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Do Customers Actually know what their Position is regarding servicing etc ?

Number of messages: 3

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derek_h
S.Yorks, United Kingdom

After being in the service for over 35 years it has become apparent to me that it is the customer or truck owner that is unaware of the facts when it comes down to the maintainance of their vehicles when clouded with the technical rethoric that they get from sales persons from forklift companies.
Firstly, most companies try to obtain a contract to service a customers truck at least 4 times a year irrespective of the hours or conditions that the unit/s are used in.
I have always been a great believer in fair play when it comes to checking a truck then looking back into its history then finding it has only done 90 hours since last service yet I am compelled to carry out a full service because a contract says I must do so.
In the case of gas powered trucks, the cost of changing everything is nothing more than taking a customer to the cleaners as here are a few facts that customers should look at!

(1) Air filters can be blown out ( depending on conditions )  a total of 3 times before an actual replacement should be a necessity.
(2) spark plugs should only be replaced after 500 hours or failure has occured.
(3)  I carried out a viscosity check on trucks that have run in excess of 1000 hours to find that the oil had maintained its viscosity within running limits to the specifications set down by Perkins for their engines.
(4)  Although set out in service manuals, Hydraulic oil should be changed and new filters fitted every 6000 hours Max!  yet I have yet to see anyone actually do this operation,  we used to do this every 2000 hours with hydrostatic trucks.
(5)  Transmissions, full service should be carried out at least every 2000 hours yet I aint been with one company in the UK that adheres to this and the onus is on the customer to get this sorted because it is not included in any service contract currently in the UK.

In the UK we dont repair problems as well as we create them for if we fixed things properly and maintained them well, we would have no job!

sound Familiar?
I was in a meeting a few years back where it was stated that as engineers we had to think to be long term greedy and not short term.  that is to say! screw the customer as far as it allows!
I will say that there are possibly a few companies out there that are not screwing their customers but all in all a person has to look at is, How often is that company there!are the defects resolved and sorted or does the same defect arise month after month ?
Does the engineer arrive, take a break, have lunch, then tea break then look at the unit and state, he needs parts?

I have been a dilligent and qualified engineer for many years and have seen many things that would make a genuine engineers hair stand on end with some things that are done to secure an invoice at the end of it.
I am sure that this post will either evoke a responce of  remove it! or get one that says  yup! been there  done it!
This post has been done without malice or any form of defamation to anyone however! if you feel you fit the bill where contents in here fit your outfit  then Woohoo!  go for it!

Modified 19 Sep 2009 06:55 AM
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edward_t
North Carolina, United States

There are plenty of post here without any sort of malice, (imho).
I have to agree that most customers are as clueless as dirt when it comes to their forklifts, (after all, ain't that why they hire "experts").

I would also have to agree that I have seen customers that had the very best level of service, and decide that they were going to change service companies, just because they didn't know how good they had it.

I have often noted that a service tech can steal far more with an ink pen than crowbar.

Now, as far as "were the defects resolved". I would not instantly blame the tech for that one, there are often times the company's procedures are the cause of repeat problems, and even the best tech sometimes can not stop operators from driving a cushion tire truck, with no side-shift, on rough asphalt, and wearing out the steer tires in 500 hours, or keep the product from being spilled on the electronics (or was noted in another thread here, keep the salt or blood from gumming up the works.

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Posted 19 Sep 2009 08:14 AM

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daryl_j
manchester, United Kingdom

Well if you want engineers to do the job right you have to make it clear ,to the people who send them out to do the job, two things the first is that they will save money if they service the truck in the correct manner and the other thing is stop employing numptys and employ good engineers who actually want to do the job right and then allow them time to do the job.
My last employer was quite happy to send a painter out to service a truck with no knowledge other than how to change two filters oil filter and air filter and then they didn`t even give him the right engine oil. they were happy because he had turned up and fullfilled his contract of three services a year and the employer did it as cheap as possible.every body wins until two or three years down the line the truck stops the customer gets a big bill then next time it comes to buy more trucks you hear" them trucks are crap cost me a fortune" and they move on to the next manufactuer for another five years.

Posted 25 Sep 2009 04:41 AM

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