The European Computer Leasing & Trading Association is aggrieved that IBM Europe has been putting doubts into customers’ minds about reconfigured machines – the gist of IBM’s letter was in CI No 1,865 – and points out that IBM admits that it can’t tell in the field whether a memory board was assembled by IBM or has been reconfigured by a third party. Noting that IBM has not suggested that any reconfigured boards have failed in Europe, it complains that in many cases, machines have changed hands several times on the basis that they will be accepted for maintenance by IBM, but that end users and lessors will be unable now and in the future to enter into a contractual agreement with a prospective buyer that guarantees that memory boards in the machine have been made in an IBM plant. ECLAT recommended to IBM that all existing machines under IBM maintenance should continue to be maintained under that policy, and that where a memory failure occurred, IBM should accept all installed boards and conforming to IBM’s previous policy, and says now that users should join leasing companies in lobbying IBM not to change the rules retrospectively. ECLAT also points out that modified boards have been found on IBM-supplied 3090s, which puts the company in the position of a pot calling the kettle black.
