I was, as the co-ordinator for a local motor-racing championship, last year searching for sponsorship. I agreed terms with a local dealer in small business computers. Seeing that he was a registered dealer for a reputable British computer manufacturer, I felt that this was proof enough of the sponsor's credibility. Sadly, within a few months out sponsor was bankrupt and despire previous personal assurances, our sponsor did not pay us.
It now turns out that he had previously had at last one previous major bankruptcy as a business computer dealer and left a myriad of debts in his wake. Yet a major British company still made him its official dealer.
When I researched this matter further, it seems that anyone who puts up a comparatively small amount of capital, can become an official dealer for almost any business-related computer product.
Firms which act in this way can only bring themselves and the computer industry as a whole, into disrepute. This sort of action seems to be, in the long run, totally futile.
Buy from somebody you are 100 per cent sure is reputable. It may be an arduous task - but it is better to be safe than sorry.
6th April 1985
