What is possibly even more stressful than having a handpiece break down in the middle of surgery? Finding out what to do with it next! You have a handpiece that quits spinning, sounds horrible, doesn’t flow water correctly anymore, it’s obviously broken; you hop on google and type in “Dental Handpiece Repair” and you are bombarded with thousands of repair companies. You have no idea what to do next! Where to repair dental handpieces? How do you find the best company? How do you find a company that isn’t going to leave you in the same spot that you are in now? How do you know that you are not going to get ‘screwed over’? Well, really, you don’t! We can’t guarantee 100% that you will send it to a company and not run into a problem with one of the questions above; however, what we CAN do, is help you sort through the thousands of companies to find a handful of honest, fairly priced, reputable repair companies that will get your handpiece returned fast, and keep them running long into the future. We can help you decide on where to repair dental handpieces. This article will help you decide how to choose a dental handpiece repair company.
Importance of Choosing the Right Dental Handpiece Repair Company
I feel silly writing about the importance of how to choose a dental handpiece repair company. You know the importance. Without a great repair company, your handpieces could be breaking down way too frequently, you could be getting charged way too much way too often, and you could be waiting much longer to receive your handpiece back from repair than what you should be. You can save yourself thousands of dollars, hours of time, and countless gray hairs by finding the ‘right’ handpiece repair company. Now, not every repair company is perfect, you just have to find the one that is perfect for you. With thousands to choose from, you really need to dig into their reputation, how they acquired their expertise, how fast their turnaround is, customer service, and the price compared to others.
Now obviously, five things are hard to find in a company, you may have to give and take. It may be best to organize those 5 things in the order of importance. Find the best for the most important aspect to you, and give some leniency to the less important things. Are you most worried about getting them back as fast as possible, and don’t really care what you are going to pay? Well, then you know what to look for when you decide on where to repair dental handpieces.
What Should You Consider When You Choose a Dental Handpiece Repair Company?
Below, we will dive into detail on the 5 aspects above, in no particular order, which will help you narrow down the best handpiece repair company for you.
Reputation
A solid reputation may be the most important factor in finding the best company around. Sure, there will always be 1 person out there that has a death wish out for that company, but what about everyone else? Take a look at some reviews across platforms to see what people have to say about the company. Do they have 1,000,000 positive reviews, and 1 bad one? Well, I would say that is a pretty reputable company. You can also take a gander at how long the company has been around for. If the company has been around since dinosaur dentists roamed, then they must be doing something right. Look closely at this, as some companies might have sold out as of recent, and what used to be great, is now a corporate-owned pile of garbage… Look around, find the owners on social media; you can learn a lot about a company by just spending 5 minutes to do some digging on them.
Expertise
What makes them ‘experts’? Anyone can call themselves an expert, but very few are actual certified experts. One of the craziest thing about handpiece repair services that always leaves me shocked is the fact that anyone can do it. You lead dental assistant could wake up tomorrow and say “I want to repair dental handpieces now”, they could start a company that same day and call themselves experts, with no training! Now, this could kind of fall in line with the reputation. If the company has been around since the ‘dinosaur dentists’ mentioned above, then they probably know what they are doing when it comes to fixing handpieces. If the company was started yesterday, and has no certifications, no training, no history of business… be cautious, and if you can, choose an authorized dental handpiece repair company.
Speed
Alright, let’s shy away from finding a company that has a nice smiling face that is super old and has certificates up the wazoo. Who cares about all of that if they are going to take 17 years to get your handpieces fixed? One of the most marketable, and easiest to find things regarding handpiece repair companies are their turnaround times. Usually, everybody has it listed right on their main page of their website, so it isn’t usually hard to find. Just talk a look at the asterisks, or the small fine print as some people may say “repaired the same day!” but have a plethora of hidden messages below that basically say, “repaired the same day, if we wake up in a good mood, and we have all the parts, and the sun isn’t shining outside, and we feel like it”. Plus, if all else fails, ask! If they say they will fix it in 24 hours, hold them to it! Anyone can say things, only certain companies can actually do them.
Customer Service
Are you willing to send your handpieces to someone if they are going to yell at you every time you call? Or maybe you want to check in and the status of your repair and all you are getting on the other end of the phone call are crickets. To me, paying an extra $5 for exceptional customer service is worth it. I value a team that is polite and takes the time to assist you and answers your questions thoroughly, informing you of important information like what dental handpieces can be repaired and which aren’t worth your time. Well, how do you know how good their customer service is if you haven’t sent them anything yet? Give them a call or shoot them an email! Reach out, see how nice they are, see how their process works, ask them questions, and put them to the test.
Cost Comparison
Finally, and I’m assuming to a lot of people, the most important thing to look for… Price! However, one of the hardest things to find, and I don’t know why. So many companies are hush-hush about their prices, and you have to call to ask; on the other hand, many places are upfront and have all of their prices listed for all to see (as they should). You can always call and ask as well. But wait, I do have to put my tin foil hat on for a second. It is very hard to diagnose the type of repair that your handpiece needs over the phone, without seeing it. The cost of repairs can vary by $100’s. Another simple thing to look for is if the company offers estimates, and how much they charge for an estimate. That way, you know exactly what you plan on paying before you get sent an astronomical bill. You can view our list of pricing here!
Conclusion
All done! I really hope this helps you when deciding on where to repair dental handpieces. If you have anything you think we should add, anything you want to talk about, or are looking for a friend… reach out!