Discussion of DIDX on Asterisk-Biz List Includes Culture Clashes

As the Internet and mobile services bring together more and more from the East and West, cultural issues will cause clashes. It is scary to see that there is another way than the way we or you are used to doing things, isn't it? This discussion has only made my company team even more excited about serving our customers the very best we can.

Read the whole set of threads in DIDX Query at http://lists.digium.com/pipermail/asterisk-biz/2010-November/thread.html.

Here is a copy of my second and final response on this topic.

From: Suzanne Bowen Date: Fri, Nov 5, 2010 at 8:20 AMSubject: Re: DIDX Query (Dan Journo)To: [email protected]

Just finished studying every item regarding Dan's DIDX Query on whether or not buying 50 USA DIDs at $.15 per month would satisfy the 50 minimum DID quantity fee on DIDX. Follow-ups:

1. Yes, that math is correct. Dan is a valued customer, and I will call him to learn more about his company and how we can help him.

2. To Steve Totaro stotaro at asteriskhelpdesk.com on Thu Nov 4 07:49:56 CDT 2010Suzanne’s response: 

a. Your references to http://blogs.didx.net/2010/08/honest-review-of-didx-by-member-since.html ... You made accusations about our customer Max Glucksmann which appear to be defamatory. He has always been our customer, one of the many 1000 who actually collaborate with others on the DIDXchange face to face and online in IP communications. He is one the DIDX implementors listed at http://kb.didx.net/tiki-index.php?page=DIDX+API+Implementors&highlight=max%20glucksmann along with three others: Dan Caescu, Sergey Okhapkin, and Usman Hameed.
We do not pay these people. These people offer to be listed as third party consultants for troubleshooting with softswitch, API, interop, etc.

b.  On the other hand you are right. The word "honest" is not needed. I removed it and noted in the blog post that I removed it and why, giving you credit.

c. "Wow, it looks like the testimonial was written by  a person employed by DIDx and Astraqom/Comtel."Http://blogs.didx.net/2010/08/honest-review-of-didx-by-member-since.html includes issues and successes Mr. Glucksmann has had with DIDX . Steve, he is not and was never employed by DIDX.

d. Steve's words ... "I am sure it is just pure coincidence that both businesses are in Pensacola, FL..  I will research addresses later if I have time, they don't seem to be posted.  For some reason, I think they may even share office space or are next door neighbors."

Facts: Comtel-Networks is in Ft. Lauderdale/Miami, FL. Area, a 15 hour drive from Pensacola, FL. DIDX is a service of Super Technologies, Inc., our company, since 1999 in Pensacola, FL. The company that Comtel-Networks merged with is in Canada. I listen to hundreds of business plans each week during my talks with DIDX members each week, and some include the goal to be bought, acquired, or merged. I do introduce companies to each other so that maybe they can see such a goal to reality, sometimes from among the East and West which works out really well! :-D This guy, from a Japanese investment banking company based in Tokyo and Los Angeles, explains this very well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ_FpIf8GHk.

Watch it if you like.

e. Steve's words ... "They have always come across to me as a shady company and I refuse to do business  with them partially because of that and the fact that every time I out them, I get constant calls from Suzanne Bowen."

Super Technologies, Inc. has an R&D team of open source and non open-source software developers who are in USA, Mexico, Pakistan, UAE, Singapore, and Malaysia. Some of the services are described in this video catalog at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTWd9l2PXOI.  Some of us have dark skin, but none of us are shady in character.

We have worked through technical and customer issues since 1999 and still managed to keep an A+ Better Business Bureau rating in the USA. This is a fact.

I have only called you, Steve, two times in the past 11 years I have been in this business. Both times were to confront you directly regarding your accusations of our company.

f. Regarding your questions you list for Dan at the end of your email ... any vendor can join DIDX to sell phone numbers to the other members. As a result, we clearly list for each DID offered, the vendor rating, the NRC and MRC, the billing structure, and the features included. In many cases, the buyer members have a choice of vendors, sometimes as many as 10.

Junction, VoicePulse and Vitelity are also excellent choices to meet certain kind of DID needs. I can say the same for DIDww, DIDforSale, Voxbone, Binfone, TollFreeForwarding, MyDivert, JetNumbers, VoxOx, etcera. I have actually referred people to each of these for the reason that the model fit perfectly. This method of doing business has helped me professionally and my company to gain worldwide respect.

3. Regarding the message from Fred Posner fred at teamforrest.com  on Thu Nov 4 08:00:35 CDT 2010 ...

Suzanne’s response: Yes, see http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/did-ddi/articles/56117-telethon-taps-open-source-save-costs.htm. It was one of the most exciting experiences in my work life to work with these companies to help bring a positive impact to children's lives in NW Florida via Linking Arms nonprofit organization. Thank you, Fred, Comtel-Networks, Skype, Paul Deane, and Digium for your help on this.

