Record of a technician visit: date, duration, work performed, parts replaced, findings and recommendations.
The service report is the record of a technician visit. It contains the date and duration, the work performed, parts replaced, findings and recommendations. The law does not prescribe it as a form, but in some areas it does specify what has to be documented. For refrigeration systems, the F-gas Regulation requires records of the quantities of gas added during servicing or because of a leak, with the date, and of the company that did the work (Article 7). For medical devices, the medical device log requires, among other things, the date of maintenance and the name of the person or company that carried it out (§ 13 MPBetreibV).
The report serves several purposes. It shows the operator what was delivered and is the basis for checking the invoice, with hours, material and travel. It records findings from which deadlines and follow-up orders arise: a defect that is in the report but gets ignored is hard to claim later as unknown. And it documents the history of the asset for inspectors, insurers and successors. A report is usable if it can be tied clearly to one asset, for example through the serial number, lists services individually and shows times. “Servicing done, all OK” is not enough for that.
Watch the signature. Many service companies have the report signed on a tablet. That is usually proof of service. Whether the signature also counts as acceptance under contract-for-work law depends on the contract. Read what is above the signature line, and note any reservations in the report if you do not agree with the work. Reports belong in the asset file, so they are at hand at the next inspection and for questions about invoices.
What matters
- Require the serial number of the asset in the report.
- Have work, parts with part numbers, times and findings listed separately.
- Pay attention to findings with urgency and note the deadline.
- Read the text above the signature before you sign.
- File the report in the asset file and compare it with the invoice.
Suppose the service report for a refrigeration system says that refrigerant was added but not how much or when. The operator asks for the details, enters them in his records and can then follow the charge and the leak checks.
In the original wording
“the quantities of gases added during maintenance or servicing or due to leakage, including the date of such addition”
“deadlines and date of performance as well as the result of prescribed safety and metrological inspections and IT security reviews, date of maintenance as well as the name of the person or company that carried out the respective measure”
Unofficial translation
Related regulations
In vi
- Quotes & invoices: Every quote checked against the market and your contract
- Service chat: Questions for all documents, answers with sources