[Asterisk-Users] [OT] Sparco Office Supplies...

[Jay Milk]

I don't see the problem, and I doubt there's a legal issue.  Sparco
Products apparently only sells wholesale or through distribution
channels, giving it's notable lack of presence on the net.  By taking
calls and selling Sparco (or any other) office supplies, you would not
be in direct competition with them, nor would you be stealing their
customers... but rather adding to their sales volume.

By answering the phone as "Sparco Computers" you would not be
impersonating another company, either.  When asked, a quick correction
as to "No, this is Sparco COMPUTERS, but we sell office supplies" would
be enough.  I doubt many people will ask however -- many years ago, one
of my private phone lines was similar to a restaurant's number, and even
after answering the phone with my name, rather than the name of the
restaurant, people would attempt to make reservations.  Sometimes I took
them...

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Benjamin on Asterisk Mailing Lists 
> [mailto:benjk.on.asterisk.ml at gmail.com] 
> Sent: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 5:30 PM
> To: Kevin Walsh
> Cc: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
> Subject: Re: [Asterisk-Users] [OT] Sparco Office Supplies...
> 
> 
> On Wed, 27 Oct 2004 23:03:48 +0100, Kevin Walsh 
> <kevin at cursor.biz> wrote:
> > Benjamin on Asterisk Mailing Lists [benjk.on.asterisk.ml at gmail.com] 
> > wrote:
> > > Anyway, considering the volume of calls you are talking 
> about, you 
> > > might want to consider setting up an office supplies mailorder 
> > > division and simply take the business that those customers are 
> > > trying to bring to you in error.
> > > 
> > If you were to set up a rival office supplies company and confirm 
> > "yes, we're Sparco - office supplies division," when these 
> misinformed 
> > customers call, the other Sparco might be able to make a 
> "passing off" 
> > complaint about you in the courts.
> 
> You would have to be a bit smarter about it than that. 
> Probably you would run the setup through a lawyer to make 
> sure you covered all your angles.
> 
> Something along the lines of an independently set up company 
> (with a dissimilar name) selling office supplies and that 
> company buying your errant calls.
> 
> Both contract and the operation itself would have to make it 
> clear that this is not aimed at posing as the original 
> company but merely filling in a void left by the original 
> company. For example ...
> 
> "Hello, Sparco Office Supplies?"
> 
> "This is Sparco Computers, how can I help you"
> 
> "You are not Sparco Office Supplies?"
> 
> "Actually, we're Sparco Computers, but we get many calls from 
> customers who ask for office supplies. We have teamed up with 
> another company who deals with office supplies, I am 
> confident they can help you. Do you want me to connect you through?"
> 
> something like that -- but as I said, this would have to be 
> run past a lawyer who knows the local law where the call 
> center is located.
> 
> But you're right, you must take great care to avoid passing off.
> 
> rgds
> benjk
> -- 
> Sunrise Telephone Systems, 9F Shibuya Daikyo Bldg., 1-13-5 
> Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.
> 
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