My experience with B.D.I.S. equipment has not been trouble-free (but I
don t know of any commercial company that does not have a quality issue
now and then) but when I did report problems, they were usually dealt
with in a timely manner. Problems that I have encountered have varied for
each type of instrument but have encompassed both major and minor issues.
The telephone support help has been adequate at least and when I needed
particular help with more complex problems, I was usually able to find
the person that I needed to talk to. I must add that I have always had
service contracts which does guarantee a 48 hour response for the
research instruments and since this privilege was paid for, I expected
and received such in most cases. I have also been fortunate in that the
field service engineers for the geographical area that I was working in
were highly trained and experienced and provided excellent service.
There have been occasions when technical support and field service
support was not forthcoming as quickly as I would have liked and I found
that there were a couple of options that I could exercise to highlight my
problem and resolve the service issue. First, try to call the Field
Service Manager directly (in the U.S.A. you can get the number from the
B.D.I.S. 1-800 number operator) and outline your concerns and
dissatisfaction with the service that you are receiving. Otherwise, work
through your Instrument Sales Specialist or the Area Sales Manager to
voice your concerns. For all instances except one, that worked for me. In
the event that this does not work, try contacting the higher powers at
B.D.I.S. by phone and/or mail to explain your problems.
I know that when you pay service contracts, one should not have to go to
extra lengths to get what was paid for but it does only take a few
minutes of your time and it does usually get results. Sometimes there are
mitigating circumstances why service is delayed but I found that taking a
pro-active approach worked to my benefit. And I know that it sometimes
feels good to get on the phone and yell and scream at someone so if you
can direct this at the appropriate person(s), it has better effect.
The service aspect can sometimes be an important factor when purchasing a
new cytometer and the commercial companies need to be reminded of that
fact. Hopefully, the comments from this forum will highlight the
importance of good technical and instrument service since it is
ultimately to the benefit of all of us in the flow community.
This is not meant to be an advertisement nor an endorsement and should
not be read as such but is merely an outline of my experiences. I have
always tried to maintain my instruments in the best possible condition
and minimize downtime and therefore I needed the most effective method to
obtain service when needed.
Regards
Andrew J. Beavis
Manager, Flow Cytometry Core Facility
Princeton University
Department of Molecular Biology
Lewis Thomas Laboratory
Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544
Tel. (609) 258 1695
e-mail. Abeavis@molecular.princeton.edu