Low life competition techs.

[nmfaxman]

I recently had a Ricoh 3245C with a black toner add problem in a small town south of Albuqueque that we spent like 8 hours on and still couldn't figure it out. No room, machine was upstairs and I am too old to lug it downstairs to take to the shop. I recommended they call the local dealer to take it to their shop since they would have the manpower or stair climber move it.
Customer called the dealer and a tech came out to evaluate it. She told me that the tech knew me and was bad mouthing me and my abilities. Told her she should upgrade the machine and he would get back to her.
A week later she called me back to let me know what their tech had told her and asked what to do. I told her if she can bring it to my shop, we would get it running.
Got the toner add problem solved and made black copies no problem. Went to make a color copy and got a 220-3 code. Cyan laser failure. I couldn't think for the life of me what I could have done. Spent 3 days troubleshooting and testing and decided to bite the bullet and pull the laser unit out and replace it with a known good one. Got it out and was looking @ the sync board and thought to swap it with the magenta sync board.
Same code. Pulled the laser back out and was studying it when I noticed one of the wires was cut. Not pulled apart or stretched, cut.
We realized the other tech had to have removed the cover to the toner hopper and cut the wire so she would buy a new machine. Who replaces a laser unit on a used machine. Cheaper to buy a new one.
That is so lowlife, I can't comprehend it. Never in 30 years have I seen anything like it.
I would call his boss, but all would be denied and the blame put on us.
I know the tech and he better hope I never see him again. I want to shove the whole laser unit where the sun don't shine, but he is such an ass#ole he might enjoy it.
I hope the customer raises hell with them and stops payment for their service call and complains to the BBB.

[wester]

Re: Low life competition techs.

Glad to know you did right by your customer. Sometimes that all you need to do. You know you did right and so does the customer. The competition, well it'll come back on them one way or the other.

[blackcat4866]

Re: Low life competition techs.

I must confess, the most unpalatable thing I've come across is reset meters and technical incompetence.

Ok, an exception. I knew a dealer who designed his service contracts around one year time periods, in which he elected not to replace any parts. If the machine started needing parts he would just drop the contract. This dealer has not been particularly successful for obvious reasons.

You may have a customer for life. =^..^=

[tech28]

Re: Low life competition techs.

In the 30 years of servicing, have seen that, wire yanked here/there, bad mouthing by competitors(customers tell us, reason for them buying from us) the stories.... Not the biggest, but proud of the work and machines we put out. 30 years and counting.

[slimslob]

Re: Low life competition techs.

I frequently run into problems that could easily been caused by some one changing some thing that only a trained tech would how to change.

I hope you took a picture of the cut wire.

[nmfaxman]

Re: Low life competition techs.

Saved it for the customer. Stripped one end and all the wiles are even at a slight angle.
Definite wire cutters.
Part of our job is being a detective without bullets.

[pradeep.n]

Re: Low life competition techs.

Saved it for the customer. Stripped one end and all the wiles are even at a slight angle.
Definite wire cutters.
Part of our job is being a detective without bullets.

Agree with all of you above.

[Gazzahos]

Re: Low life competition techs.

The business version of "Playing the man, Not the ball."

[fixthecopier]

Re: Low life competition techs.

When "techs" resort to bad mouthing the competition, it shows they have little to offer in the way of skills or services. Customers don't like to hear that. If the customer does not like a certain tech, they will let the next one know it. Most recent example I heard was a customer telling me a tech from a competitor showing up smelling like alcohol. Best compliment I got was from a field supervisor for the company that took over most of my territory. Shook my hand at a trade show and said he had heard good things about me from the customers.

[theengel]

Re: Low life competition techs.

That has always been something that bothered me--tech's bad mouting each other. We do it amongst ourselves sometimes, because we like to gripe. But griping to the customer about another tech solves nothing. If I hear about another tech making a mistake, I just tell customers "I don't know why he did that--there may have been different circumstances when he was looking at the machine. For now, we'll just approach it from this angle."

But what REALLY gets me is when one tech bad-mouths another tech in the SAME company. I don't think any techs have done it to me personally, but I've heard them do it about other techs, and I usually say something to them once the cust isn't around.

[Iowatech]

Re: Low life competition techs.

When "techs" resort to bad mouthing the competition, it shows they have little to offer in the way of skills or services. Customers don't like to hear that. If the customer does not like a certain tech, they will let the next one know it. Most recent example I heard was a customer telling me a tech from a competitor showing up smelling like alcohol. Best compliment I got was from a field supervisor for the company that took over most of my territory. Shook my hand at a trade show and said he had heard good things about me from the customers.

That's exactly right, unless there's an actual reason.
Years ago a person left the mothership on purpose and got hired by a competing mothership under other than honorable circumstances. When I saw their machines near the machines I was working on that were only there because of the dishonored person's relationship with the account, I spoke of them with general disappointment. That could be seen by extremely fragile people as bad mouthing I suppose, but I had no problem with it then.

[fixthecopier]

Re: Low life competition techs.

That's exactly right, unless there's an actual reason.
Years ago a person left the mothership on purpose and got hired by a competing mothership under other than honorable circumstances. When I saw their machines near the machines I was working on that were only there because of the dishonored person's relationship with the account, I spoke of them with general disappointment. That could be seen by extremely fragile people as bad mouthing I suppose, but I had no problem with it then.

Nothing wrong with warning a customer in a professional way. I just came from a new customer on base. I had told him I work on plotters and he mentioned who worked on his. I told him to get a second opinion if he tried to kill the plotter. At another site on base several months ago the same contractor had told a customer that he would have to replace his 2 HP plotters as parts were not available. That was an out right lie. The plotters were dj 5500 series. One of them had a leaking ink tube. I told the customer I had that ink system, new in a box, at the shop. That is just shady business.

Anytime I see another tech, I make an attempt to talk to them. Some are nice, some are assholes. In other words, we techs are just regular people.

We do have customers that have requested that certain techs not return to their copier. That would be a strike against you as a tech. Can't use people who are banned from customers.