Month: November 2016

How can an Altec Extended Warranty help your business?

Altec is a custom-built company; whether it’s custom-built equipment, financing or service options, Altec is committed to offering everything our customers need to be successful in their jobs.

To be successful, we know it’s important your equipment stays up and running. Altec is dedicated to designing and manufacturing quality, industry-leading products that offer solutions for any jobsite need. With hundreds of parts on a truck, there is always a possibility for component issues over the life of the equipment. The Altec Extended Warranty is an extension of Altec’s Limited Warranty and protects you from the repair costs associated with component failure after the standard Limited Warranty expires. The Altec Extended Warranty covers these potential issues for 5 years with a one-time, fixed amount.

The Altec Extended Warranty also helps you budget a fixed amount for repairs to your Altec equipment for a set period of time.

“In my opinion, it’s easier and more financially sound to make the commitment up-front and not worry about incurred costs down the road – some that could amount to $10,000 or more,” says Travis Bruner, Director Fleet Operations at Pike Electric.

David Gundlach, Fixed Asset Manager at MasTec, notes, “The major benefit for us is that it stabilizes cost. With the Altec Extended Warranty, we know what the expected costs are going to be versus having up-and-down, rollercoaster costs. This allows us to plan and budget around a flat line instead of planning against the unknown.”

With the Altec team fully behind your equipment, there are major benefits to the Altec Extended Warranty. Below are 10 reasons the Altec Extended Warranty can help your business:

 1. Peace of Mind

The Altec Extended Warranty gives customers peace of mind and protects a strained budget from unforeseen problems that can occur with a unit. By leveling costs with the Altec Extended Warranty, customers are less likely to exceed their budget because the costs are known upfront, minimizing risk.

 2. Reasonably Priced

Altec’s 5 year Extended Warranties are competitively priced, administered by the equipment manufacturer and the cost of one major unit repair could exceed the price of an Altec Extended Warranty.

 3. Travel Coverage Available

Altec offers travel coverage for a mobile service technician (MST) to go directly to the unit and make a repair. This eliminates unforeseen expenses and saves time for customers who typically have to travel long distances to have their units serviced. Altec has more than 300 MSTs that can travel to any location to make unit repairs. Travel coverage allows an MST to come directly to the customer’s unit, supporting them like they have their own personal mechanic in the field.

 4. Backed by the Manufacturer

Altec’s Extended Warranty is unique in the industry as it is managed and administered by Altec, as opposed to a 3rd party company that might not be familiar with the units they are covering. With the full support of Altec’s Service team (parts, shops, mobile, technical support and technical training), we know these units better than anyone in the industry and can get customers back up and going without delay.

 5. Variety of Coverage Packages

Altec offers various coverage options because we know each customer has different needs and resources. An Altec Extended Warranty can encompass travel, labor, material and expenses and each customer can customize a plan to fit their needs. For example, customers who prefer mo-bile support might choose a package with travel coverage. Altec works with customers to find the best Extended Warranty plan to optimize the investment.

 6. Comprehensive Coverage

Altec’s Extended Warranty remains consistent over the life of the contract. Items such as hy-draulic cylinders, valves, gearboxes and even electronic driver boards are covered throughout the term of the warranty.

 7. No Deductibles

Altec’s Extended Warranty Plan does not have a deductible. At Altec, we’ll make it right for you without additional “hidden” charges.

 8. Ease of Use

When work is performed through Altec Service, all it takes is a call and we take it from there. When customers purchase an Extended Warranty, it is noted on their contract and Altec handles all of the necessary paperwork.

 9. No PTO Hour Limits

The Altec Extended Warranty is calendar based and does not have usage limitations. PTO hours are not a factor with Altec’s Extended Warranty; regardless of usage, Altec will cover the unit and installed equipment for 5 years.

10. Additional Service Options

In addition to Extended Warranty, Altec has Service contracts available that cover preventative maintenance, annual inspection and dielectric testing. These additional options further aide customers as they determine the long-term cost of equipment ownership and also helps ensure the equipment is regularly serviced. Also, Altec can identify available chassis extended warranties, help with the selection process and obtain a chassis extended warranty on the customer’s behalf, resulting in full asset coverage.

