Tiger Direct

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TigerDirect (also known as TigerDirect.com) is a Systemax subsidiary. It is a direct online retailer of computer electronic items. Tiger Direct also operates seven retail stores in the United States and four in Canada.

1 Overview
2 Internet/Mail Order
3 History
4 TigerDirect
- 4.1 Ratings
5 2005 Apple Computer lawsuit
6 CompUSA Purchase
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Overview

TigerDirect has offices in Miami, Florida (corporate headquarters and 2 retail stores); Naperville, Illinois (distribution center, retail store and corporate sales office); Orland Park, Illinois (retail store); Hoffman Estates, Illinois (retail store); Raleigh, North Carolina (retail store and corporate sales office); and Durham, North Carolina (retail store) and the website/company and WorldwideRebates.com which perform its rebate processing are owned by the parent company^[1].

[edit] Internet/Mail Order

The bulk of the company's business is based on web and catalog computer electronics sales, a very competitive market with thin margins, where TigerDirect has carved out a considerable niche by placing a heavy emphasis on using rebate marketing as a way to offer lower prices.

[edit] History

It was founded by Gilbert Fiorentino, Carl Fiorentino and Daniel Brown in 1987 as Tiger Software, a publisher of titles for both Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh. Some of the titles published by TigerSoftware included The Typewriter, and PopDrop. In 1989, Tiger Software became a subsidiary of publicly held "Bloc Development Corporation" (NASDAQ:BDEV), founded by Frank Millman. Bloc Development was also the parent company of SoftSync (founded and directed by Ken and Sue Currier), former publisher of the Macintosh accounting software "Accountant Inc." and Bloc Publishing (headed by Gilbert Fiorentino). It was later spun off as "Tiger Direct" (NASDAQ:TIGR), and in 1996, it changed its public representation to Systemax (NYSE: SYX).

[edit] TigerDirect

TigerDirect evolved from TigerSoftware when the company began selling build-it-yourself PC kits and inexpensive computers, using manufacturers in the United States and Canada to build its custom desktop and notebook configurations. TigerDirect.com was launched in the late 1990s, selling computer and electronics, books and software. In 2000, TigerDirect expanded its product offerings to include 'refurbished' and 'recertified' products, brand-name computers from IBM, HP, eMachine, Gateway and others.

[edit] Ratings

Better Business Bureau has given Tiger Direct a rating of "B". "B" A high rating. The company would generally have demonstrated good business-consumer relations, and we would expect any consumer complaints not to be of a serious nature and to be satisfactorily handled by the company.

BizRate has given Tiger Direct a Customer Certified symbol key which denotes stores that provide satisfactory service and are proactively committed to monitoring their customer's satisfaction by allowing every customer to provide feedback to BizRate.com directly at the point-of-sale check-out.

[edit] 2005 Apple Computer lawsuit

In early 2005, the company filed suit against Apple Computer Inc. (now Apple Inc.), alleging trademark infringement, dilution and false designation of origin with Apple's introduction of Mac OS X v10.4, marketed with its codename "Tiger". Although TigerDirect had registered several tiger-related names with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Apple received trademark approval for version 10.4 (Tiger) of its OS X operating system in 2003. Tiger Direct registered opposition against Apple's filing with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and on May 13, 2005, Apple won an emergency hearing. The judge ruled in Apple's favor, noting "the Court finds that the marks are distinctly different."^[2]

[edit] CompUSA Purchase

On January 6, 2008 Tiger Direct's parent company Systemax Inc. announced an agreement on the acquisition of the CompUSA brand, trademarks and e-commerce business, and as many as 16 CompUSA retail outlets in Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico. ^[3]