Hi all,
I wanted to ask how you vet a dealer and what your advice would be if you've made purchase from a dealer that refuses to support you after the fact.
I confess my reason for asking is self serving. I recently made a $7,000 purchase for a ZT and a bunch of other equipment. (chainsaw, weedeater, blower, hedgetrimmer etc.) This was all for home use so none of it was super high end but I was told all of it was commercial grade. The employees at the dealer seemed very helpful and nice before I made the purchase, but were the exact opposite when I needed help.
From the get go and to this day I have problems getting the chainsaw to start. Sometimes it will start fine and sometimes I will follow "normal" procedure and can pull until my arm gets tired and nothing.
I noticed this the first day I got home with the equipment (and was hoping to chop up some old trees that had been dragged out the way from storms). I couldn't get it to start so I took it back to the dealer. I told them my problem and asked if they could help. The folks working there were very condescending about it. The guy strutted over, said the equipment was fine, and I must be doing it wrong. He then went through the motions and it wouldn't start for him either.(I confess the look on his face was priceless). He said "that's odd", took it to the back and a few minutes later came out with it running. (no idea what he did). He said it was good to go, turned it off, restarted it, let me restart it, and away I went.
When I got back home, I went to start it again, and it wouldn't start.
This back and forth happened two to three more times and each time I took it back to the dealer, they treated me like a dumb ***. The fourth time I drove there (they are the closest dealer, and it's 45 minute drive one way), I asked if they could just swap my chainsaw for a new one. I was told I'd have to speak with the owner.
So I talked to him and he flat out refused. He said since they could get it working at the shop, the problem must be me. I explained that I've had no problems starting any other gear, including other chainsaws, but he simply did not care. He said the best he could do is hold it for a while and check it out. When I asked him why he couldn't just give me a new one, he said he couldn't risk that one having the same problem and being stuck with one. That's right..the guy I just gave $7,000 to can't "risk" a $400 chainsaw. I explained if I'd bought it at Lowes, it would have been stupid simple to just do an exchange.
He said since they were a warranty dealer, their job was to Fix problems, not give out free chainsaws. They couldn't just do an exchange. He did offer to keep it a while to see if he could replicate the problem and repair it. I left it with him and a week later he calls back and says they can't find anything wrong with it. I went and picked it up (fifth trip) and took it back home. I still frequently have problems with it, but at this point I gave up.
I can't help but regret that I didn't just buy the extras from a big box store and gotten the mower from somewhere else. I did find another dealer about an additional 20 minutes away so I am going to try them or just figure out the best way to service this stuff myself. For the chainsaw I'm trying to decide if I should pay another shop to look at it, see if another warranty place can look at it, or maybe try calling the MFG. In the meantime I have just been borrowing my neighbors when needed (which I admit is rare). I'm honestly just tired of the hassle, and think I might just go buy one from big box store which is what I feel like I should have done to begin with now.
My questions are as follows
1. Any advice for handling a dealer in a situation like mine? Is there something I should have done different? Any options for now? (I have decided to cut all contact from the dealer and deter anyone else who will listen. The whole point of going through a local dealer was I thought I'd have better support than a big box store. In this case I was wrong).
2. I assume the warranty is not dealer specific right? I can get warranty service from other authorized dealers, right?
3. Any advice for vetting dealer before sale? Anything to look out for or certain things to ask to determine if there will be zero support after?
4. Were my expectations too high? I was assuming that since most people aren't lawn care operators or small engine mechanics, the whole point of a dealer was to help you find something that will meet your needs and also support you and repair / replace equipment during the warranty if you have problems.
I just thought I'd share my experience and ask a few questions. Hope this doesn't come off as too whiny.
Thanks for reading,
Pond
Pond
I wanted to ask how you vet a dealer and what your advice would be if you've made purchase from a dealer that refuses to support you after the fact.
I confess my reason for asking is self serving. I recently made a $7,000 purchase for a ZT and a bunch of other equipment. (chainsaw, weedeater, blower, hedgetrimmer etc.) This was all for home use so none of it was super high end but I was told all of it was commercial grade. The employees at the dealer seemed very helpful and nice before I made the purchase, but were the exact opposite when I needed help.
From the get go and to this day I have problems getting the chainsaw to start. Sometimes it will start fine and sometimes I will follow "normal" procedure and can pull until my arm gets tired and nothing.
I noticed this the first day I got home with the equipment (and was hoping to chop up some old trees that had been dragged out the way from storms). I couldn't get it to start so I took it back to the dealer. I told them my problem and asked if they could help. The folks working there were very condescending about it. The guy strutted over, said the equipment was fine, and I must be doing it wrong. He then went through the motions and it wouldn't start for him either.(I confess the look on his face was priceless). He said "that's odd", took it to the back and a few minutes later came out with it running. (no idea what he did). He said it was good to go, turned it off, restarted it, let me restart it, and away I went.
When I got back home, I went to start it again, and it wouldn't start.
This back and forth happened two to three more times and each time I took it back to the dealer, they treated me like a dumb ***. The fourth time I drove there (they are the closest dealer, and it's 45 minute drive one way), I asked if they could just swap my chainsaw for a new one. I was told I'd have to speak with the owner.
So I talked to him and he flat out refused. He said since they could get it working at the shop, the problem must be me. I explained that I've had no problems starting any other gear, including other chainsaws, but he simply did not care. He said the best he could do is hold it for a while and check it out. When I asked him why he couldn't just give me a new one, he said he couldn't risk that one having the same problem and being stuck with one. That's right..the guy I just gave $7,000 to can't "risk" a $400 chainsaw. I explained if I'd bought it at Lowes, it would have been stupid simple to just do an exchange.
He said since they were a warranty dealer, their job was to Fix problems, not give out free chainsaws. They couldn't just do an exchange. He did offer to keep it a while to see if he could replicate the problem and repair it. I left it with him and a week later he calls back and says they can't find anything wrong with it. I went and picked it up (fifth trip) and took it back home. I still frequently have problems with it, but at this point I gave up.
I can't help but regret that I didn't just buy the extras from a big box store and gotten the mower from somewhere else. I did find another dealer about an additional 20 minutes away so I am going to try them or just figure out the best way to service this stuff myself. For the chainsaw I'm trying to decide if I should pay another shop to look at it, see if another warranty place can look at it, or maybe try calling the MFG. In the meantime I have just been borrowing my neighbors when needed (which I admit is rare). I'm honestly just tired of the hassle, and think I might just go buy one from big box store which is what I feel like I should have done to begin with now.
My questions are as follows
1. Any advice for handling a dealer in a situation like mine? Is there something I should have done different? Any options for now? (I have decided to cut all contact from the dealer and deter anyone else who will listen. The whole point of going through a local dealer was I thought I'd have better support than a big box store. In this case I was wrong).
2. I assume the warranty is not dealer specific right? I can get warranty service from other authorized dealers, right?
3. Any advice for vetting dealer before sale? Anything to look out for or certain things to ask to determine if there will be zero support after?
4. Were my expectations too high? I was assuming that since most people aren't lawn care operators or small engine mechanics, the whole point of a dealer was to help you find something that will meet your needs and also support you and repair / replace equipment during the warranty if you have problems.
I just thought I'd share my experience and ask a few questions. Hope this doesn't come off as too whiny.
Thanks for reading,
Pond
Pond
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