Martyn Fletcher, the Chairman of the Fork Lift Truck Association, has voiced his concerns about the amount of unauthorised dealers attempting to sell defective or broken fork lift trucks and pallet trucks to businesses who believe they are purchasing a truck which is as good as new. These trucks, which are advertised on online auction sites, are described as ‘new’, only for the new owner to discover that they have been recently written off and are close to falling apart. There is little or no recourse that a customer can take in this scenario, as the trucks are usually sold without warranty or documentation, and the scams are forcing businesses to shell out hundreds of pounds in order to get their ‘refurbished’ truck working again.
Pallet trucks, lift tables, fork lift trucks and aerial work platforms all fall under the same category in regards to vital workplace machinery, and the purchase of one should not be taken lightly. “You should approach purchasing a fork lift truck online in the same way you would a car: with caution,” says Mr Fletcher. Buying brand new from trusted dealers with good reputations for selling high-quality products is the only way to ensure that a purchase will be worthwhile. Midland Pallet Trucks is a Midlands-based provider of pallet trucks and other lifting solutions for use within the workplace. Since 1984, they have sold many thousands of brand new pallet trucks to businesses up and down the country, and are known as a respected and trusted supplier.
All of the trucks and other apparatus sold by Midland Pallet Trucks come with the appropriate documentation, and owners can be provided with a certificate of conformity if they should require one. The pallet trucks and pump trucks are brand new and made from extremely high-quality components, ensuring that they will have a life span that reaches into decades, rather than weeks, as is the possibility when purchasing from an unknown provider. Buying from an auction website may give the illusion of saving money, but when the truck breaks down or is written off, it can cost hundreds more to get it repaired or simply buy a new pump truck.
Buying a truck when its previous owner is unverified can also carry the risk of injuring staff. If a truck were to break down during use, or malfunction whilst carrying out a task, it could cause serious injury to the employees operating it and could result in not only weeks of holiday pay, but also a costly insurance claim. Buying from trusted suppliers guarantees optimum safety for all involved, and prevents spending over the odds for a working truck in the long run.