CHENNAI: Wintech Computers, which had seventeen franchisees in Chennai till
November 2000, have now been reduced to three. The apparent reason behind the
decision was the recent anti-piracy raids by Oracle to unearth use of illegal
software at Wintech's Mumbai centers last November.
Sources say that after the raid, Wintech Computers, which had been following
a centralized management until then, suddenly left its franchisees in a lurch.
With no proper system in place to take care of the centers, majority of the
franchisees closed shop.
Before decentralization, the franchisees had to put up the infrastructure in
return for 30 per cent revenue generated by the centers. Now with Wintech
offering 40 percent stake in the business and a centralized management to the
franchisee, there are not many takers, said some industry sources and former
Wintech franchisees, on conditions of anonymity.
In Delhi, most of the Wintech centers are now stopped operations leaving
hundreds of students in the lurch. Wintech Computers had been offering Wintech
Certified Solution Developer for Rs 17,500, Wintech Focus for Rs 24,000 and
Wintech Web and Print for Rs 7000 and Rs 5000.
However, Wintech Computers, manager (Chennai) Gokul says: "We are still
offering these courses at the West Mambalam, Teynampet and T Nagar centers. We
are taking in students who were studying at the other centers here."
Gokul claims that Wintech is doing well outside Chennai with its Pondicherry
center contributing revenue of nearly Rs 2.5 lakh per month and three centers in
Coimbatore also doing well. He also cited the competition and various options
available for franchisees in Chennai as the reason behind the reduction in the
number of Wintech centers.
It may be worth noting that students at a Wintech center in Bhopal, Madhya
Pradesh, had recently registered a complaint of alleged cheating and fraud
against the company.