Did I miss Kubota's Christmas Mailing List?

[Anonymous Poster]

Did I miss Kubota\'s Christmas Mailing List?

Hello All. Back in Aug. of '99 I purchased a Kubota from a central Florida dealer that I thought was sold under false pretense. I posted afew notes here and a wild thread ensued. I never got any warranty info and Kubota was unresponsive to my claims, but I was assured by readers and other dealers that I would be receiving a survey from Kubota within a year of the Purchase, because, "They really do care". It has been well over a year, and I have not received anything from Kubota. Not even a Christmas Card. Has anyone else had any similar experiences? I welcome any calls fellow posters, dealers, or anyone else may wish to place, to discuss this. I may be reached at 904.703.7162

 

[Thomas]

Re: Did I miss Kubota\'s Christmas Mailing List?

I can still remember twice when Kubota sent question an comment letter,also if and next time I trade to check them out.
The Kubota dealer sends a christmas card every year plus updates,auctions,specials,open house..and a stop in sometime for a visit.
Maybe your dealer didn't go the extra mile informing Kubota about your purchase...


Thomas..NH /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Roy]

Re: Did I miss Kubota\'s Christmas Mailing List?

I haven't been on TBN that long to remember the thread, but I'm sure a wild ride did ensue. I believe that if you did not receive a survey after six-months, then in all probability, the sale was never registered with Kubota. And my guess that would be because of dealer error, or they didn't want to record the sale. (And from your comment of 'false pretenses', I am sure possibilities were discussed at the time: unit was not intended for sale in the US, was used/rental sold as new, etc.). It seems to me that you primarily have a dealer issue. I would push them for answers, and push them hard. If I didn't get satisfactory answers, I would go to the State Attorney Generals office. When you said 'Kubota was unresponsive', is that Kubota Tractor Corporation of North America, or the dealer? If KTC, did they respond at all, and if so, what did they say?

Roy

 

[Bird]

Re: Did I miss Kubota\'s Christmas Mailing List?

Michael, I received a questionnaire from Kubota both times I've purchased one of their tractors; mostly questions about whether I was having it serviced at the dealership. I've sent e-mail questions to Kubota a couple of times, but have never gotten any response at all. However, I did learn a few years ago that if you write a letter to the Better Business Bureau and send a copy to Kubota's California headquarters, you'll get a response. In fact, a factory service rep came to my house personally to resolve the problem.

Bird

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Did I miss Kubota\'s Christmas Mailing List?

Thanks for the positive postings. In response to some of the questions posed, I have recently filed a complaint with the BBB against the Dealer, and I will forward a copy to Kubota Corporate today for their review. I agree with the general sentiment that this is primarily a dealer issue. I did however contact Kubota Corporate in Ca. at the time, and after several calls, their ultimate response was that this issue was to be resolved between the dealer and myself. Period.. Not what I expected from a company reputed to be very customer focused. I would like to think that they still are.
The other dealers I've contacted (and those that have contacted me) have been very helpful, and as customer focused as business would permit. I just wish Kubota would have taken a more progressive attitude about the whole thing, especially since I offered to invest yet more money into the initial 20K+ purchase, by buying another unit. One gracious source has verified that the unit's warranty is indeed registered to me. At least I now know that for sure. BTW, my concerns are not centered around monetary issues, as the tractor purchase was not financed.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Did I miss Kubota\'s Christmas Mailing List?

Well, I got in touch early last week with the folks that administer Kubota's Customer Satisfaction/Survey program. It appears that this service is outsourced to a marketing firm. They were initially very concerned that I had not received any correspondence from them. They said they would contact the individual that they interface with at Kubota to follow-up on the situation. Then they mentioned the individual by name; the same Corporate Kubota person that told me my problem was an issue to be resolved between myself and the dealer.. Period.
I called back the end of last week to ask what they had found, and their response was that they would call me when they had any information to share. I wonder if I will hear from them, or the Kubota representative? What does this imply?

 

[Roy]

Re: Did I miss Kubota\'s Christmas Mailing List?

I don't think that anything could be correctly concluded at this time. Endless number of scenarios which may illicit that response (tracking down missing paperwork, key person is unavailable/on vactaion, etc, etc, etc). At least you have an open communication path to Kubota now. Keep on them until you find out what's up. Good luck.

Roy

 

[RJohnson]

Re: Did I miss Kubota\'s Christmas Mailing List?

Just goes to show you, the Kubota is a great tractor no matter who you buy it from. The key thing is to find the best dealer you can find and stick with them, even if that dealer may not have the lowest price.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Re: Did I miss Kubota\'s Christmas Mailing List?

I agree, the Kubota is a great tractor, but a large part of the ownership experience is the purchasing experience, and the customer’s perception of how the manufacturing company treats it's customer base. This is known in corporate America as "Customer Care", or "Customer Service". To me this includes holding their dealer network responsible for acting as ambassadors to the company. I have not seen this with Kubota.
I'm still waiting for my survey. On the same day I initiated my inquire about the survey, I also requested, from a separate office in Kubota, product literature. I got my lit within three days. I was told that the "person in charge" of the survey program at Kubota was made aware of my not being invited to participate, and that I would be added appropriately to the Survey Database. I feel I have gotten the attention of the correct person at Kubota. But as this was also the same person that basically said "This is a matter to be resolved between you and the dealer", I wanted to wait and see what happened. It is unfortunate that Kubota would initially admit that the tractor deal appeared suspect (the dealer said he had just received the tractor from Kubota that week, and they told me they had delivered it to him some two to three months earlier). This was an issue because the hours on it were supposed to be Factory Show circuit hours, yet the delivery driver told me he had just gotten the tractor from a Job site (I found this out after the deal, upon delivery). The dealer had me wait almost a week for this tractor to be "delivered from Kubota". I'm sure other dealers wince when they see stuff like this, which is yet another reason why Kubota should have stepped in- it's just not fare to their dealer network, or customer base as a whole.

 

[M. Sullivan]

Re: Did I miss Kubota\'s Christmas Mailing List?

Totally agree, the dealer is the representative of their company--regardless of the 'fine print' and legalease that may be in the contract. They are handling this stupidly. They clearly have a suspect dealer, and need to investigate and make sure the customer is satisfied--and others are not abused. Have to assume (hope) your initial K contact was just a lazy cust. service rep..

Had a similar problem with JD: Ripped off $1000 on trans leak service--4 visits and still leaked a little, then told it was something new (less than 10 hours from start to finish). Called JD after reading their literature 'we stand behind our dealers'. Well, the sure do--no matter what! Quoted the fine print as if it were gospel. Subsequently learned a lot about what a rotten co. they really are. Shortly thereafter bought my 2710. Unfortunately had a trans prob., which was quickly and fairly resolved by the dealer and Kubota--polar opposite from JD.

I would personally step it up a bit with Kubota....send them the URL to your post here. The internet and sites like this give consumers a great deal of information to assist in deciding on where to spend their much sought after tractor $$. Amazes me how a company will spend big $$ on commercials, then screw a customer over a few dollars.

As for the dealer in question, I'd send a 'letter to the editor' to the local paper so others avoid similar problems (and him). A crooked merchant only cleans up his act when the cost of doing so is less than the cost of business as usual.

Let us know how it turns out.