ComplaintsforJ & D Lawn & Tractor Sales Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  11/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In August of this year (not sure of date) - I brought in my robot mower, "automower", for a repair service.  The service was completed by J & D and I picked up the mower in early October, paying $456.86 for the repairs.  The repairs included a new electronic main board.
  I returned the next day, as the mower was still experiencing problems.   I received a call from ***** at J & D giving me options on further repairs.    In early November I received a text message that my mower was ready and I went to pick it up.  They had repaired it again and there was no charge.
  I brought the mower home and it was experiencing the same errors/issues as nothing had been fixed.
  In mid November I then took the mower to another shop who worked with the manufacturer to diagnosis multiple problems with the mower, including a bad electronic main board, which was apparently replaced by J & D costing me the $456.86.  Also, there were new problems including a cracked frame piece and another electronic board.  The repairs will cost approximately $1,000.   It's very likely that J & D further damaged the mower when it was sitting in their shop for the better part of 3 months.
  
  

  Customer response

  11/29/2023

  ************* of this year (not sure of date) - I brought in my robot mower, "automower", for a repair service.  *********** was completed by J & D and I picked up the mower in early October, paying $456.86 for the repairs.  The repairs included a new electronic main board.

  I returned the next day, as the mower was still experiencing problems.   I received a call from ***** at J & D giving me options on further repairs.    In early November I received a text message that my mower was ready and I went to pick it up.  They had repaired it again and there was no charge.

  I brought the mower home and it was experiencing the same errors/issues as nothing had been fixed.

  In mid November I then took the mower to another shop who worked with the manufacturer to diagnosis multiple problems with the mower, including a bad electronic main board, which was apparently replaced by J & D costing me the $456.86.  Also, there were new problems including a cracked frame piece and another electronic board.  The repairs will cost approximately $1,000.   It's very likely that J & D further damaged the mower when it was sitting in their shop for the better part of 3 months.

  At this point I would like a refund of my $456.86 paid to J & D.   I may also pursue the cost of the damages they caused, but this may take several weeks to know the total cost & I expect complete denial by J & D.   The $456.86 should be refunded to me. 

   

   

   

  Business response

  01/26/2024

  Dear Ms. ******,
  
  Thank you for reaching out regarding ID ********; I appreciate the opportunity to address this matter with facts, truth, and transparency.  In summary, I believe the customer is upset regarding a lack of warranty for a mower he purchased from my shop and the length of time it took for certain repair parts to be delivered from the manufacturer. Unfortunately, the matter stems from the customer’s own actions, including the: (i) presence of unwanted twine within the customer’s yard (essentially breaking a properly functioning mower); and (ii) customer’s personal attempts to repair his mower without the assistance of a professional or my shop, thereby voiding his manufacturer’s warranty. Regarding my shop’s alleged failures, the following letter explains and provides direct references to documents, notes, conversations, and reports evidencing our appropriate actions, including that all repair parts were ordered the same day as requested, but delivery was delayed (via no fault of my own) by the manufacturer distribution center issues.  Although the customer’s personal actions voided his warranty, I still worked diligently to repair his mower and to convince the manufacturer to provide warranty coverage for a subsequent repair. As you will read, my company acted appropriately to support our customer whose own actions of: (i) lawn negligence; and (ii) nonprofessional, self-repair, were at the heart of this entire matter. Although the customer is clearly upset, the facts remain the same and do not support any wrongdoing on my or my company’s behalf. Ultimately, this matter is between the customer and the manufacturer, which the manufacturer has repeatedly acknowledged. 
  
  To provide additional context, my company has been in business for over 50+ years, and we are a retail and service location for residential and commercial lawn (i.e., mowers, zero turns, trimers, etc..), landscaping (chain saws, blowers, generators, etc.), and outdoor yard equipment (snowblowers, power shovels, etc.).  We sell many different products by various manufacturers, but we do not manufacture any products, nor do we warranty any products; we are merely a reseller and service partner.  As part of our services, we rely upon the guidance of the manufacturers relating to whether repairs are “under” warranty or not; this is not our decision.  Additionally, we are at the whim of companies to ship their products in a timely fashion, which doesn’t always occur. 
  
