Riverbed plays hardball with Expand customers and partners

Vendor ditches products, negates support contracts and tells partners to take their queries elsewhere

Riverbed seems intent on taking a ruthless approach with the channel and customers of its new addition Expand Networks, immediately killing off the product and declining to honour support contracts.

Riverbed bought the intellectual property and other select assets of its rival out of liquidation earlier this week. In an unceremonious FAQ document now published on its website, the vendor tells Expand partners, creditors and customers – including those with outstanding orders – to direct any queries and concerns to Paz Rimer, the temporary liquidator appointed by the District Court of Haifa.

"Riverbed did not assume any of Expand's contracts, obligations or liabilities," states the document.

The answer to the questions – Will Riverbed continue to sell Expand products? Can I return [recently purchased] products for a refund? Will Riverbed honour my [recently renewed] support contract? – is, in each case, a single word: no.

However, potential new clients "are encouraged to contact Riverbed sales for alternative solutions". The WAN optimisation vendor also outlines that it "intends to create a limited support offering for Expand products".

"Any support will be made available to current Expand customers on an "as is" basis," says Riverbed.

To obtain support, customers will need to purchase a new contract from Riverbed and the offering is scheduled to launch some time this month. End users will have until the end of April to buy a contract, and support is set to be offered for just one year. Over the course of that year, "special incentives" will be offered to tempt partners to buy Riverbed's own technology.

Meanwhile, any customers currently evaluating demo kit are advised that the "evaluation units are now the property of Riverbed Technology and should be returned promptly".

"These products are not for sale," say the FAQs.

ChannelWeb is hoping to speak to Riverbed early next week and will be covering the channel's reaction and the fallout to the acquisition over the coming days.