In response to several recent requests, we will provide some excellent alternatives to the parts that you could purchase and the service that you could receive from Shimadzu. Keep in mind that Shimadzu currently charges $160 per hour (US dollars) for all service work and that doesn't even include travel to your worksite which is also billed at $160/hr or fraction thereof. And don't forget to factor in the high cost of parts and supplies (if Shimadzu has them in stock). Perkin-Elmer is offering field repair service on all scientific instruments regardless of who the original manufacturer is. If you usually call Shimadzu..... scratch that and consider these worthy alternatives:

Bulb Direct, Inc.
Specialty bulbs for scientific instruments
1-800-772-5267
www.bulbdirect.com

Capitol Vacuum division
GC-MS vacuum pump spare parts & repair services
1-800-237-3933
www.capvac.com

Hi Scientific Services, Inc.
UV-VIS lamps (warranted for 1000 hrs - inquire how many hours Shimadzu warrants its lamps for?) for LC-6A, LC-7A & LC-10A HPLC detectors
1-800-344-4752
www.hi-scientific.com

Optimize Technologies
HPLC pump parts for LC-600, LC-6A, LC-8A, LC-9A & LC-10A series and ESA Model 580 pumps
1-800-669-9015
www.optimizetech.com

Perkin-Elmer Corporation
Providing professional field repair service for all scientific instruments irrespective of the original vendor name (at selected large facilities only)
1-800-762-8288
www.perkin-elmer.com

Scientific Instrument Services
Mass Spectrometer filament(s) and heater(s) repair
908-788-5550
www.sisweb.com

Selberg Instrument Service
LC-6A/B and LC-10A HPLC systems
816-224-2094

TC Scientific Services Ltd. (in the UK)
Shimadzu/Kratos surface analysis equipment repair
01925 231872 (telephone)
www.u-net.com/~tctech

Western Analytical Products, Inc.
UV-VIS lamps for LC-6A, LC-7A & LC-10A HPLC detectors
UV-VIS lamps for UV-160, UV-1201, UV-2100 & UV-3100 spectrophotometers
1-800-556-4017
www.westernanalytical.com

Service Companies
www.labx.com


We would welcome any suggestions from parts suppliers and service companies who cater to customers that have Shimadzu equipment. You don't need to purchase a costly Shimadzu service contract and you certainly don't need two additional years of Shimadzu's service protection. Chances are very good that if you have problems with any equipment, most of these problems will become apparent within the first couple of months of ownership (numerous independent reports support this theory). So don't let Shimadzu sell you two years of costly insurance (i.e. service protection) willy nilly. That's an awful price to pay for some piece of mind!

According to a report in Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine (2/96), "some 80% of service contracts, which guarantee repairs if a product breaks during a specific period of time, go UNUSED. They often duplicate the warranty. And if the company goes out of business, your contract may be worthless. Now you can add another shortcoming to the list: sometimes the service contract itself breaks down." Have you ever been charged for repairs while your Shimadzu product was still under warranty.... e-mail us!

Maintenance agreements and/or service contracts are "cash cows" for the organizations that offer them. In addition to high pressure sales techniques, some companies pray on your fears by trying to sell you (the customer) something that you may never need or use! Just request that Shimadzu provide a five (5) year warranty on the instrument that you might be considering for purchase. Please note that some of Shimadzu's competitors offer five year warranties gratis.... inquire why Shimadzu doesn't do the same?

How many times have you placed an order for replacement bulbs or thermal printer paper for your spectrophotometer, TOC analyzer or integrator only to learn that the requested items were on backorder because they were out of stock at Shimadzu.... e-mail us!