It Happens To The Giants Too

As an independent retail owner, it’s understandable to assume that when there’s a glitch in technology that it only happens to the little guy. Truth be told, the big guys experience the same hiccups in their technology as everyone else. The following was copied and pasted from CNN Money.com.

Gift card glitch at Wal-Mart
World's largest retailer says it has resolved problems processing gift cards.
December 27 2007: 11:06 AM EST

NEW YORK (AP) -- Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retail chain, said Thursday it had resolved problems that delayed the redemption of gift cards.
In a statement, Wal-Mart said once it discovered the problem, it investigated and found that a "third-party verifier's systems had an inadvertent processing error." The discount chain said the error caused delays in gift card verifications for several retailers.
"The issue was resolved yesterday afternoon. We apologize for this inconvenience to our customers," the store said in the statement.
When reached for comment, Wal-Mart said it could not provide any additional details on the matter.

BHD Global

Attached is recent photo taken by senior trainer Jeff Kenshol while in Niort, France assisting another BHD customer.

One of the dog’s reasons for continued success is the warranty programs that BHD attaches to 3rd party equipment. Providing an additional year, 24-hour replacement on another manufacture’s warranty is highly unusual. In fact, fifteen years after BHD instituted such policies, to date; a competitor has not offered the same. “It’s not our intention to upstage our manufacture’s warranty programs but BHD is highly selective of its catalogue of products," states BHD President Mick Malaney. "We have bench and field tested each component and have complete confidence in the performance of the products we sell to our customers.” Malaney adds, “Yes, we even loan our recommended components to customers who purchased their gear from another vendor in order to keep them up and running until they can purchase new equipment.”

The aforementioned is background to the following story and it’s why customers continue to purchase their technology needs from BHD. The Following article was found off www.foxbusiness.com. Enjoy.

FOXBusiness
Ken Sweet

Sony refuses to do a warranty repair on one of its Playstation 3s because the console is “too dusty,” according to the owner.

The Los Angeles-based gamer said Sony Computer (SNE: 48.65, -0.27, -0.55%) would not honor its 1-year warranty on his $500 console because the game system arrived at its technical support center with “excessive dust in it.”

“When I learned that Sony wouldn’t replace my Playstation because it was too dusty, I paused for a minute because it seemed so ridiculous,” said Reid Godshaw, the owner of the dusty Playstation.

The dirty Playstation story has flown around the blogosphere – especially on The Consumerist, a consumer-affairs blog where the story originated. The posts regarding the PS3 have gotten more than 150,000 views and have received more than 600 comments from readers.

Godshaw said the Playstation, which was a gift, stopped working last month. Because Sony (like console manufacturers Microsoft and Nintendo) has a 1-year limited warranty, he called the company after the malfunction and asked for a replacement.

“At first, it was no problem – they said I just had to send it in and it would be back to me in a few days,” Godshaw said.

After he put the PS3 in the mail, Sony called him to let Godshaw know that it had arrived in “good condition” and Sony would go ahead and diagnose the problem.

That’s when the trouble began, Godshaw said.

He said a technical support representative by the name of “Neil” called him back later that day to let him know that technical support had looked at the console, and determined that it was too dusty to replace. The decision was final.

According to Sony’s warranty on the PS3, the console is covered by “material defects in material and workmanship” but the warranty would be void if damaged by “acts of God, misuse, abuse, negligence, accident, wear and tear, unreasonable use or by other causes unrelated to defective materials or craftsmanship.”

Dust isn’t mentioned.

According to Godshaw, Sony’s technical support said that dust was related to negligence and therefore the console was not covered by the 1-year warranty.

“The guy said there was nothing they could do except either mail me my broken PS3 to me, or I would have to pay $150 for an out-of-warranty replacement,” Godshaw said.

However, in a recording that Godshaw made that he posted on The Consumerist, a Sony representative said specifically that dust is not a reason why Sony would not replace its console – sending mixed messages about dust.

Sony Computer Entertainment was not immediately available for comment.

Godshaw said his main issue with Sony’s dust argument is that video game consoles, like DVD players, stereos and other electronic equipment, sit in entertainment centers and tend to collect dust.

“I’ve heard stories from my friends and people I’ve spoke to on the Internet that PS3s are dust magnets,” Godshaw said. “I don’t move the console around, it sat there like it’s supposed to.”

While the general customer service representatives, who usually don’t have the authority to make warranty replacement decisions, told him that the situation was ridiculous and it should be replaced – the people on the technical side were incredibly rude, Godshaw said.

Godshaw said one manager by the name of Daria Woo told him Sony took pictures documenting the dust was inside the PS3, but would not share them. The pictures were “property of Sony,” and would have to be subpoenaed if Godshaw wanted to see them, he said the manager told him.

This leaves Godshaw in a customer service “Catch-22.” Sony’s technical support said the console is too dusty and won’t replace it, but Sony won’t show him. Like many electronic companies policies, customers are not allowed to open the inside of these products because it voids the warranty. He’ll have to take Sony’s word that excessive dust killed his toy.

“It’s been frustrating to say the least,” Godshaw said.

Video game companies have been plagued this console generation by defective products. Microsoft set aside $1.5 billion this summer to replace Xbox 360 parts after hundreds of the consoles began to break down because of overheating.

According to consumer affairs experts, Sony traditionally has had a good reputation for honoring warranty problems. Representatives at the Better Business Bureau said they had not heard of issues with Sony regarding dust and its warranty.

“I was surprised to hear this story actually,” said Carey Greenberg-Berger, an editor with The Consumerist.

The Playstation 3 is in last place in sales in the next-generation console war, according to consumer research firms.

Policy for Customers who are not Purchasing their Equipment from BHD

BHD has guidelines for those customers who are replacing their current equipment, but not purchasing it from BHD.

1.   For Retail Pro v6 and v7 users:
     A.  You must send BHD the Workstation Information Sheet (Specs) for approval.

     B.  Once the Specs have been approved, call Service to schedule a Tech appointment. This will be a 2-hour appointment, and can usually be done over the phone.

2.   For Retail Pro v8 users:
You must send your hardware to BHD for setup. The reason for this is that the setup for v8 requires a more complex configuration, and is most successfully accomplished with the equipment inhouse.

