When it comes to purchases, we usually get what we pay for. In other words, we often get what we deserve and our rewards are generally commensurate with our decisions, good or bad. It’s no different in buying a used or refurbished x-ray system.
Sometimes you don’t get what you deserve. Butch, the pants-kicking specialist who lived across the street from me, made sure of that. Once, I walked over and saw him drawing with crayons on the side of a cement stairwell that led into his house. He handed me a crayon and ran into his house and returned with his dad, who promptly hollered at me for something I didn’t do. As punishment, I had to scrub off all the crayon drawings. I didn’t deserve that.
The same is true of receiving rewards. Such as Grandma Wendler who paid me a very generous five dollars every week to move her trash can from her garage to the street – no more than 20 feet. I’m not sure I deserved that much since she wasn’t even my own grandma… she was Paul Wendler’s grandma! Paul was a great kid who used to make me laugh a lot, but obviously wasn’t very good at moving trash cans.
Anyway, one time we were out on a boat and he jumped off and made the goofiest swimming movements you could imagine. I thought I would die laughing until I realized that actually, he was drowning. So I reached down and pulled him out of the water. It was no big deal, but Grandma Wendler called me a hero and told me she wanted to give me something for saving the life of her grandson (she didn’t know I had been laughing). But I was thinking that if it’s five bucks for just trash duty then this is going to be a gigantic reward! But what Grandma Wendler gifted to me (I swear this is true) was a half-eaten tub of Cool Whip, and a plastic spoon to consume my reward. It was not what I expected, but after thinking about it, I knew it was probably all I really deserved.
That is what life is about. Sometimes you get what you deserve, sometimes you don’t.
And so it is with buying refurbished x-ray equipment. For instance, you may find the least expensive system on the internet and decide that it must be the best value. But then, when the system fails, you spend thousands of dollars in repairs, never mind the lost revenue for the down-time. You get what you pay for, and what you deserve. So how do you avoid poor purchase decisions? Do some research on the manufacturer. Read reviews about their products. Talk to your peers and ask them if they have purchased from this company before. Call the company and ask questions, as you may get a good feel for a company just by having a conversation.
And do not purchase on price alone. The prices for used and/or refurbished 9800 c-arms, for example, should be fairly close to one another, as long as you compare them appropriately for warranty, labor, delivery charges. If something seems too good to be true, then it usually is. It’s far better to pay a little more up front if you trust the source of the equipment. You deserve a system that works, and a company that will back up their product.
Used X-ray Equipment Purchase Recommendations
- Research the OEM of the equipment you are considering.
- Read reviews about the specific x-ray system. What is the reputation? What problems do other users have? What parts frequently break?
- Talk to your peers.
- Call the used x-ray system reseller. Ask questions. Feel them out for how well they support systems post-sale. What is their warranty?
- Consider all aspects of the system’s value:
Price, Warranty, Serviceability, Reliability, Quality
At EDI, we will give you what you deserve… because we care about customer satisfaction. We’ve been doing this for a very long time because we don’t ever let our customers down. As your imaging partner, we will provide you with the highest quality remanufacturing x-ray equipment and after-sale support in the marketplace. By doing our job well, we make your purchase decisions pay off.
Make EDI your decision… and you will be rewarded. We may not be heroes and we’re no good with crayons. But still… we’re wicked awesome at what we do.