AL-TAR Services - Customer Rights

AL-TAR Services, Inc.

"Quality Without Compromise"®

- ISO 17025 Registered -

CUSTOMERS’ BILL OF RIGHTS

We The People of Al-Tar Services, Inc, in Order to form a more perfect Union of scientists, manufacturers, and service providers, establish fair practices and provisions of services and parts, insure laboratory tranquility, provide for the common repair and maintenance, promote the general welfare of the scientific community and the people it serves, do ordain and establish this Bill of Rights for our customers. You have the right to choose where your service comes from. No one can claim to be the only show in town. Independent service providers and manufacturers alike can coexist in the same markets with each provided the necessary fuel to encourage the other to provide quality support to their customers.

1. You have the right to free speech. If you aren’t happy with your current provider, you must have a means by which you can voice your complaint.

2. You have the right to have your time valued. A good service provider must be able to, at a minimum…

Acknowledge receipt of your call

Provide an honest estimate of the time scheduled to arrive

Update you on parts orders, shipping delays, rescheduled calls, etc.

Utilize their time effectively while on-site

3. You have the right to know what was replaced and why. If a $500 circuit board was replaced due to the failure of a $20 component, you should know. Maybe the component is available but has a high failure rate, long shipping turnaround time, etc. Regardless, as a customer you should be informed and should be empowered to make that decision, not the service rep.

4. You have the right to audit your service provider. Before making an expenditure for service agreements, ask if you can see how they manage service calls, maintain training records, review instrument history, etc.

5. You have the right to have your internal procedures followed. A service provider doing on-site service is on your turf. Therefore, he or she must play by your rules. Whether its health and safety, security, documentation, or check-in protocols; they must adhere to your way of doing things, not visa versa.

6. You have the right to timely receipt of billing. It isn’t fair to mail an invoice with a 30-day net to you 3 weeks after the service was done. It isn’t your responsibility to remember, it is the responsibility of the service company to bill for their service as early as possible to allow time to review/repair any discrepancies.

7. You have the right to talk to a live body. Too many service providers take your money up front for service contracts and then leave you in an endless loop of phone menus just to place a call or even get a part number. You need access to some one who can help you with your service issue, not some bureaucratic call center! By the time you’ve pressed #3 for this option, #7 for this and been on hold 5 minutes, you may even forget why you called in the first place.

8. You have the right to have your loyalty rewarded. Why should your company who has been a good customer of XYZ Service, stand in line behind their newest client? Your service provider must find ways to reward your continued loyalty.

9. You have the right to be treated with respect. Just because your service rep has their MSEE and you have an undergraduate degree in chemistry, doesn’t mean you aren’t able to understand why your widget broke down. Too many service providers send out representatives whose intention is to wow you with their knowledge. They’d be better served to focus on using their knowledge to expediting the repair process.

10. You have the right to know the cause, not the effect. If an application or technique will cause continual failure of the unit, you should know. It is the responsibility of your service provider to, not only deal with the down instrument, but also look to reduce your total downtime in the future.

11. You have the right to objectivity. A service representative should be a resource for the lab, not another sales rep.