If you have any questions regarding this policy, please contact the BHD Service Department at 800-377-7776.

Tech & Training Lead Times

TRAINING:
Phone appts starting 11/12
Jen has appts starting 11/5 (new trainer)
Onsites starting 11/14
TECH:
Phone appts starting 11/5
Onsites starting 11/6

How does BHD bill for support?

Upon contacting their help desk, customers assume they’re paying for the time it takes to discuss the problem with the technician; research into discovering a solution to fix the problem, and, of course, the installation of the solution. For most retail technology companies, the aforementioned are true. At BHD, nothing could be further from the aforesaid truth.

During BHD technical support training, BHD technical staff is taught to make one assumption: assume it’s a technology problem and not a customer problem.

What does that mean?

The quickest way to get a customer off of the phone is to blame the customer for what is commonly called user error. User error works only when the true identity of the problem was discovered to have been an error created by the customer. But without proper investigatory practices, the technician is making an assumption. In other words, the technician doesn’t know how to fix the problem and attempts to pass blame for the problem back onto the customer. For this, the customer is billed?

BHD technicians are not concerned about user error. They are trained to investigate the problem from the technology perspective. Once the technology is investigated and shown to operate properly only then does the technician focus his attention on the use of the technology. Historically, most calls to BHD support ultimately conclude with user error. And what did the customer pay to discover a user error? Before that question can be answered, another question beckons: What if the problem is caused by faulty technology. In short order, BHD technicians fix the problem. And how much does the customer pay? Not a dime.

Researching a devilishly difficult technology problem can sometimes take weeks. Regardless, the customer does not pay for the research or the implementation of the solution. BHD sold the technology and BHD will pay for the repair of the technology.

Again, how much does a customer pay for correcting a customer error?

Like a technology error, a technician can invest large chunks of time into finding a user error and fixing it. To be exact, the customer does not pay for the research. It doesn’t matter how long it takes for the technician to investigate, create a solution and implement. “On a few occasions a BHD technician has taken days to investigate and discover user error only to bill the customer for the five minutes it took to correct the user error,” says BHD Tech Ken French. French goes onto state that those episodes are rare, due to the strength of BHD technical support and the massive knowledge base BHD techs use to assist in investigating a problem. “I would put our Retail Pro knowledge database against anyone in the world,” says French. “For the last 15 years, we’ve stored every topic and solution related to Retail Pro support. We know what we’re talking about.”

BHD's Great Customer Service Just Got Greater

As most of you know, BHD Techs and Trainers are traveling somewhere nationally or internationally almost every day. Now when Techs or Trainers leave home, they take with them a broader objective. They travel to assist not only the customer requesting the onsite, but other BHD customers who happen to be located in the same area.

That's right - Techs now travel with a list of all BHD customers located in the area of their onsite, and if time permits, will stop by other customers to answer questions or assist in any way needed. We are providing unscheduled onsite visits at absolutely no charge. We've just broken another one of our own rules to take the best care possible of you - our valued customers.

Keep an eye on our Techs on Tour schedule at: www.bighairydog.com/techtour.htm. You may be getting an unexpected visit from a BHD Tech or Trainer next time they're in your area. We never stop looking for new ways to be the best Retail Pro service provider in the industry.

Email Blasts Land Positively

From a company who plays Jimi Hendrix and Lynyrd Skynyrd on their music on hold, the concept of email finally took hold recently when BHD staff replaced contacting customers via telephone for 21st century email technology. The comments from clients are all good. “For years, we’ve contacted each customer to ensure that all was well with their technology,” states BHD VP Rob McGormley. “Typically, we’d catch them in the middle of a sale and their response to our call would usually include an expletive as they hung up on us.” After a decade of abuse, BHD staff decided that perhaps email was a better conduit to keeping in touch with its customer base.

The emails include links to surveys, comment fields and the ongoing development of technology.

“The comments we’ve received from customers are not necessarily “good” or “bad” says McGormley. “Clients are offering advice which we immediately implement into our customer service. A high-priced consultant couldn't provide the insight that our customers provide to BHD."

BHD Expands Accounting Link Support

As many of you know, Jamia, who led BHD’s Accounting Dept. for six years, accepted a wonderful opportunity that has taken her to the other side of the globe. She has moved to Melbourne, Australia, to work for a multi-global telecommunications company.

Jamia wants everyone to know she will miss her friends at BHD greatly, and will miss serving our awesome customers.

BHD has recently expanded it’s Accounting Link Support Dept, by adding two new people, Norman and Darrell, to the staff.

Darrell was born in Oklahoma and did his share of moving as a child. Besides living in Oklahoma, he also lived his early years in Kansas and Texas before moving to California.

He was an Electronics Tech in the US Navy, worked for Tandy Corp. for about 10 years and then worked for CompUSA for the next decade teaching MS Office. He has been married for 34 years, has 2 boys and 2 girls, ranging from 19-30 years old.

Norman comes to us with 15 years of Quickbooks experience, and will be a great asset to the BHD Accounting Department. Norman is native to California, born in San Francisco, and raised here in the Sacramento area. His past experiences and work history have prepared him well for this new opportunity.

Both Darrell and Norman appreciate the team spirit they find at Big Hairy Dog. Welcome and Congratulations to both.

Free Microsoft Word View

For those that didn't know...Microsoft offers a free WORD document viewer online. You can download it from their website if the need arises.

(http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=95e24c87-8732-48d5-8689-ab826e7b8fdf)

Often times we'll send a training manual to clients (as a word file, *.doc) only to find out that they don't have MS OFFICE installed. This free program allows them to view the document, although they can't make any changes without purchasing a live copy.

All Fonts Smaller/Narrow in DocDesigns - Printed or Previewed

If you run into this one...where in Retail Pro all of the fonts in docdesign are printing/previewing incorrectly. In the two cases I've seen, the standard ARIAL font started to preview as a courier narrow. At first glance, you'd think the customer just changed the docdesign without telling us. Then you realize that it affects ALL docdesigns.

The issue is the graphics driver. You need to rollback the graphics card driver, or remove and then reinstall.

