Dealer damage

BOC · Jun 5, 2012

All -

I am curious if you guys have had the same problem I have had with my John Deere dealer. Everything I buy from them - whether it be my I-tach quick hitch, a ballast box, my tiller and bush hog, the bucket on the loader- all come delivered scratched to heck (the tractor, bush hog, and tiller sat outside for a year before I bought them).

I am not a farmer by any means; however I find myself going to a very large dealer and am curious if the mentality of these bigger shops is, "well it's gonna get scratched anyway when they start using it." I have dropped a lot of hints to the point where I think they know I am not happy. The last time I picked something up they threw in a can of spray paint as a joke. I will be honest and say I do have a friendly relationship with this dealer as I have gotten to know all of them through local farmer.

Anyone ever have this problem and is there anything you can do about it? Or am I just expected to go home and touch up the things myself that I am unhappy with? Is my **** rententiveness coming in to play too much here?

tonyoz · Jun 5, 2012

If that is their care factor then you gotta ask your self whats the rest of this business like. For me I would not accept delivery of goods that are damaged in any way. I bet you wouldn't take delivery of a new car that was damaged and I bet they are not the only tractor dealers in your area

kthompson · Jun 5, 2012

Equipment does sit outside and a year is not unheard of especially today. Yes it is equipment and will get dings and such being used but I don't want to buy dinged up equipment for new price.

Still you have responsibility I think to look at it BEFORE you agree on price and if scratch or dinged just say wow that is at least a $100 ding there. (sometimes it is best to move it to an amount that lets it be known you think it should be adjusted but leaving it open for them. Such as, wow that is a million dollar ding there.)

But if a dealership has no pride in the way they care for what they are selling you as has been asked how are they treating the service you can not see?

sweep · Jun 5, 2012

I purchased my 2006 TC45A new. Several months into the ownership drove the tractor back to them (3 mi away) and had them reverse the wheels out further as my property is steep.

Scratched the heck out of the rims on both sides. 7-8-9 long deep scratches-2-3" each on each rim either down to the black base paint or steel. Dealer gave me a can of white paint when I brought it up..he thought I was an alien to even bring up the subject of scratched rims on a farm tractor.

Ended up having a friend of mine who paints cars repaint them...yes they looked that bad...to me anyway.

Probably should have pushed it more with the dealer but the next closest dealer is over an hour away and wanted to keep on somewhat good terms..

BOC · Jun 5, 2012

I'm the same with this being the closet dealer and one that I have a relationship with. My first mistake was probably making friends with all of them as it maybe gives them the impression they can get away with it. When I bring it up they make it seem like it is much a do about nothing and look at me like I am crazy. It's a very awkward situation and one I clearly have not found a way to deal with it. Something tells me 5 years from now it isn't going to matter. I'll guess I'll just stock up on touch up spray paint!

DavesTractor · Jun 5, 2012

I think a tractor should not be scratched when you buy it, especially on the "sheetmetal" parts like the hood and fenders and side panels and such. A scratch over the drawbar or the front bumper from tie downs isn't prefered of course, but to me isn't such a big deal.

Implements are often packed onto a truck tightly to save freight. If you can get 120 box scrapers on a truck coming from Tennessee to California, freight will be $50 each. If you build a wood crate around each one, you might get 60 on a truck, so $100 each, plus the crating expense. Woods and Landpride take care to crate them and keep them from being scratched, but the crating and shipping aren't done gratis, you are paying for it one way or the other. To me, I'll pay extra for no scratches. But most people will take a box scraper with a couple of scuffs that is $75 cheaper in a heartbeat.

So I think a ding in a hood or a scratched fender should be fixed or you should get a discount. But on implements, you sort of have to pick your price point.

Jay4200 · Jun 5, 2012

BOC said:
Anyone ever have this problem and is there anything you can do about it? Or am I just expected to go home and touch up the things myself that I am unhappy with? Is my **** rententiveness coming in to play too much here?

**** retentiveness is a virtue.

I would never accept a scratched-up item new from a dealer. They DON'T come that way, incidentally - that is damage created by the monkeys that work at the dealership. I don't care if I plan on destroying an item 5 minutes out of the parking lot - if I am buying and paying for something new, I want it NEW. If it is all scratched up, it's used as far as I am concerned. I'd buy it at a 50% discount, or make them get me another one.

Personally, I wouldn't buy anything from that particular JD dealer.

JayC

sweep · Jun 5, 2012

DavesTractor said:
So I think a ding in a hood or a scratched fender should be fixed or you should get a discount. But on implements, you sort of have to pick your price point.

Was looking for a 7' blade some years back for snow removal. I did not want to pay the $$ for a higher priced Woods/Bush Hog brand blade from my NH dealer so I went to TSC. The King Kutters they had in stock were rusted pretty good from sitting out in the lot for who knows how long. Asked the salesperson I they could order me in a "fresh one". Got a "no problem". I was skeptical it would happen to say the least.

5-6 days later they called and said it was in..went down to look at it. Fresh and no rust.

Sometimes the big box stores are easier to deal with than the mom and pop dealers...you would think it would be the other way round..

I have seen brand new tractors on lot's that are incredibly rusted/faded etc. Would never take one of those. If I do buy anything from my dealer he WILL KNOW up front I want a fresh one and not something that has sat on his lot or someone elses and rusted/faded away.

Runner · Jun 5, 2012

I had the same issue, service department scratched up the fender cap (down to bare metal) while installing power beyond. I noticed it on a pre-delivery inspection at the dealer and told them I wanted it fixed, and not with spray paint.

Sure enough, on delivery day, it showed up with a big blob of green spray paint, drips, overspray on the black parts and all.

I pointed out to the delivery guy (also the salesman) that it wasn't fixed as discussed. This was on a small, replaceable part of the fender so I got him to order me a new one, which came painted from the factory.

I think it is pretty common for dealers to look at it as "just a tractor that will be scratched up anyway, so what's the difference..."

However, as others have said, I paid for new and that's what I want. If it gets screwed up, I'll be the one to do it.