RK Customer Service help/suggestions.

[cmexrayu]

Guys,

I need your help/advice on how to handle some customer service issues from my local Rural King as it relates to my RK37H. I bought the tractor back in May and after delivery delay, hydraulic leak, and various other issues, it is now time for my 50 hour maintenance. The last time the field service tech was at my property, he gave me a price for pickup, 50 hour service, and delivery. He said to just give him a call when I was ready and he would come and get the tractor.

I called the field manager last week and requested pick up and service. He informed me that I would need to call the sales manager because he "no longer does mobile or transport" This was Monday September 23rd. On September 25 I texted the sales manager and informed him that I was told to work with him on pickup and maintenance. He responded with "OK, let me see what day I can get out there to pick up"

By Saturday, September 28 I had yet to hear back from the sales manager. SO...I texted him "Any Luck" . He responded with "I know first of week".

I am assuming that he will let me know something either Monday or Tuesday. It is now Thursday October 3rd of the "next week" and I have yet to hear anything.

So, based on the history with this RK location do I continue to push the Sales Manager for an answer or do I take it beyond him?

Customer service was one of my big concerns with going with the RK tractor. I hope I don't live to regret this decision...

 

[Roadworthy]

Fifty hour service should only require an oil change and a couple filters. Consider saving the trip to the dealer and doing it yourself. It is simple enough the dealer should even be able to do it on site without transporting the tractor. You could also consider having it done by a different dealer. Of course the lack of dealer response does not bode well for future possible warranty work. Consider running it up the RK chain and try to get a response to your concerns from higher up.

 

[Ohio RK24]

I don't know where you are located but I can tell you that here where I live (Springfield Ohio) it's the same run around, the website states that they offer delivery and pick up service but that is not true here and I would assume that neither is it true anywhere else, assuming corporate policy is binding all franchises should operate from the same playbook after all McDonald's seems to make it work.
I have a sinking feeling of the RK tractor future and it is a shame because I really do like my tractor and feel that they had opportunity to build a solid future had they chosen to do so.

 

[cmexrayu]

So I ran it up the chain through the RK tractor guy. His response was that they "....no longer do customer pick up and delivery but we can look at arranging for a 3rd party to pick up and deliver to help you get your service completed.....the store is very well equipped to perform all your service needs but the pick up and delivery..."

Here is what there web site says in the FAQ:

DO YOU DELIVER?
Yes, we can deliver your tractors and implements to your location for a fee based upon distance. As another option, we offer perfectly matched transport trailers and associated hitch equipment that can be included in the financing with your tractor purchase. Having a trailer gives you the option to easily move your equipment between locations.

Sound like there is some gray area here...

 

[cmexrayu]

I don't know where you are located but I can tell you that here where I live (Springfield Ohio) it's the same run around, the website states that they offer delivery and pick up service but that is not true here and I would assume that neither is it true anywhere else, assuming corporate policy is binding all franchises should operate from the same playbook after all McDonald's seems to make it work.
I have a sinking feeling of the RK tractor future and it is a shame because I really do like my tractor and feel that they had opportunity to build a solid future had they chosen to do so.

So I ran it up the chain through the RK tractor guy. His response was that they "....no longer do customer pick up and delivery but we can look at arranging for a 3rd party to pick up and deliver to help you get your service completed.....the store is very well equipped to perform all your service needs but the pick up and delivery..."

Here is what there web site says in the FAQ:

DO YOU DELIVER?
Yes, we can deliver your tractors and implements to your location for a fee based upon distance. As another option, we offer perfectly matched transport trailers and associated hitch equipment that can be included in the financing with your tractor purchase. Having a trailer gives you the option to easily move your equipment between locations.

Sound like there is some gray area here...

 

[snymat68]

"No longer"? Ha! Did they ever? They haven't been selling tractors that long. Granted, I have a trailer and can haul on my own, but with the store an hour away, that's 4hrs of back and forth. And for what, an ill-equipped tech in a small engine service room to work on my tractor? I don't think so. I wonder what their current stance is on the "Mobile Service Trucks" and servicemen that can supposedly come to you and fix a lot of smaller issues on site. Did they back out of that promise as well?

Coupled with what I've heard about Doug (RK Tractor Guy) leaving the company, none of this is giving me a fuzzy feeling. When I bought the tractor, I kind of figured (planned on) not having the advertised RK support network available at some point down the road. I just vener thought it would be within 6 months. Yeesh.

 

[DonRybak]

I bought my RK37HC last July and they didn't offer free delivery back then either. They contracted with a towing company to do deliveries but I paid my neighbor to bring mine home. I remember seeing on the Uhaul website a while back that they rent flat bed car haulers. I found a local trailer company on Craigslist that rents flatbed transport trailers on a daily basis. The price was reasonable at $84 per day for a 20 foot one rated at 14k capacity. Most folks say that if you own a tractor that you need to own a trailer to haul it with but I can't see spending the money for something I might use a couple times. If I was hauling it around doing work with it that would be another story. I did my 50 hour service myself a couple weeks back and it's fairly simple. Just a little time consuming. The cost of supplies was somewhere around $225. The hydraulic filter was $38. Ouch....... There's right at 9 gallons of hydraulic fluid so make sure that you have a big enough container to catch it. Good luck with whatever you decide on doing.....Don

 

[fried1765]

"No longer"? Ha! Did they ever? They haven't been selling tractors that long. Granted, I have a trailer and can haul on my own, but with the store an hour away, that's 4hrs of back and forth. And for what, an ill-equipped tech in a small engine service room to work on my tractor? I don't think so. I wonder what their current stance is on the "Mobile Service Trucks" and servicemen that can supposedly come to you and fix a lot of smaller issues on site. Did they back out of that promise as well?

