Employees Provident Fund members who purchase computers through Pos Malaysia have been assured that after-sales service will be rendered promptly although the sales are handled by a private company, Oda Saja.

Asked whether there would be a delay as buyers would have to send their computers back to the post office, Oda Saja chief executive officer Major (Rtd) Ismail Ahmad said the post office would send the computers to a branch or contract branch of that particular brand of computer.

"After servicing, the computer would be sent back to the owner. The network of 10 companies is very extensive and will cover all districts and urban areas.

"In rural areas Pos Malaysia will ensure the customer's computer is brought to the nearest service center," he said

Ismail was speaking at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today after a signing ceremony between Pos Malaysia and 10 computer vendors taking part in the EPF-Pos Malaysia computer sales scheme.

The 10 are Gateway, Hewlett Packard, Dell, Infinitum, Apple, Mimos, IBM, Acer, I-Computer and Compaq.

Pos Malaysia CEO Zainol Mahmood, told reporters that postmen would be trained to install and handle the computers.

"We must ensure that the EPF funds are used to buy computers. We are here to manage and enforce this scheme," Zainol said.

Only two per cent bought computers

In a Sin Chew Jit Poh report on Oct 31, some EPF contributors were reported to have bought invoices from computer vendors in order to withdraw funds from their EPF accounts, an abuse EPF said it would prevent by routing the sales via Pos Malaysia.

Zainol claimed that only 2.0 percent of some 57,000 EPF members who applied via post offices to withdraw funds from EPF returned to buy the computers while the rest did not.

When asked if smaller vendors would be included in the scheme, Zainol said Pos Malaysia was studying the matter.

The New Straits Times reported yesterday that a signature campaign was started by small computer vendors protesting the monopoly by Pos Malaysia, which would "stifle the computer retail industry and leave end-users with fewer options".

"We are looking into it but we have to be very careful. We cannot trust anybody now," Zainol said when commenting further on the matter.

Asked if the new role of postmen would prove too much for them and if the new scheme would slow the present postal services, Zainol answered "no".

"Why is it when you have long queues in the post office you always write about that, but when you have long queues in banks you do not write about it?" he countered.