No worries, I'm glad you got a good one <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />
Funny that you replied, I was just about to update. I wrote another letter to the VP of sales about my most recent experience and got a call on Friday from one of his people. They still stuck to their story about detonation but agreed to pay their estimated hours for the engine replacement at $80/hr (shop rate) instead of their normal $52/hr.
I'm still short on the total but it's better than nothing. I'm glad I got something back, but it's pretty sad that it took 2 letters to a VP to get any sort of response.
>>>*One fact is true about engine problems. Most problems are caused in the field.
But not all, and this is something I know of for sure! ANY part can have a defect, I don't care who makes it. Plus I happen to know I can FUBAR a job as well as anyone else, I have learned to simply admit I made a mistake.
In dealing with people, I found many years ago that it is always best to just fix the thing and go on. Sometimes we KNOW why a part broke, the evidence will be clear. SOMETIMES we don't have a clue!
I have no less than a dozen timing chain tensioners that show where the top oil pump bolt jammed the tensioner pad, or the poor thing was smashed. (After all, no one wants it to fall off, right?) I have dug enough silicone out of engines to seal up a bulldozer, and had people look at me blank when I asked what the timing setting was or for a torque or clearence spec.
When this happens, I say "Let's chat." with a smile and I try to explain, then fix the thing. This can be fun when dealing with someone who can field strip a Nuclear powerplant with a putty knife, but really shouldn't be inside an engine.
The customer will always be upset when a part doesn't work or breaks, so why in the world would a supplier want to create even MORE upset by giving them the "It's your fault" stuff?
The last line tells the truth of your story, you would and should be more upset with the lack of responses, or excuses to a response than the initial problem.
Metal is metal, sometimes it breaks. Sometimes we have no idea why.
I remember a turbo engine my son Tod built. It came back in, let's just say there had been enough heat energy there to make bisquits and gravy for the next full year, no doubt.
Tod just built the engine over himself, handed it to the customer at no charge along with a 60 minute lecture. Probably $3-400 out of pocket, NBD.
The customer knows what happened of course. But that one gentleman referred added business at least 30 times over and still does some 5 years later.
My advice to folks in business is to EXPECT concerns from time to time, take care of them and go on. So what if the customer made an error, now there is a chance to avoid a repeat. That proves to be an asset in making the phone ring.
*Seems to work for us.....glad they are helping you at least some, though...*EB
