Flowers,
I would like to add my comments as a third party service engineer, and
formerly a B-D service engineer. The issue of contract customers receiving
priority service is not a legal obligation, it is mearly a choice of how to
do business. The only legal obligation a company has is to meet the written
terms of the contract. In this case, what usually determines your timeliness
of service is the response time specified in your contract. This does not
necessarily mean your call has a higher priority over a non contract customer
(especially at the end of fiscal year when quotas for billables must be met),
as long as they can meet their obligation in response time. In fact, some of
the larger organizations will provide a priority response for an additional
fee (usually a few hundred dollars). Not all Service organizations choose to
go this route, especially the independent organizations who usually treat all
of their customers the same, service contract or not. When you think about
it, is it really the customer's responsibility to assist the company with
their personnel planning? This should not be your issue. There should be
ample coverage to meet the agreed upon response time. I do believe that
service contracts are a very practical way of handling the maintenance of
your flow equipment, however, each lab's needs may differ with regard to the
level of service needed. Some lab's will do well with just a preventative
maintenance plan, while others may choose to have the comfort of a full blown
contract. The key here is flexibility. Your service organization should be
able to provide you with the service you need, not the service they want you
to pay for.
Best Regards,
Ray Lannigan
Tritech Inc.
1-800-886-7004
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