New riding mower purchase

[Dave]

At a local Lowes, I purchased the Troy Bilt Pony model on Thursday, August

2nd at 11:30 a.m. Also, on the same sales receipt, I purchased the 4 year extended warranty coverage, and delivery. Delivery was scheduled on Sunday morning between 10-12.

Sunday, August 5, a person identifying himself as the driver for deliveries for Lowes said he could not find any such riding lawnmower in the store. He said he would pick one up the following day at another store with ample supply. No such delivery occurred on Monday. Not even a phone call. Monday evening, I wrote a complaint via Lowes feedback at their website.

Wednesday, I received the riding lawnmower I purchased on the previous Thursday. Inspected the mower, all appeared okay. Put some gas in it. Was off mowing already. After mowing about a 1/4 acre, noticed the deck/blade shroud was dragging on the ground. Disengaged the blade, parked near the detached garage.

Upon inspection, concluded a rod was supposed to be holding the RH side of the deck up off the ground. The LH side was like that. The rod on the RH side was observable hanging in the wind. The mounting area on the deck appeared undamaged. The operator's manual shows a pictorial of exactly that. The rod goes through a mounting area on the deck, and is secured with a cotter pin. A nut, washer, and bolt in the same pictorial was not there either in the same area. This holds the swing arm for the blade adjustment height, which mounts to the deck.

Thursday, August 9th, I called the number for the extended warranty plan. Man said to check with Troy Bilt or the Local Lowes for the pin first, then get back with him if no luck. Troy Bilt could not locate the cotter pin. Lowes (one of many managers there) said I had to deliver the riding mower for repairs, or, to get a replacement. (I don't have a ramp to put the riding mower on my pickup).

Called the extended warranty number back. A woman answered, this time, was completely different. She asked for my model and serial number to record in their records along with data from my Lowes sales receipt. She got a number and name of qualified repair outfit to work on my mower. They will pick it up free. She arranged repairs.

In the meantime since, I went online and purchased the missing nut, bolt, washer, and cotter pin. And, the deck wash nozzle, and hose adapter for it from the mtdonline website.

Today's Sunday, August 12. Haven't heard from the repair outfit yet. Not a happy camper. Dave

[JB]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. If you've already purchased the missing bolt, washer and cotter pin, what is it that you want the extended warranty folks to do?

[Eggs Zachtly]

[...]

Damn. That sucks.

I bet the bolt, pin, et al, was in place when it was delivered, and the mower hit a 10" stick!

The parts will be here, soon. =)

[Dave]

NOT to claim they have to order the parts, and me wait another month or more. If the repair facility doesn't contact me soon, I'll do it myself. I got over an acre to mow. This don't change, irregardless of mower condition, extended warranty, or whatever. If the mower is broke down hard, like a broke engine or whatever, I have no choice. I won't attempt such a fix.

I will continue to bad-mouth Lowes. The guy at the Troy Bilt phone number is of the opinion Lowes should come out and pick it up free since they delivered a mower that fell apart in less than an hour.

No Eggs, I didn't run over anything except grass and weeds, or impact anything. I've mowed the same area for 2 seasons with a push mower. The mounting area is undamaged including the paint, for the bolt. Its a 1/4" diameter bolt. How it got out of its mounting area without damaging anything is rather obvious to me. Can see the cotter pin severed with enough horizontal force to left or right if the rod didn't allow flex. The LH side is carrying on smartly in all respects.

The riding mowers are assembled locally by the local store. Can be purchased unassembled inbox. My bad. Dave

[Eggs Zachtly]

[...]

Dood, chill. It was a joke. You must have missed Clark's thread(s). =D

[rest snipped]

[Clark]

Dave, I thought Sears and Lowes somehow have a connection, like they are both part of the Kmart empire. If they are the "same" company I'm not surprised, for me the Sears extended warranty means they send out a guy to do little more than say "well that's how they build them now.

If you want go back and look at my earlier post about my new mower, I'm sure you can relate to them and you'll understand Egg's joke's too

Clark

Dave wrote:

[Jim]

[....]

earlier this summer I'd been contracted to install a landscaping fence. the customer wanted to use a product she had seen at lowes. I called the contractor's desk and gave to them all of their part numbers and then ask them to check and be sure they did have all of the necessary parts in stock at that lowes store. when the lowers person said yes we do have them I told him I'd be there in about 30 minutes to pick them up and could he start the process of getting them together. I ask for his name and told him I'd ask for him when I arrived. I found him when I arrived and he had totaled the sale so I paid him in cash. I asked if he had time to collect the parts and he said he had a fellow working on it. just as he said that a man walked up saying he could not find any of that kind of fence anywhere in the fence section. the man who I now will call doofus liar began the back peddle of telling me how he could have the parts there first thing next morning. I told him in no uncertain terms of how he'd already lied to me once and why would he not be lying to me now.. I got loud, loud like the country boy I am while demanding a full refund of the cash I had just given him as well as thanking him for wasting my time, which was the only thing I thanked doofus liar for.

doofus liar never would admit how he'd not called in a crane to lift his quadruple chin porker beast self out of the chair so he could waddle over to the fence section to truly verify the parts were in stock. he just kept mumbling, "the computer said".

not to be sent home in defeat, I drove another mile or two and went into the Home Depot. located all the parts needed and after the sales person totaled the sale it turned out to be 90 dollars cheaper.

[Dave]

Went back and read the thread. Now, I understand where Eggs was coming from.

The place the Lowes extended warranty people referred my problem to is:

called them today. Guy answering said a woman at their location has to filter the job first regarding warranty. She's out sick... He also said they should have received a fax regarding the specifics of the job and my information. Call back if nothing heard by Wednesday, he said.

[Art]

Let me tell you what you should probably expect. Troy-bilt will not cover it because it is not a defect in materials or workmanship. It is actually Lowes fault for not putting it together right but they will not be able to comprehend that and may even resort to "It was okay when we delivered it." Hopefully the "extended warranty" you mention is really a protection plan. If that is the case then it should kick in and pay the Hill Country people for their time and effort. Protection plans pay for pretty much anything except obvious physical abuse. Warranties, on the other hand, only pay for factory defects. Don't be too hard on the Hill Country people. They did not sell the machine and they are in business to make a living not clean up after some dolt at Lowes that can't follow simple assembly instructions. They need to be paid by someone for their work.

[Dave]

Troy Bilt is not a problem, not part of the issue. Lowes, the retailer, final assembly team, and, delivery, is the problem. Lowes WILL replace my >500 lb riding mower IF I deliver it to the original store, or, at their option, repair it. I have no means of putting this mower on my pickup truck. Nor am I going to wait in excess of a month for them to get around to replacing a cotter pin, bolt, washer, and nut.

The designated repair facility, hillcountry outdoor power, is not being ridiculed or am ***I*** shortchanging them. I have no participation in their payment. Pay attention.

The Lowes extended warranty people designated the hillcountry outdoor power facility to do the repair work. I have no say in it. The Lowes extended warranty pays them, not me. The extended warranty allows for the repair facility to pickup the riding mower at no cost to me.

Not my fault that the Lowes assembly people jilted the repair facility by assembling the riding mower to some degree of accuracy, providing them will little repair to do. Maybe you can complain at Lowes for the assembly people to botch their work better? Lowes has a complaint line/webmail at their website. After all, someone needs to fairly pay the repair folks. Expletives deleted on further reply. Restraints on high. Dave