101 Tips for Telecommuters—Successfully Manage Your Work, Team, Technology and Family

73. Establish Consequences for Unsatisfactory Service Performance

Many of your major equipment purchases will involve preestablished warranty terms with optional extended warranty or service contracts. You can negotiate occasionally with individual suppliers for more favorable terms relative to service. These might include a lower cost for the service contract, supplemental extended warranty at no charge, free loaned equipment during downtime for repair or maintenance, free shipping, and no charge for on-site service calls. As an individual telecommuter, you're likely to have some difficulty driving much of a harder bargain in these situations because you don't represent a major purchasing source to the supplier. This is true especially when ...