Hello Doug,
I would like to thank you for once again bringing high quality training to our three facilities. Your flexibility with regards to our schedule and certainly your very thorough understanding of Vanner products is greatly appreciated. You are well received in your classes- feedback from the techs is consistently positive. We have always received excellent support from Vanner, since our first hybrid purchase in 2010, and look forward to working with you again on this and the electric buses very soon!
Thanks very much, Doug, for doing such a great job.
Take care,
Dan Fiorillo (Superintendent of Maintenance Training & Technical Services)
CT transit
S/V Sea Fury
July 22, 2014
Dear Mr. Funk,
My family and I are cruising on the sailing yacht “Sea Fury” currently located in Papua New Guinea. I have been traveling on the oceans of the world since 1996. Being a retired Engineer, Engineering Manager, and Product Engineering Director for a major American Corporation I am generally able to maintain, repair, and operate the many systems onboard. We travel to very isolated areas where my stash of spares and knowledge ,particularly with electronics, are challenged. One such incident occurred recently, and this is the reason I am writing to you now.
We recently had an electrical problem caused by well meaning help from another cruising yacht. It involved the model 65-60 Battery Equalizer made by Vanner. I ordered and ultimately received a replacement unit from your company. During the installation of the the new unit the same well meaning help shorted the 12V side out. Please imagine the dilemma if you were in an isolated and primitive part of the world and this happened. It took over three weeks to get the new unit, at a shipping cost of one and a half times the cost of the new Equalizer. Adding to the drama was the fact that our PNG Visas were about to expire and could not be extended.
Out of desperation, I called your company in hopes of getting some technical help which is exactly what I received. Being a retired Director responsible for products and people that designed them I always enjoyed hearing positive feedback about those whom reported to me. This is exactly what I am conveying to you here.
Mr. Josh Hutton and Mr. Jeff Carey were attentive to my situation and walked me through the trouble shooting procedures relating to my problem. Although the normal procedure was to have the unit sent in and not to encourage the customer to open the unit themselves, they understood the situation and gave me the help I needed. After several calls and emails, the problem was solved which was a great relief for us.
Without wishing to appear negative in saying this I feel that customer service has lost a bit of its former luster in this throw-away world we live in now. I am heartened by the performance of your company and particularly Jeff and Josh, which always reflects on the leadership present. My congratulations to you and your company on a job well done!
Sincerely,
Linda, Alec, & Roger
Crew S/V Sea Fury
“Box 15 Club operates two Rehab Vehicles to serve 22 Fire Departments in Central Ohio. In our medium-duty unit, we have a Vanner Bravo® 1800 that has performed flawlessly for years. Our brewing unit takes 14 minutes to come up to temp… Having the Vanner Inverter allows us to preheat it while enroute to an incident. For cold weather responses, this capability allows us to provide hot beverages in less than a minute after arriving on-scene. Our second truck has a smaller brewing unit, but it still takes 11-12 minutes to heat up. The Vanner Model 20-1000T has proved more than adequate to power it. This vehicle, with the inverter installed, was in front line service as a Medic for the Washington Twp Fire Dept for several years before Box 15 acquired it. The inverter still performs as if it were new. When not brewing coffee or other beverages, the inverters are used to power scene lighting, cooling fans and misting units or other 120 volt appliances. If we were to sum up our opinion of Vanner products, we could do so in a single word – Dependable!”
Brett Barber, PIO & Past President Box 15 Club, Inc.
Box 15 Club, Inc.
“We have been using Vanner inverters and inverter/chargers for as long as I can remember… probably over 20 years in our Medics here. The Vanner inverters have never failed us, allowing us to do our job without having to worry about A/C power while on a run. Vanner’s quality and service is excellent. With the new LifeStar® inverter, Vanner supplied us and many other end users with a unit to use long before they went into production with it, to insure that their new EMS unit would hold up to the stuff we put them through. When I spec a new Medic, there is no discussion as to what type of inverter gets installed – it’s always a Vanner. They are relaible and safe. It’s one less decision that I have to make in what can be a pretty hectic job.”
David P. Long, Fire Chief
Norwich Township Fire Department
“In the twenty nine years I have been here, Vanner is the only inverter we have ever used. I love the “old style” units. We sent one in for repair last week and it turns out from the date code was a 1986 unit! We have two other units like this still in use. That’s a long time for an electrical component on an Emergency Vehicle. We also have used the 1050’s in our equipment with great success. We have them on our Mini Pumper, a Rescue Vehicle, a front line Ladder Truck and five Medics, to name just some. Most of our equipment is “mixed” manufacturers, so the OEMs must like them too. A couple of the other things I like about Vanner are the fact that we are about an hour away, and when we do need to drop off or pick something up, we can talk to the service people (Jeff Carey) to find out what went wrong and learn how to prevent future issues. I have been offered (and accepted) a tour of their facility, and you can see where the quality starts. It’s a very clean shop. We have had a minimum of problems with the Vanner inverters, and it is all I’ll use. Oh, and they put a McDonald’s on the corner so we can get a snack for the ride back to Dayton. It’s a mandatory stop for us.”
Dave Herbst
Washington Township Fire Department
“The inverter Vanner donated was installed by the Columbus Fire Department Shop on Jan. 25 and provided its first ‘official’ cup of hot coffee on Jan. 31 at a two-alarm fire on West Broad Street. In fact, we had just finished installing the remote control panel that morning when the greater alarm was declared. Needless to say, the unit has been a great addition and benefit to our operation. Since being installed, we have been able to utilize it on eight responses. All of the responses were during a cold weather period the area experienced during mid-February and early March. The inverter saved us more than 15+ minutes during that cold weather period on each response by providing excellent and consistent regulated electrical service to the on board coffee unit while in route to the incident scene. A hot beverage was immediately ready upon our arrival and greatly welcomed by many frozen firefighters.”
David Vaughn
Box 15 Inc.
“The Westerville Division of Fire has been using Vanner products for a very long time, and continues to spec them in on our new and remounted equipment. Vanner is a high quality product that is designed and built for EMS use, and has never failed us on one of our runs. We have the new Vanner LifeStar® installed in our two medics units and they make about 2000 runs per year each without any problems. Vanner’s service after the sale is great, and if we ever need them to look at something they’re usually out within 24 hours to help us. I love the fact that the LifeStar® inverter is intended for EMS use and was put through its’ paces before release to be sure it met our demands. Believe me, we give them a workout and they just keep working. Vanner says they are “rugged, reliable and safe”, and we’ve found this to be true.”
Deputy Chief Johnny Ross
Westerville, Division of Fire
“These [Vanner] converters alone could reduce fuel consumption by as much as a 40 percent,” said Rizzoni. “A typical hybrid bus, for example, only provides a 15 percent fuel economy improvement.”
Dr. Giorgio Rizzoni, Director of the Center for Automotive Research at The Ohio State University
The Ohio State University Center for Automotive Research