FAQs

A common perception is that OEMs will not prioritize time and materials service calls, but there is no empirical evidence that response time suffers for time and materials customers. OEMs are highly motivated to respond to all service calls because they know poor service hurts future capital equipment sales. Most OEMs are customer service-orientated and will respond to all their customers, regardless of how they pay, based on the service need (is the equipment operating fully, partially, or not at all?). 

OEM salespeople commonly confuse upgrades and updates when discussing contract benefits. Software updates are modifications or corrections to existing software (aka bug fixes). The OEM provides them voluntarily, or the FDA mandates them if the bug impacts patient or consumer safety. Valid software upgrades are actual replacements of the existing software with newer versions. Upgrades typically have an additional cost, either itemized or bundled. If the contract offers actual software upgrades, we’ll help you evaluate its value and make an informed decision.

The quality of the service always depends on the service vendors you select to service your equipment and the replacement parts such vendors install. If an independent service organization is utilized to perform service on covered equipment, we will work with you to verify that the provider is qualified to provide service on the subject equipment and that any parts they source and install met or exceed OEM specifications. 

Yes! If your in-house technicians are qualified to perform service on equipment covered by Budget Guard, you can submit a service report for their labor and the cost of any parts that they replace, subject to the terms and conditions of the policy. The covered portion is applied to the aggregate deductible.

A copy of the service vendor’s field service report and related invoice. For service performed on covered equipment by your in-house technicians, a work order generated by your internal maintenance management software or a manual work order with necessary details is acceptable. We’ll assist you with developing an acceptable report.

Yes! In-house service departments have three core duties: equipment maintenance, technology management, and regulatory compliance. However, they can only service some equipment directly due to resource constraints. When outsourcing your service department, you may face a similar situation where the outsourcing company contracts with third-party service providers and passes on the cost of those expensive service contracts to you. Budget Guard solves this problem by focusing on the equipment your provider cannot service directly. We collaborate with them on service delivery and share data to create a seamless and comprehensive program that works in your best interest, helping you save money and time.

Yes! Budget Guard covers both PM and repairs, as specified in the policy. We match the PM frequencies in your current service contracts and utilize the known OEM specifications if the contract does not specify PM intervals. We can adjust PM intervals for specific equipment if your organization uses an approved Alternative Equipment Maintenance (AEM) program.

Field service reports and invoices are submitted within 90 days of the service event per the terms and conditions of the policy. We’ll work with you to develop an internal process to ensure these documents are collected and appropriately routed.

You only contact us when the service vendor estimates the service cost will exceed your policy’s large loss notification amount. However, if the equipment has critical service coverage, you may have the service vendor proceed without contacting us. You identify equipment that requires critical service coverage during the program development phase.

Each time a covered service event is processed, the approved amount exhausts the aggregate deductible. Suppose the total approved amounts exceed the aggregate deductible. In that case, you are reimbursed the excess amount per the terms and conditions of the policy, thereby capping your maintenance costs and protecting your initial savings.

If your long-term goal is to self-insure your equipment management program, we will collaborate with you to create a plan to shift from traditional service contracts to Budget Guard and ultimately to self-insurance within a reasonable time frame. Sharing all equipment service data with you presents an opportunity for you to accumulate comprehensive time-and-materials service data while taking advantage of the budget protection and savings generated by Budget Guard.

Yes! Our physical inventory, data verification, data mapping, database cleansing, and in-house service management consulting may be purchased stand-alone and not tied to the equipment maintenance insurance program.

Yes! Your in-house team can utilize our cloud-based software, tools, and project management expertise to perform the physical portion of the inventory. This is a cost-effective and efficient way to get the job done because your team knows your environment and your internal department personnel very well. This is especially effective for organizations that want to limit the number of visitors to its facilities.