Selling a machine to the clueless...

SilverDuck

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I have a soda machine that has been on location for almost year now, vending bottles of soda. I got a telephone call from a local volunteer fire company asking if I had any machines to sell. I mentioned this machine, and they asked if it worked, if it accepts dollars and coins, and what shape it is in. I told them it is currently set for bottles, but can be changed over to cans. They said they want to vend cans. I told them it's possible, but I have no clue how to do it. They told me they would take it for $450, my asking price. I asked when they wanted to come inspect it, they said they will just come pick it up.

I fear that they are going to get it set up at their location, start adjusting the cams, and get it to where it won't vend correctly....and then my phone will start ringing off the hook.

I typed up a quick "VENDING MACHINE BILL OF SALE" that explains that the machine is sold "AS IS" no warranty, support, repair, anything after the sale. Do I need to do this, or am I going overkill on it? Should I skip the paperwork and just explain to them that I am not going to service or support it after the sale?

EDIT: I AM EQUALLY CLUELESS AS TO HOW TO REPAIR VENDING MACHINES AS THE BUYER.
 
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Being that it's a volunteer fire company, I personally would be willing to make a few free tech calls. I understand that everyone's time is valuable, but these people are volunteering their time to protect your community.
 
Being that it's a volunteer fire company, I personally would be willing to make a few free tech calls. I understand that everyone's time is valuable, but these people are volunteering their time to protect your community.

If I knew how to work on soda machines, I'd be willing to help them. I have no clue how to work on them. This is what I am worried about. I don't want them to get pissy with me for not knowing how to service the machine I am selling to them.
 
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If I knew how to work on soda machines, I'd be willing to help them. I have no clue how to work on them. This is what I am worried about. I don't want them to get pissy with me for not knowing how to service the machine I am selling to them.

Ah, in that case, I'd just make it clear when you sell it that you have no clue how to work on it. If they did call, it would probably only take one time of telling them you can't help them, and then they would find someone who could.
 
I find it ironic that your title refers to the clueless (firefighters)...and here you are admitting that you don't know tit about how to work on this machine.



..
 
I don't get it.

Did my post seem like I knew how to work on the machines? I also didn't mean for "clueless" to be an insult. I hope I didn't come off that way. I guess I could have said "Clueless about vending machine repair."

At any rate, I'll go up and edit the original post to indicate that I am also clueless about working on the machines.

EDIT: I fixed it for you, Wundercade :)
 
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If you really don't want to deal with it at all you could tell the fire company to call pepsi/coke and ask them for a machine. My father was the chief of the local fire company and pepsi "rented" them a machine, $1 a year.

Then you could just CL the machine "as is" and not worry about it.
 
What's the big deal? They want to buy it. Usually firefighters are pretty hands on type of guys, they could probably figure out how to switch it over without you. If they call, just tell them you don't know how to do it, but good luck. Notice how you said they could meet you and check it out, and they said they'd just come over and buy it? You're way more cautious about it than they are.
 
Most of these machines are easy to change between cans and bottles. The back plate slides forward for the smaller cans, and sometimes there is a side wall that moves in a bit.

I'm sure a quick Google search can teach you how to do it. Or teach the firemen...
 
1. you show them it working at your place... have it cold and running before they get there... then they can see it works...

2. tell them up front you dont know how to change it.

3. maybe download the manual for them because it will show how.

Mine shows how inside the door... to go from bottles to cans I had to get different shims... cost me maybe 100.00 to get the new shims... prob. 75 actually...

the manual will also show them how to change prices, etc...

its easy to swap from cans to bottles, etc... just takes doing it one time ...
 
No offense to firefighters but having a good friend who is one and having hung out with a number of his buddies I would say the "as is" in writing is a must. May not be the case with your buyer but two things would be certain with my friends.

1.the machine will endure more abuse than it would see if turned loose to the general public. (even if that is hundreds more people than will touch it in the firehouse)

2.when they break it they will first try and fix it themselves. In doing so they will damage the machine more. And yes they will call you to fix it.

I would include a number of a good repair man they can call for when the machine is in need. Your experience may be different but I would CYA.
 
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