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I have several industrial clients that are hard on drills. I don't know where they get the idea but every time they break a drill and bring it in for repairs they demand the repair be free. It seems that all of the tools they break are out of warranty. (Power tools may carry a one year warranty, hand tools many times carry a life time warranty)
Today, I had a client insist that they recently bought a similar Dewalt drill, so the repair on this similar but older drill should be covered under warranty. I had to explain to the customer that it doesn't work that way. I wish it did, I would lease a truck and get my old one fixed under the warranty for the new one.
The problem is that this client has refused to pay for previous out of warranty repairs. We tell him the repairs are out of warranty and call him with the estimation of repair costs. He approves the repairs, but then declines the repair when the tool comes back fixed. A few months ago he refused a drill that was repaired. We now use it as the shop drill. The kicker is we still sent the bill to his corporate accounting and it was paid. We told him he could have the drill, but he still refuses because it was too costly of a repair.
A small secret. The valuable of a battery power tool is not the actual tool, it is the battery and charger. If you break a power tool it is cheaper to get a new tool with a new battery and charger than repair the tool.
The second customer who is hard on drills tends to break air drills. I have warned them numerous times that the drills are only intended for drill bits up to 1". They tend to use a 4" hole saw on diamond plate steel (very hard) and snap parts of the air drill off, then complain. I have sat face to face with the plant manager and told him not to use big drill bits or hole saws with a air drill this small and over his shoulder watched one of his people do exactly what he says they never do.
I guess this will continue till I find a way to make them understand. All I know is they will not buy new tools, will not buy the actual tool needed for the job, and complain about repair costs. I guess this is the way it goes.
Today, I had a client insist that they recently bought a similar Dewalt drill, so the repair on this similar but older drill should be covered under warranty. I had to explain to the customer that it doesn't work that way. I wish it did, I would lease a truck and get my old one fixed under the warranty for the new one.
The problem is that this client has refused to pay for previous out of warranty repairs. We tell him the repairs are out of warranty and call him with the estimation of repair costs. He approves the repairs, but then declines the repair when the tool comes back fixed. A few months ago he refused a drill that was repaired. We now use it as the shop drill. The kicker is we still sent the bill to his corporate accounting and it was paid. We told him he could have the drill, but he still refuses because it was too costly of a repair.
A small secret. The valuable of a battery power tool is not the actual tool, it is the battery and charger. If you break a power tool it is cheaper to get a new tool with a new battery and charger than repair the tool.
The second customer who is hard on drills tends to break air drills. I have warned them numerous times that the drills are only intended for drill bits up to 1". They tend to use a 4" hole saw on diamond plate steel (very hard) and snap parts of the air drill off, then complain. I have sat face to face with the plant manager and told him not to use big drill bits or hole saws with a air drill this small and over his shoulder watched one of his people do exactly what he says they never do.
I guess this will continue till I find a way to make them understand. All I know is they will not buy new tools, will not buy the actual tool needed for the job, and complain about repair costs. I guess this is the way it goes.
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