HP suspends Care Pack for consumer notebooks

In an e-mail communication to its channel partners across India, HP PSG
(Personal Systems Group) has informed that Care Packs for PL (product line) MN
(Presario and Pavilion models), except those for consumer desktops, will be
suspended in India till further notice.

With this move, the Care Pack for consumer-class notebooks shall not be
available for sale to end-customers, with immediate effect. It is also
understood that HP has requested its partners to return any stocks that they may
be holding to the respective T1 partner/s at the earliest, for which Nov 16 has
been set as deadline. For the returned stocks, the T1 partner will issue the
necessary credit note in the partner's favor.

The partners are also informed that any open/unused links remaining in
market, both at T1 and T2 levels, beyond Nov 20 shall be canceled from HP's end,
and no further credit note requests shall be entertained.

Deepti Dang, Head, Marketing-Commercial and SMB, PSG said, “The Care Pack
services will not be available on the HP product range purchased on and after
Nov 15. All other services from HP India remain unaffected and are available to
our customers as usual. Customers are our top priority and we keep customer
satisfaction at the core of our business.” HP India will continue to honor Care
Pack services to customers who have already purchased them before Nov 15.

The DQ Week spoke to partners across India to understand their view on this
issue. Few partners declined to comment, while others expressed their
discontent. Some said this move would not have any impact on their business.

Expressing his disap­pointment over the company's decision, Ravikumar, CEO of
Madurai-based Pentagon's Compushop said, “This is bound to have an impact on the
business. Customers preferred it because it protected their investment for three
years.”

In line with this view, Dayanidhi, CEO, Scott Systems of Vellore said, “Many
of our clients-executives, doctors, engineers, etc prefer Care Packs.”

Swaminathan, AGM of Pune-based Data Care Corporation also expressed his
concerns over the company's decision and noted that his company will take up the
issue with HP.