Service support pitfalls and knowing who you can trust

Once again we need to highlight the potential risks involved when dealing with unauthorised maintenance service providers who have been canvassing fleet operators using Merridale pumps and fuel management equipment.

Below are some examples that have been brought to our attention recently. Our concern of course is that these maybe just the tip of the iceberg and there could be many other cases where performance has been compromised by poor service support.

If you have any doubts about the credentials of your service support provider or the advice that you are getting concerning upgrades to your Merridale equipment, please do not hesitate to contact our service department. Tel: +44 (0)1902 350 701

Fraudulent replacement parts
A customer was sold a ‘new’ processor board for £1600 by an unauthorised service support vendor.  After approaching Merridale for technical advice, it was discovered that the customer had been supplied with an obsolete board, which was already ten years old.  A new board purchased directly from Merridale and to the latest build standard would have been considerably cheaper.

Needless to say the evidence enabled the customer to obtain a refund and Merridale then proceeded with a fully qualified review of the customer’s operational requirement.  This has led to a updated hardware and the implementation of an enhanced system using web based reporting.

Counterfeit parts
In this case a Merridale commercial pump was fitted with a counterfeit meter. Although this component was claimed to be equivalent to the original equipment, its performance was noticeably below standard. This was brought to our attention because the customer complained to Merridale.  Needless to say, this customer has now registered with Merridale for on-going service support. 

Misinformation
There is a ‘chancer’ out there who is selling upgrades by misleading the ‘sales prospect’ into believing that the existing Merridale installation is obsolete and no longer supported. 

After a brief investigation the problem - a communications failure, was traced to the user’s  office computer!  Having been re-assured, this customer has also recognised the benefits provided by signing up to a Merridale after care service arrangement.

Full life support
Merridale equipment is designed to support reverse compatibility and all equipment currently in service is fully supported and can be upgraded if necessary to meet new operational requirements. Indeed there are many Merridale customer installations still operational with between ten to twenty years’ reliable service life.  The company also prides itself on its customer loyalty which is second to none in the fuel management sector.

Warning re CE certification
Please note that should you permit the use of substitute components, you risk invalidating the compliance that the equipment has with any EU Directives, and that you will be liable for any health and safety hazard that you may be creating as a result.

If you want to use substitute parts you should at very least perform a risk assessment on the changes that you are making, given the differences in specification and performance between the old and the new part. If you don’t know what those differences are then you aren’t qualified to do the risk assessment.  And just because someone tells you that the specification/performance of the new part is the same as the old, doesn’t make it so. So do you really want to take the risk?!

You can trust Merridale.

• Merridale direct and Merridale authorised agents are trained on the product to ensure a correct diagnosis and a first time fix basis.
• Only original equipment and genuine Merridale approved spares are used to ensure repairs are completed quickly.