Lab Equipment Liability
Your NSF-funded research lab's critical $30,000 confocal microscope has arrived damaged, with severely misaligned optics that render it useless for your time-sensitive grant deliverables. The manufacturer's warranty representative is aggressively deflecting blame, suggesting user error or shipping damage that you can't prove. With three graduate students' projects hanging in the balance and a major conference deadline approaching, you must navigate this high-stakes negotiation.
Challenges
0
Survivors
0
Popularity
0
Difficulty
B1-B2
Scenario Overview
Your Role
Post-doctoral Research Lead
Conversation Partner
Dr. Victoria Thorne, Senior Warranty Claims Specialist
Setting
Your cluttered lab office, surrounded by unopened equipment boxes and grant paperwork, with the malfunctioning microscope looming in the background
Location
University Research Laboratory, Building 7
Learning Objectives
Document and prove factory defect without admitting to any handling errors
Navigate warranty terms to establish manufacturer liability
Secure immediate replacement or repair commitment within grant deadline
About This Scenario
Your NSF-funded research lab's critical $30,000 confocal microscope has arrived damaged, with severely misaligned optics that render it useless for your time-sensitive grant deliverables. The manufacturer's warranty representative is aggressively deflecting blame, suggesting user error or shipping damage that you can't prove. With three graduate students' projects hanging in the balance and a major conference deadline approaching, you must navigate this high-stakes negotiation.
How It Starts
“Dr. {{userName}}, I've reviewed your claim regarding the BioVision X-800 microscope. Your description of 'misaligned optics' is remarkably vague. Could you explain precisely how you validated the factory calibration settings without potentially compromising them?”
This is how Dr. Victoria Thorne, Senior Warranty Claims Specialist's greeting will start.
Practice Details
Scenario ID
#2200
Category
General
Location Tag
University Research Laboratory, Building 7
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