all kinds of bad press potential. What is your source for that or did you just pull that BS out of your hat? Consider releasing kits in Portland. The people there are looking for any excuse to attack any failure. The people of Portland are not much different than those in any other American city of that size other than the fact that they are probably more liberal thinking than most. It is a couple of the socialist leaning, pissed off losers on the city council of Portland that would like to attack any failure by ATHM in Portland. So you as CEO should have your troops roll the truck in Portland if you are going to lose sleep over what a couple of minor bureaucrats think. I say don't worry about those clowns, do your best to provide "no problem", self install kits. If you make them wait, what do you lose, all that cable BB market to all those competitors? No, not all, but some.