We want to run something by the readers of IT.com and get your ideas. We find ourselves faced with an interesting situation, and an opportunity to turn a potentially ugly moment into a net gain for everyone.
Part I:
Isaac users are crashing hard, delighted that the product kept them out of the hospital (or worse) and then sending their systems back for evaluation, asking if they can be used again. Here is an example...
"Enclosed are my Isaac’s cylinders for your review. I was involved in a hard frontal crash at [the track] during the [Club] race weekend. Another car crashed in front of me and I had no choice but to go off in the middle of [the turn] or hit the car directly in the driver’s side door. I hit the inside jersey barrier after [the turn] at about 70 mph (an estimate) about 20 degrees off center of the left (drivers side). The car is destroyed.
I spoke with someone at length regarding my experience which resulted in only some minor soreness in the muscles of my neck and shoulders. I am recommending your devices to anyone who asks.
As we discussed, please take a look at the devices to assure that they are functional and not deformed..."
(This poor guy had just sold the car for major five figures and decided to take it out for one last spin.)
This has been happening a lot lately. Another Isaac user was airlifted to the hospital (no head or neck injuries) and another let us know that, after a major lateral blast, he was building a replacement, duplicate car and after several months had moved 17 parts from the old car to the new one. Both of these guys wanted to know if their Isaac systems could be used again.
Hold that thought...
Part II:
The vast majority of our customers are amateur racers, as it the case with all H&N restraint manufacturers. As such, cars are not equipped with crash data recorders or other expensive technologies to document their shunts, so we have no idea what happened when they demolish everything but themselves. However, most have good recollections of the event, every now and then a camera shows up, and once in a great while someone has a data acquisition system such as a DL-1 or CDS which proves to be very valuable.
Hold that thought…
Where we are on Part I:
The only way we can determine whether a "used" Isaac system can be reused is by spending more for the analysis that it costs to build a new one. It is just not practical. Our policy is that the product must be replaced in the event of severe use. (Hey, it’s cheaper than a funeral.)
Where we are on Part II:
The best manner in which to evaluate a product and improve it is to determine how it functions in an extreme environment. In our crash test samples we have Isaac systems that have experienced half-ton loads in the blink of an eye, but they appear identical to unused systems. However, there is no real data from the field--beyond anecdotal things like, "Hey ya’ll, watch this!" In short, we know the product works very well, but it has been difficult to build a database of practical applications.
If someone returns an Isaac system for evaluation there is not a snowball’s chance on a Florida beach in August that we can return it without having spent a small fortune on analysis. Knowing that we can’t just keep it and say, "Sorry dude, you gotta buy a new one," without being labeled opportunistic, selfish, capitalist ba$stards, some kind of consideration to the owner is called for.
So here’s the idea:
If a customer blows up everything but themselves and sends their Isaac back for evaluation, they receive a 50% discount on a new system if they provide us with a full report of the crash incident. If they do that plus provide either video or CDR data, they receive a 75% discount. If they provide a report and provide both video and CDR data, they receive a 100% discount.
We get enhanced crash information, the driver gets a discount on a replacement Isaac system, and severely "used" Isaac systems are kept in a safe place--our vault.
Comments?
------------------
Gregg Baker, P.E.
Isaac, LLC
http://www.isaacdirect.com
[This message has been edited by gsbaker (edited March 04, 2005).]
Part I:
Isaac users are crashing hard, delighted that the product kept them out of the hospital (or worse) and then sending their systems back for evaluation, asking if they can be used again. Here is an example...
"Enclosed are my Isaac’s cylinders for your review. I was involved in a hard frontal crash at [the track] during the [Club] race weekend. Another car crashed in front of me and I had no choice but to go off in the middle of [the turn] or hit the car directly in the driver’s side door. I hit the inside jersey barrier after [the turn] at about 70 mph (an estimate) about 20 degrees off center of the left (drivers side). The car is destroyed.
I spoke with someone at length regarding my experience which resulted in only some minor soreness in the muscles of my neck and shoulders. I am recommending your devices to anyone who asks.
As we discussed, please take a look at the devices to assure that they are functional and not deformed..."
(This poor guy had just sold the car for major five figures and decided to take it out for one last spin.)
This has been happening a lot lately. Another Isaac user was airlifted to the hospital (no head or neck injuries) and another let us know that, after a major lateral blast, he was building a replacement, duplicate car and after several months had moved 17 parts from the old car to the new one. Both of these guys wanted to know if their Isaac systems could be used again.
Hold that thought...
Part II:
The vast majority of our customers are amateur racers, as it the case with all H&N restraint manufacturers. As such, cars are not equipped with crash data recorders or other expensive technologies to document their shunts, so we have no idea what happened when they demolish everything but themselves. However, most have good recollections of the event, every now and then a camera shows up, and once in a great while someone has a data acquisition system such as a DL-1 or CDS which proves to be very valuable.
Hold that thought…
Where we are on Part I:
The only way we can determine whether a "used" Isaac system can be reused is by spending more for the analysis that it costs to build a new one. It is just not practical. Our policy is that the product must be replaced in the event of severe use. (Hey, it’s cheaper than a funeral.)
Where we are on Part II:
The best manner in which to evaluate a product and improve it is to determine how it functions in an extreme environment. In our crash test samples we have Isaac systems that have experienced half-ton loads in the blink of an eye, but they appear identical to unused systems. However, there is no real data from the field--beyond anecdotal things like, "Hey ya’ll, watch this!" In short, we know the product works very well, but it has been difficult to build a database of practical applications.
If someone returns an Isaac system for evaluation there is not a snowball’s chance on a Florida beach in August that we can return it without having spent a small fortune on analysis. Knowing that we can’t just keep it and say, "Sorry dude, you gotta buy a new one," without being labeled opportunistic, selfish, capitalist ba$stards, some kind of consideration to the owner is called for.
So here’s the idea:
If a customer blows up everything but themselves and sends their Isaac back for evaluation, they receive a 50% discount on a new system if they provide us with a full report of the crash incident. If they do that plus provide either video or CDR data, they receive a 75% discount. If they provide a report and provide both video and CDR data, they receive a 100% discount.
We get enhanced crash information, the driver gets a discount on a replacement Isaac system, and severely "used" Isaac systems are kept in a safe place--our vault.
Comments?
------------------
Gregg Baker, P.E.
Isaac, LLC
http://www.isaacdirect.com
[This message has been edited by gsbaker (edited March 04, 2005).]
