Greg Walters v Printing News v HP Press Release. I'll go with Greg.

This morning I found this @ twitter:

@ToughLoveforX HP guarantee is just a credit
about 8 hours ago from web in reply to ToughLoveforX

Greg usually gets it just right. I don't know enough to know but assuming he's right, c'mon HP give me a break! Yesterday I tweeted:

Wow! HP puts some skin in the MPS game.#Ricioh, #Xerox ,Ind #Managed Print Ur move: "HP Payback for MPS Customers http://tinyurl.com/mp7l7v

The tinyurl took me to an article at Printing News, where I found

If qualified enterprise customers do not reach their projected savings goals within 12 months of implementation of HP Managed Print Services (MPS), HP will make up the difference.

So then I did a Google search and found this at Information Week:

HP would pay customers back by crediting the difference against future invoices. It's not clear how disputes would be settled between HP and customers that did not agree with the findings of the reassessment.

So then I went to the HP Press Release and found this:

# HP Printing Payback Guarantee – If qualified enterprise customers do not reach their projected savings goals within 12 months of implementation of HP Managed Print Services (MPS), HP will make up the difference.(3)

So then I went to the footnote and found this:

3) HP will credit the difference between projected and actual cost savings against future invoices.

So then I went to Greg's Blog and got the straight story:

Here's the deal with this guarantee:

First, there is a low probability that HP will ever need to credit any client. There is practically now way that any company will not be able to save money after implementing MPS, anybody's MPS, because most have no idea and no control of printing costs.

Also, HP will perform an in depth, detailed FEE BASED, assessment before offering the guarantee - they will know where all the skeletons are buried and exactly how much they can save their client. Ratchet that number back 10% and savings can be guaranteed.

Third, this is a great marketing technique(opposed to a marketing scheme) for a the client to be offered the guarantee, a three year hardware/supplies/service agreement must be initiated - delicious.

Fourth, after the first year HP performs another assessment, not sure if this one is fee based, to determine the delta between projected and actual savings.

If the projected is less then the actual, HP issues a credit - not a check. You tell me, if HP knows they need to find $100,000 of savings, they will find $101,000 - genius. One can only wonder what happens if the proposed savings ends up being more then actual - will the client issue HP a credit?

I am sure this move will be dissected ad nauseam.

This is a Enterprise Account issue - and for most of the channel, this announcement won't effect day to day activity.

I'm hoping Greg will send out his headlines on Twitter, so I don't have to go back to my RSS feed. Twitter is easier. I always do easier.