Re: [VACList] axle replacement/out of the box

[jrdorsey <jrdorsey@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Andy,
What you have here is a PR problem. What happened is that you were to
quick to leap into the breach on the axles.

This is what you should do the next time a vendor wants to discontinue a
vital product. Instead of stepping in right away so the supply is not
interrupted, let them make the announcement that will no longer be
supplying axles (or whatever) at all. People will get up in arms, write
protest letters, beg and plead with them etc. 

Then after a few weeks you step in and announce that you have talked
them into continuing to supply the (whatever part) but they refuse to be
a retailer, and will only sell through authorized retailers, and you are
the first authorized retailer. 

You will be a hero instead of a villain, in the resulting celebration no
one will notice that you are the only authorized retailer. If they tell
them that no one else is interested in investing the time, money and
research to be an authorized retailer.

See the facts are exactly the same, only the IMPLEMENTATION is
different. I've learned one thing about America and that's that
APPEARANCE is more important that REALITY.