cypress maintenance costs

[greybeard 0]

Looking for reasonable justification of four year maintenance costs from cypress.

Beyond the obvious 'what is your live worth' pat answer, I wonder why I'm being charged $119 for inspection and no problems found.

Any ideas?

[livendive 8]

Whether they find anything wrong or not, they still incur costs in the equipment and labor that go into those inspections. I feel your pain, I'm over a grand into inspections/batteries so far this year with exactly one weekend of jumping under my belt, and I have another unit sitting on my desk at home waiting for a second to send in with it (to reduce shipping costs).

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[Samurai136 0]

Quote

Looking for reasonable justification of four year maintenance costs from cypress.

Beyond the obvious 'what is your live worth' pat answer, I wonder why I'm being charged $119 for inspection and no problems found.

Any ideas?

http://www.cypres.cc/Sites/englisch/Frameset_engl_MY_CYPRES.htm

Quote

In detail, what is performed on the maintenance?
1. When we receive a unit for its maintenance, its details are first recorded in our data base. All relevant data - such as serial number, current owner, reason for returning, etc. - is entered. With all units, the complete history is stored in this data base.

2. All cables are visually and electrically inspected for wear or damage. The next step is to open the casing. From here the unit runs through the individual stations.

3. The plastic processing unit case is split apart and the internal metallic electromagnetic shielding unsoldered and removed.

4. If updates (technical improvements) are applicable on the unit, they are automatically performed. Every unit is subjected to extreme heat and cold conditions in climatic chambers.

5. During this, all functions and power consumptions are tested and measured under all possible conditions. A great number of simulated test flights are performed, where the unit must NOT activate. Also, the unit is subjected to simulated conditions which cause it to activate, thus testing the activation programming and data (electronic cycle, precise duration and magnitude of activation impulse).

6. The technical data is compared with that from the original production phase. Any deviations or discrepancies are analysed and appropriate action taken.
Additionally, the data is compared with data from other units from the same manufacturing period. This is the reason why we request the CYPRES units to be returned for maintenance at the due date -plus or minus the leeway of 3 months

7. The cutters are also comprehensively checked - both visually and electronically. The plastic slip which the loop is routed through is checked under the microscope.

8. Once the unit goes through all tests successfully, it is re-assembled. When this is done, the unit goes through the testing procedure again to ensure that the rebuilding of the unit has had no influence on the unit’s function.

$120 seems like a reasonable cost for this service. YMMV.

"Buttons aren't toys." - Trillian
Ken

[greybeard 0]

Excellent detail, thanks Ken, Samurai136.

But still, understanding that cypress is concerned with the integrity of their product, why must the cost of their cya be passed to the purchaser of their product?

This practice is not, in my line of business, marketable.

Wish it were, it's sweet, but I will shop more extensively for my next AAD.

[cocheese 0]

This device has to NOT activate 99.99% of the time it is on. It has to activate at the exact altitude in a split second when needed.

Consider the cost as a tune up for when you fuck up.

I bet there isn't one person who has fired one that would complain about the cost of maintenance.

[ryoder 1,590]

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I bet there isn't one person who has fired one that would complain about the cost of maintenance.

Especially when you compare it to the cost of maintaining many women!

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[PhreeZone 20]

Talk to Vigil about how they plan to address the latest notice from the French Parachute Federation. Use that answer to figure out if maintence schedules and cost are a good thing or a bad thing.

One other thing is that if its a Cypres2 they are tossing in a new battery for free too.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[iluvtofly 0]

Quite frankly I'm willing to pay that money to a company who cares about its customers lives. As said earlier, Vigil has a problem and isn't doing a damn thing about it. Meanwhile cypres just had a recall (that they probably could've justified not doing) and they are not only paying shippping but also an extra $70 to the owner of the cypres as a way of saying sorry for the inconvenience. Now that's a company that I will buy something from because they truly care. They realize there's no point in making something that doesn't work because in the long run that will mean less customers for them (ie...their cutomers die).

[Remster 30]

We charge our costomer +- 10% of the price of the product they purchased initially, for maintenance, every year.

Remster

[greybeard 0]

Remi,

You just reminded me that my product had a calculated cost of warranty built into the initial price.

I assumed the same of Cypress. Perhaps market competition forced a different approach.

Oh well, wanna play, gotta pay.