Hello Bruce: As with all the previous posters, I agree with what they have outlined. Similar to Nabeel & Alex, I too am a reseller but we pass on OUR cost of the phones to our clients ONLY if they have rendered services from us and have purchased a PBX platform or integration services.
If you contact me off list, I can introduce you to others who has purchased from the US, and it was more hassle than convenience. Yes, it is NO DOUBT cheaper purchasing from the US, and since this is for your client, let your client make the decision where to get it from. Additionally, even if the prices appear $70 difference... you are looking at time, brokerage fees (starts at $7 CDN), you would end up paying GST.. and IF... this has happened way too many times... IF the package gets flagged by customs, you will find yourself driving to CCRA customs clearance at the airport to clear your products. The other problem with Aastra is that ANY goods purchased from US, you cannot RMA the product in Canada (even to Aastra's head office). I've spoken with Aastra SEVERAL times about this issue and I believe THEY have control over the pricing. This is no longer a CDN or AMERICAN thing, but I believe prices need to be standardized because of the global market and the ease of placing orders over the net. IF... we all start to pressure Aastra, then yes -- maybe they will reduce pricing to American levels -- but you DO have other choices such as Linksys phones and other products that do a damn good job. I doubt your client will ever want to program all 9 or 10 lines on a single phone with different providers. Nabeel and Alex are great people to deal with. Their cost (directly from Aastra) is more than the cost you would get when ordering from another US reseller. However the greatest benefit here is time and hassle free RMA. Most importantly, consumers have the power... and me being an Aastra reseller myself, I've started to look for alternatives. Cheers! Reza. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
