Are your customers ordering the wrong compressors? Mattei Compressors stands behind every product it sells, but the question here is one that can save your customers a lot of time and money. Do they know their voltage?
This may sound simple, but in the United States it can become complicated, because the country has multiple voltage options, including 208, 230, 460, and occasionally 575.
Because many people assume that three-phase compressors only run on one voltage, they may be tempted to make a best guess when ordering. However, this could lead to serious and costly problems, as well as escalating customer service complaints, if your customer were to order and install the wrong voltage.
The best way to avoid this problem is to insist that the customer checks his phase-to-phase voltage before placing a compressor order with you. With basic electrical knowledge, the customer can do this using a volt meter to get a reading between two phases.
Be sure to probe in conversation with the customer to ensure that he or she is confident about the voltage. Politely insist that they perform a reading or consult an electrician if you sense any hesitation. Stress the unnecessary financial burden and time delay that could result from a careless mistake.
A customer who orders and installs the wrong voltage may not notice any problems right away. This is in part because the compressor has a motor tolerance of +/-10%, allowing it to perform at the wrong voltage, though not at peak efficiency. The unit will function, but for how long?
Installing a compressor with the wrong voltage will cause the amperage to be too high or too low, leading to premature wear on the components that can quickly burn out the motor. The bad news in this scenario is that damage or malfunction as a result of applying the wrong voltage to your compressor is not covered under warranty.
What happens if you ship a customer a compressor that has the wrong voltage for their facility? One option is to retrofit by purchasing and installing a transformer that will convert the voltage properly, but this is a completely avoidable expense.
In other cases, the customer will be dissatisfied to be saddled with freight shipping costs as well as the purchase price of a compressor with the correct voltage. As a distributor, you do not want to find yourself in possession of a used compressor that you need to move.
One more thing to remember is that the customer's cost is the same, no matter what voltage compressor you need to order. That makes it even more valuable for customers to know the proper voltage when initially placing an order.
Mattei Compressors is committed to helping you get customers the quality products they need the first time. Tell them to "get your last compressor first, from Mattei."
