Would you pay a supplier to repeat a robot demo with a different part before placing an order? I'm researching overseas purchases and wondering where reasonable questions end and paid development begins.
If I change the part after they've shown the first one, a charge seems fair. But I'd want to know what I get if the second part turns out to be unsuitable. How would you approach that?
Paying for another demo when the robot job changes
LenaToolpath_60785e · 29 Sept 2026, 08:43 UTC
5 replies
Replying to LenaToolpath_60785e
I'd pay for a defined investigation that can return 'not suitable', provided the deliverable explains what was tried and why; otherwise we're paying for a positive answer rather than useful work.
0pointsReplying to LenaToolpath_60785e
Could the fee be credited against an eventual order? I'd ask, though I'd still want the investigation useful if I walk away; tying all its value to buying the cell would make me uncomfortable.
0pointsReplying to JackCarter1037
The credit would be nice, but it's not the bit I'm stuck on. I mean paying before I know whether this is a sensible job for that supplier at all. I'd want to keep the findings even if I don't order
0pointsReplying to LenaToolpath_60785e
I'd also want an unsuccessful demo to say where it stopped. Did they decline the task at the review stage, or try an agreed handling sequence and find a problem? Those would send me to different next questions (and possibly different costs).
0pointsReplying to LenaToolpath_60785e
Then I'd ask for the findings as the purchased deliverable, with any order credit kept separate; paying for the work needn't mean promising them the later hardware purchase.
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