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Rolla, ND | But the manufacturer should pay the dealer for a lot of the repairs. If the equipment repeatedly breaks it isn't any different than if they sold you a tractor that the engine blew up on every 100 hours. You shouldn't pay to fix what shouldn't reasonably break. Equipment should be suited to the job for which it was made and sold.
Software too. If you are trying to do something, and it doesn't work, you shouldn't be charged. I know it's kind of unAmerican to say, but software should work too and you shouldn't have to pay for the errors or to fix the errors. If there comes an update that fixes errors, that should be free, including installation. The farmer didn't pay for software that didn't work, there was a presumption it did. An update that adds new capabilities, that's different.
If you come and install the new update and then that results in a couple more visits, the farmer should be compensated if it causes him to lose field time. Otherwise free is fine. Don't install what doesn't work, if you do, take ownership of that fact and fix it. If a mechanic pours the wrong fluid in a tractor and causes it to break it isn't the farmers fault, if the tech puts in software that doesn't work it isn't the farmers fault.
It shouldn't be a profit center to sell equipment or software that easily breaks and doesn't work. It's as simple as that. These things are not optional for many people anymore, a tractor that breaks repeatedly when new is not acceptable, neither is precision equipment. If it won't run, don't sell it.
Now technical support is different, in my mind than fixing. And they shouldn't be lumped together. If a farmer calls and wants to talk about how to zone a field, I see no reason why that should be free.
Most of these programs are the brain child of some mid level manager who knows nothing about how his stuff is actually used or what is really going on. He looks at the numbers and says we do this and we will make this much more money. It very seldom works. It generally just ticks off farmers and employees. | |
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GPS "Service" Contract?
