gordopost
Active member
Bendpak Double wide Suspension Parking Lift PL-6KDT
I know lots of people love Bendpak, but I don't anymore. I ordered a new product from them; a double wide suspension parking lift. The quality and workmanship appear to be great, which would be in keeping with a lift that costs $13,000. But we could not wire up the controls with the motor pump unit as delivered. I spent four days and an additional $950 before we uncovered the problem; and only after a two hour conference call between my electricians (yes two!) and one of their engineers.
As it turned out, the control pod pigtail leads did not have the correct number of wires. Whether Bendpak sent the wrong motor pump unit, or it a was mistake made by their vendor; I do not know. The kit was also missing both control valve solenoids, and another trim piece which might lead one to suspect a packing error regarding the motor/pump. What I do know is we were required to modify the internals of the electrical control box by opening the box and splicing in two additional wires to the transformer - rectifier unit internal wiring. This is NOT normal.
If Bendpak had supplied written electrical instructions of any kind; or better yet provided assembly photos of the parts; we would have immediately understood we had the wrong part. I'm confident Bendpak would have immediately sent the correct parts. But their wiring guidance is limited to an electrical schematic; mind you not a wiring diagram, but a schematic. And Bendpak kept insisting my electricians can't read the schematics. Even the installers, who sometimes do simple wiring were perplexed by the lack of any written instructions.
Consequently, a two day project turned into a week long effort which cost me at least triple the amount for electrical hookups. I even hired a second licensed electrician after the first said it lacked the correct number of wires to function as delivered (he was right). In addition, the installers were forced to reschedule an additional day raising costs another $300. All told my added out of pocket were more than $900. This is on top of the initial $1700 basic install quote.
First of all, I want Bendpak first to admit they sent the wrong part, and second to compensate me for the time and labor of my electricians. Their response? It was your fault because your electricians were too stupid to read a schematic. Even though their own engineer finally agreed we would have to rewire the module, guided us through the rewiring workaround to modify the equipment.
I've attached pics showing the 'extra' wires we added after a two hour conference call with their electrical engineer. Of course if you have a friend or close relative who's an EE, then by all means get this lift; but otherwise don't expect much help if you run into a similar problem. Apparently the customer is always wrong when it comes to electrical hookups.
The lift is up running now, and its a great piece of engineering. However, I am totally frustrated by this company's lack of business ethics. Their self serving denial of a simple mistake and failure to make things right, even when their own engineer admits the problem was on the supplier side, is unethical. To go the extra mile and blame the end user, is inexcusable. Bendpak is on my **** list.
I know lots of people love Bendpak, but I don't anymore. I ordered a new product from them; a double wide suspension parking lift. The quality and workmanship appear to be great, which would be in keeping with a lift that costs $13,000. But we could not wire up the controls with the motor pump unit as delivered. I spent four days and an additional $950 before we uncovered the problem; and only after a two hour conference call between my electricians (yes two!) and one of their engineers.
As it turned out, the control pod pigtail leads did not have the correct number of wires. Whether Bendpak sent the wrong motor pump unit, or it a was mistake made by their vendor; I do not know. The kit was also missing both control valve solenoids, and another trim piece which might lead one to suspect a packing error regarding the motor/pump. What I do know is we were required to modify the internals of the electrical control box by opening the box and splicing in two additional wires to the transformer - rectifier unit internal wiring. This is NOT normal.
If Bendpak had supplied written electrical instructions of any kind; or better yet provided assembly photos of the parts; we would have immediately understood we had the wrong part. I'm confident Bendpak would have immediately sent the correct parts. But their wiring guidance is limited to an electrical schematic; mind you not a wiring diagram, but a schematic. And Bendpak kept insisting my electricians can't read the schematics. Even the installers, who sometimes do simple wiring were perplexed by the lack of any written instructions.
Consequently, a two day project turned into a week long effort which cost me at least triple the amount for electrical hookups. I even hired a second licensed electrician after the first said it lacked the correct number of wires to function as delivered (he was right). In addition, the installers were forced to reschedule an additional day raising costs another $300. All told my added out of pocket were more than $900. This is on top of the initial $1700 basic install quote.
First of all, I want Bendpak first to admit they sent the wrong part, and second to compensate me for the time and labor of my electricians. Their response? It was your fault because your electricians were too stupid to read a schematic. Even though their own engineer finally agreed we would have to rewire the module, guided us through the rewiring workaround to modify the equipment.
I've attached pics showing the 'extra' wires we added after a two hour conference call with their electrical engineer. Of course if you have a friend or close relative who's an EE, then by all means get this lift; but otherwise don't expect much help if you run into a similar problem. Apparently the customer is always wrong when it comes to electrical hookups.
The lift is up running now, and its a great piece of engineering. However, I am totally frustrated by this company's lack of business ethics. Their self serving denial of a simple mistake and failure to make things right, even when their own engineer admits the problem was on the supplier side, is unethical. To go the extra mile and blame the end user, is inexcusable. Bendpak is on my **** list.
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