Don’t delay incentives: TAIT

Traders’ Association of Information Technology (TAIT) has urged ven-dors

not to delay incentives earned by partners through various schemes. There is a

growing discontent in the chan-nel community towards the delaying tactics of

vendors in releasing various incentives and prizes.

So much so, partners have asked TAIT, their representative

body in the city to take up the matter with vendors on an urgent basis. Says

Umang Mehta, President, "It is time that all vendors set a deadline of 30

or 45 days at the maximum to release the incentives after a particular scheme is

closed."

Presently, vendors take their own sweet time having set no

deadlines for themselves to release the incentives. The result is that partners

have become weary and restless waiting for the incentives to arrive.

Umang says that one of the excuses that vendors regularly

give is that partners submit fake invoices. But according to him, very few

vendors confront partners with fake invoices, leave alone acknowledge the

receipt of such invoices.

TAIT admits that there could be black sheep among partners.

But if vendors have a right process to verify invoices, Umang feels the black

sheep could be easily identified and disqualified from schemes.

Also, there is a tendency among vendors to hold back all

prizes and incentives just because a few invoices are fake. "This is

nothing but a delaying tactic. Blocking all incentives because of the

malpractice of a few, demoralizes partners," points out Umang.

Partners say that since majority of the schemes are run

through distributors who are equipped with the latest ERP packages, the excuse

of fake invoices does not hold water. They are of the opinion that vendors have

to shed the complacent attitude towards partners and work towards a professional

business environment.

TAIT is hopeful that vendors would respond positively and

take corrective action. It is of the opinion that it is in vendors’ interest

to keep partners happy, especially at a time when sales are flat and it is the

channel that has to ultimately bring in volumes.

SYLVESTER LOBO MUMBAI