Contactor/Solenoid Policy

Contactor/Solenoid Policy (Full Version)

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motoalliance -> Contactor/Solenoid Policy (7/16/2008 7:42:42 PM)

Hi Everyone,
I've just been discussing a new contactor policy with our COO, Kristy, given the data we've discovered over the past several months. As you know, contactors can be fussy in the world of winches as anything electrical exposed to the elements. However, we have had many, many riders sent their contactors in for evaluation over the past few months and have discovered that many of them are actually fine....they can be hard to install and wire properly even if they were trying to install with the help of our tech. So the improvements we've made with our contactors have actually been working quite well once installed right.

So I'm actually looking for your feedback about what would be a fair policy for contactor warranty service. Here is what we are thinking right now:

1. We take the contactor warranty to 60 days....30 days more than any of our nearest competitors. Some of them actually delete the warranty upon first ride if I understand correctly. We will warranty them for two months with proof of purchase.

2. If a rider thinks a contactor is bad, they can send theirs in to our tech for evaluation and we will send out another contactor immediately to get them up and running while charging $12.99 plus minimal shipping. If the tech decides it is faulty, we will credit the card. If it is a good contactor, we will send it back and the rider will have a spare.  If a rider doesn't want their card charged, they can wait for the evaluation (which would take about a week.)


Does this sound like a fair policy? We are trying to service our riders as quickly as we can while protecting ourselves from invalid claims. Any feedback would be helpful.

Now I'm going back to vacation.  :)


Peter
CEO
MotoAlliance



tmeasel -> RE: Contactor/Solenoid Policy (7/16/2008 8:05:28 PM)

  I do not have any of your winches but I have been through quite a few contactors,all bought by the way.The simple fact is your policy sounds more than fair,why should a seller replace an item that is fine.If we can't hook it up properly thats not your fault.
One of my winches is cracked in half at the case right now and will be replaced as soon as I can with one of yours.I read your posts and your company is straight up about your products and better customer service than I have now.



gmcz71 -> RE: Contactor/Solenoid Policy (7/16/2008 8:23:49 PM)

sounds like a good policy, another positive service yall offer.[;)]



Kawa650 -> RE: Contactor/Solenoid Policy (7/16/2008 8:29:27 PM)

I agree with this, even though i did have a bad contactor at one time, that i checked/ tested to make sure it was bad before i called. But if someone cant hook a winch up proplerly WITH instructions then they dont need to be doing it at all, IMO. So ya'll should not have to pay for others stupidity.



Jake450s -> RE: Contactor/Solenoid Policy (7/17/2008 6:10:59 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: motoalliance
Does this sound like a fair policy?
Now I'm going back to vacation.  :)


You have to know that somebody's going to throw a temper tantrum about it.  A couple will probably even kick and squeal.[:D]

But honestly, I like free stuff.  Given the choice, I'd buy first from a company that WOULD stand behind their product 100 percent, but would NOT just throw out free parts for the taking.  Those free parts are not free to you, and therefore it would only be wishful thinking to assume that they are free to me.  I'd rather make my own diagnosis and take my own medicine should I screw it up by complacency, or by taking on things that are beyond my ability.

Next thought-  Contactors are fairly simple, maybe I'm overestimating but it would seem to me that perhaps looking at the techline's trouble tree for possible improvement might be in order.  You know as well as I do there's always one fella sitting on the couch watching re-runs of Ponderosa, eating Cheetos, saying "Yup, the light's lit...", cause he wants new free stuff, but it would seem that many should be able to be weeded out this way?

One last thought-
This is the internet after all.  People on the internet tend to want to stay on the internet, and I would venture to guess that thirty percent of those who bought winches on the internet without ever talking to a live human being would probably just as soon drop the cost of a contactor for point and click convenience just to continue to not ever have to talk to a real live person, if they were out there and as consistantly available as they used to be.  (That last sentence could be pronounced "eBay"...[;)])  Keep them cheap and visible, you'll probably make a killing on those alone as people figure out the compatability from one contactor to the next, one winch brand to the next...


quote:

ORIGINAL: motoalliance
Now I'm going back to vacation.  :)


Or,  just stop all communication and leave the place on auto-pilot while you're gone.  Leave the new kid in charge, tell him to fix the contactor mess while you're gone...  Nothing will better unify the rest of the crew into creating a perfect solution any problem you could possibly have than leaving them with an 18 year old kid who thinks he's going to tell them all what to do...[:D][:D][:D]



Massmudman -> RE: Contactor/Solenoid Policy (7/17/2008 8:03:41 PM)

Peter,  your idea about the contactors sounds more than reasonable and with all the "Extras" you already provide with a winch purchase there shouldn't even be an issue with you implementing this as standard policy. Most other companies would never ask for feedback on anything, period.  If you keep having to eat all these nuisance claims then prices will start going up for the end users soon.  Just more reason to do biz wit da best!!![;)]



rhinohunter -> RE: Contactor/Solenoid Policy (7/22/2008 4:21:39 AM)

I purchased one of your winches just because of the things that I have read on this forum. And I have to say that I am very well pleased with my purchase. As for the new policy, I personally believe that it is more than fair. But has there been any thaught into redoing the wiring diagrams and such to keep even more of these  contactors coming back to you for your techs to have to weed through them and see which ones are actually defective.