  In 2021, the customer purchased a new 430xh Husqvarna auto-mower (the “Mower”) from the shop. For clarification, an auto-mower is similar to a Roomba-vacuum, but it mows lawns (instead of vacuuming floors) by using Wi-Fi and a perimeter wire to navigate the dimensions of the lawn and an electric recharging pad for power. Also, I am writing this letter myself, as: (i) the sole owner of the company; (ii)  the salesman who handled these disputed transactions directly with the customer; and (iii) one of the mechanics who participated in the inspection and repair of the Mower. I am trained and certified as a seller and mechanic for Husqvarna auto mowers. 
  
  On February 11, 2023, the customer brought the Mower into our shop for a tune up; during which we: (i) cleaned the unit; (ii) removed packed grass and dirt; and (iii) checked the Mower’s general functionality. Additionally, I suggested that we also; (z) update the Mower’s firmware; and (y) install a new 4/5G wireless board to replace the original 3G wireless board. My suggested update, although not necessary, would permit the Mower to continue receiving mobile reception if/when 3G wireless service is discontinued by the telecommunication companies. As evidenced by the Invoice #47833 provided by the customer, he was charged $100 for the labor associated with services (i) – (iii) only; services (z) – (y) were covered under warranty and provided without charge. Customer paid the $100 amount without issue. 
  
  Sometime prior to August 24, 2023, the customer’s Mower stopped working due to twine getting wrapped around the wheel of the Mower when it was operating on his lawn. Instead of bringing the Mower into our shop for repair, the customer: (i) undertook his own repair actions; (ii) unbuilt the Mower’s engine; (iii) replaced the Mower’s original assembly with a used assembly from a different machine then-owned by the customer; and (iv) broke the warranty seal sticker on the engine. After completing these actions, the Mower was still not operating properly. We are unaware of whether any other actions occurred, these are the actions verbally admitted to by the customer.
  
  On August 24, 2023, the customer brought the Mower (as rebuilt by him with the replaced assembly) into the shop for repairs, explaining: (i)  that the Mower ceased working due to twine getting caught on the Mower’s wheel; (ii) the actions he had taken to remove and replace the assembly; and (iii) that the Mower no longer “boot-ups” past the “start” screen.  Although I was the salesman handling this interaction with the customer, there were other employees in the area that also heard these admissions, and the customer signed a paper attesting to his actions. 
  
  Based upon the customer’s admissions and my extensive experience working in this industry, it was clear to me that he had most likely voided the manufacturer’s warranty by undertaking his own extensive repair attempts. Regardless, I contacted the manufacturer (i.e., Husqvarna) to seek their guidance (Reference # *************). During this call I explained the facts to a Husqvarna customer service representative, who also noted in their files that the customer admitted to: (i) undertaking self-repairs on the Mower; (ii) removing original parts; and (iii) replacing them with used parts from a different machine. As anticipated, the manufacturer confirmed that the customer’s action voided the manufacturer’s warranty and related repairs would not be covered.  Additionally, the manufacturer stated that the used assembly (put into the Mower by the customer) may not: (i) operate in perfect unison within the Mower; or (ii) be the same voltage, both of which could cause future issues with the Mower’s operation. 
  
  At that point the customer understood that his attempted repair actions voided his manufacturer’s warranty, but he still instructed me to order the necessary parts and to move forward with repairing the Mower. I ordered the parts that same day (as evidenced in our ordering system). Unfortunately, the manufacturer was experiencing regional delays relating to issues with transitioning to a newly automated distribution center. Parts that would traditionally take a week or two to be delivered were taking 1-2 months for delivery. Meaning, the customers repair parts took an exorbitantly long time for delivery from the manufacturer, but this was not the fault of me or my shop. I regularly contacted  Husqvarna requesting an update (Reference # *************), they repeatedly apologized and said that the parts would be shipped shortly, and they issued a 1-800 number for customers to call and lodge complaints. Once the parts finally arrived from the manufacturer, we immediately completed the repairs and contacted the customer for pick up. Upon pick-up, the customer arrived, paid the amount of $488.96 without issue, and left with his repaired Mower.
  
