I had Miller waranty work done in Denver, I bought the welder from them,
I think I had 24 hour turn around. Lots of reasons possible for 7 day
turn around, ranging from somebody in the shop quit, understaffed, an
unusually large workload, you did not buy it from them, you are a small
customer, etc.

My position, for what it is worth, is that since you did not buy it from
them you have no right to complain. This may be a hidden downside of
buying off the internet. Obviously it is frustrating to have a new
piece of equipment break on the first day, so I have some sympathy.

One of the local RV dealers has a policy that they will not work on rigs
bought elsewhere anytime during the summer, so you might have to wait
months for service on a rig you bought out of state. During the winter
slow season, they will work on any rig, no matter who you bought it
from. That may seem like a hard policy, but they want to favor the
people who bought from them, and give those people good service, so it
kind of makes sense. Of course, I have no idea why your local Miller
shop quoted you a week turnaround.

Richard



me wrote:
Just wondering if this is a widespread issue or if I'm expecting too much...

I knew I shouldn't have done this, but I purchased a Miller welder online
after contacting the local Miller guys via Miller's website "Request a
Quote/Availability" page. Several days later, they hadn't responded and I
even received an automated email from Miller asking if I had received a
response yet. So, I purchased the unit online. The day after ordering it,
I finally received a response from the local guys.

Well, after less than 20 minutes of welding, the machine dies on me. There
is only one Miller authorized dealer/service shop in town, and one more 45
miles away (both branches of the same business). The one in town says it
will take at least a week to even look at it, and the one 45 miles out
says at least 2 weeks. The place I purchased it from says I could pay
shipping to return it, and after they determine the welder is faulty and
covered under warranty, they will send a replacement, with a turn-around
of about 2 weeks.

I know I should have bought it locally (although it would have been $300
more), and should have called rather than use the online
quote/availability request (smaller town which is still sorta stuck in the
dark ages), but what kind of warranty service is that?

I know the commercial customers who spend tens of thousands of dollars at
the local store will get preference, but dang, I expected a little better
service than "we'll get to it in a week or so."

I've never had to have a welder serviced under warranty before. Is it
common to take so long? I can understand how they would place me as a low
priority customer since I didn't purchase the welder from them, even
though I buy consumables from them, but it doesn't make me feel any better
knowing I will be without the welder for at least a week, and it just
doesn't seem right to me since it is warranty work.