AMC or Annual Maintenance Contract is provided by a manufacturer or a company for their products that need servicing, cleaning and time-to-time repairing on certain parts. Usually, as the name goes, AMC is valid for one year and extends up to three to five years depending on the requirements, warranty and many more.
For water purifier brands like Aquaguard, the AMC ensures to see whether the product, post-installation, is working efficiently and able to provide the much needed safe water. However, one should not be swayed by the idea of getting AMCs for free. Annual maintenance contracts, for every product brought, installed, and signed up the contract of yearly servicing, there’s a price to pay.
Water purifier service providers give only service support and would charge separately for every part under AMC. However, in some cases, few parts are replaced during the visit by service personnel if it is mentioned in the AMC contract that limited parts will be t6aken care of by the company.
Is AMC necessary?
Annual maintenance cost of water purifiers is one of the primary reasons why many people refrain from buying an RO water purifier sold by reputed brands. Some say that the annual maintenance cost of water purifiers and RO filters are so high after the warranty period has ended, that some opt for local service person so that the cost does not burn a hole in their pocket. Post warranty, purifiers, and filters from Aquaguard AMC rates range up to Rs. 8000 per year.
While people share their experience of push selling of AMC contract by reputed companies, traditionally, an AMC can save the device from any damages. On the other hand, there are a group of people who think that AMC is just another way of making money from the customers who have already signed up with their products. So if you have decided to invest in a water purifier, make sure to check the maintenance cost as well, because that is the only price you would be paying to the water filter company even after five years.
So let us shed some light on the factors that are responsible for a higher maintenance cost:
RO membrane or mesh membrane of the purifier, being the primary components of any RO water filter, this mesh membrane costs up to Rs. 2000 for each servicing. The life of an RO membrane depends on various things, like the quality of water, the TDS, and the gap between replacing two filters. While the RO membrane lasts for up to 2 years, but it is suggested to replace the mesh filter within that time due to heavy and regular usage.
Apart from the RO filter, sediment filter, carbon filter, and UV lamp also become all used up within one year time, so it’s better to replace the internal parts once in a year. For all these parts companies charge separate costs from the consumer.
Components like tubes, pipes, taps, and motor also require annual maintenance and time to time replacements. Servicing for these doesn’t cost than a few hundred rupees.
Drawing conclusion
If you have invested on a branded water purifier, go for AMC. There are many arguments over its necessity, but assembling parts of your purifier by local servicemen may cost you more in the long run. Plus, when AMC is done by the brand servicemen themselves, they are responsible and accountable for the quality, validity, and longevity of the parts.
