New Delhi:

The Peace of Mind programme is applicable to new PCs purchased on or after 18 August 2003 equipped exclusively with Seagate disc drives, though there is no restriction on the brand of the PC.

The three-year protection package offered by National Insurance Company will provide reimbursement to consumers covered under the programme for repair or replacement of computer parts, regardless of the brand of PC, if they are found to be defective due to mechanical and electrical breakdown.

The programme covers standard hardware parts for the PC and monitor. However, the PC''s plastic casing/bezel, mouse, keyboard or any other external peripherals are not included.

"Seagate is synonymous with offering premium quality hard disc drives that consumers trust to store their important information, and we are pleased that this Peace of Mind programme supports PC users who specify Seagate as their disc drive of choice," says Seagate Asia Pacific vice-president (sales and marketing) B S Teh.

This unique programme is being offered to consumers for a low rate of Rs 399 (net) for PC systems worth up to Rs 30,000 (invoice value inclusive of all taxes) and Rs 599 (net) for PC systems worth between Rs 30,000 and Rs 50,000 (invoice value inclusive of all taxes).

"National Insurance is pleased to have the opportunity to be associated with Seagate Technology, the industry leader, in bringing this unique PC Protection programme to consumers," National Insurance Company chairman and managing director H S Wadhwa. "We expect this very innovative product to be a great success and also open new avenues for us in this market."

To simplify the claim process, VMS India has been appointed to act as a central point of contact for registration, claims and any related queries. Comprehensive literature detailing the entire claim process will also be provided through Seagate accredited partners when a consumer buys a PC driven by Seagate disc drives.

Once the duly completed registration form is received at VMS, customers will be sent email notification within 72 hours and the policy certificate from National Insurance Company will be sent within 10 days by post. On registering a claim through Seagate accredited partners, the total turnaround time will be 10 working days from the date of receipt.

Seagate is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacturing and marketing of hard disc drives, providing products for a wide-range of enterprise, PC, notebook and consumer electronics applications. The company is committed to delivering award-winning products, customer support and reliability, to meet the world''s growing demand for information storage.