Avoid Cumming GA Dealership - At all costs

[Gafn]

This is the dealership issue that happened with the Cumming GA Branson dealership

1st and foremost - Branson dealership are franchises, and Branson stood behind their product EXTREMELY well.

Got a notice in the mail that where I had purchased my 2015 3520H was under new management.
My 3520H had a failed fuel sending unit and a failed dashboard (the hour meter kept resetting to zero)
I contacted the new management and asked - my email even stated that there was he had no skin in the game, and "No" would be a perfect answer as well - as I was out of warranty for electronics.
Here is the best part of the story - the new management contacted Branson, and because I had reported the items broken prior to end of warranty - Branson agreed to fix the parts.
So I drop off my tractor - and they replace the dash and the fuel sending unit.
I pickup my tractor - hook up my mower and as soon as I turn on the PTO it stalls, upon restart it revs up and down and has no power.
Dealer send s a truck to pick it up, diagnoses the issues and says "it is a coincidence that the injector pump died" (I really don't believe in coincidences).
Dealer calls Branson - and Branson once again says YES they will repair it. Dealer installs new injector pump.
I get it home, and run it at PTO for 3 hours, and exact same failure as before - revs up and down - no power - barely got it back to my shop.
Took it back to the Dealer - and diagnosed as ANOTHER injector pump - once again Branson agree to replace the injection Pump.
The dealer replaced the injector pump, and cleaned the entire fuel system.
The dealer shows me what was in the tank, and it was RUST - yes I had a rusting PLASTIC tank.
I took the tractor home and upon close inspection, found that the mounting bolt for the injector pump was laying on the frame rail, and my fuel gauge was no longer functioning - AGAIN!
The tractor did run, however - it was sluggish, and under-powered, and simply did not run/feel like is had for the previous 4 years.
During this process I reached out to Branson and was directed to my regional manager.
He re-directed me to Mathis in Rome as a dealer to go to and either get the service performed or trade the tractor.

This is what happened - no names have been used or drug thru the mud, there were many things said during the incident that need not be repeated.
It was an experience that no one should have to deal with...

I will tell you Branson stood behind their product, and treated me as well or better than can be expected.
In the end - Branson, kept my business by earning my respect, that 1st dealer - not so much - in fact just go to Mathis in Rome GA, avoid that other place.

Mathis - the day I traded my tractor - just an AMAZING experience - they have a Dyno for tractors - all tractor functions had been tested prior to going on my trailer.

Having no confidence in the work that was performed by the Cumming dealership - I traded the tractor.

 

[fried1765]

This is the dealership issue that happened with the Cumming GA Branson dealership

1st and foremost - Branson dealership are franchises, and Branson stood behind their product EXTREMELY well.

Got a notice in the mail that where I had purchased my 2015 3520H was under new management.
My 3520H had a failed fuel sending unit and a failed dashboard (the hour meter kept resetting to zero)
I contacted the new management and asked - my email even stated that there was he had no skin in the game, and "No" would be a perfect answer as well - as I was out of warranty for electronics.
Here is the best part of the story - the new management contacted Branson, and because I had reported the items broken prior to end of warranty - Branson agreed to fix the parts.
So I drop off my tractor - and they replace the dash and the fuel sending unit.
I pickup my tractor - hook up my mower and as soon as I turn on the PTO it stalls, upon restart it revs up and down and has no power.
Dealer send s a truck to pick it up, diagnoses the issues and says "it is a coincidence that the injector pump died" (I really don't believe in coincidences).
Dealer calls Branson - and Branson once again says YES they will repair it. Dealer installs new injector pump.
I get it home, and run it at PTO for 3 hours, and exact same failure as before - revs up and down - no power - barely got it back to my shop.
Took it back to the Dealer - and diagnosed as ANOTHER injector pump - once again Branson agree to replace the injection Pump.
The dealer replaced the injector pump, and cleaned the entire fuel system.
The dealer shows me what was in the tank, and it was RUST - yes I had a rusting PLASTIC tank.
I took the tractor home and upon close inspection, found that the mounting bolt for the injector pump was laying on the frame rail, and my fuel gauge was no longer functioning - AGAIN!
The tractor did run, however - it was sluggish, and under-powered, and simply did not run/feel like is had for the previous 4 years.
During this process I reached out to Branson and was directed to my regional manager.
He re-directed me to Mathis in Rome as a dealer to go to and either get the service performed or trade the tractor.

