Reasonable service charge?

[CATMAN]

Read the warranty document to see if travel time (field call) is covered by first year warranty or as other posters mentioned, warranty only pays for repairs AT authorized repair dealerships. Because it is a new tractor and purchased from that dealership, I would complaint to the SALES dept. (not service dept.) Why? The SALES dept. made the PROFIT from your purchase and the SALES dept. has the ability to provide some "goodwill" to absorb the field call expense and/or they have the ability to get their factory district rep involved and that factory representative can absorb that cost(goodwill) to keep a customer. Don't be surprized if the SALES dept. tries to "pass the buck" back to the service dept, because they want their sales account numbers(profit) to look as good possible on paper, thus SALES dept. don't like to provide goodwill. If this doesn't work, YOU will have to DEMAND the phone number of the district rep and explain your story directly to that factory representative and you will probably get some goodwill. Good Luck. Remember one hour worth of complaining to the right people may yield almost a couple hundred dollars.

 

[Dirthog]

Two things to realise about a service call our dealership does not make service call on ANY compact equipment right on the sales agreement that is stated But there are exceptions we also sell heavey equipment if some one ownes or buys construction equipment from us the rules can and do get bent. Also when there is a certain amount of service work figured in to the price of any new machine at least at our dealership remember that when you are trying to purchase new. I also see a lot of the invoices for warrenty work and there is not one of the manfacture's that remburses us for close to our real costs for service work if you figure in the cost of service trucks and upkeep on them.

 

[MikePA]

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[Kendrick]

another point to bring up in this issue is if the factory defect prevented the transportation of the unit. If the cut is all you had, I could see it being near imposible to drag that unit on to the trailer.

speaking of which how hard is it to load a cut which is non functonal? I would assume the bucket would get in the way etc. Is it possible to drag on via a truck

 

[Kendall69]

There’s an old saying that fits your case. It cost $190.00 to know what to fix and $5.00 to fix it.

Good or bad you paid for his time and knowledge, nothing more nothing less.

 

[lug nut]

It seems the tractor world is a little bit different than the automotive world.

I am a tech at a Ford dealership. When a Ford vehicle breaks, and is still under warranty, Ford will not only pay to repair the vehicle, but will also pay to have the vehicle towed. In many instances, the dealership will also provide a loaner vehicle if the customer needs one.

Some of our customers still complain about repair times, methods, prices, etc... There is just no pleasing some people, even when we bend over backwards to try.

Bottom line, I would complain to whoever will listen.

 

[heymack]

I can guarantee I'd be getting my $195 back.

FWIW, my new NH tractor began dying on a very random basis at around 30 hours. I stopped by the dealer and discussed the problem with the salesman and head tech. They suggested a couple obvious "quick fixes" but none worked. After it happened again, I called the salesman back. He came out loaded the tractor on his trailer, ran it to the shop, fixed the problem and hauled it back to my place within a couple days. The problem turned out being some sort of faulty fuel solenoid. When I stopped by the dealership to thank the salesman for stellar service, he apologized profusely for the problems I had and told me to call him in the event anything else should go wrong. This is how service should be.

 

[Bigboyskioti]

I agree with a few on here.... It seems to me that with the cost of some of these CUT's the warrenty should cover a field repair, as long as it's found that the problem is a defect! My little CK20 weighs in at 3000lbs. with loader and mower. I can't imagine how to get it on my trailer without from it's own power. I'm sure I could figure something out but I would hate to do it. I asked my dealer about what's covered and what's not. He said that he would come get it if he couldn't fix it where it was. He uses a rollback to deliver and pick up. But then again he is a good 'ole Kentucky boy!

 

[sandman2234]

I understand your feelings and thoughts on getting ripped by the bill you were presented. I have had a few of those surprises myself, mostly due to times when I failed to request an upfront price estimate. During those times, I generally take the blow and go on with life. However, I don't own an almost new tractor that has 20 hours on it. However, just how long has it taken you to put 20 hours on it? If it is 3 years old and only has 20 hours, it might make a difference. Another item that might have some bearing on it is the storage of the tractor. If it is stored outside, the weather MIGHT have had some bearing on the switch going bad. Not saying it should matter, but it might have some bearing on the mechanic's decision.
What really gets me is when you do request a price and then it comes in at a higher price, for reasons that are suspect in themselves. The higher price, if known in advance, may have caused you to consider other avenues of approach. I am sure had you known about the service charge and road call charge, you would have considered having it transported to the dealer, either with a rollback or with your own trailer, by winching it up on the trailer. $195 dollars will cause a person to think a minute before just hurrying thru it. Given a window of time to allow them some leeway, I am sure I could get a rollback to move a CUT a reasonable distance for less than 1/3 of that price and after finding it to be a bad switch, could have the dealership return it to me. However, it would require some upfront knowledge, that you just paid dearly to learn.
I would persue it further, without doubt. Be nice, but firm in your endeavor and good luck!
David from jax

 

[Rara Avis]

I agree with a few on here.... It seems to me that with the cost of some of these CUT's the warrenty should cover a field repair, as long as it's found that the problem is a defect! My little CK20 weighs in at 3000lbs. with loader and mower. I can't imagine how to get it on my trailer without from it's own power. I'm sure I could figure something out but I would hate to do it. I asked my dealer about what's covered and what's not. He said that he would come get it if he couldn't fix it where it was. He uses a rollback to deliver and pick up. But then again he is a good 'ole Kentucky boy!

