Symantec drops franchise model following criticism

Software Vendor backs down over controversial scheme by making changes.

Symantec has appeared to bow to channel pressure and will scrap planss. to introduce a franchise model for resellers of its ACT contact management software.

As exclusively revealed in PC Dealer (8 April), the controversial scheme, which aimed to charge business partners #50,000 to become accredited ACT version 4.0 consultants and restrict each partner to a geographic region, was due to be launched on 14 May.

But following universal resistance to the plan and threats of legal action by dealers, Symantec has been forced into negotiations with partners to thrash out a more acceptable alternative.

According to one reseller - who asked not to be named - when Symantec was publicly criticised in issues of PC Dealer, the vendor pulled its channel resources Website - depriving partners of valuable sales leads, marketing support and product information. A number of resellers refused to talk publicly for fear of reprisal by the vendor.

But industry sources have confirmed that Symantec's accreditation fee will be drastically cut by about 90 per cent and partners will no longer be restricted geographically in terms of their customer base.

Marketing Action, the existing Symantec partner which was expected to implement the scheme and take charge of recruitment and training, will not retain this role. Instead, an independent training firm will be contracted to deliver a programme combining Microsoft, Novell and ACT qualifications.

According to two dealers, the most likely candidate is QA Training, which has sites across the country and is already an authorised trainer for some Symantec products.

Barry Charles, marketing manager at QA, said: 'Symantec seems to have a high opinion of us. While I haven't talked with it about this, it's possible someone else at QA has.'

Symantec refused to comment in detail about the U-turn. In a prepared statement, John Wakeman, sales and marketing director at Symantec Northern Europe, said: 'Symantec continues to work closely with its channel partners to assess the most effective approach to providing the best customer service and highest level of support.'