Comments on: Why we left NetSuite, Part 2:

By: Adam Stone

Adam Stone — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:57:00 +0000

peterp: How can I know what goes on between skyytek and NS? What I do know is that we agreed to a renewal while we had five months left on our previous contract based on finding acceptable financing and as we were securing financing we received a collection letter 9 days later stating that if the account was not paid in full they would shut us off.

So you are saying that the reseller has no control over the account once a contingent estimate is agreed to? Based on my experiences with skyytek they had total control over the account. It was a big deal to get it moved from a direct NS account to a skyytek account a few years back. Ray Tetlow of skyytek is pretty aggressive about account control and ownership. I remember he even had D-Tools/Skyytek shirts printed up for the NS conference to announce our “partnership”. I think I still have one, although it is a bit oil stained. It seems to me that NS and skyytek can use whatever tactic they feel is appropriate to extract money out of their customer base.

By: Randy

Randy — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:30:44 +0000

Well Netsuite is a great product but the core company values are whack. Who in their right mine would raise prices in the middle of the worst economic downturn of our generation. They had us by the short hairs and we had to do it but I will spend the next year finding a new solution. Their business approach lacks integrity and common sense.

By: Dominick Porter

Dominick Porter — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 22:05:29 +0000

Bill. I dont know you, but our company has a web based system similiar to NetSuite. pbs-us.com. There is no information regarding the site yet, just a login where our customers go and work. Our customers love the software and dont think there is anything else like it. I am curious to see how it compares with netsuite. It is very robust and we have some descent size companies using it. Give me a call: 864.356.3866 and lets talk about a few things.

Dominick Porter

By: Bill

Bill — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:09:13 +0000

Sorry you had a bad experience Adam.

As a NetSuite reseller for five years I understand some of your pain. I agree with the other comments that you brought some of the pain onto yourself.

We routinely import and export data from NetSuite via web services. I listened to the VM from your expert and my opinion is similar to some of the other posters. He was covering his lack of results.

Skyytek was, as NetSuite employees have verified, the only reseller that NetSuite allowed to bill the customer directly. I believe that Skyytek generated all renewal transactions. Ray clearly was in control of your renewal process. Also, ICE business solutions became Skyytek Leasing. He controlled the leasing company too.

I would not attempt to defend NetSuite’s business practices or customer service, but in this case I think you were more of a victim of your reseller than NetSuite. Although they clearly were complicit.

When you evaluate all of your options, NetSuite is the strongest SAAS solution currently available. When a better solution does show up in the market, we will be the first in line to sell it and dump NetSuite ourselves for hopefully a more channel and customer friendly company.

By: nick

nick — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 10:55:26 +0000

As one of the many competitors to NS who provide a complete small business management software solution I have been watching Netsuite slowly morph into a company with a reputation for: A) being too expensive (by a factor of 3) for their target market place and therefore are definitely moving up the curve towards only serving the "mid market". No doubt this is a reaction to the entry into the small business market of many new players. b)incredibly inept and ungracious customer services and sales. In fact one of my latest customers with years of experience in this industry that the aggressive tactics used by the NS sales people reminded him of a very unpleasant Oracle sales force in their early days. c)contemptuous "renewals" people The fact is there is going to be some pain all round as NS defines where it wants to be and how its going to get there. I would obviously be interested in listening to views of people who are either experiencing an improvement or worsening of the NS customer experience. You can get in touch with me here www.salesorder.com Cheers Nick

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Fri, 13 Feb 2009 14:24:43 +0000

[...] However, NetSuite has had its own customer deployment problems. In a lengthy diatribe titled, Why we left NetSuite, one former customer said: The reason we left NetSuite was their business practices. I do not think [...]

By: Doctor Decibel & Friends » D-Tools, NetSuite and Skyytek: Part Deux

Doctor Decibel & Friends » D-Tools, NetSuite and Skyytek: Part Deux — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:31:17 +0000

[...] parts ways with largest reseller” in Phil Wainewright’s SaaS blog on ZDNet. Our sad story was mentioned in the post as a possible reason for the split. Hard to say, I don’t think [...]

By: Adam Stone

Adam Stone — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:00:07 +0000

I just stated the facts as evidenced by the various emails from other parties in the posts about this topic. I have never heard anything on this issue from NetSuite, and according to Ray Tetlow, CEO of Skyytek it was “out of his hands”, meaning it was NetSuite policy to threaten our paid in full account as a collection tactic and there was nothing he could do.

I am pretty easy to get a hold of if someone from NS wants to explain what happened and I would be happy to post their side of the story.

To be fair to NS I did receive a voice message during my vacation from M.P. in product marketing when this post was published. I returned the call when I got back in town but have not heard anything back as of this date.