IT'S A BUYER'S MARKET; JUST ASK COMPUTER SELLERS

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, February 13, 1992                   TAG: 9202130081
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: CHARLYNE H. McWILLIAMS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
IT'S A BUYER'S MARKET; JUST ASK COMPUTER SELLERS
Recession and competition is making the computer industry user friendly.
And business customers who used to be dazzled by fancy machinery are demanding more service and getting discounts.
Vendors and manufacturers are making changes to accommodate customers, said Molly Bahniuk, a sales representative for Aldus Corp., a West Virginia firm that makes desktop publishing software.
She said more computer buyers are price conscious and her company is offering rebates on some new products and has halved prices on other software to keep clients and win new customers.
Bahniuk said the company is now doing telephone follow-ups to see if customers are satisfied with products and service. That's something it didn't do before times got so tough.
Aldus was one of 20 computer-products companies represented Wednesday at the ninth annual Computer Expo sponsored by Entre' Computer Center in Roanoke County to showcase the latest in computer technology to Entre' business customers and the public.
Bart Wilner, general manager and owner of the dealership, said recent changes in the business have been geared to helping consumers get the most out of their purchases.
Some companies view computers as devices to help productivity and efficiency, therefore cutting cost, Wilner said.
Rhode Island-based American Power Conversion, for example, has redesigned and cut the price on one of its products to become more cost effective, said David Jafari, its Mid-Atlantic sales manager. The company produces power backup equipment and software that helps find power weakness.
With 60 other companies providing similar products, Jafari said, the price cut coupled with international growth have helped the company stay ahead of competitors.
Other companies at the Expo included IBM, Compaq, Kodak and Hewlett-Packard.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB