Kioti dealer service call pricing...unreasonable?

[raxxter]

Hi all,

Sorry if this isn’t the correct forum for this question, but I’d like to know what others are seeing for an in-warranty service to the tractor’s location.

I purchased and took delivery on a new 2021 CK3510 HST about 17 months ago, so it’s still under the 2 year ‘bumper-to-bumper’ warranty. The nearest dealer is 63 miles from my house.
Two nights ago, at 351 hours, it threw a CEL with the codes ‘4881 F 30’.

I called the dealer to set up a service call, and was surprised to discover the dealer had changed their service policy to ‘promote their services’, and were now charging a $75 service visit fee (regardless of the type of work performed -either scheduled maintenance, warranty service, or out-of-warranty- with an additional fee of $4.25/mile round trip.
While my phone GPS says the dealership is 63 miles away, they claim it’s a 75 mile trip.

They are saying to come out, even if it’s just to perform a 'computer reset', I’m looking at:
$75 + 150 miles at $4.25/mile = $712.50 minimum.
That is unless, of course, I can find a way to bring the tractor to them.

I was shocked to find this out this afternoon, but then I realized I don’t have any direct experience to compare.
Is this typical? Are you all out there with Kioti tractors in the same boat, or is my dealer unreasonable?

Thanks.

 

[old and tired]

I had to bring my tractor to the dealer to get it worked on... even if it's under warranty. also about 65 miles away.

$4.25/mile does seem excessive... I would be done with that dealer, too.

 

[Citydude]

Hi all,

Sorry if this isn’t the correct forum for this question, but I’d like to know what others are seeing for an in-warranty service to the tractor’s location.

I purchased and took delivery on a new 2021 CK3510 HST about 17 months ago, so it’s still under the 2 year ‘bumper-to-bumper’ warranty. The nearest dealer is 63 miles from my house.
Two nights ago, at 351 hours, it threw a CEL with the codes ‘4881 F 30’.

I called the dealer to set up a service call, and was surprised to discover the dealer had changed their service policy to ‘promote their services’, and were now charging a $75 service visit fee (regardless of the type of work performed -either scheduled maintenance, warranty service, or out-of-warranty- with an additional fee of $4.25/mile round trip.
While my phone GPS says the dealership is 63 miles away, they claim it’s a 75 mile trip.

They are saying to come out, even if it’s just to perform a 'computer reset', I’m looking at:
$75 + 150 miles at $4.25/mile = $712.50 minimum.
That is unless, of course, I can find a way to bring the tractor to them.

I was shocked to find this out this afternoon, but then I realized I don’t have any direct experience to compare.
Is this typical? Are you all out there with Kioti tractors in the same boat, or is my dealer unreasonable?

Thanks.

If the tractor can move, I would rent a trailer and haul it there. A 14K trailer is $75 a day (24 hours) here to rent.

 

[grsthegreat]

I dont know of any dealer that would travel out to someones home for free, you have to bring tractor in to their shop, or pay to have it hauled. Even a new car has to be brought into a shop.

now, if under warranty, i wouldnt pay a dime for work.

 

[Gee Ray]

I don’t have your brand of tractor. But with most warranty work it is the owners responsibility to move the tractor to the shop.

The $4.25 per mile charge is outlandish. The $75 service charge for warranty work is kind of a moot point. The warranty charges should go back to the manufacturer not to the customer.

If you have the equipment to pull a trailer, you could probably rent a U-Haul and move the tractor for a lot less than $4.25 a mile.

 

[Hay Dude]

Hi all,

Sorry if this isn’t the correct forum for this question, but I’d like to know what others are seeing for an in-warranty service to the tractor’s location.

I purchased and took delivery on a new 2021 CK3510 HST about 17 months ago, so it’s still under the 2 year ‘bumper-to-bumper’ warranty. The nearest dealer is 63 miles from my house.
Two nights ago, at 351 hours, it threw a CEL with the codes ‘4881 F 30’.

I called the dealer to set up a service call, and was surprised to discover the dealer had changed their service policy to ‘promote their services’, and were now charging a $75 service visit fee (regardless of the type of work performed -either scheduled maintenance, warranty service, or out-of-warranty- with an additional fee of $4.25/mile round trip.
While my phone GPS says the dealership is 63 miles away, they claim it’s a 75 mile trip.

They are saying to come out, even if it’s just to perform a 'computer reset', I’m looking at:
$75 + 150 miles at $4.25/mile = $712.50 minimum.
That is unless, of course, I can find a way to bring the tractor to them.

I was shocked to find this out this afternoon, but then I realized I don’t have any direct experience to compare.
Is this typical? Are you all out there with Kioti tractors in the same boat, or is my dealer unreasonable?

Thanks.

Welcome to my life and the life of farmers and heavy equipment operators.
Just to have a dealer come out, install a $150 sensor, reprogram the tractor with a laptop and drive home is easily $1,000.

 

[jaydee325]

Considering the cost of doing business today, I don't think the cost estimate quoted by the OP is out of line for a field service.

Someone said that there should be no charge for warranty service work. That's not going to work for a dealer that needs to turn a profit. The manufacturer is only going to pay the dealer for parts and the labor they establish in their dealer warranty flat rate guides for the actual work. There is no dealer reimbursement by the manufacturer for pick up and delivery or field service expenses. In the case of remote field work described above, there is going to be a minimum of 2 hours driving time that the dealer has to pay the tech for. So, if a dealer dispatches a tech and does not get paid for non-warrenty costs, the dealer won't remain in business for long.

 

[mrmikey]

My thought would be whatever the terms of the warranty were at time of purchase. I don't think you can change the existing warranty terms once the deal has been made, wouldn't it just apply to new purchases?
I know I had bought, at one of our local stores, a rechargeable drill with a 3 year warranty. 1-1/2 years after that it burnt out and I took it back and they told me it only had a one year warranty, which it currently did. Luckily I had saved the receipt and a sales flyer with the three year warranty printed and they had to honour it.

 

[perrypower]

Considering the cost of doing business today, I don't think the cost estimate quoted by the OP is out of line for a field service.

Someone said that there should be no charge for warranty service work. That's not going to work for a dealer that needs to turn a profit. The manufacturer is only going to pay the dealer for parts and the labor they establish in their dealer warranty flat rate guides for the actual work. There is no dealer reimbursement by the manufacturer for pick up and delivery or field service expenses. In the case of remote field work described above, there is going to be a minimum of 2 hours driving time that the dealer has to pay the tech for. So, if a dealer dispatches a tech and does not get paid for non-warrenty costs, the dealer won't remain in business for long.

Yep, this is accurate. The dealership will have to pay a service call technician for all their driving time, not just the time they spend on the actual repair. Service calls are not cheap. Transportation is almost never covered by any manufacture's warranty, except in rare circumstances such as mandatory safety recalls, etc.

 

[deezler]

It's hard to blame the dealer for charging you to pick up the machine, but $4.25/mi is a bit much.

Do you have a truck that can comfortably tow 8000+ lbs? Take it there yourself, dont give them the satisfaction.

Any other dealers in your area?