Many people try to build their own tanning bed or booth, and most fail after spending a great deal of time and money. Building your own tanning bed sounds great on paper, but I will just start by saying that it never is cheaper than buying one if you have to buy all the parts. There *are* certain circumstances where building your own tanning bed, or rather UV box, makes sense, but not for getting a sun tan. I will cover these topics over several posts, so stay tuned. First I want to cover why you should give all hope of making your own tanning bed from scratch.
To begin with, you will always pay a premium for parts when you buy them individually. This is a handling issue. If I buy a ballast for $20, and the net price I sell it for when I put it in a tanning bed is $25-$30, then when I sell it as a stand alone product, it will sell for about $50 or more. Why? Handling and support. This is the same with car parts, or any "part" of a whole. When someone buys a single ballast, that usually means they are replacing one in an existing bed, which means having to figure out which one they need, explaining how to open the bed, replace the unit, etc. This takes time, and in business, time is money.
Also, the item has to be inventoried, which is another set of handling that is different from how it is managed for building a bed. Most companies use JIT inventory for manufacturing (Just In Time) so you get the parts on Wednesday that you will build out next week. Parts for replacement have to be stocked, sitting there, maybe for months. This is more expensive, as the money that bought the ballast to begin with had to come from SOMEWHERE, and banks charge interest for loaning money.
In short, single parts for a tanning bed cost a lot more money than assembled parts because it costs more to ship, handle, warehouse and support them. When you consider how many parts are in a tanning bed, this amount is usually more than the labor costs it takes to build a tanning bed, thus, if you bought individual parts, it would cost you MORE to build your own tanning bed than to just have bought the entire bed.
In an upcoming post, I will explain some of the ways you *can* build your own UV box for special applications such as UV curing finishes for violins, guitars, or other finishes.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Tanning bed warranties
Over the last several years, many manufacturers have radically changed the wording in their warranties, resulting in confusion about what the warranty means. I wanted to cover some of the basics with you, and explain what some of the terms really mean.
LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY
This does not mean forever. It means “what the manufacturer thinks the expected lifetime of the tanning bed should be”. This could be 2 years, or it could be 10 years. In short, it means nothing specifically and is legally vague.
WARRANTY ON WORKMANSHIP
Another confusing term. When was the last time your “workmanship” broke? You would expect it would mean that the bed is covered from defects from manufacturing, but the term doesn’t have clear legal meaning, so you must assume it has no meaning.
UNDER NORMAL USE
This is a little more forward, and has some legal meaning. The problem is “normal use” would be determined by a judge in a court of law if you and the manufacturer disagree as to the real meaning. It obviously excludes abuse or misuse. Misuse would mean using a home tanning bed in a commercial environment, or using the tanning bed for something besides tanning people.
PARTS WARRANTY
This covers the parts, but not the labor or shipping. Unless they specifically state that they pay shipping, you always do. Same for labor. The parts warranty is the real "meat" of the warranty: it is how long they will provide replacement parts.
PRORATED WARRANTY
This means the part is covered PARTIALLY. For instance, if the acrylic has a “prorated 1 year warranty”, and it proves defective after 6 months, you would be responsible for paying for 50% of the retail price of the acrylic, plus shipping. Prorated warranties are generally to cover “consumables” or parts they know will wear out over time, like the acrylic or hydraulic cylinders.
PARTS THAT PROVE DEFECTIVE
This means you don’t get the replacement parts until the manufacturer has established that the part is defective, and that it is not your fault for it being defective. Not all warranties have this term, and some companies don't rigidly enforce it, ie: they may not ask for the old part back, or they may send you a replacment part, but you leave a credit card number they can charge if you don't send the old part back, or if the old part you sent back wasn't defective.
REPLACE OR REPAIR, AT OUR OPTION
This means the manufacturer has the option to either fix the defective item, replace it with a new part, OR to replace it with another REBUILT or REFURBISHED item. This isn’t necessarily bad, but just know what you are getting before you buy. This is not the most common of terms for tanning beds, as most parts are not refurbished.
There are other terms you need to look at carefully (and beware of in some circumstances). The main goal is to fully understand before you buy, and really, look at any warranty with a skeptical eye. This would apply to more than tanning beds, of course.
The main terms to beware of are “limited lifetime” and “workmanship” without specifics to define what that means. Without additional info, these warranties have no real meaning, but sound really important. Focus instead on the “parts replacement” and “labor” sections of the warranty, which give you a real understanding of what is covered and what is not.
You will likely NOT be sending your tanning bed back for repairs, as the shipping costs are extremely expensive, so expect to supply your own labor. Also, tanning bed manufacturers do NOT have “local repair centers” simply because the industry is not large enough to support this. Usually, it requires an electrician or tech of some kind in a different field.
LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY
This does not mean forever. It means “what the manufacturer thinks the expected lifetime of the tanning bed should be”. This could be 2 years, or it could be 10 years. In short, it means nothing specifically and is legally vague.
WARRANTY ON WORKMANSHIP
Another confusing term. When was the last time your “workmanship” broke? You would expect it would mean that the bed is covered from defects from manufacturing, but the term doesn’t have clear legal meaning, so you must assume it has no meaning.
UNDER NORMAL USE
This is a little more forward, and has some legal meaning. The problem is “normal use” would be determined by a judge in a court of law if you and the manufacturer disagree as to the real meaning. It obviously excludes abuse or misuse. Misuse would mean using a home tanning bed in a commercial environment, or using the tanning bed for something besides tanning people.
PARTS WARRANTY
This covers the parts, but not the labor or shipping. Unless they specifically state that they pay shipping, you always do. Same for labor. The parts warranty is the real "meat" of the warranty: it is how long they will provide replacement parts.
PRORATED WARRANTY
This means the part is covered PARTIALLY. For instance, if the acrylic has a “prorated 1 year warranty”, and it proves defective after 6 months, you would be responsible for paying for 50% of the retail price of the acrylic, plus shipping. Prorated warranties are generally to cover “consumables” or parts they know will wear out over time, like the acrylic or hydraulic cylinders.
PARTS THAT PROVE DEFECTIVE
This means you don’t get the replacement parts until the manufacturer has established that the part is defective, and that it is not your fault for it being defective. Not all warranties have this term, and some companies don't rigidly enforce it, ie: they may not ask for the old part back, or they may send you a replacment part, but you leave a credit card number they can charge if you don't send the old part back, or if the old part you sent back wasn't defective.
REPLACE OR REPAIR, AT OUR OPTION
This means the manufacturer has the option to either fix the defective item, replace it with a new part, OR to replace it with another REBUILT or REFURBISHED item. This isn’t necessarily bad, but just know what you are getting before you buy. This is not the most common of terms for tanning beds, as most parts are not refurbished.
There are other terms you need to look at carefully (and beware of in some circumstances). The main goal is to fully understand before you buy, and really, look at any warranty with a skeptical eye. This would apply to more than tanning beds, of course.
The main terms to beware of are “limited lifetime” and “workmanship” without specifics to define what that means. Without additional info, these warranties have no real meaning, but sound really important. Focus instead on the “parts replacement” and “labor” sections of the warranty, which give you a real understanding of what is covered and what is not.
You will likely NOT be sending your tanning bed back for repairs, as the shipping costs are extremely expensive, so expect to supply your own labor. Also, tanning bed manufacturers do NOT have “local repair centers” simply because the industry is not large enough to support this. Usually, it requires an electrician or tech of some kind in a different field.
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