A product didn't drop
The most damaging fault in vending, because the customer has paid. Deal with the refund first and the machine second.
Deal with the customer first
Refund before you diagnose. A customer who is refunded quickly usually uses the machine again; one who is left to chase it complains to the venue, and the venue is who decides whether your machine stays.
Why it happens
| Cause | How to recognize it |
|---|---|
| Product hung on the coil | Item is visibly still in the lane, rotated or tipped |
| Lane loaded wrong | Two items in one coil turn, or an item forced in at the front |
| Product unsuited to the lane | Same lane fails repeatedly with one product and works with others |
| Coil not parked correctly | Spring end is not at the six o'clock position |
| Motor or lane fault | Nothing moves at all when the lane is tested |
| Drop sensor fault | Product falls but the machine believes it did not, and may re-vend |
Clearing a jam safely
- Power the machine down at the switch.
- Open the door and find the stuck item.
- Ease it free by hand. Do not force it — if it will not come, rotate the coil by hand to release the tension first.
- Check the coil is not bent. A distorted coil will keep jamming and needs replacing.
- Reload that lane properly, one item per turn, and leave the coil end at six o'clock.
- Power back up and test-vend the lane at least twice.
- Correct the stock count for that lane, because it is now wrong.
If the same lane keeps failing
Repeat failures in one lane are not bad luck. In order of likelihood: the product does not suit that coil pitch, the coil is bent, or the motor is failing. Try a different product in the lane first — it is free and it answers the question quickly. If a known-good product also fails there, the hardware needs attention.
Watch for silent misdrops
The worst version of this fault is the one nobody reports: product drops but is not registered, or registers but did not drop, and the customer simply does not bother telling you. The signal is a lane whose physical count keeps disagreeing with the platform. Any lane that is repeatedly short by one or two is worth investigating even with no complaints attached.