  On October 2, 2023, the customer returned to the shop claiming his Mower had a different issue, 
  this time he claimed the Mower’s “stop” button was not operating properly. As before, I contacted the manufacturer (Reference #*************) to understand how to proceed due to the customer previously voiding his manufacturer’s warranty. In this situation, the manufacturer agreed to repair the “stop” button feature under warranty and initially shipped me a new “switch” to install in the Mower. Unfortunately, the switch did not remedy the “stop” button issue and I once again contacted the manufacturer (Reference #*************). Since the first attempt didn’t work, they then shipped me a new HDMI board to be installed into the Mower. As before, upon receipt of the replacement part, we immediately repaired the Mower. Unfortunately, this did not fix the Mower, so I again contacted Husqvarna (Reference #*************). This time, the customer service representative suggested that they ship me both a new HDMI board and a Main board, to be installed together into the Mower. Once these additional parts were received and incorporated into the Mower, the “stop” button feature begam working properly.  It is unclear whether any of the first two suggested repair didn’t work because of issues related to the customer’s original self-repair. 
  
  In total, these October charges would have cost the customer $844.82 dollars in parts plus labor; the manufacturer was kind enough to service these repairs under the warranty previously voided by the customer‘s actions. Meaning, the customer didn’t pay for any of these repairs; they were free to him, which is further evidenced on Invoice # *****, provided by the customer. In reality, the monetary value paid to the shop by the manufacturer for such warranty work is significantly less than what the customer would have paid to my shop to have his Mower fixed without a warranty. Meaning, I acted in the customer’s best interest by convincing the manufacturer to handle this repair under warranty, knowing that I would be reimbursed at a significantly reduced rate. 
  
  On October 29, 2023, the customer left a negative Google review about the shop, which is  unfortunate since the shop took extreme steps to assist the customer in repairing his Mower and encouraging warranty coverage voided by the customer’s own actions. Upon reading the Google review, I reached out to the customer to discuss the review. Being a small business, online reviews are paramount for our ongoing success. Unfortunately, the customer didn’t accept my calls and then revised his Google review to be even more negative.  At that point, I again contacted the manufacturer (Reference #*************) to: (i) understand if I properly followed their instructions; (ii) ask if I violated any company protocols; or (iii) ask if they would intervene and contact the customer directly.  Husqvarna confirmed that I properly followed their instructions, didn’t violate any company protocols, and had absolutely no control over the delays of the repair parts’ delivery. Additionally, they encouraged the customer to contact them directly to discuss this matter, since this matter is clearly between them and the customer. But, once again, the customer is interested in only bashing my company for actions completely outside of our control. 
  
  Since then, the customer has not been in communication with the shop or anyone here since, we were extremely surprised to see your message. Especially when we have consistent evidence to support the true facts arising from the customer’s own actions and random twine in his yard. After reviewing this letter, please let me know what other information, copies, or statements you would like to further support these facts. We are happy to provide or discuss any element of this matter to ensure you have full visibility and transparency. 
  

  Warm Regards, 
  
  Tyler S****, Owner 
  

  
  

  Customer response

  01/26/2024

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  

  The response from the business contains many inaccuracies and blatant lies.  Since my original filing to the BBB, Husqvarna, the manufacturer has 100% picked up the $1500+ repair bill to fully complete the uncompleted repairs by J & D plus the additional damage caused by J & D to my mower, 100& !!   Husqvarna worked with another shop to diagnose and repair all issues to my mower. Husqvarna cleaned up the lies and mistakes of J & D.  This is an obvious verdict of "guilty" towards J & D.  I assume that Husqvarna will be penalizing or seeking recoupment from J & D for these repair charges.  At this point J & D owes money to Husqvarna and not me.  

  Please post my response to the BBB website.  Thank You.

  
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* ******

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