Technical hotlines

Motor,  Oct 2002  

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Many companies sponsor technical hotlines for professional mechanics. They vary in usefulness and scope from directions on how to install a particular company's products to sophisticated diagnostic aid to help you track down difficult driveability problems. Some are free. Others charge literally by the minute; this is especially true for diagnostic help.

With free hotlines, all you risk is a phone call. Most are limited to customers who use that company's product and have a problem with it. For example, you install a rebuilt alternator and it doesn't seem to work. The rebuilder's hotline will help you troubleshoot the electrical connections.

It's a win-win proposition. The rebuilder avoids a comeback and you avoid the hassle of tying up a customer's car while exchanging a unit that may be good. Some free hotlines are more liberal and will try to help you solve a problem with any brand of the products they sell.

Paid hotlines work in one of two ways. Some are simply 900 numbers that charge by the minute. The fee is applied to your phone bill. Others are subscription services with a prepaid fee that entitles you to so many minutes of diagnosis. When you use up your credits, you have to buy more.

It may take a few calls to a diagnostic hotline to build up a rapport with the diagnosticians, and to figure out the most efficient way to use the service. In fact, you should ask the service up front about the best way to use it and what information you should have on hand when you call, since the meter is running. Technicians who've learned how to use them wisely say that paid hotlines can eliminate hours of fruitless troubleshooting and costly comebacks.

Before subscribing to a paid hotline, get the names of some customers. Ask these subscribers what they like or dislike about the service.

The information below was gathered from the hotline suppliers themselves. However, keep in mind that changes will occur as companies adjust their programs.

Copyright Hearst Business Publishing Oct 2002
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved