Washington state government agencies are getting a $4 million windfall through a settlement deal announced today that requires Ricoh Americas Corp. to pay back overcharges on copier services.
Ricoh has a $17 million a year contract with the state for supply of copiers and service, which expires next April. The review of charges was ordered after an anonymous note tipped off the Washington Attorney General’s Office in 2009 to the overcharges, according to the state Department of Enterprise Services, which announced the agreement this morning with a news release on its web site.
The settlement is based on a sampling of contract sales done by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in response, and it covers charges dating to 2007 by Ricoh’s subsidiary IKON Office Solutions, said DES spokesman Steve Valandra.
Ricoh, which purchased IKON, “stepped up and did the right thing” once the overcharges were brought to light, Valandra said.
The money from the settlement ultimately will go back to state agencies and local governments that participated in the state’s contract for copier services and were overcharged.
“What we will do over the next few months is see what agencies and local governments used the contract and how they were affected – and direct the money back to them,” Valandra said.
Read more here: http://www.theolympian.com/2012/06/29/2158435/ricoh-to-reimburse-state-4m-for.html
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