Epson Announces Two New Service Programs; Spare-In-The- Air and Virtual On-Site Service Programs Promote POS Service

Business Wire, Sept 22, 1997

TORRANCE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 22, 1997--Epson America Inc. Monday announced two new enhancements to its Epson ExpressCare family of service programs for point-of-sale (POS) products.

Designed for POS customers, Spare-In-The-Air provides for overnight shipment of replacement TM printers, and Virtual On-Site places consigned spares at customer locations.

``These service programs are very economical alternatives to on-site service,'' said Dick Bulot, vice president, service and support, Epson. ``Both programs underscore Epson's commitment to provide a variety of quality service alternatives to our customers.''

Spare-In-The-Air for Overnight Replacement

Spare-In-The-Air is a unique service that allows customers who subscribe to the service simply to call a hot line to request that a replacement printer be sent overnight.

With Spare-In-The-Air, store or help-desk personnel contact Epson via a special customer-service phone number to report a broken printer. Epson personnel will help the customer trouble-shoot and confirm the problem, and express-ship a replacement unit the same day.

When the spare arrives at the site, the customer simply installs it and ships the out-of-service unit back to Epson, following the shipping instructions included with the spare. Epson includes a prepaid shipping label and a toll-free number to call for free courier pickup.

``Preliminary research indicates that customers who subscribe to this program can save approximately 65 percent compared to the cost of on-site service,'' Bulot continued. ``While such programs are becoming commonplace in the computer industry, we believe Epson is the first to offer this type of program to the POS market.''

Spare-In-The-Air service representatives are available to serve customers Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time. Replacement spares arrive at the customer site on the next business day (excluding weekends and holidays).

Based on a two-year commitment and flat rate per unit, customers must purchase a Spare-In-The-Air subscription within 90 days of product purchase. The program is available for the most popular TM printer configurations, including: the TM-U200, TM-U295, TM-U325, TM-U375, TM-U590, TM-U950, TM-H5000 and TM-T88.

While the Spare-In-The-Air program cost varies by printer model, a typical program for the TM-U200 will cost $66 for the first two years. Spare-In-The-Air is available through Epson's network of distributors and resellers, and is also available directly from Epson.

Virtual On-Site for Instant Replacement

Virtual On-Site is an innovative program that places Epson-owned spares at customer locations, enabling store personnel to immediately replace out-of-service units without incurring the cost of on-site service.

``Virtual On-Site was designed to give customers the flexibility they need so they can swap out broken units quickly,'' added Bulot. ``Depending on the number of lanes a customer has, this program can effectively cost 33 percent less than typical on-site service programs.''

With Virtual On-Site, customers can easily swap out broken units with the on-site spare and then call a special customer-service number to request another spare unit.

When the new spare arrives at the site via overnight courier, the customer simply follows the shipping instructions included with the spare and sends the unit back to Epson using the prepaid shipping label and a toll-free number to call for free courier pickup.

Virtual On-Site service representatives are on call Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time. Replacement units are delivered the next business day, excluding holidays and weekends.

Because the Virtual On-Site service program is custom-tailored for individual customers, pricing will vary. Virtual On-Site is available through Epson's network of resellers and distributors, and is also available directly from Epson. To be eligible, customers must order Virtual On-Site within 90 days of product purchase.

For additional program information, call 800/GO-EPSON or visit the company's Web site at www.epson.com .

Epson offers an extensive array of image-capture and image- output products for the consumer, business and graphic-arts markets. The company is also a leading supplier of a diverse line of component, system and electronic-device products.

Founded in 1975, Epson America Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of Japan-based Seiko Epson Corp., a global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality technology products that meet customer demands for increased functionality, compactness, systems integration and energy efficiency. Epson America has headquarters in Torrance. -0-

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CONTACT: Epson, Torrance

Janette Reynolds, 310/782-5161

janette_reynolds@ea.epson.com

or

Base One Marketing

Julie O'Brien, 310/792-1877

jobrien@base1.com