What do YOU expect for manufacturer support?

[jccaclimber]

This is just a curiosity of mine, not related to a specific case, but what do you expect from a manufacturer?

For example:

-I expect quick replacement/repair (including cross shipping) on in warranty product. Extension of warranty if a product has multiple failures for the same reason within the warranty period. Eg. if I burn out a controller 11 months into a 12 month warranty and the replacement dies 3 months later it should be covered.

-I expect parts availability (for purchase) on out of warranty product for at least 5 preferably 10 years after the item stops being sold. Impellers on return pumps, rebuild kits on air pumps, controllers on programmable lights, etc.

-If a part is discontinued, I expect a compatible replacement. Eg. A Vortech QD driver would be an acceptable replacement for a gen1 driver since you can still plug the same dry side in to it.


It seems, at least where I live, there have been a lot of complaints lately about manufacturer support on product that is years out of warranty. In the world of manufacturing equipment we're thrilled when we can buy a replacement part instead of having to make a custom one. If it was something where 90% of some manufacturer's product dies 1 month after warranty I might make an exception, but that seems to be rare.

 

[gone fishin]

I will add if I buy something cheap then my expectations are not very high. However if I pay extra for quality and name then I agree with your comments 100%.

 

[ReefCowboy]

12 month warranty including shipping costs is very fair IMO accross the board.

 

[jccaclimber]

12 month warranty including shipping costs is very fair IMO accross the board.

What about post-warranty?

 

[ReefRockerLive]

I agree on most of your points there. The basis by which a warranty case is handled would also depend on the product that needs replacing.

If it's a return pump or main lighting we're talking about for sure I would expect it to be handled quickly as tanks are very dependent on it. Otherwise things like flow pumps (Tunze/Vortech) and controllers, while it would pose an inconvenience to the user, there's a little more time to work with the manufacturer to reach a solution in within an acceptable time-frame without breathing down their neck if they don't happen to have the part you need at the time. IMO, one pump down or not having a controller for a week or so will be inconvenient, but it won't certainly crash the tank.

I would expect a manufacturer to have replacement parts dating back to up to the previous model. Asking for them to have replacement parts from 5 or even 10 years ago is asking for a lot especially considering how rapidly aquarium tech has advanced in the last 3 years, let alone 5 years.

If a manufacturer no longer produces the product that is out of warranty and no longer in production, I would want to get a nice discount on the updated model.

If a part gets replaced under warranty, I would want there to be a warranty on the replacement part because if the same part fails within that warranty period, I would want it replaced regardless of the product warranty. BUT...if another component on the product fails after the product warranty, I'd accept that I would have to pay out of pocket for the replacement part.

 

[letoan]

Long support life for stuff they make. Able to repair their product or offer refurbished unit so out of warranty customer don't have to buy a new unit when thing going south.

This hobby is pretty pricey to play but some of these company make it worse.



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[billygoat2000]

I never return anything. Too much hassle. But I recently had to deal with coralvue because the product I bought was so expensive. They were very responsive... sent me the part with a video on how to install it. Haven't raved the part yet but it was very good support

 

[alton]

I have never had any issues, but on expensive equipment I have an LFS that covers me 100%. If it breaks, I take it back to them and they fix it or deal with the manufacture.

 

[jda]

I don't expect anything. I don't buy newer stuff until it has been out for a few years. It is amazing that the manufactures that truly offer products that last a long time (10+ years) all mostly have great support. Tunze, Iwaki, Ehiem, Hamilton, etc.

Most good manufactures also have parts on hand for years and years. I got a $3 part for a AquaMedic Halide that I got in the early 2000s a few months back - good service even though they abandoned their Halides a long time ago.

If you stay away from the new-to-market products for a few years, then you can avoid most of this. I would wait until they have a few years without an iteration. I was a fool and bought a DC return pump - after three failures in a year (all of which were replaced with a smile from Coralvue), they are now several iterations into the pumps.

You all do know that most of this is intentional, right? There are a lot of manufacturers that drive upgrades by purposely limiting part availability.... this is not just in our hobby, BTW.