lawn mower class action suit

[Ken45101]

I too figure it's a "lawyer employement issue". I've seen a bunch of these with stock investments. The lawyers make out big time and the stockholders get $5 out of the company (their own money if they still hold the stock). Often the company settles just to make the nuisance go away.

Agree that the numbers were always suspect. So what? It's advertising. Who believes it anyway?

Ken

 

[ray66v]

The compressor motor ratings got ridiculous, and something had to be done. I purchased a "5HP" compressor from Sears in the mid '90s -- one of those cheep drive-you-crazy 3450 RPM oilless ones. Hey; its all I had money for. There was no HP rating on the motor, but voltage and current are listed as 120VAC at 15A (1800 Watts). Even if the motor is 100% efficient (which no motor is), that would be around 2 HP, not 5 HP. Realistically, it was probably somewhere between 1 and 1 1/2 HP. Now, I have a real 5 HP compressor (mid '70's Emglo, 2-stage 80 gallon tank) in my shop with a huge (22" tall) two stage pump, and a motor that is twice as long and almost twice the diameter as the one on the little Sears job. This motor's ratings are: 5 HP @ 1725 RPM, (single phase) 230VAC @ 22 A (approx 5000 Watts). The sears compressor put out around 4 or 5 SCFM at 90 PSI. the 5 HP Emglo, is more like 20 SCFM at 90 PSI.

This has always amazed me how people fell for this.

There's a simple test, if it doesn't need a magnetic starter, it is not a "real" 5 horse compressor.

 

[jas67]

This has always amazed me how people fell for this.

There's a simple test, if it doesn't need a magnetic starter, it is not a "real" 5 horse compressor.

I didn't fall for it. I knew that what I was buying was nowhere near 5HP. That kind of false marketing always irritated me.

 

[Bird]

I didn't fall for it. I knew that what I was buying was nowhere near 5HP. That kind of false marketing always irritated me.

I bought a Puma Model PK6060V in December, 1998. It was a fine air-compressor that saw a great deal of use, but at that time it was labelled as 6 hp and now I see they label it as 3 hp. But at least the salesman was honest. He said, "We call it an imitation 6 hp, while over here I can show you one of our real 5 hp compressors." Of course, the real 5 hp motor was 2 or 3 times as big as the imitation 6 hp, too. So, yep, I'd like for them to be honest, but at least I knew what I was getting and was very happy with it.

 

[Ken45101]

You can't plug anything bigger than a real 2 hp motor into a typical wall outlet. Actually I don't think even a 2 hp motor would work off of a normal wall outlet. 2 hp takes about 2000 watts of power. 115v x 15 amps is 1725 watts. Startup surge on an electric motor is even higher.

Ken

 

[Bird]

You can't plug anything bigger than a real 2 hp motor into a typical wall outlet. Actually I don't think even a 2 hp motor would work off of a normal wall outlet. 2 hp takes about 2000 watts of power. 115v x 15 amps is 1725 watts. Startup surge on an electric motor is even higher.

Ken

Godo point, Ken. My current compressor, rated at 1.8 running hp on 120 volt is plugged into a wall outlet on a 20 amp breaker instead of 15 amp.

 

[SARG]

Not that I'm greedy but I turned in my 4 lawn tractors and 5 push mowers.

Class action suits are a giggle .......over twenty years ago I went through about three hours of xrays and lung capacity tests for a mesothelioma suit because of work place exposure to asbestos ...... I realized it was mostly a scam that the major law firm came up with .......... but over the years I have netted well over thirty thousand tax free dollars.

 

[beenthere]

Anybody else seen anything on this class action suite relating to advertised hp ratings in a bunch of riding mowers and walk behinds under 30hp? Looks like the claim is mfg's mis-represented and overstated the hp of their lawn mower engines, sounds like they are all denying but are settling to the tune of 65 million total.

This is pathetic, and a perfect reason for tort reform.
The lawyers will get the biggest share of the settlement, and the owners will get but a pittance.
However, the future buyers will pay for the entire 65 mil.

It is WRONG, just plain WRONG.

But one is almost coerced into going along, just to get some advance money when we need to pay a higher price for the new products we buy. Their is no free lunch.

This is a justifiable reason for the justice dept. to step in and pull the plug on these lawyer crooks. Let them work a legitimate job for their lunch.

 

[Ken45101]

Class action suits are a giggle

Until you realize that all of us are paying for the lawyer's ransom in higher prices and it encourages American companies to go out of business.

 

[turbo36]

I can't believe some of the replies to this, face the facts guys, we were lied to and cheated when we bought our mowers. For some reason this has turned into a " well I'd rather be cheated by a manufacturer then a lawyer. Come on, you got cheated suckers!:confused2:

All those that think this suit wrong answer me this simple question;
If the local gas station was cheating you by overstating the octane rating or by overstating the gallons you were buying would that be all right by you?


Ok, one more question ( i can't stop):laughing:
What if you go in for chemo treatments and the Doctor givers you less then the prescribed dose, but tells you it was the prescribed dose, would that be all right?

