Help! Warranty issues on B3030

bowhunter3030 · Aug 29, 2005

My bucket was 1 1/2 inches higher on one side than the other. I put up a post and got some great answers on the fix. I told them to the dealer. He called me up, after talking to Kubota, and told me they had to come out and pickup my tractor to fix it. They picked it up, fixed it, and returned it to me. That was a few weeks ago. Today, I got a bill for $50 for pick up and delivery. You got to be kidding. I called my dealer and a lady answered and told me the pickup and delivery was not covered and that if I read my owners manual I would have known that. Is this true? I told her that no one told me that there was a charge for this and I had bought a brand new 20' trailer just for this tractor to take to my property 55 miles away and that had I known this, I would have brought it up there myself. I asked her, "Would you be upset at me if you bought a new big screen from me and it broke and I charged you $50 to pick it up and return it under warranty? All she did was complain about her employees and that they didn't make any money on my sale. She told me that she was part owner, also. She then told me to drop the the $50 charge. Am I wrong for being very upset about the $50 charge? I have had the tractor for 5 months, now.

wushaw · Aug 29, 2005

First of all you were talking to a woman that has a interest in the money side of the business, she's going to wine and complain about something /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
They should have asked you if you could bring it in or if they needed to come and pick it up for a charge.
I wouldn't worry about it.
But now you know to bring it in or they will charge a transport fee.

Bird · Aug 30, 2005

Steve, some dealers do pick up and deliver tractors for no charge, but I don't think any of the manufacturers reimburse the dealer or consider that "warranty" work. So what you encountered is actually the normal thing. I know the warranty on my Kubotas specifically exempted pick up and delivery, so it's up to the individual dealer as to whether or not they provide that service at their own expense.

ronjhall · Aug 30, 2005

My dealer does not charge for pickup and delivery during warranty. It's part of their service for a new tractor purchased from them.
I read your thread on FEL being off 1 1/2". It sounds like it was a dealer warranty problem. Loader was not installed properly.
When you read the post about making sure dealer is going to give you good service. Pickup and delivery charges are one of the items that needs to be checked.

ByronBob · Aug 30, 2005

I think the dealer should announce this charge during the conversation just so everyone is clear on it. Getting a bill in the mail after the fact just leaves a sour taste in your mouth.

theboman · Aug 30, 2005

I've never heard of free pickup and delivery on any type of repair.
To me this seems like a lack of communications between both parties.
Never ASSUME.

Stef · Aug 30, 2005

I'm lucky on this one. My dealer doesn't charge me any fee for transportation for a warranty job. The same if I buy an implement. He will pick up the tractor and make the adjustments himself. But I agree with the others, this is the dealer's choice to move your tractor free of charge or not.

I must say though... this is frustrating because he didn't install the loader correctly and he charged you afterward for the pick up to fix his mistake. I would have complain too.

AntrimMan · Aug 30, 2005

It would be nice if the fee was disclosed. If not then I can understand your displeasure.
My dealer was explicit. He did state the pick up and delivery for the first service interval was free. There was no statement that I remember about warranty pickup and delivery.
I am somewhat sensitive to the dealers position also. I know no one who works for free, close sometimes but not free. If he put's a person on the road to recover your machine and then return it, what is involved? The persons time, the rig and all that goes with it, fuel, insurance, maintenance, taxes, and on and on. Fifty bucks begins to look small. Was that each way or total?
If you bring him the machine then it's wear and tear on you etc.
I guess there are two sides to the story.
You should have been informed there would be a fee. You have a legitimate argument that the reason for the warranty call back work was the dealers failure to properly inspect the assembly in the first place. No reason for you to take it on the chin. You are not wrong to be upset. Rightfully they decided to eat it.

Kubota will send you a customer satisfaction questionaire. Theres your chance to voice dissatisfaction if you wish.

Fifty bucks is small, wait till you get a $500 bill for tightening the steering box bolts or something similar. Yeouch.

All the best
Martin

bowhunter3030 · Sep 1, 2005

I am a business owner with 3 retail stores. I too, understand the dealers side. If you buy, for instance, a big screen from me, and it breaks, I might have to come to your house and and pick it up for service, then return it. I don't get reimbursed for this. I might have to pick up your washer and bring it in for service. I, basically, pay for this out of the profit of the unit. Hopefully, not many break or it will bring my cost up. I didn't read a section in my owners manual that said I had to pay for this. I looked at it again, and I still couldn't find it. In fact, I couldn't find anything about what the warranty is on the tractor. If something that I sell breaks, I don't care if it is warranty or not, my customer thinks it is suppossed to last for ever. I eat the service on many items just to keep my customer happy. I work for free many times. I have one company that buys livingroom sets, dinette sets, washers, dryers, refrigerators, etc. If something breaks and the service company can't get to it in a day, I drive 30 miles one way and bring a loaner till the item gets fixed. This is in warranty or not. This is done for free. My benefit to doing this is the growing business with this company, $160,000.00 to date. I do this for just about all my customers big or small. An unhappy customer tells many people which results in lost business, even if their problem is totally their fault, I will lose if they are upset. I buy some of my customers pizza as appreciation for their business. If you walk into one of my stores, the first thing my people do is greet you and ask you if you would like a bottle of water or a soda. This is free. I don't want to be the same as my competion, I want to be better. As you know, nothing is "free." It all comes out of profit. But doing these things brings profit. Taking care of your customers above and beyond, will bring you more profit in the long run.

ccsial · Sep 1, 2005

With fuel cost over $3 per gallon and heading up I suspect we'll see more of this. It appears this free service is up to the dealer.

I could not find much on the warranty in my manual so I looked on the Kubota web site. If you go to SUPPORT/WARRANTY you will get an 8 page PDF warranty document. Page 3 specifies that they do not cover pickup and delivery.