Home computing initiative

starlite_2

does anyones employer offer this scheme?

I am wondering as there is mention of it on OH's payslip, but I cannot find much information on what it is, and if it would be beneficial to us.

any help appreciated.

irnbru_2

starlite wrote:

does anyones employer offer this scheme?

I am wondering as there is mention of it on OH's payslip, but I cannot find much information on what it is, and if it would be beneficial to us.

'wonder if that's the same scheme my brother has been offered?

A 40% discount on a new computer, payable over 3 years straight from your salary?

This might be it

In my brother's case his employer has selected PC World :eek: as their supplier. His scheme is aimed at persons without a computer or technophobes, as most of the suppliers are offering telephone support.

starlite_2

It says 'an opportunity to purchase a computer tax and N.i free'.
does this work in the same way as childcre vouchers i wonder?

if it is as you say then that would be great for us.

irnbru_2

starlite wrote:

It says 'an opportunity to purchase a computer tax and N.i free'.
does this work in the same way as childcre vouchers i wonder?

Don't know.

starlite wrote:

if it is as you say then that would be great for us.

Find out who the preffered supplier is, my brother's council chose Dell while his employer's was PC World.

For him, a laptop seemed the only beneficial purchase - all the desktops were overpriced but as I say it's aimed at those households without computers or ye olde computer .....

pin

There was a thread about HCI months back, but I can't seem to find it.

The scheme, in theory, sounds good. However they way its been implemented (as usual) is a bit poor.

Firstly, you are loaned the computer over the three years. That means you don't own it, meaning, technically you can't upgrade it in the three years.

Also the price of the computer, while you get all these tax benefits, doesn't really work out that great. It will probably be cheaper buying a computer up front, especially with all the offers kicking around at the moment.

starlite_2

yes..i searched the forums as i thought this would have been brought up here before(what hasn't been!? lol)

if it is a 'loan' then that is no good to us as we would want to install our current hard drives etc.

i have asked OH to get more info but he's useless so i'll probably be waiting til april to find out.

wonderfullife_2

Hi
Got one of these offers at work (Royal Mail), its a terrible deal. When it first came out you bought the pc over 3 years, taken out of salary. I think you actually paid about 3times what the pc was worth, over the 3yrs.

2nd deal came in, you then loaned the pc for 3 yrs, and you could buy it at the end, or exchange for a newer one.
What a ripoff, but surprisingly people actually went for it, because they said, if anything went wrong with it, it wouldn't cost them, because it wasn't their machine.



Hope this helps

starlite_2

guess we'll be better doing the good old fashioned thing and saving up for one..heehee

or taking up a friends offer to build us a new pc.

exel1966

starlite wrote:

does anyones employer offer this scheme?

I am wondering as there is mention of it on OH's payslip, but I cannot find much information on what it is, and if it would be beneficial to us.

any help appreciated.

I obtained a Hewlett Packard Laptop (+ ipod nano+printer+USB pen) 3 months ago via an HCI scheme with my employer. It is run through a company called Nicator. I was very sceptical at first as the offers seemed to be too good, but having delved into it quite deeply I fully satisfied myself it was an exceptional deal.

Prior to signing up i checked the retail prices in various stores, which at the time was approx £1350 - The HCI scheme purchase/lease is costing me £900 !!! A mere £450 saving and I have 3 years in which to pay for it all interest free !!!

How it works :- You sign up for the computer on a 3 year lease and pay monthly direct from your salary. The beauty of HCI is that because the scheme is sanctioned by the government it means they actually pay a proportion of what it would cost by reducing your income tax payments.
At the end of the 3 year term, you will have the option to return the computer to your company or purchase it outright for a nominal fee (approx £30).
My monthly gross payment is £52, yet my net pay is only reduced by £37, meaning the Govt/taxman is paying the other £15 !!!
Even better still is that because the computer legally belongs to your employer (until you purchase it outright after 3 years) it is fully insured and will be replaced immediately if any defects occur. I am free to upgrade the system and load anything I want onto it. There are NO restrictions whatsover.

Why the GOVT run this scheme ? One of Labours' policies was to make computing accessible to all households regardless of income and this is exactly what it is doing.

I can't speak for other companies, but the deal I'm getting is VERY GOOD and would reccomend it to everyone.

Dude

pin wrote:

Firstly, you are loaned the computer over the three years. That means you don't own it, meaning, technically you can't upgrade it in the three years.

I am paying about £13 a month for a top end Dell through the HCI. I think it is a great deal, although I could have probably got a similar or cheaper deal from Dells website if I paid upfront. My T&C say that I can upgrade if I want, however they expect a working computer back at the end of the lease if I don’t wish to buy it.

The main consideration should be that if you leave you currently employer before the end of the lease it is going to cost you big time. You basically have to pay back the remaining cost of lease, vat and NI contributions.

Dude

exel1966 wrote:

Even better still is that because the computer legally belongs to your employer (until you purchase it outright after 3 years) it is fully insured and will be replaced immediately if any defects occur.

I am not entirely sure that your employer will ensure your HCI computer, e.g. against theft or accidental damage. However your computer will have an extended warranty (3 years).