This is what happened - no names have been used or drug thru the mud, there were many things said during the incident that need not be repeated.
It was an experience that no one should have to deal with...

I will tell you Branson stood behind their product, and treated me as well or better than can be expected.
In the end - Branson, kept my business by earning my respect, that 1st dealer - not so much - in fact just go to Mathis in Rome GA, avoid that other place.

Mathis - the day I traded my tractor - just an AMAZING experience - they have a Dyno for tractors - all tractor functions had been tested prior to going on my trailer.

Having no confidence in the work that was performed by the Cumming dealership - I traded the tractor.

Seems as though the Cumming dealership may be ready for a second try at new management.
Sure hope those Cumming mechanics don't also repair airplanes for Delta, just down the road a bit!

 

[scatterlandsfarms]

Glad to hear how good Branson corp stepped up

 

[dclav]

Glad to hear how good Branson corp stepped up

Let us get the story straight here. We did original work as an after warranty adjustment. Branson bought parts, WE ate the labor for customer satisfaction. Since old owner blew off this customer during his warranty period, we stepped up and did the repairs. Yes, the fuel was full of rust....where it came from is a mystery. We cleaned tanks and installed another injection pump.... and yes we ate the parts and labor except for what was charged to customer to clean out tank. Tractor ran great when it left. Some customers are never happy. But I will never stop doing what I feel is best for our business and for the customer. Funny how our reviews have been 5 stars. Not going to get in a pissing match on a forum with a customer. He is unhappy because we refused to give him the exorbitant trade in he thought he should get. I do nothing but quality work... I have a major stake in the success of our business. I am not just a hired hand who does not care. My customers are everything. Without them we have no business. This is the only dissatisfied customer we have had to date. Enough said.

 

[LouNY]

I am surprised that rust got past the fuel filter,
I would have expected the filter to be plugging frequently. :2cents:

 

[atsah]

Let us get the story straight here. We did original work as an after warranty adjustment. Branson bought parts, WE ate the labor for customer satisfaction. Since old owner blew off this customer during his warranty period, we stepped up and did the repairs. Yes, the fuel was full of rust....where it came from is a mystery. We cleaned tanks and installed another injection pump.... and yes we ate the parts and labor except for what was charged to customer to clean out tank. Tractor ran great when it left. Some customers are never happy. But I will never stop doing what I feel is best for our business and for the customer. Funny how our reviews have been 5 stars. Not going to get in a pissing match on a forum with a customer. He is unhappy because we refused to give him the exorbitant trade in he thought he should get. I do nothing but quality work... I have a major stake in the success of our business. I am not just a hired hand who does not care. My customers are everything. Without them we have no business. This is the only dissatisfied customer we have had to date. Enough said.

There are two sides to every story.. Sounds like you went above and beyond. Some people are never happy.. All businesses get them at some point..

 

[fried1765]

There are two sides to every story.. Sounds like you went above and beyond. Some people are never happy.. All businesses get them at some point..

"there are two sides to every story"

Sorry, but ..... In my opinion, THAT is one of the most empty phrases in the English language!

 

[atsah]

"there are two sides to every story"

Sorry, but ..... In my opinion, THAT is one of the most empty phrases in the English language!

Don't be sorry if you don't like the phrase it doesn't bother me.. I see people trashing businesses on the internet all the time and most times one of the parties isn't aware of the trashing and isn't able to defend themselves. In this case, that didn't happen and that's a good thing..

The internet is a powerful tool and people abuse it and hurt others, in this case a business owner that helped the OP above and beyond what he needed to do and then was slapped in the face for it, not right at all..

 

[Branson Bob]

"there are two sides to every story"

Sorry, but ..... In my opinion, THAT is one of the most empty phrases in the English language!

In my experience I couldn't disagree more.