Rolling weight vs non-rolling weight makes a big difference...

Use one of these to get your tractor on your trailer...

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

 

[SnowRidge]

Rolling weight vs non-rolling weight makes a big difference...

Use one of these to get your tractor on your trailer...

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

This thread is months old. I'm not sure why sandman2234 decided to revive it, but that HF winch looks like a toy. There are other, stouter portable winches out there. They might cost a little more, but if you are going to carry a portable winch, it might at well be a decent piece of equipment.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Catman is exactly right, go to the sales department. Every dealership has about the same accounting methods. The service department could bill the sales department for the repair rather than the customer. All the service department cares about is the service department getting paid for it's time. They could care less who pays.

What gets me, is that my friend recently bought a new Kubota from a dealer 1/2 hour away. Tractor develpoed a leak, dealer came out and tightened a loose fitting, no charge.

There are many ways for a dealer to get reimbursed for this time from the factory. All they have to do is get a little creative. The service guy could have written up anything to cover his travel time. The service manager could have dressed up the warranty claim to cover travel. I worked on forklifts on the road for 22 years and I did this more times than I can count. Show me a dealer that says they don't do this and I'll show you a liar.

 

[SnowRidge]

The time to find out if field trips for warranty work are free or not is before you buy the machine. Some dealers do charge; some don't. Often, their prices reflect it.

 

[SnowRidge]

There are many ways for a dealer to get reimbursed for this time from the factory. All they have to do is get a little creative. The service guy could have written up anything to cover his travel time. The service manager could have dressed up the warranty claim to cover travel. I worked on forklifts on the road for 22 years and I did this more times than I can count. Show me a dealer that says they don't do this and I'll show you a liar.

When I was an employee in the service business, that would have gotten me fired and possibly prosecuted. In any event, I would have refused. I am amazed that a business owner would post that sort of statement in a public forum.

 

[sandman2234]

Yikes!!!
It was me that pulled this old post out. I have this terrible habit of not looking at dates when reading posts. Sorry for that. However, I would be interested in knowing what the outcome was, and if anything was resolved.
David from jax

 

[Wayne County Hose]

We were encouraged to do this and was endorsed by the factory. It is called "Good customer relations".
And, like I said, any dealer that says they have never done this is a liar.

 

[BTI]

I'm not agreeing necessarily, I'm just going to state a few facts.
This market is very competitive, this is quickly driving dealers profits down, that said:
Most tractor manufacturers do not pay for travel time or for a service call.
They pay based on the hours you work on the tractor, in this case 15-20 minutes.
This forces the dealership to get the money back in some way.
His truck cost him money, the mechanic cost him, the travel cost him.

I'm not saying this is how we would do it, I'm also not saying this dealer did anything shady as far as we know.

Now if the dealer charged you for the switch and the labor, now that IS wrong.
The switch and time spent changing the switch should be covered under warranty.

BTI

 

[SnowRidge]

We were encouraged to do this and was endorsed by the factory. It is called "Good customer relations".
And, like I said, any dealer that says they have never done this is a liar.

That is not "getting creative" as you put it. That is following a standard procedure to bill a service call in a prescribed manner. Your statement, "Show me a dealer that says they don't do this and I'll show you a liar" speaks volumes.

 

[Rara Avis]

This thread is months old. I'm not sure why sandman2234 decided to revive it, but that HF winch looks like a toy. There are other, stouter portable winches out there. They might cost a little more, but if you are going to carry a portable winch, it might at well be a decent piece of equipment.

Snowridge...I'm as guilty as The Sandman on dates...When I opened the forums, it was an unread thread at the top of my list...so I read thru the thread and responded where I thought I could save someone some money...

I was trying to save the guy some money, by thinking outside the box...he's complaining about loading a CK20, which he said weighs in at 3000lbs. with loader and mower. And he said he couldn't imagine how to get it on his trailer without from it's own power. So I thought he draw the line at the price of a real winch...

In my case, I have enough JD equipment that the dealer will make house calls and my equipment trailer has a real winch just in case I have to take my old Farmall in for major work or am picking up stuff from an auction...

And in terms of responding to an old thread...your fingerprints on this reopened thread are pretty evident as well...

Have a nice day...

 

[SnowRidge]

And in terms of responding to an old thread...your fingerprints on this reopened thread are pretty evident as well...

What, no absolution for pointing the finger?