Oct 6, 2008

Going Green for the Holidays

Sterling, VA — As economic conditions continue to tighten this year, consumers have a great “green” option for turning old electronic products in their closets into new holiday gifts: by participating in Office Depot, Sam’s Club or NEXCOM electronics trade-in programs powered by ecoNEW(R).

For consumers who are looking for smart, efficient, and responsible ways to ease the burden of holiday spending, the ecoNEW program is an environmentally friendly, free, and convenient way to trade-in older, unwanted, small- to medium- size electronics and receive money back in the form of gift cards that can be used for holiday gift purchases at participating retailers. Items that do not qualify for trade-in value will be accepted for recycling.

The ecoNEW program is an innovative, online electronics trade-in service operated by N.E.W. Customer Service Companies, Inc. to support its retail partners. With a “zero export, zero landfill” policy, ecoNEW takes electronic equipment from consumers and ensures it will either be reconditioned or recycled. Some items may be sold into the secondary or used marketplace in whole machine form or disassembled and sold off as usable service parts in accordance with the highest industry standards for eco-friendly recycling. Electronics equipment and parts will then be broken down into raw material and used to produce new materials. Reusable parts and reconditioned equipment may be used to feed NEW’s extensive service repair network that supports more than 150 million customers across the U.S. NEW is the nation’s leading provider of extended service plans and buyer protection programs for consumer products.

The ecoNEW electronics trade-in program is easy to use:

1. Access online — at the retailer’s website or at www.econewonline.com
2. Enter product information — use an online form to enter information about the electronic item, including condition and presence of cords, accessories, and original packaging. The proprietary ecoNEW Value Calculator provides an on-screen estimated trade-in value. If there is no trade-in value, ecoNEW gives the customer the option to send in the product for recycling only.
3. Enter contact information.
4. Print a free shipping label and ship product — the ecoNEW system will generate a prepaid UPS shipping label that consumers can print out and affix to a mailing box for return to ecoNEW.
5. Receive gift card — once ecoNEW receives the item and verifies the information submitted, a retail gift card is mailed to the consumer.

The first ecoNEW program was launched in mid-April for Sam’s Club, a national retailer with more than 47 million members. In early September, the program was launched with Office Depot, which serves customers through 1,680 retail stores worldwide, to support their Tech Trade-In program. The Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM), consisting of 100 locations worldwide, is the newest retailer to launch ecoNEW, in mid-September 2008. All participating retailers accept LCD monitors, digital cameras, Apple and PC desktops and laptops, gaming systems, MP3 players, camcorders, and printers. In addition to these items, Office Depot and NEXCOM also accept LCD TVs and Smartphones/PDAs.

“We are thrilled to see the ecoNEW program grow and expand through more retailers,” said Tony Nader, president and CEO of NEW. “It’s very rewarding to be part of program that not only works to better the environment but also provides consumers with some extra cash that may help their family’s enjoyment of the holiday season.”

EcoNEW is being offered to retailers as a value-added customer care solution, making NEW the first of its industry to offer a green service in its product and service portfolio.

About N.E.W. Customer Service Companies, Inc. (NEW)
NEW is the leading provider of extended service plans, buyer protection services and product support, providing coverage to more than 150 million consumers worldwide. Founded in 1983 with headquarters in Sterling, Va., NEW provides award-winning, post-sale consumer care for leading retailers, consumer service providers, wireless carriers and financial services firms. For more information, please visit NEW at www.newcorp.com or call 1-800 WHAT’S NEW (1-800-942-8763). SOURCE: N.E.W. Customer Service Companies, Inc.