Resellers greet Compaq launch with trepidation

The launch of the Compaq Services Network and the renaming of service partners were cautiously welcomed by resellers last week.

The launch of the Compaq Services Network and the renaming of service partners were cautiously welcomed by resellers last week.

The Compaq Services Network will allow resellers to deal with the company online. Services available include being able to pay for and claim warranties, Ecarepaqs, order parts, register for products and sign up as an online reseller.

The level to which Vars use the programme will depend on their position in the merged company and Digital Service Partner categories - Premier Service Reseller, Authorised Service Provider and Systems Service Provider.

Tom Iannotti, vice president of customer services at Compaq Emea, said: "Our partners expect us to provide globally consistent products and services. Partners and customers articulate a need for a committed relationship with the vendor. The Services Network is proof of our commitment to those needs."

But resellers were not all as upbeat. George Grant, sales and marketing director at Transam Microsystems, said: "We tend to look at what Compaq does with a little trepidation: it normally means we have to reorganise our business."

Kasper Rorstead, vice president of commercial personal computing at Compaq, said: "Resellers that offer the best service will survive."