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Technology Stocks : Compaq -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Elwood P. Dowd who wrote (95593)	3/1/2002 3:45:51 PM
From: hlpinout	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 97611

One more comment. -- HP/Compaq - Key analyst report delayed until next week Printer Friendly Format Mail to a friend ITworld.com 2/28/02 Stacy Cowley, IDG News Service, New York Bureau Institutional investor advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS) has postponed until early next week a report expected to significantly influence shareholder voting on Hewlett-Packard Co.'s planned acquisition of Compaq Computer Corp. ISS issues voting recommendations on proxy issues for institutional shareholders, such as pension and mutual fund managers. Institutional investors own 57 percent of HP's shares, and 23 percent of HP shareholders subscribe to ISS, according to HP. With shareholders owning around 20 percent of HP publicly committed to voting against the Compaq acquisition, winning ISS' endorsement on the deal is critical if it is to pass. ISS had planned to release its report this week, but will instead issue its recommendation Monday or Tuesday. The company is "tying up loose ends," said Patrick McGurn, ISS' vice president and director of corporate programs. The postponement will give ISS time to examine information disclosed Wednesday at HP's meeting with securities analysts and to address the compensation issues raised earlier this week by proxy fight leader Walter Hewlett, McGurn said. Stacy Cowley is a correspondent for the IDG News Service.

To: Elwood P. Dowd who wrote (95593)	3/1/2002 3:46:55 PM
From: hlpinout	Respond to of 97611

A little OT. -- Dude, You're Not Getting a Dell John Pletz c.2002 Cox News Service Sometimes you can have too much technology for your own good, even at a high-tech giant such as Dell Computer Corp. A seemingly well-intended computer program backfired on Dell, leaving the world's largest computer seller ducking for cover from gun owners. Jack Weigand, who runs a small gunsmithing business in rural Pennsylvania, said Dell rejected his order for a notebook computer because the name of his company, Weigand Combat Handguns Inc., raised a red flag in Dell's computerized ordering system. A miffed Weigand (pronounced Wee-Gand) fired back, fighting Dell on its own turf, the Internet, which Dell has championed as the epitome of direct customer interaction. He wrote about his experiences in three gun-owners' forums on the Internet on Tuesday afternoon, unleashing the wrath of some gun owners on Dell. Dell acknowledged Wednesday that it mistakenly rejected Weigand's order without contacting him. Spokeswoman Cathie Hargett said Weigand got caught in a system the company has used for at least five years to guard against violating a U.S. export law that bans selling computer technology to people in certain foreign countries, such as Syria, Iraq and others, or known terrorists, for fear the technology could be used against the United States. ``It's the result of an unfortunate misunderstanding and a series of unfortunate circumstances,'' she said. Hargett said Dell automatically scans its customer database - after an order is taken but before the computer is built - for certain words that might indicate a potential problem. ``One thing we scan for are words like nuclear, missile and combat,'' she said. Other triggers include computers being ordered from one location but shipped to another address; or an unusual amount of equipment, such as multiple high-powered servers, being shipped to an address such as an apartment or hotel. Once a red flag comes up, the company said, a salesperson is supposed to contact the customer to ask follow-up questions, such as where the computer is destined, who will be using it and what they'll be using it for. Then the company decides whether or not to process the order. ``Under normal circumstances, he would have gotten an immediate follow-up call to verify where computer going, who to and what used for,'' Hargett said. ``In this case, we neglected to follow up with him and canceled the order without communicating with him.'' Weigand said he placed an order for a laptop with Dell on Feb. 13 and was scheduled to receive the computer eight days later. He was able to track his order online through Dell's Web site but soon discovered the order was stalled. After the delivery date passed and no computer arrived, Weigand called Dell. A salesperson called back to tell him the order automatically had been canceled shortly after it was placed because of the words ``combat'' and ``handguns'' in his company's name and concerns he might do something illegal. The same policy, however, didn't extend to the company's marketing department. Weigand said he contacted Dell because the company had been sending sales brochures to his business for more than a year. Weigand doesn't sell guns at his shop near Wilkes-Barre. A champion target shooter who is president of the American Pistolsmiths Guild, Weigand says he specializes in mounting scopes onto pistols and customizing target weapons. He said the whole problem could have been avoided with a phone call or a cursory check of his 17-year-old company's Web site. ``I'm listed in Dun & Bradstreet,'' he said. ``No one ever called. That's what really bothered me.'' Weigand posted his tale about 1 p.m. on Tuesday. By Wednesday morning he'd received more than 250 responses from forum readers and an apology from Dell, including the offer to not only accept his order but give him the computer for free. ``The person who called back was amazed by response they got,'' Weigand said. ``He offered his sincerest apologies.'' Dell might as well have snubbed Charlton Heston. ``It raised a big stink,'' Weigand said. ``This has been real rallying point. I hope other manufacturers realize that this kind of response can happen to anybody that would discriminate against (gun owners) for no good reason.'' Hargett stressed that Weigand wasn't targeted because of his ties to the gun industry. ``It wasn't the word firearm, it was combat,'' she said. ``A person with a pest-control company named Combat Pest Control would encounter the same treatment.'' Weigand declined the free computer. ``It was a nice offer - it was a $1,500 computer,'' he said, but added that taking the PC would be hypocritical. ``I have no intention of dealing with them again. There are a lot of different computer companies out there. Maybe I'll be treated better by someone else. I think I'm going to walk up to Best Buy.'' ----- (The Cox web site is at coxnews.com)