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Kudos to Laurel Vending!

G

Greg Pack

Wash Weenie
Just a quick post to give credit to a company that still does business the old fashioned way.

I'm not a huge fan of vending, for the amount of time, trouble, state sales tax and licenses, etc. It's just not my favorite "profit center" on the property. For that reason I have retained mechanical vendors at one site that are on a Coleman vending island. My can vendor had become unreliable and even with some tech support from Chip I was unable to get it working properly in the field. I sent the magazine and coin mech in for a refurb to Laurel vending. It was repaired and returned promptly.

I just opened my billing statement for this repair. Total repair charges,including parts and labor, to both the magazine assembly and coin mech was 11.60, and return shipping was 10.40 for a grand invoice total of 22.00. And no, they didn't have to have my credit card to ship it back. Even though I haven't done business with them for probably a decade they just sent me an invoice.

Contrast that with the 75.00 minimum many companies now charge to fix anything, even if it's just a fuse replacement.

I realize Laurel is not on the cutting edge of vending technology, but for many washes the mechanical vendors can be workhorses. With repair expenses so reasonable, I think I'll retain mine a bit longer.
 
That's good to know, hopefully it wasn't a mistake:) I will definitely send them mine in for repair the next time I have an issue I can't fix myself.
 
I have had the same great experience with Laurel. I wish they could convince the Little Tree company to upgrade their graphics though! I bought a new decal from KR to upgrade a 80's girl with big hair in a Corvette and they sent something that was only slightly better. So bad it was not worth changing out. The Little Tree company is "resting on their Laurels" (pun intended)!
 
In case you aren't familiar with the "big hair" girl:

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I've dealt with Laurel for over 20 years and their service has always been impeccable.
 
I'm spoiled. Pass by Laurel all the time. Typicaly they service stuff while we wait.

When we have ordered machines which are only sold thru distributers we ask that they not be shipped. We pick them up.

Something to be said for low tech and the good old days.
 
Nothing beats good, old fashioned customer service. Hard to find now a days. Years ago you could expect it from most companies. Now you are surprised when you get it.
 
Yes, RPH. I was so pleasantly surprised when I got that bill that I felt like saying something good about this "vendor vendor".

As mentioned earlier, I agree the little tree company could really update their graphics.
 
At the risk of going on a rant I feel that one of the biggest problems in our industry today is the lack of personal attention. Many manufacturers have cut back or eliminated field support of their distributors and customers. Many distributors have reduced their tech support in the field. Some have even reduced or want to charge for tech support on the phone or internet. And they all wonder why their business is down.

To be sure the economy and the weather hasn't helped any but I have always felt ours is a "belly to belly" industry that requires physical presence at a site or regular calls. Today companies think a post on Facebook or LinkedIn, mass emails or a contact us email address does the job. I wonder how they can resolve many of the cleaning issues or equipment problems operators face without visiting a site? Why would an operator buy from a manufacturer or distributor that keeps an arms length except when a purchase is being considered?

I could say more but I guess I have made my point.
 
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