Nice move by Mahindra.

[Robert_in_NY]

What questions would people have that they would "need" a 24/7 hotline in regards to a tractor? I would think the owners manual would cover all the basic information needed and if something breaks down a person on the phone will not be able to fix it. So what benifit does this actually give owners other then giving Mahindra a reason to raise prices to pay for this service (someone has to pay for it).

I am not trying to knock Mahindra I just don't see the need for this and can honestly say I have never called CNH about any of my tractors or implements. If I have a problem I either fix it myself or call my dealer for support as they know what I have and its history.

 

[RedRiver]

The benefit would be if there was something they could fix themselves or something like the the tractor not cranking because it's not in neutral or the PTO lever is engaged.

24/7 is a benefit because obviously most dealers aren't open 24/7 therefore if the customer has a problem Sunday evening at 6 pm they have someone to call.

 

[Offy]

Give some people a new dollar bill and they'll complain about the color of it. I think it is an excellent idea and I see that it must be operational but you have to enter your vehicle ID number to access it and I don't have it with me. I'll check it out next week when I'm back at a computer. The weekends are for tractors , hot rods and Harleys and the weather is right!

 

[srjones]

What questions would people have that they would "need" a 24/7 hotline in regards to a tractor? I would think the owners manual would cover all the basic information needed and if something breaks down a person on the phone will not be able to fix it.

Exactly what RedRiver said. Also, there are some things that are just not covered in the manual. If I'm working on the tractor during evening and weekends, I'm not really inclined to page my dealer, even though he offers it.

However, if there's a call center, I'd be more likely to call, yes, even if routed to Bangalore. Remember, most of India's economy is agricultural. I'm pretty sure they'd know what they're talking about.

I've been working with Indians locally for about 7 years and remotely for 4. What can complicate matters is just the distance between here and there which introduces lag time (latency) and often audio quality. Add to that an accent you're unfamiliar with, and I can understand the difficulties in communicating. Some accents are indeed harder to under understand that others. It will depend on where they are originally from within India (their 'mother tongue' ) and where they learned English.

As an aside, I've called the Cingular customer support number three or four times in the the past few months. Sometimes I understood the CSR very well but sometimes I thought I was hearing a foreign language, even with little latency and perfect phone quality. I believe they were in Georgia or northern Florida. I'm certain I could better understand the accent if I spent time in the area or watched more Lynard Skynard documentaries. (yes, that was joke )

Anyway, yes, nice move by Mahindra. Now I just need to find that phone number and think of a reason to call after hours.

 

[Dougster]

Just made my first call... well, online chat actually... because the dealer from which I bought my second remote valve kit is apparently out sick. Had an admittedly difficult question. The question could not be answered.

Don't expect too much... at least not right away. Infinitely better dealers, smarter owners and good information right here on TBN!!!

Dougster

 

[RedRiver]

Lynard Skynard

Hey, that's Lynyrd Skynyrd!! If you're gonna insult a band at least spell it right.

sorry, i'm a tractor salesman by day.....musician by night. i take my music seriously.

 

[srjones]

No insult intended. Spelling has never been a strong area for me. I've been a fan of 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd for quite a while.

BTW, there's a Cingular call center in Jacksonville, FL so I probably guessed correctly.

 

[RedRiver]

none taken, I just like pickin' on people who misspell Skynyrd.

sorry for getting off topic....

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Give some people a new dollar bill and they'll complain about the color of it. I think it is an excellent idea and I see that it must be operational but you have to enter your vehicle ID number to access it and I don't have it with me. I'll check it out next week when I'm back at a computer. The weekends are for tractors , hot rods and Harleys and the weather is right!

I wasn't complaining as I don't even own a Mahindra. I just did not see any advantage to this service. If the tractor doesn't crank over doesn't the owners manual have a trouble shooting section to help people figure out the problem? I just do not think there are very many items that can be fixed over the phone. Those items that can be fixed over the phone most likely can be fixed if the user would just look in their manual unless the Mahindra manuals are not very useful. I see it all the time online, people refuse to look something up themselves and instead ask others to do the work for them.

I actually like looking thru my manual when I am want to know what fuse is what and such. Every time I flip thru it I either learn something new or refresh my memory about something.

 

[coffeeman]

I wasn't complaining as I don't even own a Mahindra. I just did not see any advantage to this service. If the tractor doesn't crank over doesn't the owners manual have a trouble shooting section to help people figure out the problem?

I actually like looking thru my manual when I am want to know what fuse is what and such. Every time I flip thru it I either learn something new or refresh my memory about something.

