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Technology Stocks : Dell Technologies Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jeffry K. Smith who wrote (121798)	5/3/1999 9:49:00 AM
From: TechMkt	Respond to of 176387

TO DELL Management, Nike Inc. is looking for you! Fez ______________________ Compaq's latest challenge: Support By John G. Spooner, PC Week Online May 3, 1999 9:00 AM ET Compaq Computer Corp., a company that's no stranger to challenges, has a new one to contend with: customer support. As the Houston computer manufacturer moves forward with its recently announced Lifecycle Solutions program, complaints from customers large and small appear to be on the increase. In at least one case, recurring problems with support caused a customer to switch vendors. "I had a couple of machines that went bad, but very seldom has a machine stood idle for more than a day," said Steve White, an IT manager at a large Texas-based organization. White, who had more than 100 Digital Equipment Corp. PCs, said he switched to Hewlett-Packard Co. desktops after Compaq failed to honor his next-day on-site service contract for a PC that incurred a failed COM port. Compaq sent out a representative to replace the motherboard, but that was after four days, he said. "You don't treat corporate customers like the average consumer," White said. "That's why I pay a little more for a corporate machine." Some people view Compaq's Lifecycle Solutions as a way to decrease their total cost of ownership. One aspect of the program calls for Compaq to manage the customer's entire PC environment. Longtime Compaq customer Nike Inc. is currently evaluating OEMs for a major PC rollout. While the athletic shoe and apparel manufacturer has not chosen an OEM yet, Compaq does not have a lock on the deal. "The evaluation is much more holistic than it was in the past," said Ken Harris, Nike vice president and CIO, in Beaverton, Ore. "It's not just what is the equipment? What is the price? We're looking at the whole pie."