Service Contract Query

angelface

Hi,

I wonder if anyone can help please?

We run a piercing studio and recently our autoclave began leaking a bit, it still worked but we needed to get it fixed properly. (An autoclave is like a pressure cooker that sterilises all the equipment at incredibly high temperatures)

We called the company who makes it who agreed to come out and when they arrived they said it would be cheaper and easier to have a service contract with them as the call out cost would also be high. We verbally agreed this over the phone.

on the 21st June an engineer came out and gave it a full service, he was there for ages and took everything apart.

It sounded like it was whirring as he left but he assured me it was fine. It wasn't. It got steadily worse and started to smoke. We phoned them again to call them out.

On the 26th June we were sent the service contract documents.

We couldn't use the machine and had to buy disposable parts. We had to call them out again. They wouldn't start work without the signed contract and they found parts were damaged ('heatsticks' apparently) and they replaced them.

Again they went away and then it stopped working completely and this time it was the fuse holder, which they mended. They couldn't come quickly and said we'd have to wait for the 3rd call out.

We wrote to complain and this is the reply we have received - (can I say we didn't say we were aghast at their age, just the fact that they seemed inexperienced).

Thank you for your email.

I have spoken to my MD, although the 2 engineers that attended may have seemed young, I can assure you they have worked for Excel for over 5 years and are both fully trained and more than competent.

On the first occasion the 21 June 2013 you had a full service carried out under your new service contract plan by XXXXX, he replaced all parts that needed to be replaced under the service and tested the machine and all worked well.

The second visit was carried out some 2 weeks later by XXXXXX, on this occasion it was found that both heatsticks were open circuit, this has nothing to do with the service that was carried out a few weeks earlier. However this was repaired free of charge under your service contract.

The third visit was carried out on 5 August, again by XXXX, on this occasion it was found that the fuse holder was faulty. This has no bearing on either of the past 2 jobs. Again this was repaired free of charge under your service contract.

We can once again assure you that both XXXX & XXXX are fully trained and competent engineers.

It seems that on this occasion that you were unlucky that after the service 2 repairs needed to be carried out but this is the benefit of being on our service contract plan. These calls were not charged for and repairs were carried as quickly as possible.

We hope this answers your questions and look forward to receiving your payment by return.

Kind regards


I'm not sure what to reply.

Firstly, their dates don't match - two weeks after the first visit is 5th August, when they say their 3rd visit was?
Secondly, they have me over a barrel here, I know NOTHING of the workings of an autoclave. It it likely it all just fell apart at the same time and nearly set alight?
Thirdly. What is a full service then? I'm not sure I believe that it was fine and then went wrong immediately after they'd opened it up and laid it all out everywhere?
Fourth - they've omitted me telling their engineer that it sounded dodgy

I would prefer a monthly service contract to a big call out fee. But I don't want to have a contract with people who break it rather than fix it! Its a lot of money, nearly £600 a year and I want to pay that to people who will come out quickly and mend it fast, not sigh heavily when I phone again about it being broken. Its cost me money in equipment anyway because I couldn't use the machine.

Its the tone of the letter that annoys me, nothing is their fault, they have the greatest engineers ever, I was just unlucky, pay up.

What should I do? What would you do?

wealdroam

This is a business to business arrangement.

Consumer Rights is perhaps not the best forum for this query.

Maybe try the Small Business board, but really the whole of MSE is geared towards consumers.

unholyangel

also, the first date they gave was 21st june, 2 weeks later is not 5th aug.....unless your calendar is missing a july

angelface

unholyangel wrote: »

also, the first date they gave was 21st june, 2 weeks later is not 5th aug.....unless your calendar is missing a july

Oh my god you're right, I'm an idiot! I'm heavily pregnant and I am wondering if this is the start of baby brain!

No worries, I only wanted an opinion but understand and thanks for replying anyway.