mad

[tjm]

I am about ready to give up on Kubota. Not because of the product but because of the dealers. I have not had a lot of problems but the ones I have had nobody seems to care about. My local dealer took three months to take care of the fuel tank recall and that only got done because I sent a nasty e-mail to Kubota. Now the problem is the tractor will not start when it gets cold. Last year it was fine. I decided to go to the oldest and the larges Kubota dealer in FT Wayne. They said they would pick it up on thur or fri. no problem. It is now Fri night and my tractor is still sitting in my drive way. No phone call no nothing. It is a shame when you pay 14000 dollars for a tractor and the dealers could care less about you. They got there money. That new Massey is looking pretty good right now.

 

[ronjhall]

Todd
Look on the back page of your Operator’s Manual. All the phone numbers for <font color=orange>Kubota</font color=orange> divisions are there. Pick your division. Ask of the Service Manger. You should get a quick response to your problems. You may have to wait until Monday to make the call thou.

 

[Thomas]

This idea might be more of a headache than help??

Could you contact another dealer near by,and explain whats been going on..also ask for there help??

 

[cchoate]

It's a shame how some dealers treat people after the sale. I had a simular experience with a deere riding mower. That's why I went with Kubota when I purchased my compact. My dealer has done nothing but kiss my a** whenever I call or stop in to his dealership. I have recommended him many times.

 

[r0GuE]

I've given this some thought over the past few years. Probably too much. I doubt it is indicative of Kubota only (how could that be,.. does Kubota Corp search for bad people?). My guess is that it is more a reality of the small equipment dealer industry. I think that they are generally run by people who are equipment oriented (read: NOT people oriented). My guess (boy will I get heat for this) is that in general, there is a lower level of education (less than the people who own small estate/farms are used to experiencing in other business dealings) and little or no on going training in people skills. There is probably little understanding of business principals regarding customer satisfaction but rather the old 10 units sold in February at 12% profit…etc etc.
Of course there will be a few gem dealers out there that are the exception to this rule. There are always exceptions. And in fact, what I have said may only be true about 20 or 40% of the dealers (total wild a$$ guess). But if it is true of 40%,.. That’s a lot of dealers. I just read posts about it again and again. There has to be a common thread, and it just can’t be Kubota (especially because most dealers sell a few different brands).

 

[Boone]

Maybe there is good intentions but something came up. When I needed work done I dropped my tractor off at the dealer, at the same time a large contractor had a tractor dropped off for an emergency repair. I knew that I was going to be shoved back a notch. Can I fault the dealer for taking care of an old, large customer in an emergency situation?

I was more upset about the lack of communication and prefer to be told straight out how things are going.

 

[MikePA]

Boone, I've had a similar problem with my NH dealer (who also sells Kubotas). I understand that emergencies come up and appointments can't be kept. What I could not understand was the lack of the common courtesy to call me and tell me. This happened three times to me and, like you, the tractor was left sitting in our driveway each time. The excuse I got was the wrong parts were ordered each time. When it happened the third time, for the same warranty work (mmm mounting rods), I got a call and an apology, from the guy who was going to do the work not the service manager, the person I had talked to all along. This was the same guy who didn't write everything down, which meant I had to verify what I wanted done with the technician. Well, the fourth appointment was the charm and they arrived and did the work. In this case, we had our trusty Wheel Horse to cut the grass so there was no impact to me, except the irritation. It did occur to me what would have happened had the tractor been disabled and I needed it.

Fortunately, I had kept a record of every call I made, when I called, who I talked to, what they said, what I asked for, etc. At the end of this episode, I composed a letter which detailed all this. I not only pointed out the missed appointments, I also complimented the person who did call me and complimented the service person, who did a great job. I sent the letter to the general manager of the dealership. I never heard anything. /w3tcompact/icons/sad.gif

The next time I need service I will call their other location and see if they're any better. Since I live about midway between each location the service call costs will be the same. This will probably not be until early next spring for my 150 hour service and a rear remote, I will tell the service department in the second location of my experience with the first location.

In my case, the compact tractors are serviced out of the lawn and garden service department and not the farm tractor/industrial equipment department. Could this make a difference? I don't think so, since my issue was a lack of courtesy of keeping commitments.

 

[frank_f15]

i don't think u need to give up on kubota, u need to get it straight with the dealer. that is where the fault lies. this will happen no matter be it a tractor , a car or a washing machine. u always seem to come across these problems. there are ways to deal with them, i have done a few things that got me satisfaction from a few service people that did not live up to my expectations.

 

[steveky]

I know what you mean, my salesman called, called and called me before my actual purchase. I then sent the tractor back a week later to have the FEL and a remote installed, suppose to take 3 days at the most. I got my tractor back 2 weeks later and everytime I called the salesman he wasn't in. I read something about people skills in another reply to your post. The dealership 5 miles away and the reason I went to the other dealer
could use some people skills also. They are the only Stihl dealership around and they know it. I've left that place mad more than once because I was ignored and the lawn contractor had the red carpet rolled out for him. I made sure they knew where my new Kubota came from and why, not that it'll make any difference. I wish I owned a dealership that offered great service and common courtesy to everyone, I believe you would have trouble keeping up with the demand. I need to stop I know this is getting windy...lol

Enjoy your new tractor.

Steve

 

[Buster57]

I would never tolerate service like what you have encountered. In my business, we would die if that got out in circulation.
If I were you, I would immediately call the owner of the dealership and rip him a new ...what do you call it?
If you ever have the problem of less then immediate and polite attention to your business requirements, take your money elsewhere. This is not, at least initially, Kubota but a dealer problem. If enough people like you have difficulty it will become a Kubota problem. That is when people start buying Blue or Green and spread the word about bad service.
This stuff really frosts me.
My dealer would fire the service manager if that ever happened to any of his customers.
In regards to the commercial order, he would authorize overtime, but not at the expense of his preexisting customer base.That is suicide in Northern Oregon.
Best of luck to you and don’t put up with that. It is not what good business practices call for or Kubota stands for.