Texasmudslinger -> RE: Contactor/Solenoid Policy (7/22/2008 5:09:21 AM)

That sounds good too me moto...I haven't had any problems with mine,  have it mounted in the battery box[:D]


but i do have a question about the green protector on my amsteel cable do i need it??? the reason i ask i had
problems with it hanging up in my winch.....



rhinohunter -> RE: Contactor/Solenoid Policy (7/22/2008 5:59:49 AM)

I was wondering the same thing.



Kawa650 -> RE: Contactor/Solenoid Policy (7/22/2008 7:18:35 AM)

You dont need it, cut it off, just dont cut the rope. I had the same problem, got tired of it and off it came!!! Your supposed to use it when the rope is rubbing on somthing sharp when winching, you just side it to that spot so it wont eat the rope up. But you dont have to have it!



sscard -> RE: Contactor/Solenoid Policy (7/22/2008 9:59:58 AM)

sounds more than fair to me



motoalliance -> RE: Contactor/Solenoid Policy (7/22/2008 1:44:10 PM)

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Our tech, Kent, who also has his own shop has pictures of all the wiring diagrams at www.mettlers.biz, but it would be a very good thing to include with the winch purchase itself....if nothing else to have as a link.

Yes, the 5 ft chafe guard can be removed....will lose a bit of protection, but the line should hold up well with the SAMTHANE abrasion coating that makes AMSTEEL-BLUE what it is. KAWA650 is correct that it is not needed unless you have something sharp that you are worried about. By the way, we should have the new yellow color in within 10-14 days or so to match all those new Can-Ams and some other models.

Hope all is well. Bushing kits are officially in and will start being included in VIPER winches on August 20th. Until then, we only have 200 kits so we are saving them for individual sale and retrofitting. VIPER ELITE will be ready by September 1st.....so production has stayed on time.

Take care everyone.

Peter / CEO / Moto



let_it_be_known -> RE: Contactor/Solenoid Policy (7/23/2008 11:14:46 AM)

i agree with the policy. nothing wrong with that!



Texasmudslinger -> RE: Contactor/Solenoid Policy (7/24/2008 7:37:32 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: motoalliance

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Our tech, Kent, who also has his own shop has pictures of all the wiring diagrams at www.mettlers.biz, but it would be a very good thing to include with the winch purchase itself....if nothing else to have as a link.

Yes, the 5 ft chafe guard can be removed....will lose a bit of protection, but the line should hold up well with the SAMTHANE abrasion coating that makes AMSTEEL-BLUE what it is. KAWA650 is correct that it is not needed unless you have something sharp that you are worried about. By the way, we should have the new yellow color in within 10-14 days or so to match all those new Can-Ams and some other models.

Hope all is well. Bushing kits are officially in and will start being included in VIPER winches on August 20th. Until then, we only have 200 kits so we are saving them for individual sale and retrofitting. VIPER ELITE will be ready by September 1st.....so production has stayed on time.

Take care everyone.

Peter / CEO / Moto


I have the max 4500 will I need the upgrade???



biggbowls -> RE: Contactor/Solenoid Policy (7/24/2008 9:36:26 AM)

In all honesty, all winches are having the same problem as the Viper.  It seems to me that Viper is doing something to stand above the competition.  That said, I think it is honorable for Viper to put themselves in a position to help riders get back in the mud as quick as possible.  Like anything, there are going to be parasites that want free swag.  There aren't too many things you can do to deter cheaters but with Peter's policy it seems that for a nominal fee you can get your parts replaced and judgement passed on culpability later.  Let's be real, if the contactor costed Moto Alliance more than the fee thay are charging, they wouldn't be charging only $12.99.  It is a win win situation for all.



motoalliance -> RE: Contactor/Solenoid Policy (7/24/2008 10:07:37 AM)

BIGGBOWLS: That's great feedback...I appreciate it. The contactor issue is a tough one because electrical components do not mix well with mud, water, sand, and silt over time. Kent, our tech who did the bushing fix, is working on a contactor design that honestly could revolutionize this whole thing. I put his chances at success at 30-50%....maybe higher, he's awfully good. We should know more in about 6-9 months. If it works, it'll likely be something we would have to spend the money to patent. We'll see.

TEXASMUDSLINGER: No worries about your MX4500. There is no gap in the housing and spool in our MX3500-MX4500 series so you are good to go. The fix we offer is only for MX2000-MX3000 series. We have found out it also fills the gap and fits perfectly on smaller Venom winches. Kent is testing it for the gap on Ape winches and Xtreme winches next. We will offer it for free to all past VIPER riders plus a shipping charge. All other winches can get it for somewhere between $19.99-$24.99. We have them available now and they should be pictured on our website and on E-bay in 7-10 days.


Hope that helps.

Peter / Moto



LaGrizzly -> RE: Contactor/Solenoid Policy (7/24/2008 10:49:50 AM)

What will be the difference between the MAX and the ELITE?



Massmudman -> RE: Contactor/Solenoid Policy (7/24/2008 9:37:02 PM)

No way, the elite is a whole new breed and for those who don't care to spend the $$$ on a superior product, should be worth every penny! Talk about line  pull strength.



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