sandtuck
Member
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2008
- Messages
- 41
- Location
- Mississippi
- Tractor
- Kubota M7040 MFWD, FEL, Hydraulic Shuttle and John Deere x300 mower
OK, I have to get this out so I can move on. Pardon the long, rambling post, but here goes. Why does getting service have to be such a hassle?
I spent a great deal of time yesterday afternoon calling the service department at my local Kubota dealer trying to schedule some warranty service
on my M7040 before it runs out at the end of the month. Nothing major, just a leak or two. The line stayed busy forever, then when it finally rang
and was answered, I stayed on hold over 10 minutes two different times waiting on the service department to pick up and they never did. I called back
for the third time and a lady took my number and said she would have them call me right back... they never did. I called one last time after closing
time and a nice gentleman answered and assured me that I should bring the tractor on in tomorrow morning and he would see to it that the work
would be done under warranty regardless of when they got to it. I told him it wasn't worth it if they were going to have to keep it for several weeks
just to do a minor repair. He assured me it wouldn't and he would get with the service manager about it first thing in the morning, just bring it on in.
I failed to get his name, but thought it sounded like the guy that normally works the parts counter. So I'm happy for the moment.
This morning I load the tractor up and took it to the dealership arriving right after they opened at 8AM. This particular high volume dealer has a cluttered
and unimpressive dealership, and no service counter to go to when you get there. I walked in and the two employees at the parts counter and one customer
looked at me like I had one eye and three arms, and no one offered to wait on me. I approached the man at the counter I thought I had spoken to
and asked him if he was the one I spoke to late yesterday regarding warranty work on my tractor. I have never had anyone react to a me as a customer
quite like he did.... He said "I don't know. I talked to lots of people yesterday, maybe you were one of them, maybe you weren't. I can't fix your tractor.
I work this parts counter. The service guy is not here yet. If you want your tractor fixed, I guess you'll have to see him when he gets here." He stared at
me in complete disgust for a few seconds, then turned back to his computer screen and never looked up again.
Someone else must have overheard what I wanted and went in the back behind the "Employees Only" sign and came back and said "the folks in the back
said drive your tractor around by that side door and they will get you written up." So I went back to my trailer, unloaded the tractor by myself and drove it to the
side door. The service guy showed up about that time and from that point on, took pretty good care of me. You know, I know I'm not their biggest customer
and don't farm for a living, but I DID purchase at $30K+ tractor from them, and a used Polaris Ranger and all I wanted was to feel good about who I deal
with. Every minute I get to spend dealing with my tractor and other equipment is my tension release and enjoyable, even when things go wrong. I don't
expect to be pampered, but what did I do to warrant such a poisonous encounter?
This is completely opposite of an experience I had at the local John Deere dealer when my brand new x300 mower had a major problem two weeks after
I bought it. I called them and they said bring it in right now, or if you need us to, we will come get it. I took it in, they met me at the service counter,
came out and unloaded it and believe it or not, fixed it that day in their neat and clean service department. They called me less than two hours later
to come get it, that they had repaired the push rod that had come lose and cut some grass with it to make sure it was corrected.
That was better service than I could have ever expected.
The only down side there is that I was so impressed that I went home and wrote a nice email to the owner/manager thanking him and commending his
staff members by name. He never acknowledged the email, but at least I still feel good about the service.
I know I probably sound like a cry baby, but dang it ruined my day! Thanks for letting me get it off my chest.
I spent a great deal of time yesterday afternoon calling the service department at my local Kubota dealer trying to schedule some warranty service
on my M7040 before it runs out at the end of the month. Nothing major, just a leak or two. The line stayed busy forever, then when it finally rang
and was answered, I stayed on hold over 10 minutes two different times waiting on the service department to pick up and they never did. I called back
for the third time and a lady took my number and said she would have them call me right back... they never did. I called one last time after closing
time and a nice gentleman answered and assured me that I should bring the tractor on in tomorrow morning and he would see to it that the work
would be done under warranty regardless of when they got to it. I told him it wasn't worth it if they were going to have to keep it for several weeks
just to do a minor repair. He assured me it wouldn't and he would get with the service manager about it first thing in the morning, just bring it on in.
I failed to get his name, but thought it sounded like the guy that normally works the parts counter. So I'm happy for the moment.
This morning I load the tractor up and took it to the dealership arriving right after they opened at 8AM. This particular high volume dealer has a cluttered
and unimpressive dealership, and no service counter to go to when you get there. I walked in and the two employees at the parts counter and one customer
looked at me like I had one eye and three arms, and no one offered to wait on me. I approached the man at the counter I thought I had spoken to
and asked him if he was the one I spoke to late yesterday regarding warranty work on my tractor. I have never had anyone react to a me as a customer
quite like he did.... He said "I don't know. I talked to lots of people yesterday, maybe you were one of them, maybe you weren't. I can't fix your tractor.
I work this parts counter. The service guy is not here yet. If you want your tractor fixed, I guess you'll have to see him when he gets here." He stared at
me in complete disgust for a few seconds, then turned back to his computer screen and never looked up again.
Someone else must have overheard what I wanted and went in the back behind the "Employees Only" sign and came back and said "the folks in the back
said drive your tractor around by that side door and they will get you written up." So I went back to my trailer, unloaded the tractor by myself and drove it to the
side door. The service guy showed up about that time and from that point on, took pretty good care of me. You know, I know I'm not their biggest customer
and don't farm for a living, but I DID purchase at $30K+ tractor from them, and a used Polaris Ranger and all I wanted was to feel good about who I deal
with. Every minute I get to spend dealing with my tractor and other equipment is my tension release and enjoyable, even when things go wrong. I don't
expect to be pampered, but what did I do to warrant such a poisonous encounter?
This is completely opposite of an experience I had at the local John Deere dealer when my brand new x300 mower had a major problem two weeks after
I bought it. I called them and they said bring it in right now, or if you need us to, we will come get it. I took it in, they met me at the service counter,
came out and unloaded it and believe it or not, fixed it that day in their neat and clean service department. They called me less than two hours later
to come get it, that they had repaired the push rod that had come lose and cut some grass with it to make sure it was corrected.
That was better service than I could have ever expected.
The only down side there is that I was so impressed that I went home and wrote a nice email to the owner/manager thanking him and commending his
staff members by name. He never acknowledged the email, but at least I still feel good about the service.
I know I probably sound like a cry baby, but dang it ruined my day! Thanks for letting me get it off my chest.
