Our personal life is full of decisions that require careful consideration, what to have for breakfast, which phone contract to choose, or insurance policy for our cars. The same is true when it comes to protecting your Mass Spec, Chromatography or Lab Gas Generator equipment with service and maintenance coverage.
No two Mass Spec/Chromatography laboratories are the same, which will explain why there is some flexibility among the plans you’ll find available from the OEM and independent service providers such as KRSS.
To help you understand the MassSpec/Chromatography/Gas Generator service market, below, we outline some of the most common Mass Spec, Chromatography and Gas generator service plans offered by service providers.
3 Common Service Plans for your Mass Spec, Chromatography and GasGenerator.
Full-Service or All-Inclusive Agreement
If this were your decision on breakfast, it would be the full English. This plan covers all of the parts, labour and travel needed to keep your system(s) up and running even if the cost of parts/labour exceeds your payment- basically an insurance policy without an excess. For Mass Spectrometers and especially Orbitraps, Maldi and QTOFs we recommend a Full-Service or all-Inclusive Agreement, as parts can be expensive and instrument specialists can be difficult to find and book for a visit.
PM-Only / Standard Plan
If you have a restricted budget, a greater appetite for risk or both, a- PM-only agreement (Standard Plan) might be a good solution for you. This type of agreement only covers the cost of routine preventative maintenance (travel and consumables for the PM are also included). You will be charged for repairs and parts separately, but your regular visits offer the chance to get preventive diagnoses of components that may need replacing sooner rather than later. This information can help you budget for replacements before they put your system out of commission. From our experience, PM-only agreements can work well for low-volume facilities or instruments that aren’t critical to your day-to-day laboratory function.
Time and Materials
This type of service carries the most significant risk, as all costs related to your system’s maintenance and repair are your responsibility. The upside is that no fees are billed to you until you use an engineer’s time or need parts. If this were your mobile phone contract, it would be pay-as-you-go. While this type of service for your equipment doesn’t require you to sign up for anything, it is a good idea to contact a service provider in advance and establish a relationship. This initial contact will help speed up assistance should you need it.
The Sound Bite
Whether you’re buying service for your Mass Spec, Chromatography or Gasgenerator, make sure you take the time to read the service provider’s contract. Many service companies have hidden fees and exclusions to service that can leave you footing unexpected bills such as boards if there was a power failure.
If you would like to know more about the KRSS range of extended service plans, including Pre-paid Labour Plans, Telephone/Email Support Plans and remote Support Plans please click here.