When Microsoft Corp. raised prices for the Texas Association of Counties three years ago, no one from the company called to explain the increase, says Steve White, the group's information technology operations manager.
"The change made me angry," White says. "I don't think the pricing is reasonable." He wasn't alone. Microsoft's shift to a new licensing program in 2001 also boosted prices without warning for 60 percent of its customers, according to a 2003 survey by the Yankee Group, a Boston-based research firm.
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