Miller and their Warranty

[Too_Many_Tools]

Hi,

Being a recent proud owner of a 180SD, it occurred to me last week that there was no warranty card to send in for the welder.

So, how does Miller record and track a warranty for a new welder?

Do they require the purchase receipt (which I have) or is there a specific warranty card that one must have if in the future one needs to use the warranty?

Also, can one get an extention on a warranty to more than the usual period of three years?

Thanks

TMT

[2gofaster]

I was wondering the exact same thing.

[Justin00Stang]

I had a gas solenoid and regulator replaced on my 250 sync and never had to deal with either of those. Maybe they go by machine serial #.

[fun4now]

sereal #

the sereal number is dated by the first 2 letters so that must be it.

humm i think i got a chart somewhere if any 1 needs it. i know its in thes forem posted some where also a serch would probly turn it up

[titchener]

Lots of companies let you wing it ...

Regarding Miller specifically I'm not sure, but in my experience a lot of companies are pretty loose on their requirements for warranty service, and if your story sounds good they'll take it. There's no way they can track the warranty from the serial numbers since they don't know when each unit gets sold and how long it set on the shelf.

Paul T.

[GunLocators]

I did not have a warranty card either. I just recently bought a MM251 from the local Praxair and started having regulator problems. I called Miller Customer Service and gave them the serial number. No arguments or hassle and I have a new one on the way. A great bunch of folks to deal with it seems.





2gofaster are you thinking of purchasing a Miller or do you already have one. Noticed your from Midland too. If your in the market WestAir/Praxair on Flordia St. seemed to have the best deals in town.

[sparx]

warranty

If your supplier has done his/her job properly, you will have the serial number listed on your reciept. This is your warranty card. The three years starts on the date of purchase, not the date of manufacture, because as stated above, we don't know how long this piece of equipment has been sitting on the shelf.

[Miller Kevin]

Too_Many_Tools,

For proof of warranty all you need is your reciept from when you purchased your welder. You will only need this towards the end of the warranty period as we know by serial number how old a machine is.

The distributor should have recorded your date of purchase and serial number on your receipt for you (a sticker off the outside of the box works well for the serial number). Lacking the receipt we have little choice but to use the date the machine was sold to the distributor as a general guide for the date of sale to the customer.

As to your second question, we currently do not offer any kind of extended warranty.

Kevin

[ASKANDY]

Thanks Kevin!

a-

[Too_Many_Tools]

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for the information.

I suspected that was the case when I couldn't find the warranty card.

Since my dealer did not mention this fact, might I suggest that Miller mention that fact within the users manual....I did not see any comments in there about it.

Concerning extended warranties, why are they not available if the customer wanted one? When I was shopping for a TIG welder, if an extended warranty had been available I would now have a Dynasty 200DX instead of a 180SD and Miller would have had another thousand dollars of my money.

You might want to pass that fact on to marketing.

Hopefully there will be an extended warranty at a reasonable price will be available from Lincoln or Miller when I am buying an inverter in the future.

TMT

Too_Many_Tools,

For proof of warranty all you need is your reciept from when you purchased your welder. You will only need this towards the end of the warranty period as we know by serial number how old a machine is.

The distributor should have recorded your date of purchase and serial number on your receipt for you (a sticker off the outside of the box works well for the serial number). Lacking the receipt we have little choice but to use the date the machine was sold to the distributor as a general guide for the date of sale to the customer.

As to your second question, we currently do not offer any kind of extended warranty.

Kevin

[ASKANDY]

Good point.
I'll pass this on to the powers above!

Thanks

Andy

[Too_Many_Tools]

Good point.
I'll pass this on to the powers above!

Thanks

Andy

Hi Andy,


I was hoping someone would.

Like I said, the lack of an extended warranty caused me to buy the 180SD which I consider to be more mature technology. As we all know, inverter repair costs are very high after a warranty expires and I am unwilling to take that risk at this point of their evolution. If Miller inverters are really mature to the point where their failures are rare, an extended warranty would cost Miller little and would be an excellent marketing tool.

While you are passing information on to the powers above , please pass on this point. I am a long time Lincoln user. It is because of this message board that Miller provides and your interaction that this customer brought a Miller product. Anyone from Lincoln reading this should also mention this fact to their management. In today's world, if a company wants to maintain a customer base they need to support their product line. This message group is one EXCELLENT way to do just that. Please extend my thanks to whoever has gone to the trouble and effort to provide this service. I realize that in a company, setting up a service such as this is an uphill battle. Let whoever needs to know that it made a difference to this customer and how he spent his money.

Unfortunately Andy, I do have one problem yet....the blue 180SD clashes with all the red equipment I already had.

I guess I will have to go buy some more BLUE welders unless Miller starts offering Lincoln red paint as an accessory.

TMT

[ASKANDY]

TMT,

I appreciate your comments and I thank you for your honesty and your new business.

I can also understand your apprehension to the inverters however, our inverter technology in TIG machines has been in use since 1988. The biggest issue in the "old days" was getting component companies to make high power transistors to our specs. This is no longer an issue as the market for high power, high speed transistors is growing every day. I can assure you that our inverters go through the same accelerated life cycle testing and distructive testing that all our standard solid state machines do. The real ghost that I would be concerned with is the programming side of the micro-processors. They tend to need a massage or update once in a while when new products are released but even these are quickly found usually during field testing.

Thanks again and happy welding.

Andy

[fun4now]

i have to agree with Too_Many_Tools about the board making a difference in my purchesing. although i just started welding again after a lil over 20 years and having only O/A welded in the past this board has helped me out with many dicishions and i think it show's in my purchesing. if you want proff just look below

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[Blown S-10]

Hi Andy,



While you are passing information on to the powers above , please pass on this point. I am a long time Lincoln user. It is because of this message board that Miller provides and your interaction that this customer brought a Miller product. Anyone from Lincoln reading this should also mention this fact to their management. In today's world, if a company wants to maintain a customer base they need to support their product line. This message group is one EXCELLENT way to do just that. Please extend my thanks to whoever has gone to the trouble and effort to provide this service. I realize that in a company, setting up a service such as this is an uphill battle. Let whoever needs to know that it made a difference to this customer and how he spent his money.

well said. it is a FACT that this forum has boosted sales. i am evidence of that. and i am happy for it. welding is in my blood, just wish i had gotten into it sooner.

..............

one thing i like about these products. they are made for industrial use. so they need to be rugged & reliable. otherwise they wouldn't last long at all.
so when this type of equipment comes into my garage, it is allmost certain to last forever with the type of usage i will subject it to.
Millers reputation depends on it.

jess