Call 1-877-GO-ALTEC or submit the following form to request additional information.

Extended Warranty Request

On Saturday, October 8, 2016, as Hurricane Matthew was passing through the Carolinas, storm recovery was taking place in Florida and Georgia. To support the crews working in the field, Altec Supply Account Managers Mitchell Vinson and Jason Sellers loaded the Altec storm support trailer with supplies leaving Birmingham, Alabama for Statesboro, Georgia.

Shortly after crossing the Georgia state line, the truck’s dash lights began flashing. The truck lost horsepower just as Mitchell was able to exit in Bremen, Georgia, to pull into an Exxon gas station. While at the gas station, Mitchell and Jason began calling local services in the area for help. Being 5:00 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon, Mitchell and Jason could not locate any assistance. As a last effort, Mitchell reached out to Brent Bridier at the Altec Alabama Service Center to ask if he knew of anyone that could assist them. Brent passed along Altec Mobile Service Technician (MST), George Harvey’s name and phone number.

Mitchell reached out to George and described why he was passing through Georgia and the problems they had encountered. Because George does not specialize in chassis repair, he connected with Ryan Corn, another MST who had previous experience servicing chassis for transmission trucks. While working over the phone, it was determined the truck had a bad fuel filter. George told Mitchell he would pick up a filter and be at their location within 15 minutes.

When George arrived, the truck would not start, so he proceeded to take off the fender cover to replace the fuel filter. After installing the new fuel filter, George asked Mitchell to get the truck up to cruising speed on the interstate to ensure everything was okay. “George followed us for roughly 30 miles, talking with me on the phone just to ensure everything was okay,” says Mitchell. George also gave Mitchell the phone numbers of two other Altec MSTs, Danny Pincus and Bob Wells, and called the guys to let them know that Mitchell was in route to Statesboro with potential vehicle trouble. Mitchell said George called several times late into the evening just to make sure there were no other issues with the truck.

Mitchell went on to describe George as being friendly, knowledgeable and excited to be able to assist them. “George made this trip a success!”

Meet George Harvey

George Harvey has been with Altec as a mobile service technician for more than 20 years. He begins each day checking his schedule for conference calls and meetings and then sets his goals for the day. This includes making contact with each customer for the day to advise them of his service plan and to verify the location and time for when he should be there to do repairs. A typical MST’s day may include picking up parts, shipping warranty parts back, updating service requests, ordering parts, filling out preventative inspection paperwork, conducting dielectric tests, and more.

George says what he loves most about his job is being able to provide complete customer satisfaction through his service. “With the strong relationships I’ve built with my customers, they have full confidence in me that I will get their unit repaired quickly; it means a lot to me that my customers are driving in a safe and well serviced truck to get home to their families every night.”

Another memorable storm situation for George was Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. He was called to help service a unit for Tombigbee EMC in Pearlington, MS and met a family with four young kids who were sleeping on the ground because their house had been torn in half from the storm. George was able to service Tombigbee’s unit which was then hooked up to a donated camper for the kids to sleep in. “I’ll never forget the looks on the little girls’ faces and the tears in the crews’ eyes when they saw their smiles. No words can ever explain what I felt that day, but it’s why I love doing my job.”

When asked how the MST program helps customers, George responded, “MSTs are the face of Altec to the customer: helping them understand how the equipment operates, making repairs or just answering question about the units. Even if the unit is not an Altec, we still try our best to help. At the end of the day, it’s not about another job or customer, it’s about the relationship, friendship and letting the customer know we stand behind the equipment we provide.”

George Harvey lives in Villa Rica, GA with his wife Lisa and enjoys spending time with his seven grandchildren. He noted it was a pleasure getting to help someone from the Altec team and was more than willing to assist in the time of need. “I went there not knowing what was going to happen with the truck, but it didn’t matter; I knew I had to get the truck back on the road so Mitchell and Jason could help those affected by the storm.”

Altec is so thankful for George’s dedication to the customer and Team Altec. George is a great example of the value our MSTs provide in servicing Altec equipment every day.