Fees fines and punishments...

[fixthecopier]

While talking to an old Cannon tech the other day, the subject of moving copiers came up. I would assume every company has a policy in place about moving machines and what to do with customers who move them. Based on what I know, mine is probably the most lax.

Problems moving machines seem to only occure in my area, mainly because the customer does not know any better. My first contract with the Army gave the unlimited free moves, yet they still moved them themselves. Then I would have to go and find the machine and check for damage. My current contract gives each machine 1 free move a year, then it is $200 per hour. My rule with the customers is...

You can push it anywhere you want on the same floor, as long as I can find it when I ask.
I have to be there to move it up and down stairs.
If you move it yourself, we are still OK, as long as you didn't break it.

The Cannon tech told me that their policy was, it cost $485 to have them move it. If the customer pushes the machine 20 feet across the office, they still get charged, plus another $180 for the tech to come check it.

Most I have charged for damage because they moved it...$3500, on two occasions
Farthest one of my machines has been moved...Afghanistan, they thought they owned it. It came back full of desert.
Most time it took me to find one after they moved it, 8 months.
My most recent move was watching as 4 young soldiers carried a Bizhub 350 up 3 flights of stairs.

Best Move ever... Under my first contract, I was the moving guy also. I would have to stop work orders, go get the truck, do the move, take the truck back ect. I had one to do at Camp Mckoll, about 50 minutes away. Since it was full of young cadets, I had a plan. I drove out there and went to the building.

The Master Sergeant said "Great, you are here to move the copier!"
"Nope" I said, "I just came to let you know it will be about 2 weeks before I can get a truck out here."
"that's no good" he said, "we need it done now"
"Well, I can make that happen, if you think you can find me some manual labor"
We both laughed, because there were hundreds of young students all over the place. Within 10 minutes we had a detail of about 15 to 20 of them, each with one hand under a Minolta Di620, doing doubletime to the other side of the camp with that machine up in the air. I so wish I had a camera phone back then.


So just for comparison, what are your policies toward moves?

[emujo]

Other than moving it 3-4 feet from where the truck dropped it off, we don't move them. If you do and you get hurt you can be canned. Emujo

[kuby]

Had a customer years ago that called and wanted their old Ricoh moved (quoted $150.00). About a week later they called and wanted me to come check out their machine. When I got their the machine had already been moved upstairs by someone else which I thought was OK, until I looked inside the machine and started asking questions. Seems they were having trouble setting it upstairs and for some reason they tilted it on its back. Well this machine had a FUSER OIL reservoir in it. I told the customer that the machine was toast now, fuser oil all over the inside of the machine, boards, rollers, optics, etc. Customer was not happy.

Wanted to tell them to take it up with the people who moved it.

[Akitu]

Policy here is to help them move it if at all possible and they're willing to pay for our labour hours, else walk them through over the phone and let them know all necessary precautions.

Only time a machine was moved without our knowledge was when they stuck it into a public pool building... Still paying for the corrosion.

[logrady2331]

We charge 150.00 for a move and if it goes up or down stairs we charge 300.00 because we use a stairclimber. If it is a move that requires another IT install we charge an additional 125.00 per hour for connectivity. If it is under contract and they move it and break it, they pay for it. Canon charging 485.00 per hour for a move is the reason I get business from the large companies. Way to expensive. When I tell them I charge 150.00 alot of times I get the service business once I move it because the mega dealer has unknowingly iopened the door for me to steal that customer. I LOVE the IKON's, Canon Direct's, etc. I kill those guys on price and still make money.

[HenryT2]

Best Move ever... Under my first contract, I was the moving guy also. I would have to stop work orders, go get the truck, do the move, take the truck back ect. I had one to do at Camp Mckoll, about 50 minutes away. Since it was full of young cadets, I had a plan. I drove out there and went to the building.

The Master Sergeant said "Great, you are here to move the copier!"
"Nope" I said, "I just came to let you know it will be about 2 weeks before I can get a truck out here."
"that's no good" he said, "we need it done now"
"Well, I can make that happen, if you think you can find me some manual labor"
We both laughed, because there were hundreds of young students all over the place. Within 10 minutes we had a detail of about 15 to 20 of them, each with one hand under a Minolta Di620, doing doubletime to the other side of the camp with that machine up in the air. I so wish I had a camera phone back then.


OH , I wish I could have seen that !!!!!!!

[CompyTech]

I don't really know what we charge. But if a customer moves it and breaks it, they buy it.. Me personally I don't care either way as I get paid no matter what(even though the company may not get paid).. Most moves are usually same floor etc. We have a stair climber too. We alsways send two people with a truck and trailer, unless we know its going to be simple enough for one person..

I can remember this one time, we got in a work order to move a machine for the airforce from an office on the base to a hanger.. They didn't tell us it was upstairs. We had no equipment at the time and it was Fri before 4th of July weekend.. Their CO was livid. We told them we can move it up there with a forklift(no one there knew how to operate it) or with some help... We got about 6 airmen to volunteer to hoist it up the steps.