HAAS Update question

We have a few HAAS machines. 1 of our newer ones (VF5) has gone down 3 times I believe. I am going to say in the last...… year or 2. I am horrible with time and memory. Anyway, each time they have said it needed a "software update" and just do some key punching and away they go. Then we get a bill with labor charge and outrageous driving time. I have a hard time believing needing an update would make the machine stop working. Am I just being paranoid or does anyone else think they program the machines to shut down at certain intervals to get service call money?

tandpr said:

We have a few HAAS machines. 1 of our newer ones (VF5) has gone down 3 times I believe. I am going to say in the last...… year or 2. I am horrible with time and memory. Anyway, each time they have said it needed a "software update" and just do some key punching and away they go. Then we get a bill with labor charge and outrageous driving time. I have a hard time believing needing an update would make the machine stop working. Am I just being paranoid or does anyone else think they program the machines to shut down at certain intervals to get service call money?

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YOU WILL NEVER KNOW.Up date is another name for fixing our screw up.The only time that the "SYSTEM" is ever really looked into is when somebody dies.An example is the boing crashes. There are probably 1 or 2 programmers that really know what the problem is,but they have been promoted or moved on and not telling anyone.I don't believe in conspiracy theories,but I do know 1 universal truth.When something is screwed up,"NOBODY DID IT" Edwin Dirnbeck

We have HAAS tech's we like and are "in general" happy with our machines. We are aware that they are not the most high tech expensive machines on the market. That is one of the things we like about them. There are a few things that are just a bit hard to swallow. The first 1 always comes in 30 days or 90 days or whenever you have to have it paid for. We pay for ours right up front before we even get delivery. They come in and do an initial set up. Then you get an alarm telling you that you need a code to punch in to continue using it. You have to call and they make sure its paid for before they give you the code. Then from time to time, strange alarm not making lots of sense. Machine won't run. Service call, update, all better. HMMMM

But, like I said, nothing is ever 100% hunky dory and we do get lots of use from our HHAS machines.

edwin dirnbeck said:

YOU WILL NEVER KNOW.Up date is another name for fixing our screw up.The only time that the "SYSTEM" is ever really looked into is when somebody dies.An example is the boing crashes. There are probably 1 or 2 programmers that really know what the problem is,but they have been promoted or moved on and not telling anyone.I don't believe in conspiracy theories,but I do know 1 universal truth.When something is screwed up,"NOBODY DID IT" Edwin Dirnbeck

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what the fuck are you smoking dude?

I'd have a hard time accepting that and a very tough time paying for it.

If the software was buggy..it came that way and they need to fix it on the Haas dime.

My battery dies and I need to have Haas come in and install software and parameters, that's on me.


That said I have found glitches where a program would not work right and they needed to update the software. By the time they got it right the machine was out of warranty and some discussion on me paying for the "repair" till I pulled out my records showing each of the calls prior did not fix the problem so it was still covered. Haas did not agree, but my HFO DID come around and went to bat for me...we were not billed.


Of all the software updates I have had...non made the machine inoperable. Only thing to come close was the payment lock where you need the code.

OK, feeling a bit silly but I have to post a solution to this instance. I have had suspicion before of "programmed bugs" before and was quick to jump to that conclusion. The VF5 doesn't have the dreaded soldered in battery that has to be backed up with another battery before changing. It just has a regular old flat battery in a little holder. Anyway, when the battery was changed apparently a breaker was bumped over to off unknowingly. The good HAAS tech came by, spent 10 minutes on it. Flipped breaker. AND DIDN"T CHARGE US. Thank you HAAS and I am sorry for jumping to conclusions. Really put customer service first and did not focus on service fee.

Thanks tandpr for posting the solution and letting us know your jump to a bad conclusion was wrong.

We all have done that I am sure...

Had a Haas tech come out one time with a trainee. A quick job turned out to be 4 hours. I was fuming, "No, you have that wrong, take it apart again and I'll show you how" I was fuming..did I mention that? When done the tech apologized as he knew he had kept the machine down longer then it needed to be down. I bit my lip, said no problem and waited for the bill. In the mean time I pulled out another bill for the same job, 1 hr labor plus the part, plus travel time. If they charged me more then that I was going to...
Bill came in, I was charged travel time and for the part...No service charge, but an apology for keeping me down and a thank you for allowing the trainee time to learn.

I've had some issues with Haas and HFO service over the 24 years I have had them...but honestly very very few. It remains the only reason I have Haas on my floor.

One of my vf2ss mills is 4 years old and has had a hand full of enclosure lights replaced and that has been the only repairs done ,, the newer vf2ss I got a year ago had a auger motor quit about 2 weeks in and I called the HFO and they over nighted a new one out and had it installed in under 24 hrs...

Well Haas is not the best machines made I have made a chit load of money with then and have found the return on investment to be vary good.