 

[Rdtrac]

I am the manager of this dealership and I can tell you Mr. Customer does not have all of the facts listed here. He did indeed call me stating that his fuel gauge and hours meter were not working. Even though he was out of warranty, I called Branson and got them to cover the repairs. He later called back and stated that the tractor was losing power. It was brought back in and we started at the basics. We drained the tank and checked the filter, which fell apart in my mechanics hands. It looked like it had been in there for years. We replaced the filter, and checked the lift pump. It came down to the fuel injection pump. I once again called Branson and got the pump covered under warranty, even though his warranty was expired. We replaced the pump and the tractor ran great. I have multiple emails and texts from the customer stating this. On one of the latest texts, he asked about trading in his tractor for a 3725. I gave him what I thought was a fair quote but he disagreed, not even 24 hours later, he texted me and said the tractor was losing power again. Coincidence?
We went and picked up his tractor and proceeded to locate the problem. This is when we found the rust and debris in his fuel tank. We also determined that the new fuel injection pump was not working. I called the customer and explained all of this. At that time I told him we would ONCE AGIAN cover all costs except the cleaning of the fuel tank and a new lift pump. A total cost of less than $300. This is when he became very difficult. He agreed to pay the fee but then he placed a call to Branson questioning my mechanic and stating that we were trying to charge him fees he shouldn't have to pay. He also started degrading my mechanic to Branson. My regional manager called me and told me these facts.
My mechanic has over thirty years experience and was an ASE certified diesel mechanic for Ford. Upon hearing this, I called the customer and told him that we would honor replacing the second pump at no cost but when finished, he could pick up his tractor and never set foot in my store again. We did everything we could to make this customer happy to the tune of approx. $4k in free work. In the end, he went to Mathis because I refused to deal with him anymore.
By the way, during the process of finding the rust in his tank, we asked him how he usually fueled his tractor and his answer was he used METAL fueling cans but continued to blame us for the rust in the tank. We did everything we could to make this customer happy but sometimes there is no satisfying a person regardless of the measures you take.
This is the last you will hear from me on this issue. My dealership has a multitude of other customers who are happy and rave about our work.

 

[atsah]

I am the manager of this dealership and I can tell you Mr. Customer does not have all of the facts listed here. He did indeed call me stating that his fuel gauge and hours meter were not working. Even though he was out of warranty, I called Branson and got them to cover the repairs. He later called back and stated that the tractor was losing power. It was brought back in and we started at the basics. We drained the tank and checked the filter, which fell apart in my mechanics hands. It looked like it had been in there for years. We replaced the filter, and checked the lift pump. It came down to the fuel injection pump. I once again called Branson and got the pump covered under warranty, even though his warranty was expired. We replaced the pump and the tractor ran great. I have multiple emails and texts from the customer stating this. On one of the latest texts, he asked about trading in his tractor for a 3725. I gave him what I thought was a fair quote but he disagreed, not even 24 hours later, he texted me and said the tractor was losing power again. Coincidence?
We went and picked up his tractor and proceeded to locate the problem. This is when we found the rust and debris in his fuel tank. We also determined that the new fuel injection pump was not working. I called the customer and explained all of this. At that time I told him we would ONCE AGIAN cover all costs except the cleaning of the fuel tank and a new lift pump. A total cost of less than $300. This is when he became very difficult. He agreed to pay the fee but then he placed a call to Branson questioning my mechanic and stating that we were trying to charge him fees he shouldn't have to pay. He also started degrading my mechanic to Branson. My regional manager called me and told me these facts.
My mechanic has over thirty years experience and was an ASE certified diesel mechanic for Ford. Upon hearing this, I called the customer and told him that we would honor replacing the second pump at no cost but when finished, he could pick up his tractor and never set foot in my store again. We did everything we could to make this customer happy to the tune of approx. $4k in free work. In the end, he went to Mathis because I refused to deal with him anymore.
By the way, during the process of finding the rust in his tank, we asked him how he usually fueled his tractor and his answer was he used METAL fueling cans but continued to blame us for the rust in the tank. We did everything we could to make this customer happy but sometimes there is no satisfying a person regardless of the measures you take.
This is the last you will hear from me on this issue. My dealership has a multitude of other customers who are happy and rave about our work.

I wouldn't worry to much, it's easy for people to post negative content on forums and then run away, there is very little in the way of consequences in doing so..

 

[thepumpguysc]

WOW!! ALWAYS nice to get both sides.. It sounds as if u did everything that was required & THEN SOME..
"I" would have checked the tank PRIOR to installing the inj. pump tho..
They don't go out for "no reason".. THAT WAY, u could have defended your position on the "tank cleaning"..
Hind site is 20/20.. Thanks for responding & don't blame u AT ALL for sending him down the road.. I've done it myself.

