Advise on being ripped off at Kioti dealer

[u122423]

Any advise on what next to do would be great. I have a 2004 Kioti CK20HST with less than 1000 hours. One day it quit moving ,just made a wining noise in the transmission. I loaded it up took it to a local Kioti dealer to be repaired. Just so happened I ended up buying a new tractor while I was there. The would not give me a trade in on my broken tractor (understandable). I figured while it was there let them fix it. Here's where the trouble starts, after a month and a half the mechanic called me and said they were going to start working on it, he said it (the book) called for 4hrs to tear apart, I told him no problem let me know what he finds out. approx. a week later I stopped into the shop and he informed me he had split the tractor in the " wrong place" but he had all the bolts out of the " right place " to take it apart and he would call me by the end of the day and tell me what he found. When he called he said a coupler had spun on the shaft and all the parts to repair it were around $ 400.00. I said no problem. He said he was going top have the service manger call me with a total. 2 days later I get a call and she says the total bill is $4800.00. I talked to the owner of the dealership and he stated that the guy had never worked on something like this before, they had trouble getting the loader removed, (I did not thick the loader needed removed to fix) and he could lower the total to $3200. I advised him I would just come and get it the way it is, what is my bill? He stated $2800. So I guess they are planning to put $400.00 in parts and put it back together for free. What really scares me is eventdently the mechanic does not know what he doing. Any ideas where to go from here?

Thanks

 

[LD1]

4 hours to take apart.....$400 part.......4 hours to put back together.

Assuming ~$125/hr shop rate........Should be about $1400 you owe them IMO.

Its not your fault they took stuff apart that wasnt needed, or didnt know what they were doing. The "book time" is there for that reason.

Sure you run into things like stubborn or broken bolts, or other unforeseen issues, and may need to adjust that price. But an incompetent is not an excuse IMO.

Do you still have to option to return the new tractor you just bought? Or any other type of bargaining power over them? Because how are you going to be treated if your new machine ever needs work?

 

[TnAndy]

$400 in parts subtracted from $2800 is $2400. How do you figure they are putting it back together for free ?

Or do you mean if you come pick it up right this minute.... in pieces..... you'd owe $2800 ?

If that is the case, you're paying $2400 for 4 hours of labor to disassemble....... $600/hr shop labor rate ?

I think I'd go in and have somebody show me some hours and labor done, and labor yet to be done, and do some "hesplaining".

Stories like this remind me yet again why I never take anything to a dealer. The bellhousing ($1200) on my previous tractor (NH 1925) broke, and it involves pretty much a complete tear down of the tractor to get to it TO replace, and all that took place in my shop.

 

[C4Ranch]

I would calmly go sit down with the owner and walk through the math together. If you can't come to an agreement I would simply explain that this type of behavior effects the Kioti brand and that your next discussion would be with Kioti to go over the math and in experienced service dept with them. Had trouble getting the loader off, really?

 

[LD1]

Yea, the loader thing is funny too. I could understand if it was a 1960's model nkn QA loader.

Sounds like a service dept that is used to doing nothing more than fluid/filter changes

 

[Avondale]

Was it the loader they had trouble getting off or the loader sub- frame mounting arrangement. My loader comes off with two pins. The frame assembly has many bolts and is more complicated when you consider the sub frame for my back hoe.

 

[LD1]

Still don't see what would be hard about removing one in a properly equipped shop.

And I assume it is a properly equipped shop because I would also assume they install them?

 

[Sawyer Rob]

You have to take the sub frame off to split the tractor...

SR

 

[Industrial Toys]

Too many people out there not having a clue what they are doing and charging good money to do it. I see it every day. And questioned on the matter, they only become defensive.

I would talk to the local Kioti Rep. What good is talking to the owner? That seems to be the way he does business..

 

[u122423]

Well here is the latest, I talked to a Kioti rep he can not do anything because it is a independently owned shop, (even though they are a Kioti dealer). So I moved up the chain at the dealer, he said he would bring someone in from another dealership to help re assemble it. It would have a normal warrenty, but the price is still $3200 or now they are saying I can come pick it up basicly in a basket for $300.00. So the price has went from $4800 fixed to $3200 fixed to $2800 if I came and got it in a basket, now at $300 come get it in a basket. I would love to go pick it up but I'm afraid I won't get everything back and I don't really have anyone close that could fix it.