The latest Microsoft sales tactic - intimidation
[link|http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=111263|Sleazier Still]
...Tennant recounted how a Microsoft manager named Janet Lawless sent a series of increasingly threatening letters to Dale Frantz, CIO at Auto Warehousing Co., about how Frantz's company appeared to be using unlicensed software and how Microsoft wanted the issue resolved.
Frantz figured this was about his Microsoft software licenses, so he kept offering evidence that he was in compliance. Tennant concluded that Lawless was trying to intimidate Frantz to land a software deal.
They were both wrong. It's sleazier than they imagined.
See, Janet Lawless doesn't work for a part of Microsoft that enforces licenses. Frantz thought she did. You'd think so too if you got a letter saying "a preliminary review ... indicates that your company may not be licensed properly," then a follow-up saying "since this is a compliance issue, I am obligated to notify an officer of Auto Warehousing of the situation and the significant risk your organization may be subject to by not resolving this situation in a timely manner."
...
But Lawless doesn't enforce licenses. The clue is her title: She's an engagement manager. That's right -- Lawless's job is to drum up business for Microsoft's consulting operation. In this case, that's Microsoft's software asset management consulting business.
This wasn't about confirming license compliance or about a software deal. It was about securing Microsoft a paid consulting gig.
So let's review: Lawless didn't just try to intimidate a customer. She misrepresented her purpose. And when it was clear that the customer had been misled, she didn't clarify that she was trying to sell a consulting engagement. Instead, she continued to mislead the customer.
