The cost of doing business is always (one way or another) passed down to the 
consumer.  Whether it is a specific itemized charge, like bare board test, or
rolled into the price, the consumer pays.  The consumer has the reponsibility to
determine the value they are receiving for the price paid.  The OEM is offered
the choice of paying for electrical test or not, in a sense, getting more value
in the product.  The fabricator has an obligation to replace defective product
but not the cost of consequential damages of the OEM unless this is specified
in the purchase order or contract.  It amazes me that OEMs feel that they can
pay the lowest price for PWBs and also get a warranty that includes 
consequential damages.  I know as a consumer of many things when a warranty is
offerred, consequential damage as a result of using the product are always
specifically excluded.  Why do the OEMs (many of which probably offer warranties
 on their own products which exclude consequential damages) think they are
special in this regard when buying bare boards?  If you want that kind of 
protection you have to be willing to pay for it.

Oh, by the way, I'm an OEM not a fabricator.  This is my opinion, not
necessarily my employer's.

Jeff
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>From [log in to unmask] Mon Oct 21 08:31 EDT 1996
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Subject: Re: seek for powerful strike on customers who don't reason!
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     It always amazes me how PCB Fabricators expect OEM's to be 
     responsible for testing a board to prove the Fabricator has 
     done his job. Why doesn't the Fabricator test the board to 
     insure he has done his job properly? Why is this cost always 
     passed down to the OEM? 
     


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: seek for powerful strike on customers who don't reason!
Author:  [log in to unmask] at Internet
Date:    10/19/96 4:13 PM


     
Hi!  This is JH.
     
 I read the article "Ownership of Liability for Board Defects before and
After Assmbly" on October issue of CircuitTree.  My customer is asking me to 
pay for  the components ,assembly labor, etc. loaded on the defected boards.
 The board is $9.00 that I charged him.  In return he wants me to pay $30.00
per board!  He is holding the payment for other invoices (totalled more than 
$10k), which has nothing to with this order.  The electrical test was not 
requested.  The customer took his own risk to load the components without 
having inspection.  I am willing to replace the bad boards but not willing to 
pay for the cost that I have no way to control.  
     
My intention here is to seek for a knowledgeable attorney who has experence 
in this area to punish this kind of customer(s) who don't care what you think 
or what you say!   In the article, it mentioned "tested many times in court."
  Do you have any case numbers and documents available?  Those can be very
helpful if  they are presented to the judge or attorneys who also needs to be 
"educated" .  
     
     
     
     
     
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