New Receptionist Notice

Due to the longstanding relationship shared between BHD staff and their customers, it’s necessary from, time to time, to inform BHD customers concerning a new phone greeter. Veteran greeters like Roberta, Christina, and Sara know BHD customers and visa versa; however, a new receptionist does not know longtime customers who may not have the patience to reintroduce themselves. Hey, who can blame them? Furthermore, due to the complexity of the BHD phone system, it’s not out of the ordinary for a new receptionist to occasionally disconnect a BHD customer, who in frustration must call back BHD for assistance. Therefore BHD staff would like to introduce Paula. She’s delightful, helpful and only desires a positive experience when contacting BHD. In the meantime, be prepared for hang-ups; transfers to the wrong person and the general melee associated with getting a new greeter up to speed. BHD staff thanks their customers for their patience.

Version 8.4 Error "Fixed column count must be less than column length"

We saw this error upon going into Merchandise>Inventory on one WS. After checking all the variable statements and shortcut paths, we copied the LAYOUTS folder from another WS# folder to the one having trouble. That fixed the problem. Layouts have a tendency to go corrupt from time to time, so it's a great idea for IT staff to have good LAYOUTS folders available in case situations like this come up.

Training and Tech Lead Times

TRAINING:

Phone appointments starting 10/8
Onsites starting 10/15

TECH:

Phone appointments starting 10/1
Onsites starting 10/1

Training and Tech Lead Times

TRAINING:

Phone appointments starting 9/24
Onsites starting 10/19

TECH:

Phone appointments starting 9/19
Onsites starting 9/21

BHD IN THE BIG LEAGUES

At BHD, following our favorite teams is not only a passion, its part of our everyday work load. In a great many sporting venues, Retail Pro is used at point-of-sale. For example, as the baseball season gears up for the playoffs and the NFL season gets underway, BHD technicians are traversing the country visiting parks and stadiums to provide assistance. In fact, as of this writing, technicians and trainers are visiting the legendary Soldier Field in preparation for another great Chicago Bear season.

The attached photographs were taken by BHD trainer Jeff Kenshaw while visiting Busch Stadium. A humerous photo was taken by BHD trainer Colt Riley while working at Dodger Stadium (Chavez Ravine).

What can a BHD customer take comfort in knowing? For one, BHD technical staff is arguably the leader in high-impact, mission critical support. “Retail Pro cannot stop working during a game,” states BHD Trainer Colt Riley. “Hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise is sold in a relatively short period of time,” says Riley, who offers examples of extreme shopping, ranging from seventh inning stretches to half-time at football and basketball games. “Thousands of fans flock to the registers, which can take an enormous pounding.”

On occasion, older sports venues may experience network concerns which can limit computer performance. “We’ve literally sat in the basements of some of the greatest and oldest stadiums while the game was played above us, in anticipation, of a catastrophic incident,” says Riley. A network failure during a playoff game can be disastrous.

Has a catastrophic incident ever occurred during a game? Not according to BHD President Mick Malaney. “Our tech staff knows the team schedules better than the commissioners, says Malaney, referring to the bosses of each of the major sports leagues. However, Malaney laughs, and recites a story of an incident at Safeco Field in Seattle.

“A BHD tech was installing equipment at one of the clothing concessionaire locations. Somehow, he turned and smacked his head on a television monitor. As blood trickled from his head, the concessionaire staff escorted him to the only medical staff available at the stadium: the Seattle Mariner’s team trainer,” says Malaney. “There’s our technician and the trainer sitting in the Mariner’s dugout when former Mariner slugger Edgar Martinez wonders into the dugout. He sits down next to the trainer and watches, transfixed, as the trainer loops thread through a needle in preparation of sewing up the wound."

As the BHD trainer retells the story to Malaney, he goes from feeling woozy to shock when Martinez asks the trainer if he can sew the wound. “I’m wondering if I shouldn’t grab a cab to the nearest emergency room and the next thing I know, one of baseballs great hitters wants to play surgeon,” recalls Malaney’s conversation with the technician. Fortunately, the slugger was called back onto the field and the Mariner's trainer performed the stitching.

In recent times, Malaney claims that BHD has been at some of professional sports greatest moments. “Actually, our technicians have heard the roar of the crowd at some of the great sporting events over the last decade, but that doesn’t mean they saw what happened until they returned to their hotel rooms and watched ESPN,” says Malaney.

The following is a partial list of some of the other sporting venues that BHD staff "break every rule, and head, to take care of:

Sacramento Kings (Hometown Heroes)
Boston Bruins
Chicago Bears
Chicago White sox
Cincinatti Reds
Milwaukee Brewers
St Louis Cardinals
St Louis Rams
San Diego Padres
Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco 49er's
Nashville Predators
Tampa Bay Lightening
Denver Nuggets

The next time you’re at a game, you might just see a guy or gal walking around with BHD gear on. Tell him you’re a BHD customer. He may just sign an autograph for your kid.

Performance Reports in Retail Pro v8

The Associate & Cashier performance reports, common to retailers who use the Check In/Out feature, has a flaw in it's default design.

By default under OPTIONS (when you edit the report) the "Receipt Types Allowed" field is set to look at NORMAL and CANCELLED receipts. It should NOT be looking at cancelled receipts. Cancelled receipts happen when someone Cancels a check in/out due to a missed check in/out.

If you run into a client noting that the Check In/Out: Shift Report is showing different hours than the Performance reports (and you've determined the problem is NOT with the SHIFTs defined) this is most likely the cause.

Reseller Brings Value To POS Hardware, Software Installation

When rapidly growing retailer Cartridge World engaged POS VAR (value-added reseller) Duncan & Associates to consult on the selection of its new POS system, ease of training was near the top of the retailer’s list of criteria. Ralph Duncan, principal at Duncan & Associates, knew that a touch screen terminal would lend to that goal. He recommended, and Cartridge World selected, the NCR RealPOS 70, the transaction hardware provider’s flagship touch screen terminal. Cartridge World chose RetailPro as the software engine to drive its POS, and POS VAR Big Hairy Dog Information Systems installed and configured that system. The combination has proven sound, as the retailer has grown aggressively.