 

[1010]

I think the big take away here is don't use metal cans for re-fueling, I learned this the hard way years ago. It was a metal safety can and had a metal strainer inside, it rusted and the flakes just about ruined my mower.

 

[atsah]

Yup had some of those cans years ago, no good..

 

[Oldpath05]

I am surprised that rust got past the fuel filter,
I would have expected the filter to be plugging frequently. :2cents:

I'm more surprised, the fuel filter should've plugged up so no fuel got by into the injector pump. And how does rust get in a plastic tank, water in fuel maybe.......... Another reason to use this>>>> Diesel Kleen +Cetane Boost - Power Service

 

[Oldpath05]

It gets better when there is three sides to every story, the customer, the dealer and the forum.................

 

[atsah]

And how does rust get in a plastic tank, water in fuel maybe[/url]

Metal cans with condensation will get the job done..

 

[Gafn]

Howdy all,,, So Rich has jumped in and provided a somewhat different account of things - As expected as we all see and remember things differently)
Atash - there is no dump and run here.
1st off - I don't own a metal gas/diesel can (I never have) - so what has been stated is not true from the rust perspective.

From the "trashing the mechanic" Yes I called Branson HQ - This is normal process, and a customer's right if they feel they are not being treated fairly (I was extremely frustrated), and was passed over to the regional manager - I never trashed said mechanic - during the conversation with Branson, the gentleman at HQ stated that Branson dealerships don't get their certification immediately, it takes some time, so my follow on question was - Is the Cumming dealership certified. This part Rich has blown out of proportion - I never said a bad word about the mechanic.... I also never asked for the charge of $300 to be taken off, as Rich stated I agreed to pay the $300. After Rich getting called back from Branson, he left me a rather heated voice mail, stating come get your tractor NO CHARGE, and never step foot in my dealership again. When I picked up my tractor "I STILL PAID THE $300 THAT I HAD AGREED TO", despite the VM.
At the end of it all when my tractor came back and the fuel gauge still did not work and it was down on power, and the bolt holding the injector pump was laying on the frame rail - I then said - I don't trust the work done to the tractor, so I went elsewhere.

The trade in - so Rich gave me a figure of $9000 for my tractor - he said it was low due to not being able to confirm the hours. so after I found the procedure and sent it to him - how to pull the DPF data logger, and Rich sent it to Rome HQ to have it read - My tractor came back with 230 hours on it - total run time. I expected a adjustment to the trade in value now that the hours were verified. There was no adjustment - $9000 was Rich's max offer for a trade in. I simply was not willing to trade the tractor for that value, so I went someplace else.

The emails and texts I wrote to Rich were when the tractor was running great after the initial repair were complementary - however 3 hours at PTO is all that lasted. My main question here is "How did anything get past the new fuel filter that Rich's mechanic installed?" This tractor was new in 2015, and had ran perfectly prior to going into Rich's shop for a Fuel sending unit and a dash board replacement. I really do not believe that I am being unreasonable - I just wanted a working fuel gauge, and a dash board with an hour meter that worked.

And for what it is worth Rich did not send me down the road, the last time I was in his shop - he suggested that someone had "Sabotaged " my tractor. suggesting that someone had poured rust into my tank - at that point I loaded my tractor and left - frustrated and not a real happy customer.

Long Story short - I moved onto another dealer while in communications with the Regional manager. I did not get nasty with anyone, frustrated yes, and perhaps my tone was not the best with Rich and his mechanic - and for that I will offer an apology here and in public, I can be abrasive at times... the old Marine in me comes out...

Rich likes to use the word coincidence... Having two injector pumps fail back to back after having services performed at a shop, is that a coincidence? - however the coincidences induces a HUGE amount of frustration for the customer(me).

Once again - ALL of this is MY PERSONAL OPINION - I share this so others can make informed decisions of their own accord.

 

[atsah]

This is what the problem is.. "Avoid Cumming GA Dealership - At all costs"...

We all get frustrated from time to time but if we all take the time to calm down most people are reasonably and will take care of things. Sounds to me like they ate some of you're problems..

You traded the tractor in because you didn't trust the repair work that was done? That just makes no sense..

 

[Industrial Toys]

What would Judge Judy Say?