Quote:
Originally Posted by Civicsman
Along with other reasons (selling price, limited functionality, seasonal usage, etc.) the two sentences above succinctly describe why Segway is not truly successful. ("survival" is not "success")
1. Ideally, the unit should never have to be returned to the factory. Diagnostics should be performed at the dealer, with an internet connection from the machine to the factory, if needed. Dealers should be able to diagnose almost any issue, within a couple of days. Why does my washing machine have the ability to communicate diagnostic information on the internet, while Segs do not?
For customers without a nearby dealer, it would be a huge advantage if owners could communicate such information directly to Segway. Once diagnosed, repair kits could be sent to dealers, minimizing downtime for the customer. Customers might even have direct access to limited types of repair kits.
2. Repair kits, with specific hardware for given error codes, should be dispatched from the factory by overnight courier. For difficult diagnostic issues, there could even be an option to get a rebuilt and tested base.
3. In the unusual case where field diagnosis is not successful, Segway should make it very easy for an owner to ship the base (without wheels or batteries) back to the factory.
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As a guy who fixes things for a living, I think I may have a different perspective than that explained above.
It does sound nice. I like the idea expressed, and if the world worked that way, it would be an easier place to live and work. But the world does not really work like that.
First off, that presumes a technical know how that simply is not that common. It may seem common to civicsman, or even some of us on this forum, because places like this appeal to technical folks, but the vast majority of consumers are just not that technically adept.
Next, it presumes that diagnostics are absolute. If a segway breaks, when it was not supposed to break, what makes you think it will break in a way that it knows how it broke? Diagnostic codes are fine and helpful, and they are surely where a technician starts, but none worth their name would end there...
Let's take a very simple code that says the rear battery is dead or not charged. What does this mean? Is it a problem with the battery not taking a charge? Maybe it means the charger is not working right? Maybe the battery is loose? Maybe some of each? Maybe the voltage sensing capacity of the board that decided the code was faulty, and there is no problem at all with the battery or charger? I could go on, for a long time.
My wife could not change a bulb in the car, or find the oil dip stick much less change the oil in her car. She is smart enough to learn these things, but has no desire to learn them. That is fine, because I cannot prepare a real estate sales package to be ready and acceptable to the title insurance company, the mortgage holder, the mortgagee, the registrar of deeds and a dozen other folks I do not know exist, and she can. I could not prepare a case for trial, including discovery, and she can.
This is not exactly about skill sets, but in some ways the plan identified by civicsman would require a particular skill set that he may have, and some of us may have, but surely others would not. It would be very expensive, and there would not necessarily be any pay back at all. It would of course, drive the price of segways up.
For that matter, while I agree it is a good plan, I wonder if there is any other product on the market that has that plan for service?
There are elements that I recognize, but I cannot think of any product that is doing what he says. Some computer products come to mind, like laptop computers, but they are really not in the same category, as if they break after an attempted repair, it is pretty unlikely you would fall on your face in a busy street, yet with a segway, a serious failure could lead to that...
So, I do applaud the idea. I hope someone can fill me in with some significant product that has a service plan like it. I just do not see it as practical from a manufacturer's perspective.