“We train our franchisees in an intensive two-week session at our corporate headquarters’ training facility,” says Shawn Lynam, VP of franchise operations at Cartridge World. “We have a 20-station POS lab there, but the POS training is one of the easiest aspects of the class. The graphic, interactive nature of the NCR/RetailPro system interface is intuitive and self-explanatory, which greatly reduces our training overhead.” This is important for Lynam, who says that many of the franchisees his company trains are making their foray into the retail industry with Cartridge World and have never worked with a POS system before. Following the two-week course, franchisees get a brief refresher course for store-level management and staff, on location, just prior to a store’s opening.

The RealPOS 70 is available in both capacitive and resistive touch screen models and in multiple display sizes. Dual displays serve both cashier and customer. Additionally, multimedia capabilities enable the system to serve a POS terminal, kiosk, or interactive training device. NCR has also made emerging technologies like biometrics and wireless available on this unit.


Fast Growth Necessitates Rapid IT Scalability
Deployment of technology for new franchises is handled by Duncan & Associates and Big Hairy Dog Information Systems (BHD). The systems are virtually plug and play – the integrators can have a new location up and running in a day.

The scalability of this standard platform provides Cartridge World corporate some important benefits. For one, it has a better, more consistent view of KPIs (key performance indicators) by store and region. This knowledge not only helps the retailer’s sales and inventory forecasting, it empowers Lynam, who oversees franchise operations, with market data to monitor store performance analytics. Lynam also says forward-looking plans lent to the decision to choose its new platform. “We’re planning to add new lines of products to bolster consumer choice, and we’re also looking to add some BI (business intelligence) functionality in terms of data warehousing to enable more granular analysis of our business. The platform we chose to standardize our store systems on will support both of these initiatives.”

Anti-Virus/Spam Software

Once again Consumer Reports has done their testing of Anti-Virus/Spam softwares and once again Trend Micro has taken the top spot across all categories.

They were Number One in
Total Software Suite
Anti Virus
Anti Spyware
Anti Spamm

Mcafee came in:
Total Software Suite 4th
Anti Virus 3rd
Anti Spyware 4th
Anti Spamm 7th

Symantec/Norton came in:
Total Software Suite 9th
Anti Virus 6th
Anti Spyware 11th
Anti Spamm 6th


Trend Micro was also the least expensive option.

Bad Cabling Means Bad Computer System

Recently, a customer was fed up with Retail Pro and contacted Mick Malaney, President of BHD. As BHD is noted for doing, Malaney mobilized the BHD tech crew. The customer's store is located somewhere on the West coast. (The customer's name and location is omitted.)

After the initial conversation with the customer, Malaney had a hunch concerning the cabling. Malaney had BHD Service Group locate a professional cable installer near the customer. The next morning, both, "cable guy" and a BHD technician arrived at the customer's store to begin their investigation.

In short time, the installer deduced the problem. You can see the problem yourself by viewing the attached photo. Clearly, the cabling was not professionally installed. In fact, the installer confirmed that all 400 feet of cabling inside the store was "dead."

Both Werner and the installer were surprised to see Retail Pro functioning at all.

BHD requires its customers to hire a licensed cable company to perform cable installation. Violation of that agreement will result in BHD terminating all agreements between BHD and the customer.

Depending upon the cabling requirements, a faulty installation can be costly as well as dangerous. Problems range from corrupted data to fire. A professional installation will save you hours of grief and thousands of dollars in future service work.

Furthermore, BHD is not a licensed cable installation company and, therefore, entrusts that the customer will perform the due diligence necessary to ensure a professional installation. From the point of connection (wall outlet), BHD manages the connection of computers and patch cables (network). However, what occurs behind the walls are the responsibility of the installation company and customer.

Training and Tech Lead Times

TRAINING:

Phone appts starting week of 9/10
(new users starting the last week in sept for several consistant appts in a row. Single appts start week of 9/10)

Onsites starting 9/24



TECH:

Phone appts starting 8/31

Onsites starting 9/5

BHD Customer Looking for New Sysop!

JOB POSTING
Maloof Sports & Entertainment
One Sports Parkway
Sacramento, CA 95834
www.arcoarena.com

POSITION: Director, Merchandise
DEPARTMENT: Arena Services
RESPOND TO: Human Resources Department
E-mail: jobs@arcoarena.com
Fax: (916) 928-8151


DATE: August 1, 2007

RESPONSIBILITITES: Oversees and implements the marketing of Kings, Monarchs, and ARCO Arena merchandise by performing the following duties personally or through subordinate supervisors:

• Monitors all business aspects maximizing the company’s investment and bottom line.
• Creates and implements a business plan that includes goals, strategies, action plans and timelines
• Identifies market forces that impact the ability to achieve goals
• Oversees monthly and year-end department reporting.
• Creates and maintains a monthly buying plan.
• Assists both the VP and Director of Finance in preparation of forecasts and budgeting.
• Directs and oversees all special projects.
• Assists in developing strategic plans for division.
• Purchases all necessary products for the Team Store and Arena Operations with special attention to inventory levels, turnover product mix and profit margins.
• Grows business through off site sales locations and Internet web sites.
• Oversees staffing levels, the creation of work schedules and the assignment of employees to specific duties.
• Formulates pricing policies on merchandise according to requirements for profitability of store operations.
• Orders merchandise and prepares requisitions to replenish merchandise on hand.
• Ensures compliance of employees with established security, sales, and record keeping procedures and practices.
• Answers customer's complaints or inquiries.


Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Marketing, or related field.
• 3-5 year’s retail sales experience.
• Demonstrated leadership skills in directing and motivating a large sales Team
• Must possess interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills.
• Must be able to motivate a staff to deliver over the top customer service
• Must be able to read, write, speak, and understand English.
• Ability to work well under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• Must have knowledge of Inventory software; Order processing systems; Retail Pro; Internet software; Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and Outlook.
• Must possess a valid Driver’s License.
• Must be capable of working extended hours such as nights, weekends, overtime, being on-call, and holidays as necessary.

