“Whether it’s OEM or third party, the equipment itself should cost about the same,” says Tucker. “It’s the service contract that tends to be different and cost a little more through the OEM. But for good reason: a third-party vendor might be a one- or two-person operation, which means if your equipment goes down there may be a delay in service.” Additional factors to consider if dealing with a third-party vendor are the vendor’s inventory supply and how it handles a sale. As the manufacturer, OEMs typically have more inventory on hand than third-party vendors, and are often in contact with.