Owners manual??? I used to have one. Then I got another one, to the tune of about $60. Got the repair manual also.

Here's the problem. The manual that came with tractor has been lost twice. Can't blame the kids, they are not at home. It's got to be the wife who lost them. I think she should pay for the new one.

For me the advantage to call line is using between new manuals. However, I've been told by my wife that I "think I know it all". So I probably don't need to use the hot line.

Cheers...Coffeeman

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I keep all my manuals in one place. Small soft covered manuals get combined into hard covered binders. When I need to look up something I know where they are. They are always on the shelf next to the encyclopedia set and dictionarys.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

*************God must love stupid people; He made so many*******
**********************************************************



Robert you answered your own question as to why theres a call center with the above line.

Some customers call me on my cell on Sunday mornings at 6AM

But what questions do they ask? That is what I really don't understand. I can not see someone telling a person how to rebuild a tranny over the phone or how to fix a computer related issue without being able to hook the tractor up and find the actual problem. The only questions that they should be able to answer without having to see the tractor would be questions covered by the owners manual. So why waste money on this "service"?

On a side note, I called my dealer yesterday after they were closed as I was having some trouble with the 7710. The reason I called was not to get help with the 7710 but to inquire about borrowing an 8210 FWA they had on the lot until I could get the 7710 back up and going. I do not think a call center would do much good with these type of questions.

 

[YanmarFever]

But what questions do they ask? That is what I really don't understand. I can not see someone telling a person how to rebuild a tranny over the phone or how to fix a computer related issue without being able to hook the tractor up and find the actual problem. The only questions that they should be able to answer without having to see the tractor would be questions covered by the owners manual. So why waste money on this "service"?

On a side note, I called my dealer yesterday after they were closed as I was having some trouble with the 7710. The reason I called was not to get help with the 7710 but to inquire about borrowing an 8210 FWA they had on the lot until I could get the 7710 back up and going. I do not think a call center would do much good with these type of questions.

What kind of oil & how much?
why wont it start
how do I fill the tires
What liquid do I use in tires
Wheres the trans dip stick
do you sell filters
why is it getting hot = rad. screen
can I switch tires
I lost my key
how do you fold roll bar
can I use bio deisel
what pto speed do I use
what paint matches
do I need seatbelt
how do I hook up mower, tiller ect..
does napa sell filters
I ran out of fuel- help !

the list goes on & on the help hotline will help out the dealers a lot, not to mention the customer

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Wow...anybody see the irony here?

No

 

[Robert_in_NY]

What kind of oil & how much?
why wont it start
how do I fill the tires
What liquid do I use in tires
Wheres the trans dip stick
do you sell filters
why is it getting hot = rad. screen
can I switch tires
I lost my key
how do you fold roll bar
can I use bio deisel
what pto speed do I use
what paint matches
do I need seatbelt
how do I hook up mower, tiller ect..
does napa sell filters
I ran out of fuel- help !

the list goes on & on the help hotline will help out the dealers a lot, not to mention the customer

90% of the questions you get asked should be easily found in the owners manual. I guess since Mahindra doesn't sell any ag tractors they deal mostly with new compact owners. I still think this is a waste of money. Maybe Mahindra could have spent it on some brands so whenever someone buys a Mahindra they get branded "READ YOUR OWNERS MANUAL" on their hand so when they reach for their phone they have this nice reminder

 

[RedRiver]

Noone said the call center would be available to tell you how to rebuild a tranny. Come on now...

Robert, as surprising as it may be not everybody knows everything about their tractor and they may not be as organized as yourself. I can't even begin to count how many times customers have called me saying, "My tractor won't start, help!" 9 times out of 10 they have either the tractor in gear or the PTO on and the safety switches are engaged not allowing the tractor to crank.

**please note: this is not an attempt to say that anyone is "stupid", it's just a real life simple fix question that immediately came to mind.**

The compact tractor market that Mahindra is in doesn't deal with farmers and such, a very large portion of our customers we deal with are small land owners or people who have just moved out of the city and bought their first piece of land and have never owned anything larger than a riding lawnmower and are not knowledgable about all the mechanical workings of their machine.

I'm sorry you feel it's a waste of money but I'm sure Mahindra has fully researched it's costs on this project and it's not just something they'd jump into.

Have a great day!

 

[srjones]

No

The irony here, is, that it appears that a Mahindra dealer just called the people who call the hotline stupid.

In a public forum.


However, I really don't think he meant it to be taken that way.

 

[RedRiver]

Not calling anyone stupid, just giving an example of how the hotline could be helpful from my experience.