FOLLOW-UP 1
Students write memos to their bosses (see original memos) summarizing the meeting.
FOLLOW-UP 2
Students write letters to summarize their positions and make proposals from one company to another.
Read the following letter and answer the questions:
What are the names of the two companies?
How many PCs did Comtech install in Rapidfire?
What does Rapidfire use the PCs for?
What did it cost?
When was the invoice paid?
What was the problem?
Why is December an especially bad time for Rapidfire to have problems?
Rapidfire Toys & Gifts
Rapidfire House, The Causeway, London E17 9HE
Tel: 0181-957 8787 Fax: 0181 957 9310
Attn: Teresa Landers
Customer Services Manager Comtech Ltd
11-13 St Stephen’s Business Park
Oxford OX2 6TT
Ref: I/LB 1312
13 December
Dear Ms Landers,
Following our telephone call yesterday, I am writing to you to explain in full my complaint.
On 5th October one of our engineers installed 25 personal computers in our company. The machines were on a local area network: connected to each other and to 50 other computers in the company. You installed RF Stock, the software you designed for our offices in Stuttgart. The network was intended for processing orders and inventory control.
We turned the computers on to find that everything seemed to be working perfectly. That is until yesterday, 12th December, at 12 noon. At that moment all 75 computers went down together.
Our IT manager could not find the cause of the problem and rang your customer services department. But within 15 minutes the computers came back on. Each had a message on the screen reading “Merry Christmas” and all the information on their hard disks had been trashed. We were the victims of a computer virus.
We back up at the end of every working day, so only four hours information was lost. However, at this time of year four hours work can represent a lot of money. We do 75% of all our business for the year in the eight weeks leading up to Christmas. In addition, the whole company was down for the rest of the day and the following morning while the system was disinfected and the software was reinstalled. (I would like to thank you for your prompt attention in respect of this service.)
In the opinion of our IT manager the virus can only have come from the software you installed. We are not linked to any network outside the company and the machines have a security system (recommended and installed by your company) which prevent any alien software being installed. I would appreciate a meeting with you at the earliest possible date.
Yours sincerely,
Laryy Burgoyne,
Managing Director
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Comtech Ltd
11-13 St Stephen’s Business Park,
Oxford OX2 6TT
VAT number:
To: Radidfire Toys & Gifts
Invoice: 112/
AO 4556
Date: 7 October
Description To Pay
25 Banshee personal computers as per attached specifications sheet 19,975.00
Software as agreed (LAN, operating systems, “RF Stock’ & utilities”) 3,125.00
Labor (12 hours at £26 per hour) 312.00
Total 23,412.00
VAT at 17.5% 4,097.10
Total to pay 27,509.10
Signed PAID
Roy Walsh, Finance Director 10 November
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Student A – Comtech representative
Read the memo from your boss. Meet a representative from Rapidfire (Student B) and discuss the problem with him (her). Write a memo to your boss summarizing the meeting.
Comtech Memo
From: T.Landers, Service Manager
To: P. Hasse, Deputy Service Manager
Re: Rapidfire Virus
Date: 18 December
As you know, Rapidfire are upset. They want to meet this week, but unfortunately I have to go to Cairo to see our Egyptian clients. I’m sorry to give you such an awful job, but could you have the first meeting with them? It’s tomorrow at 2pm in their offices with the IT Manager whose name is Sanchez. Apologize for my absence and give them a chance to express their feelings. Sympathize but do not admit any responsibility. There are lots of possible causes: an angry employee who hacked into the system, industrial sabotage… The technician we sent to disinfect the system and reinstall the software says it was a common virus. Anybody could get hold of a copy and add their own screen message. We guarantee the machines and software for 12 months against defects, but I don’t believe this was a defect in our work.
Once again, sorry.
Teresa Landers
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