PPM/Paymentech Authorization Issues

In response to a number of clients recently noting that Credit Card Authorizations by modem with PPM are failing, BHD has done some investigating and found a few alternate authorizations #s that are working. "A lot!" was Rich's response when asked how much the new authorization numbers were helping. It's not something we want to retroactively change with all clients, but if you're having consistent trouble with the PPM Server failing, please contact technical support at 916.368.1070.

Training and Tech Lead Times

TRAINING:

Phone appointments starting week of 8/20
Onsites starting week of 9/18

TECH:

Phone appointments start on 7/26
Onsites starting 8/2

Malaney young'n discovers customer problem

Seven-year-old, Maggie Malaney, daughter of BHD President Mick Malaney contacted a customer and discovered that, indeed, help was required. "At first, I wasn't sure if the caller was legit," said customer. "I helped a customer get help," said Maggie. "That's my job."

Summer is here and BHD kids are at work

It's summer and Kids are out of school. BHD President, Mick Malaney has put his twins to work. BHD Customers can expect a call from 7-year-old, Jake Malaney, who will be calling customers to ensure all is well. If not, he will pass the caller to a Service Group person who will further ensure that concerns are remedied. "I worked at my Grandfather's Motel fixing pool pumps and digging ditches during my summer breaks. My kids are going to work too." says Malaney.

PASSWORDS NOT POLLING

8.52 w/ feb 2007 + hotfix, you can add users at the main and they will poll to the remote, but you cannot change the password at the main and poll it to the remote.

talked to RTI, when they first implemented policy, they had it set so the main would send down the password, which meant that if the employee has changed the password, they were overwritten. NOW, they have changed it so that the remotest control the password. to change the password at the main, user has to be deleted and recreated.

Training and Tech Lead Times

TRAINING:

Phone appointments starting 6/28
Onsites starting 7/16

TECH:

Phone appointments starting 6/13
Onsites starting 6/26

YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE!

It's store-physical-time and BHD techs are busy assisting customers with store counts, uploading portable data collectors, analyzing reports, etc.

As a value added service, BHD offers free webinars on this very topic. Last night, BHD trainers gave a FREE webinar to four customers on conducting a proper store physical. Yep, you read right: four customers.

While perusing the BHD website, you'll notice a map which highlights the population of BHD customers. As you can see, BHD has lots of customers. In fact, BHD has more Retail Pro customers than any Retail Pro reseller world wide.

Four customers?

One could conclude that BHD does such a phenomenal job concerning customer training that a FREE webinar on conducting a store physical is not necessary. Another brilliant deduction is that BHD customers would rather pay a $100 an hour to receive store physical support for the same topic they could have received for free. Huh?

Regardless of the reason, BHD is the only Retail Pro reseller that offers its' customers FREE, FREE, FREE webinar training.

Use it or lose it!

Not so. Today, four customers are confidently striding through their stores, scanning, uploading data and running reports. Not one has called concerning their store physical, hence, saving themselves potentially hundreds of dollars in support.

At BHD, we consider that success.

Respectfully,


Jeff, Tanya and the other BHD trainers and techncial support staff

Make a Wish! Ping Pong Fun!

As many of you know, every year BHD donates to Make a Wish. This year we had a BBQ, and also a Ping Pong Tournament! With the help of our employees, clients, family and friends we were able to reach our goal of $10,000!!!

Thank you so much to everyone that contributed to Make A Wish! Daniel, the child we sponsored, will be off to Disney World soon!

Here are some photos of the Ping Pong extravaganza!

Look at that concentration! Buddy and Ken battle it out!

Here is Mandy and Emily...check out that stance! She is ready!

In this fine photo we have Melissa and Derek in a tense situation! In back, there is Nathan and Buddy in the midst of a fantastic rally!

15 Tech Myths: Busted and Confirmed

This in from MSN.com, none of which, has anything to do with BHD or its products but an interesting read, nonetheless. Enjoy!

http://tech.msn.com/news

V9 UPDATE

An update regarding BHD's one and only v9 beta site: The customer comments that, thus far, v9 is performing. We know, we're surprised too. As veteran customers know, as well as, BHD tech staff; there is a "trial by fire" period of time before BHD releases new product. Historically, that time frame can be indeterminate and extensive, as well as, the testing process, which is laborious and time consuming. Therefore, to hear a customer give a test version of Retail Pro even a moderate score is encouraging. We'll keep you abreast as we get closer to announcing a general release. As of now, BHD plans to implement v9 into single stores then begin testing v9 in multiple locations (polling). Interested companies can contact me personally at the BHD offices: 800-377-7776.

Robert McGormley

Dell sued in NY

This in from PC Magazine.

New York says Dell defrauded PC buyers

17/05/2007 07:57:49


The New York attorney general has filed a lawsuit charging that Dell used fraud and false advertising to increase profits on PC sales.

The lawsuit alleges that Dell misled its customers by applying high credit rates to their computer purchases although it had promised cheap financing. The suit also alleges that Dell failed to deliver rebates, warranties and technical support as simply as it had promised, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in Albany County Supreme Court by New York state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.

"Consumers who purchase Dell's products often find that many of the benefits and inducements featured in Dell's advertisements are illusory," the lawsuit said about Dell and its business unit Dell Financial Services (DFS). "Although Dell often heavily advertises the availability of 'no interest' financing, in reality, DFS uses ultra-restrictive underwriting guidelines, under which the vast majority of consumers -- even those with excellent credit histories -- do not qualify for promotional financing."

Under that plan, DFS signs customers up for no-interest loans, then switches most of them to accounts with interest rates exceeding 20 percent without notifying them of the change, the lawsuit said. DFS also charged some customers for orders that were canceled or never delivered.

"In many cases, DFS has harmed these consumers' credit ratings by incorrectly reporting their account as delinquent to the credit reporting agencies after they refuse to make payment on a nonexistent debt," the lawsuit said.

Dell denies the charges and plans to fight the suit, according to an e-mailed statement from spokesman Bob Kaufman.

"Dell will vigorously defend itself in court," Kaufman said. "We are confident that our practices will be found to be fair and appropriate. While even one dissatisfied customer is too many, the allegations in the AG's filing are based upon a small fraction of Dell's consumer transactions in New York."

The charges strike directly at the improved marketing image Dell has tried to build in recent months. After several quarters of disappointing sales in 2006, Dell promised to rebuild itself by investing US$100 million to improve customer service and by eliminating its complex rebate system in favor of more predictable prices.

Dell also fell behind rival Hewlett-Packard Co. in market share last year, dismissed its CEO in January and struggled with a financial investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company has missed the deadlines for filing its last two quarterly earnings reports, and admitted in March that its own internal investigators had found evidence of accounting misconduct.

Now the New York lawsuit charges that Dell also acted with misconduct in its customer relations, forcing customers with computer problems to navigate "a nightmarish array of obstacles in their quest for service."

"At Dell, customer service means no service at all," Cuomo said in a statement posted on a Web site dedicated to the lawsuit. "Dell's consumers were intentionally misled, and they had to pay for that privilege."

That left some customers with inoperable computer equipment for a span of weeks or months, since their calls to Dell tech-support lines resulted in being left on hold, shuttled between departments, disconnected after spending hours on the phone, and finally rebuffed when they request a promised "on site" repair, the lawsuit said.

Cuomo asked the court to force Dell to pay damages to customers, create new standards to ensure it doesn't repeat its behavior, pay a civil penalty of US$500 for each violation, reimbursing New York state for its court costs and return the profits it earned through its practices.

Answer to your questions - we know you are asking - as you look at your Dell computers that you purchased from BHD.

1) BHD has no idea if Dell defrauded customers in NY.

2) Yes, BHD sells and supports Dell Computers.

3) BHD utilizes 3rd party financing for its customers as well as itself when purchasing and selling Dell computers.

4) Generally, BHD DOES NOT utilize Dell support. Instead, BHD provides support to BHD customers; unless a customer has specifically requested ONLY Dell support.

5) BHD believes it provides superior service as well as a superior warranty for Dell computers. BHD believes its' for the aforementioned reasons that Dell authorizes BHD to sell and support its' products.

6) BHD continues to sell and support Dell computers because Dell continues to manufacture superior and affordable computers for BHD customers.

Version 9 Beta Sites!

BHD is looking for beta sites for Version 9. We are looking for a single store with 2 computers or less. If you are interested please contact your sales representative at 800 377 7776!

Thanks!

Training and Tech Lead Times

TRAINING:

Phone appointments starting on 6/4
Onsites starting 6/21

TECH:

Phone appointments starting 5/14
Onsites starting 5/29

Pole Displays 20% off!

SURVEY SAYS!

As any company concerned with its customer relationship, BHD staff has created a short, simple survey for BHD customers. The survey is a non-invasive channel by which customers can post observations, concerns or any commentary which can assist BHD staff in improving customer service.

Our customers will be emailed the survey link once a month!

HACKERS AND VPN

You decide to check out the store computer frome home. You touch a few keys and realize something is not right. Lo and behold you discover someone or something is already using your VPN to enter your store and snoop around. It happens. Just today, a BHD tech and store owner watched as a 'spider' (software designed to enter a computer and search for specific code e.g., credit card numbers, etc.) detonate its automated code in an attempt to search for specific information. The BHD tech quickly closed the port used for the VPN. Do not implement a VPN unless security software or hardware is installed. Hacker software searches for VPN and is able to gain entrance through the port used for the VPN.

Training and Tech Lead Times

TRAINING:

Phone appts starting 4/23
Onsite starting 5/14

TECH:

Phone appts starting 4/10
Onsites starting 4/10

If you use ECI be very careful when using clean house

the situation: A client did a clean house with my help, all the appropriate steps were taken, Make a backup, recontruct,purge any old documents, rebuild committed. then we cleaned house. in about 2 hours he noticed that aprox, half of his website dissapeared. after alot of testing restoring his inventory prior to the clean house made the whole catalog reappear.
I tested more and found out that if I deleted a specific item it would delete the entire style from the web. I worked with our tech Ken, and he was able to take that a step further. If we add item sid to the style view in the catalog, it will show 1 item sid. if you clean house on that item it will remove the entire style from the web. you may safely clean house on any other item in the style and it will not remove the entire style just that selected item as it should. the problem here is that the while style is "keyed" off of "master" item. if that item gets cleaned house on other items that should remain on the website also get cleaned off. resulting in what happened to our client half of his inventory off of the website disappeared.

So the end result is you can only clean house on items that NONE of them are left on the website. If you deleted the wrong one, or as I referred to it above as the “master” item. the whole thing will be deleted.

Windows Vista

Per Dell they will still be selling XP for at least a year. RTI is testing Vista now, they are doing V9 and then V8 though.

We think there are issues with the PROCS since they are still full DOS apps. We did some very basic testing of V8 on Vista and it seemed to run ok. But we didn't test anything besides install, make an invoice, make a voucher that kind of thing. And it was single station only.

HW vendors are going to give you that crap about selling only Vista, but they pulled that when XP came out too and they said were not selling 2000 anymore.
Reality is that businesses are slow to migrate to new OS's due to legacy applications and most don't move until after the first major Service Pack is released anyway. I checked and Toshiba and HP are still selling XP as well.

Training and Tech Lead Times

TRAINING:

Phone appts starting 3/29
Onsites starting 4/4

TECH:

Phone appts starting 3/21
Onsites starting on 4/2

BW Printing Issue with Microsoft Net 3.0 and XPS Document Imaging Essentials Pack

Microsoft Net 3.0 and XPS Document Imaging Essentials Pack issue

Two recent Microsoft updates have been found to affect printing options in Sage BusinessWorks (Microsoft .Net 3.0 and the XPS Document Imaging Essentials Pack). Microsoft has made changes to the printer subsystem in Windows, causing issues when printing forms and reports within Sage BusinessWorks.

The following two errors are symptoms of this problem:
"Access violation @ address 40003461 in module rtl60.bpl, write of address XXXXXXXX when previewing reports in Sage BusinessWorks."

"This printer driver requires more space than is allocated. (Needed XXXX;Alloc: 8096) when printing or previewing reports in Sage BusinessWorks."

It is our recommendation that you wait to install Microsoft .Net 3.0 or the XPS Document Imaging Essentials Pack until Sage BusinessWorks completes its testing and has an update available to address these changes. If you have downloaded these updates and you receive these error messages we have found success in trying alternate print drivers.

