> The problem for New Zealanders wanting to get Nat Semi

The positon with NS at the moment is -- Avnet  are the "official"
rep for NS, they also do Microchip, Motorola, OKI, Seiko, and many
other of the larger mftrs. If you aren't an account holder you have to
deal with a company called Spectron. NS used to be done by
Hardie Technologies (HarTech) until they folded and their agencies
were grabbed by other reps around town, such as Avnet. I used to
deal with HarTech a lot, as they also had Microchip. I switched to
Microchip (1) because I got fed up with non-flash Mot parts and (2)
got fed up with the system at Avnet. HarTech were always helpful,
like Philips, and I could get samples no trouble. However, I can't say
the same for Avnet. They're much more company-orientated and
quite frankly they're not interested in small buyers. The original
intention of Spectron was to collate and compile small orders that
they would then approach the reps with. What's happening now,
and for some time, is that even Spectron will push you for a tube
quantity. As a consequence I've turned to Arrow Components, who
are prepared to sell a part-tube quantity and will get you samples.
The alternative is going somewhere like RadioSpares, who will
charge you 4 times the price for micros or RAM. Retail stores
like Dick Smith or Jaycar just don't have those sort of components
and besides, I wouldn't trust half the staff there to sit the right way
around on a toilet. My last last last resort is a Dick Smith store.
Amongst other horror stories, twice I've taken faulty goods back
there and seen them put back on the shelf. If you think I'm bagging
Avnet in particular, spot on. No, I don't like their sales policies or
being dicked around by them carrying out said policies.

Even Philips have passed their range on to another company,
Active Components, who BTW do a good job with cash sales,
as do Arrow and GEC for Atmel. Parallel importing seems to have
eased the situation somewhat, but not all mftrs have alternate
outlets.

I don't want to go complaining about every component rep I've had
the rough end of the pineapple from. Suffice it to say I think some
of their policies are not helpful to developers. I'm reluctant to try
new designs as I know the sort of trouble I'm going to get in trying
to find a sample. So often I don't bother, or patch something up out
of available components. I can't afford to keep an account going at
every rep I MIGHT want samples from one day. I appreciate the
"economy of scale", but I can't see why they make it difficult or
impossible to buy 3 or 4 items. For example I'm just not prepared
to have to buy a tube of chips and have most left unused for some
time. The way I figure it, if I was in that business I'd rather make
SOME sale than none at all. In the time they spent explaining to
me why they can't sell me 1/2 dozen micros they could have taken
my money for them. And of course I'm not going back for a larger
quantity if I can't get experimental samples in the first place.

> Ah well, thats progress for you.

Progress as defined by the bean-counters maybe