professor95 wrote:
curt12914 wrote:
I'm sure there are eceptions, but I had a problem with one of my EU2000i's in Richmond, VA, 700 miles from home. A trip to a local Honda dealer and my EU2000i was repaired.
Yes, there are exception. The Honda 1000 I mentioned earlier is at the same dealer awaiting parts. BTW - what did your Honda need to get it running again?
curt12914 wrote:
I'm sure there are Champion repair centers, but I don't know of any close to me.
How would you know of them? Are you expecting to see CHAMPION in big yellow letters across the front of the building? What you will find is a decal on the window that says "Authorized Champion Power Equipment Service" - most likely along with other stickers for Brigs & Stratton, etc. Champion goes to great lengths to establish these affiliations. Now that LOWE's and NAPA are also selling CPE equipment, their service centers also accept CPE equipment. Just make a call to CPE at the toll free number on the product, tell them you need a service center for your product and they will give you the name and address of those in your area. They will even call ahead for you and make sure the SC is prepared to accept your CPE product. BTW - I live in the Richmond area and there are four authorized service centers close by.
curt12914 wrote:
EDIT: These service centers must be a secret. I tried everything I could think of to find them in Champion's website and the only reference I could find to repair locations is in the warranty section.
I would think they would want to list their service locations, so customers could find an authorized repair location, when they have a problem.
Once again, all you need to do is call and ask toll free 24/7. CPE will first work with you to see if the problem can be corrected immediately. If not, they will send you to a service center. Not listing all the service centers and having someone automatically take a unit to them can save money for both the customer and company since so many problems can be remedied by just talking to a tech at Champion. BTW - Does Honda have a 24/7 Tech Support system that you can call at 3:00 a.m. Sunday morning if your generator conks out to help you find and correct the problem?
Honda has a great product in their generators and other small power equipment. No question about it. It is a huge company with many outlets. They are well respected leaders in the industry. But, prices are controlled by Honda and they will not allow a dealer to sell below a specific level. It is my belief that you pay for a lot more than you get, rather than the other way around.
When I had problems with one of my EU2000i's, the carb had loosened and ruined the spacer and gasket. They did not have one in stock, but they took the pars out of a (new),generator they had in stock, to get mine going.
Don't get me wrong. I have consistently defended Champion generators as a low cost alternative (to a Honda or Generator). I have a frind that has one (on my recommendation) that has good luck with it.
I try to call a spade a shovel. There are good points to the Champion (price, acceptable noise level, customer support, etc.), but there are also (what I feel are) some downfalls. I know their customer support is reported to be good, but I don't feel that I should have to trouble shoot the problem with a tech's assistance. You pay more for a Honda or Yamaha, but dealers (that stock parts and do service) are easy to find, even in a very rural area like where we live (four Honda dealers within 30 miles that I can think of off hand).
Getting back to the original topic, I just don't think saving a couple hundred dollars for a new Champion inverter generator (compared to a Honda or Yamaha) that is new and unproven is something I would be interested in.
The original Champion's could be often found in the $200 - $300 range, which is a substantial saving over the $1700 price tag of twin Honda's. I would be willing to take a chance at that price, but I don't have any interest in the inverter generators at their present price, at least not until they have been around a few years to find out their longevity and reputation.
