What we are paying for
Email thread Brackwell Freight Ltd · exec
Gareth Whitlam says Brackwell pays £44k for 40 licensed users and few use it, and will agree nothing on renewal without a plain answer. He called Marcus Bell's reply a feature list and set three items for Wednesday.
What was said
What this says
As at Fri 9 Oct 2026Gareth Whitlam says Brackwell pays £44k for 40 licensed users and few use it, and will agree nothing on renewal without a plain answer. He called Marcus Bell's reply a feature list and set three items for Wednesday.
Ask: Gareth wants a plain answer to what the £44k buys, citing the order form, the invoices and the refresh problem. He links any renewal agreement to getting one.
Customer view: he rejected Marcus Bell's tier summary as a feature list and asked for usage by person against the same period last year, what the two tickets were about and how long each took, and what anyone has done differently because of the brain.
Next: Marcus has copied Sofia Marchetti and will brief Tom Ashdown on price and renewal terms. The third request is a value test: Gareth wants it said if the answer is thin.
The thread
Updated 9 Oct 26Messages
Gareth Whitlam 24 Jul 2026 12:03Marcus, I have had Sofia's note about Wednesday's refresh problem. I'm told my team raised two tickets that week. Separately, I have read the order form and the invoices. We pay £44,000 a year for 40 licensed users. From what I can see, only a small number of people actually use it. What exactly are we paying for? I would like a plain answer, not a feature list. The contract ends on 30 Nov 2026 and I'm not minded to agree to anything on renewal until I have one. Gareth Whitlam, Finance Director
Marcus Bell 27 Jul 2026 09:22Hi Gareth, Thanks for putting it so clearly. I've copied Sofia, as she wrote to you about the refresh issue and she should see this. On what the contract covers, so we start from the same page. The Growth tier gives you: - up to 40 licensed users across several teams - up to eight connectors into your systems - pages, chat and search over the combined data - the dashboards builder - quarterly QBRs with me I know you asked for more than a list, and you're right that a list on its own doesn't say whether the money is well spent. The honest answer to that sits in your own usage: who asks questions, about which customers and depots, and whether it changes what your teams do. That is what I've pulled together and what I'd like to go through with you on Wednesday. Price and renewal terms are for Tom Ashdown, and I'll make sure he knows you want to discuss them. I'd rather you saw the usage first. Shall we keep the Wednesday slot? Thanks, Marcus- Gareth Whitlam 27 Jul 2026 10:13Marcus, That is a feature list, as I expected. I'm not minded to accept it as an answer to what we are paying for. Keep Wednesday. For it, I would like three things in front of me: - usage by person, for the period since I joined, compared with the same period last year - what the two tickets this month were about, and how long each took to answer - what, specifically, anyone at Brackwell has done differently because of the brain If the last one is thin, say so. I would rather have that than a good story. Gareth Whitlam, Finance Director