Daylight Savings Time 2007

The U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005, passed by the U.S. Congress July, 2005, extended Daylight Saving Time (DST) in the U.S. by approximately four weeks. As a result, beginning in 2007, DST will start three weeks earlier on March 11, 2007, and end one week later on November 4, 2007, resulting in a new DST period that is four weeks longer than previously observed. These four weeks are referred to in this article as the "extended DST period".

Unless certain updates are applied to your computer, it is possible that the time zone settings for your computer's system clock may be incorrect during this four week period. This depends on where you live and which time zone you have selected. To see the time zone settings on your computer, follow these directions.

When your time zone settings are incorrect your clock may be off by one hour, and certain applications running on your Windows based computer may not display the correct time. To address this, Microsoft is providing many free updates and tools that will update your system automatically.

All computers in the United States must be upgraded before March 11, 2007. If users fail to update their operating system by the March 11th, any documents created within Retail Pro will likely display and store time zone information incorrectly. Application of the Daylight Savings Time maintenance pack afterwards will not correct these former documents

http://support.microsoft.com/gp/dst_topissues#a6

BHD HAS THE BEST CUSTOMERS IN THE LAND!

Why does it pay to work with a national company like the dog? The answer is our customers. Today, we had a customer who was attempting to upgrade her remote store. The store is 3 hours and another state away from her. Yesterday, she arrived at the store only to discover that a BHD tech could not help upload the data. Today, she drove back to the store and got a similar answer. Apparently, the remote location didn’t have a DSL line. Meanwhile, BHD Service Group contacted a local customer who opened their computers and allowed our techs to download the data to her. Now, that’s customer service brought to you by another customer! Thanks Oregon, from BHD and your Washington neighbor-in-need.

Vista and those funny commercials

Microsoft's Vista is being tested at BHD and customers will be notified shortly of its' effectiveness in relations to Retail Pro. In the mean time, enjoy the commerical that currently demonstrates Vista vs. Mac.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://360east.com/blogfileupload/macvspc.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.360east.com/%3Fp%3D423&h=337&w=430&sz=29&hl=en&start=2&tbnid=PscjF6_u_BNNLM:&tbnh=99&tbnw=126&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dapple%2Bvs.%2Bpc%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rls%3DGGIC,GGIC:2006-49,GGIC:en%26sa%3DN

BHD IS OPEN TODAY

Reminder to Customers:

BHD is open today, President’s Day. Out of curiosity, BHD staff members contacted most vendors and other associates involved with the point-of-sale industry. Many, if not all, are closed today. BHD is open when BHD customers are open. As a result, BHD is closed two days out of the year: Christmas and New Year’s Day. Furthermore, BHD remain opens after hours for emergency technical support, including weekends.

BHD Technical Staff

Clarification

There is a clarification required on an earlier report titled "Rivals Mend Their Differences...and Win". It was ommited in the article that the previous game, the rivals had mended their differences...AND LOST! they were handily shown the overwhelming loss by 7 points at the hands of the forementioned Tech_HarryPotter and Tech_NerfGunner. while they later came back to win by 3 in the following game, it is wise to note, that they are, still, in fact, the bigger losers.

Rivals Mend Their Differences...and Win

In an outstanding show of sportsmanship, two long-time table tennis rivals gapped their personal conflicts and did something they had never done before. They won. Tech_Harrypotter, of the losing team, had this comment after viewing the newly formed duo "Part finesse, part power...they're a perfect blend." That was his comment even after suffering defeat 21-18. Poor_Werner had no post-game comment. One eyewitness heard him mumble, as he walked off the court, "Just wait 'til I have my lion shirt on next Friday."

Table Tennis has become a BHD phenomenon since the table was purchased circa Summer 2006. Hall of Famers include Nathan "sticky-paddle" Bodhiprasart & Buddy "quit after I lost once" Gobbell.

Dell OptiPlex and Windows Update

The latest update from Microsoft has an (Optional) Hardware Update - the "Via Storage - Primary IDE Controller" - that will cause the OptiPlex to "Blue Screen" on restart, requiring the user to choose "Last known good configuration" when re-booting.

DO NOT INSTALL THIS DOWNLOAD if you have the Dell OptiPlex.

How to discover the Dell model: when starting up there will be a "Dell" startup screen with a progress bar located bottom-middle...the model can be found just above the progress bar.

Training and Tech Lead Times

TRAINING:

Phone appts starting week of 3/5
Onsites starting 3/12

TECH:

Phone appts starting week of 3/5
Onsites starting week of 3/19

Tech and Training Lead Times

TRAINING:

Phone appts starting on 2/26
Onsites starting on 3/16

TECH:

Phone appt starting on 2/20
Onsites starting on 2/23

REMINDER TO CUSTOMERS PURCHASING COMPUTER EQUIPMENT

BHD hardware replacement policies are simple and effective. The following is a revue of the BHD hardwarep policy:

All BHD hardware includes a one-year, 24-hour replacement warranty. The reason for replacement is superfluous. If it’s broken, BHD replaces it. Also, BHD is responsible for the pickup of the broken component. The customer is required to box the broken item. BHD issues a call tag for UPS pickup.

Upon warranty expiration, BHD provides loaner equipment at no charge to the customer. The customer may use the loaner up to 30 days. Afterwards, the customer can either purchase the loaner or send it back. The loaner program was created to keep BHD customers in operation until they purchase a replacement.

The BHD loaner program includes loaning BHD customer’s hardware components to replace broken components purchased from competitors. Again, the program is designed to keep a BHD customer in operation until they purchase a replacement.

A customer is not obligated to purchase their hardware from BHD.

Note: During the fourteen years that BHD has sold and serviced hardware no other competitor has come close to matching the BHD hardware program.