Quote from the TMC press release: "While Super Technologies, Inc. andDIDX contributed the Super Phone 8000 Internet phones, local DID (direct inward dialing) and SIP trunking, TEAMFORREST, Comtel-Networks, Skype and Digium were able to step in to provide services that supported a network of laptops and also allowed for volunteers to answer more than 20 voice over Internet calls at one time."

4. Regarding the message from Peter Beckman on beckman at angryox.com on Thu Nov 4 14:08:11 CDT 2010 ... “Their site is slow and awful, the design is bad and not well thought out, their API is useless for actually finding and purchasing DIDs, and the 50 DID or $50/month requirement is annoying, though from a business sense I understand the motivation.”

Suzanne’s response: I agree, sometimes www.didx.net is slow. We are working on replacing some of the front end and back.

If the type of DID you want is actually on DIDX, it will be very easy to find. We have an advanced search. Feel free to watch a demo here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDpicf3MslQ ... please pause the video so you can see all the filters available. Check out our free APIs, too at http://www.didx.net/api. 

We created the minimum to keep the service at a reasonable wholesale level and so that we are not competing with our members who sell directly as well as on DIDX.

5. Regarding the message from Steve Totaro stotaro at totarotechnologies.com  on Thu Nov 4 13:32:20 CDT 2010 ...

 "Can you share ten contacts at the fortune 500 companies since they all use you?  I call serious BS on that."

Suzanne’s response: Under non-disclosure agreement, we cannot answer this with specific company names publicly though we would love to. Out of the top 500 listed at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune500/2010/full_list/, we serve 8 in the top 200 and 6 more out of the next 300.

6. Regarding the message from Jai Rangi jprangi at gmail.com on Thu Nov 4 12:41:22 CDT 2010 ..."$8.99/Month, Unlimited Minute with 20 channels has been unbeatable. On the other side Vitelity is $17 per channel."

Suzanne’s response: For certain needs, your unlimited with 20 channels is fantastic. I talk to dozens of people via voice over IP every day in our industry around the world. I get excellent reviews about your services, Jai. I would think small calling card service operators are knocking your doors down. :-D I have referred these types to you for these reasons.

7. Regarding Bryan M. Johns bjohns at digium.com's remarks on Thu Nov 4 12:51:08 CDT 2010 ..."... making disparaging remarks about competitors in the process is considered to be rude and is discouraged."
Suzanne’s response: Bryan, making defamatory remarks about a company's customer should also be discouraged.

8. Regarding Alex Balashov abalashov at evaristesys.com's remarks on Thu Nov 4 13:56:19 CDT 2010 including the following ..."The debasement, cultural Third Worldisation, and used car salesmanship of the VoIP origination business presently being ascribed to DIDX in this thread is a real story, consisting of real thoughts by real people that is a useful data point from an empirical perspective.  Everyone is, of course, free to make their own judgments and  purchasing decisions.  However, there is clearly sufficient consensus around this angle on it that it's not just a figment of one disgruntled individual's imagination."

Suzanne’s emotional response (Ack! Bring back the usually quite rational Suzanne!): http://suzanne.supertec.com/2010/11/when-going-gets-tough-tough-cry-little.html.

9. Regarding Bryan M. Johns bjohns at digium.com's remarks on Thu Nov 4 14:59:37 CDT 2010 in reference to Alex's comments I listed in #8 ..."Well put, Alex.  Thank you for taking the time to write it.Carry on. "

Suzanne’s response: Bryan? 

10. Regarding Steve Totaro stotaro at totarotechnologies.com's remarks on Thu Nov 4 14:04:19 CDT 2010 ... "There are just a few rotten apples that are competitors and usually not from the US.  They are deceitful and make the list nearly useless."

Suzanne’s response: “… few rotten apples … usually not from the US”? "Usually" is not true.

Steve, BTW, I respect the IP communications work that you have done abroad in regards to USA government contracts in war and peace times. Why? My father is a Vietnam War veteran. My brother was in the Marines. Our nephew graduated from the Naval Academy in Quantitative Economics and has served as a submarine officer in the US Navy in Maryland, etc. etc. 

11. Regarding Dan Journo dan at keshercommunications.com's post about Fri Nov 5 05:38:48 CDT 2010 regarding Nauman's message of "Didx loves you !!"

Suzanne’s response: It is true, Dan. We did have 23 new sign-ups on DIDX yesterday and 11 of them said they read about us on the Asterisk-Biz list yesterday. We'll do our best to help these new VoIP companies based in USA and from those OTHER countries. The success of DIDX members is important to us, now and ongoing.

We don't mind the "trash talking" online. It gives us a chance to confront and/or collaborate with others in public. And I agree with Nauman. We thank all of you.


Suzanne BowenVP, Super Technologies, Inc. since 1999
Networking: http://www.linkedin.com/in/suzannebowen
Media channel: http://www.didx.net/podcast