All Members Community

Dear all,

Does anyone has had instrumentation under contract with REMI? Do you recommend their services? 

I have worked previously with SU and had mixed experiences.

You feedback will be very helpful.

Best
Andreia

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Andreia Verissimo
Senior Research Scientist
Dartmouth College
Lebanon NH
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Hi Andreia,

At UW-Madison, several cores used REMI, to mixed results as well.  The service appeared to depend on both the local technicians and the attitude of the vendor to 3rd-party providers.  Vendors are becoming increasingly protective of the service market, and discourage 3rd-party sourcing by reducing access to parts, information, and expertise.   Some cores were very happy with REMI, and others cited very long delays in response and a cumbersome communication process.  I would guess that you might have to try REMI for a year to evaluate the local network.

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Isabelle Girard
Program Manager, Research Core Facilities
University of California, Davis
Davis CA
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Hi Andreia,
We currently use REMI to cover our Confocal Microscope. Our experience sounds similar to what Isabelle described. We have had difficulties scheduling PMs on the system and/or repairs; it seems like there is quite a delay with communication. It has saved us a few thousand dollars per year for the coverage, and since that instrument can allow a little down time (at least in our facility) then we are okay with sacrificing communication/delay for the cost savings. On instruments that require a fast response (i.e. our MiSeq), I would not recommend REMI. We have used a 3rd-party vendor on our Sanger sequencer for years (SeqGen) and they are very responsive and quick - so not all 3rd-party providers are bad!

I'd only recommend REMI for instruments that can handle a little delay with service.

Thanks,
Lisa

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Lisa McDougall
Research Associate
Idaho State University
Pocatello ID
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Hello Andreia,

We use REMI, but on a very limited basis. We have had some trouble with timely service, so we only use it when we have a backup available, or for items that we can be without for a period of time. It can save money, but if you have an instrument down for extended amounts of time, it can be costly in other ways.

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Andy Chitty
Director, University Shared Resources
Oregon Health & Science University
Portland OR
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