This is somewhat relevant for me, and the other independent Techs working for our company. Our company specializes in VFD installation, service, and repair, but my personal skills involve PLCs and other general automation equipment. Because I started getting lots of Allen Bradley PLC programming and troubleshooting jobs, we got a Tech Connect contract about a year and a half ago. Once in a great while, one of the other techs need an answer to a customer's high-level Powerflex VFD issue. So they would use my Tech Connect number to get access to better support. When Rockwell sent out the renewal notice this year, they said our support would no longer be applicable for our VFDs, and wanted a list of the VFDs we owned so they could re-price our contract. Well.... technically, that's zero. But we touch thousands of VFDs during the year, all makes. So we called our distributor, and they sent a note to Rockwell that our contract was for "Automation software only." So that kind of sucks. Hopefully this won't ever be an issue.
To me, this seems to be self-defeating for Rockwell VFD sales. I get GREAT tech support from other manufacturers. I even know a lot of the support guys by name... Yaskawa, Danfoss, ABB, Cutler-Hammer (Eaton), Schneider Electric, even Mitsubishi. I always ask their names, and thus have gotten to know quite a few of them. When a customer's drive needs to be replaced, and if it's not on a fieldbus connection, we will give our customers options. I discuss the strengths of each brand, and let them decide. I'm very honest with them. If you're selling VFDs, frustrating a guy like me makes zero sense. I install a lot of drives, and my customers respect my input.
But even though it's frustrating, I don't let it bother me too much. I play the cards that are dealt to me. If that's Rockwell's strategy, so be it. I will continue to use whatever makes sense for the specific job/customer, whether it's Rockwell, or any other mfg. It just changes the information I give to the customer before they make their choice.