MAS 90/200 NOT Compatible with MS Vista

Sage Software Statement that MAS90 is not compatible with MS Vista

Important Information Regarding Sage MAS 90, 200, and 500 Compatibility With Microsoft Windows Vista

January 30, 2007

Effective January 30th, the Vista operating system is generally available to new and existing PC users. The currently shipping versions of Sage MAS 90, Sage MAS 200, Sage MAS 500 ERP systems as well as Sage MAS 200 – SQL Server Edition are not fully compatible with the Vista operating system. It is important to note that the compatibility issues with Vista are not isolated to our accounting software, but Vista also impacts many of the third-party products that we leverage to deliver a best-in-class mid-market ERP solution including Crystal Reports® from Business Objects and Microsoft FRx.

The Sage MAS Product Team is currently evaluating our third party products and complementary Sage Software Solutions for a definitive timeline on full compatibility and certification on the Vista operating system. We will be posting a Vista Compatibility update on March 1, 2007

QB 2006 and earlier NOT compatible with MS Vista

Intuit's Statement regarding QB 2006 and earlier NOT compatible with MS Vista:

Since QuickBooks 2006 and earlier versions were developed
and released before the introduction of Windows Vista,
these versions may be adversely affected when used on
a computer running Windows Vista.

This will impact Simple Start, Basic, Pro, Premier, Payroll and Point of Sale, as well as other QuickBooks products and services. We recognize that your QuickBooks software is an important business tool and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO TO STAY UP AND RUNNING ON QUICKBOOKS

• If you do NOT upgrade to Windows Vista No action is required. If you plan to stay with your existing Windows operating system (for example, Windows XP or Windows 2000), you can continue to use your current QuickBooks products.


• If you choose to upgrade to Windows Vista - We recommend that you use QuickBooks 2007 (and Point of Sale v6.0, if applicable). QuickBooks 2007 is the only version of the software built to run on the new Windows Vista operating system.

Physical Inventory (RPROPI) & Filter to Start Preferences

If you start the PI with a filter (a System Pref in the PI tool), the START quantity is recorded ONLY for items in that filter. The danger is that if the customer wants to update at the end for items not in the original filter, the START QTY defaults to 0 and thus the update would be innaccurate.

The morale of the story is if the client is using the option to USE FILTER TO START, they need to start with the correct filter. If the original filter is not correct, the PI needs to be restarted.

Version 9 and RBA Software...

A message from Island Pacific:

It has been brought to our attention that RBA software is not compatible with v9 licensing. This means that the upgrade path for each client using RBA will be affected. In an effort to avoid any v9 upgrade issues we ask that each Business Partner contact the clients they have using RBA, (this list is attached) and report back to Retail Pro on or before February 1 so that we may remove this product from clients not using it.

Sales Orders & Charge Receipt Tender

When a client is using sales orders, and intend to tender a final deposit by CHARGE, it is important that they reference the SO from a receipt for the final payment. They should NOT use the RECORD SALE button.

The reasoning behind this is that with the acct link, a Charge tender on a receipt must be equalized by product sold (Ext P$) . A Charge tender cannot be made as a deposit only (SODEP Fee).

Tech and Training Lead Times...

Training:

Phone appts starting 2/12
Onsite appts starting 2/12

Tech:

Phone appts starting 2/2
Onsites starting 2/15

BusinessWorks IS NOT compatible with Microsoft Windows Vista

Microsoft has released its newest operating system, Windows Vista, which includes improvements to security and desktop management. Vista’s security improvements will require applications to operate in a least-privileged user access (LUA) mode and escalate to higher-privileged modes only when the application requires them. While this improvement will help minimize the likelihood of malware attacks, unfortunately it also prevents legitimate software applications from operating correctly since many applications require either full or administrator rights.

Sage BusinessWorks version 7 does not operate correctly when Vista's new security feature is turned on (and therefore is not currently supported on Vista), however we are conducting research and testing to determine whether Vista can be configured in such a way that would allow version 7 to be installed on a Vista machine. Additionally, we are making investments to ensure future versions of Sage BusinessWorks will be fully compatible with Vista.

For the time being Sage BusinessWorks version 7 is not supported on Windows Vista until we have completed our evaluation but we are committed to supporting this new platform and will notify customers and partners as soon as we have more information.

Winner of Tech Raffle!

We had a huge response for our Hot Fix tech raffle!

Congratulations to Tria Moda! You won 5 hours!

Thanks to everyone who responded!

Clients with Physical Inventory questions...

There is a section on our website under SUPPORT and SELF-TRAINING VIDEOS that features 3 videos on conducting a physical inventory in v8. They are not meant to replace our support or training, but the clients who have seen the videos find them very useful!


Check'em out!

Issue in BW v7 Enhanced Tax Reporting

An issue has been discovered in the Sage BusinessWorks Version 7 Enhanced Tax Reporting feature that affects customers who:

- Use v7 Payroll, and
- Use Enhanced Tax Reporting to generate W-2's, (Note:W- 2s printed using the standard W-2 printing option under Payroll > Taxes > Print W-2 Forms are not affected) and
- Have a Deduction or Other Pay set up and have designated to use W-2 box 14, and
- Have included an "ID to use"

Note: CA SDI is printed correctly in box 14.

Issue:
In Maintain Deductions, if 14 is entered in the "Box Number to use" field, but the "ID to use" field is left blank, the deduction WILL show on the Enhanced Tax Reporting W2 in box 14 (identified as "W2 Box 14") correctly. However, if you enter a code in the "ID to use" field, the deduction will NOT show in Box 14.

Remedy:

1. In Maintain Deductions, delete the text in the "ID to use" field and save the deduction.
2. Launch Enhanced Tax Reporting, select the W-2 form and move forward to the W2/1099 Preparer grid (be sure to select "new form" not "existing draft").
3. Select the drop-down arrow on the additional Box 14 column and select "Undefined".
4. Select the drop-down arrow again, and select Box 14. This will bring up a prompt for you to "Enter text you wanted printed in Box 14 on Form W2."
5. Enter your desired label in the text box and click OK.

Portable Data Collector for sale

A customer is selling their used portable data collector for $500. The customer states that the unit was used for taking store physicals while on Retail Pro version 7. The customer has since upgraded to Retail Pro v8. Interested parties can contact Erin at (707)333-8598 or email:egmistolino@gmail.com.

Training and Tech Lead Times...

TRAINING:

Phone appts starting 1/23
Onsites starting 1/25

TECH:

Phone appts starting 1/31
Onsites starting 1/31