Coupled with what I've heard about Doug (RK Tractor Guy) leaving the company, none of this is giving me a fuzzy feeling. When I bought the tractor, I kind of figured (planned on) not having the advertised RK support network available at some point down the road. I just vener thought it would be within 6 months. Yeesh.

"RK tractor guy" leaving the company?
Oops !
I expected that might happen......but, if true, it sure did not take long.
If he is gone, he likely took his bag of empty promises with him too?

 

[snymat68]

"RK tractor guy leaving the company?
I expected that would happen......but it sure did not take long.
Probably took his bag of empty promises with him too?

I haven't actually heard anything official about it, but I've read things on here where people have said that he's no longer with the company. I do know that he disappeared from the forums a while back, so who knows.

 

[Ohio RK24]

I haven't actually heard anything official about it, but I've read things on here where people have said that he's no longer with the company. I do know that he disappeared from the forums a while back, so who knows.

Being new I do not know the history of the RK tractor guy other than assuming that he is/was a paid rep for the company but it certainly is a shame if he did not last that long, it would be nice to have a vested individual participating here with us to ease concerns, pass along related info and provide a way to bypass the quicksand that tends to be customer service.

 

[DonRybak]

Doug was the lead rep of the RK tractor division. After I saw something on this forum about his leaving I mentioned it to the lead tractor guy at my local store and he said that they came in one morning to an email that said Doug had left and for everybody to wish him well in his new endeavor. Now, it that accurate or just something to change the subject I have no idea. It was like a week before leaving that Doug had been visiting the stores around Florida.

 

[5030]

Sure am glad I have Kubota's and an attentive dealer. My dealer picks mine up and delivers them (if the need to go into the shop which is rare) at no charge. I do all my own interval maintenance so only time one has to go is if something major needs attention.

 

[cmexrayu]

Sure am glad I have Kubota's and an attentive dealer. My dealer picks mine up and delivers them (if the need to go into the shop which is rare) at no charge. I do all my own interval maintenance so only time one has to go is if something major needs attention.

So, what do RK owners do if one day down the road Rural King gets out of the tractor business? What are some options for tractor maintenance and repairs?

 

[snymat68]

So, what do RK owners do if one day down the road Rural King gets out of the tractor business? What are some options for tractor maintenance and repairs?

DIY with TYM parts is my plan.

 

[fried1765]

I wonder what Mike Morgan, of "Outdoors With The Morgans" (RK sanctioned videos) knows about all this?

 

[mark02tj]

I wonder what Mike Morgan, of "Outdoors With The Morgans" (RK sanctioned videos) knows about all this?

I was thinking the same thing. I wonder if he's sorry that he sold his Kubota.

 

[Jchonline]

Sorry to hear about the troubles. A local dealer going under is one thing, but changes across the division are another entirely. It would be nice if RK provided another voice on the forums to allay worries.

Awhile back Jeff posted a list of all the tractor manufacturers that have gone out of business. The list is quite long
I will watch outdoorgans to see if it is mentioned.

 

[BRMyers]

Hasn't Rural King had a history of switching through tractor makers that they sell? If I remember right, in 2010/2011 they were selling Massey Ferguson models.

 

[gunny0628]

So I met Doug at the Gainesville store and he actually walked the store with me and talked with me. He told me about his experience with other big brands and told me that he was going to be starting a new division at rural king separate from the retail division and that it would only be tractors and that he would be the VP for that new entity.

A week later I send him an email and I get a crappy response with a watered down “it happens everywhere” response to the eleven FEL issue.

A week later he’s gone and I was told he was fired. Not sure what the truth in it is. Don’t really care.

What I care about is the future of our tractors. I have also been to the local store where the service area is an abomination. I picked up a piece of equipment where the red paint was literally still wet. It stuck to my tshirt as I loaded it in the bed of my truck.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love the tractor. I don’t have one complaint. The service I received from the lead sales person was phenomenal. But everything else has been horrible.

I tried to look up the parts for the fifty hour maintenance today from the parts list on the website and their own SKUs and none of them show up on the website.

Contact the “tractor guy” and he said “we hope to carry parts for the tractors one day”. I was like WTF.

I’m beyond baffled. I have the worst feeling that this was one of the worst investments I’ve ever made. I hope I’m wrong but my gut is telling me otherwise.

Hopefully TYM will service the tractor. And they (TYM) wanted my business so bad, but because the salesman was a salesman and belittled RK as a tactic, I didn’t go with them.

Serves me right for having scruples.

 

[DonRybak]

gunny, when I picked up the supplies for my 50 hour service I just asked the guy I bought the tractor from what filters I needed and he walked around with a cart and put everything I needed in it. I was surprised that the fluids are on the shelf but they keep the two filters in the shop. I run Amsoil in everything I own but when I question Amsoil about switching to their product they recommended that I wait until I have at least 150 - 200 hours on it to ensure that the cylinder walls and rings have mated.