Chad,
How very good to hear from you, although I think that you have your
facts wrong.
First off, I've never heard of
www.macnaughtongroup.com and I can't find
any postings with my name in there. I do find complaints from others
about Fischer Panda generators in there. Perhaps you have so many
people complaining about your generators that you've having trouble
keeping them straight! :-(
The crux of the matter is that my Fischer Panda generator has been
unreliable to the point of being unusable. A fellow cruiser who has the
same generator (and has even more problems than I do) has commented that
he has to plan his cruising to locations where he can fly parts in. He
literally has an almost complete spare which he cannibalizes for parts.
I replaced my Fischer Panda with a NextGen this past July and I paid for
the new generator. As far as Chad's assertion that they tried
"everything" to resolve my issue, I have to laugh. Yes, they offered to
replace the generator with an "equivalent competitor generator", but the
generators that they offered weren't anything that I felt comfortable
with. Listen, I'm planning on leaving on a circumnavigation next year
and I need a generator that is maintainable and has good support. I've
learned a lot since installing the Fischer Panda & I can assure you that
what they were offering wasn't what I needed.
What's also interesting is that I was told by Sarah Jewel, whose job at
FP is to deal with problem customers, was that Fischer Panda didn't want
to replace it with one of their own generators in case I had more
problems. What does that say?
I will also point out that as part of this offer Fischer Panda required
me to remove all Internet postings and not to comment on their
generators in the future...
And as far as Fischer Panda's inspection of my generator installation is
concerned, I have to laugh at that also. Everything was within the
design guidelines printed in their manuals. They keep harping on over-
cranking as being the cause of my problems. The generator has always
started right away. In the few cases where it didn't start due to
electrical problems, I always closed the raw water intake seacock as to
not ingest too much water. I've pulled the hoses off of the muffler on
quite a few occasions and have never found excessive water in it. Their
concerns would be valid if they matched my situation, but they don't.
I'll also note that after Bob from Fischer Panda inspected my
installation he was supposed to have contacted me with his
recommendations. Did he? NO! I had to contact them. Great customer
service...
Quite honestly I'm in the middle of a major house project and don't have
time fully address this. Believe me, I will and plan to create a web
site to chronicle my and other's experiences with Fischer Panda
generators. Perhaps I'll have time tomorrow when Isabel comes through.
I'm not quite sure what prompted this posting from FP. Perhaps it's
that they just lost a motion to have my litigation moved to their home
turf in FL. Their lawyers have been dragging this out for years and
finally this can move forward. I can't wait to start my investigation
where they'll be forced to open their records to me!
-- Geoff
(Fischer Panda Generators) wrote in
m:
We note Mr. Schultz recent internet comments (08/23/2003) regarding
his experience with Fischer Panda Generators. Mr. Schultz has provided
a selective commentary on his situation and has failed to provide the
full story. Please see full details below.
Fischer Panda responded and recorded all the details surrounding Mr.
Schultz' complaints on an internet posting Feb. 06, 2003 on
www.macnaughtongroup.com.
The summary of this posting concluded with the following summary:
Fischer Panda has tried everything to resolve the issues with Mr.
Schultz' generator which was purchased in August of 1999. In
frustration we eventually offered Mr. Schultz 3 options including one
which would replace his Panda 4200 with an equivalent competitor
generator. Mr. Schultz declined the offer and chose to pursue his
claim through the courts.
Note: The warranty on Mr. Schultz generator engine had long expired,
and the after sales support and settlement offer made by Fischer Panda
Generators far exceeded the terms and conditions of the three year
warranty covering this generator.
After the Fischer Panda service manager visited Mr. Schultz' boat, an
additional communication was sent on May 21, 2003 regarding a problem
with his installation. The communication included a major
recommendation regarding his installation and responded to his
questions regarding the cause of a broken valve spring: A summary of
this response follows:
After reviewing the PMS04-990905 installation, we are concerned that
there is still a great potential of water ingestion from over
cranking. The exhaust hose rises vertical for about 3 feet and then
bends horizontally (with an initial slight upwards angle) into about 6
feet of hose. Then hose dips slightly about 2 feet to thru-hull.
Thru-hull is about 14 inches from the water line. Bob will contact you
next week regarding your installation. We recommend that in the
interim special care is taken to avoid over cranking." (Mr. Schultz
subsequently visited the Fischer Panda premise's and was provided with
recommended changes to his installation which would reduce potential
water ingestion.)
We note that you are challenging Farymann's assessment that the valve
springs were split in two as a result of being pitted and rusted. They
state that the reason for the fracture is the result of a corrosive
medium, such as steam within the valve cover. In the absence of
evidence to support your position we are not able to lodge a warranty
complaint on your behalf with Farymann.
Mr. Schultz has chosen to institute legal proceedings for excessive
claims against Fischer Panda and has rejected a generous offer by
Fischer Panda Generators to reach an amicable settlement on this
matter.
We question Mr. Schultz motive in selectively using the internet to
promote his position in advance of the court case.
For a complete copy of Fischer Panda's response to Mr. Schultz, please
visit the site: www.macnaughtongroup.com or a copy can obtained by
contacting .
Sara Jewell
Fischer Panda Generators
TEl: 954-462-2800 Fax: 954-462-2801