 

[Bird]

I can't believe some of the replies to this, face the facts guys, we were lied to and cheated when we bought our mowers. For some reason this has turned into a " well I'd rather be cheated by a manufacturer then a lawyer. Come on, you got cheated suckers!:confused2:

All those that think this suit wrong answer me this simple question;
If the local gas station was cheating you by overstating the octane rating or by overstating the gallons you were buying would that be all right by you?


Ok, one more question ( i can't stop):laughing:
What if you go in for chemo treatments and the Doctor givers you less then the prescribed dose, but tells you it was the prescribed dose, would that be all right?

Do you think maybe you misunderstood? I don't think anyone approves of what the lawnmower/engine manufacturers did by exaggerating the numbers, but I think a lot of people hate to see some lawyers ger rich from a lawsuit while the rest of us pay for it.

 

[Ken45101]

Do you think maybe you misunderstood? I don't think anyone approves of what the lawnmower/engine manufacturers did by exaggerating the numbers, but I think a lot of people hate to see some lawyers ger rich from a lawsuit while the rest of us pay for it.

You hit the nail on the head.

 

[mustangsallysdad]

I can't believe some of the replies to this, face the facts guys, we were lied to and cheated when we bought our mowers. For some reason this has turned into a " well I'd rather be cheated by a manufacturer then a lawyer. Come on, you got cheated suckers!:confused2:

All those that think this suit wrong answer me this simple question;
If the local gas station was cheating you by overstating the octane rating or by overstating the gallons you were buying would that be all right by you?


Ok, one more question ( i can't stop):laughing:
What if you go in for chemo treatments and the Doctor givers you less then the prescribed dose, but tells you it was the prescribed dose, would that be all right?

I don't think it's wrong...but I think you are getting way too worked up over what is going to amount to a few measley dollars...yes, it was wrong for the manufacturers to overstate the HP numbers...but, in the end, we will end up paying the cost of the lawsuit...that's just the way a "class action" against a "final point of sale" retailer ends up working out...they will raise prices on new product to offset the cost of the legal action...I think there are a lot more worthwhile causes and abuses that could have been addressed. I also think that with the rates these lawyers charge, they should have to do any class action as a "pro bono"...after all, they say they file these type of suits "for the public good".

 

[LBrown59]

I got my card yesterday ?
I bought a 1995 Wards PowerCraft lawn tractor made by MTD with A brigs engine.

Since that puts me in the loop I'm sendin in the card.

 

[EE_Bota]

I got my card yesterday as well. I would encourage you all to toss the card in the trash. The reason for this advice is that the card stated that there will be no trial, and the settlement is in hand, and the amount received by each person will be based on the model, and based on the number of people who submit a claim. Due to the overwhelming risk that the reward will not be worth the effort, I am offering to test the waters by registering, thereby saving you all the time, trouble, and risk.

 

[turbo36]

Do you think maybe you misunderstood? I don't think anyone approves of what the lawnmower/engine manufacturers did by exaggerating the numbers, but I think a lot of people hate to see some lawyers ger rich from a lawsuit while the rest of us pay for it.

Oh I understand completly, a choice is being made between sleazy lawyers and sleazy manufacturers. If I had a choice I would have prefered honesty in the first place.

Can anyone offer a way that forces a manufacturer to not lie that doesn't involve lawyers or the government?

 

[turbo36]

I don't think it's wrong...but I think you are getting way too worked up over what is going to amount to a few measley dollars...yes, it was wrong for the manufacturers to overstate the HP numbers...but, in the end, we will end up paying the cost of the lawsuit...that's just the way a "class action" against a "final point of sale" retailer ends up working out...they will raise prices on new product to offset the cost of the legal action...I think there are a lot more worthwhile causes and abuses that could have been addressed. I also think that with the rates these lawyers charge, they should have to do any class action as a "pro bono"...after all, they say they file these type of suits "for the public good".

For those of us that have already bought, well we already paid the extra cost; we paid for something we never got. Hey if you enjoy getting screwed when you buy something that's your business but I want what I paid for.

What "better causes" could these lawyers be working on?

 

[turbo36]

This is pathetic, and a perfect reason for tort reform.
The lawyers will get the biggest share of the settlement, and the owners will get but a pittance.
However, the future buyers will pay for the entire 65 mil.

It is WRONG, just plain WRONG.

But one is almost coerced into going along, just to get some advance money when we need to pay a higher price for the new products we buy. Their is no free lunch.

This is a justifiable reason for the justice dept. to step in and pull the plug on these lawyer crooks. Let them work a legitimate job for their lunch.

What's wrong is your thinking. Give me one law the lawyers have broke? If the end result is that I have to pay an extra $1 to get an honest product then so be it, I'm willing to pay for honesty. Why are you willing to pay a liar?

 

[PILOON]

Just thinking about a client entitles a lawyer to charge his $400. per hr fee.
In the car, at lunch, while sitting on the throne or what ever, where ever.

A lawyer invoices an average of 60 hours/week even on the golf course or at the beech.

And as one lawyer once told me; you pick up the lunch tab as otherwise it will be doubled in your next invoice.

(My wife worked for a top rated law firm)

 

[Matt_Jr]

I didn't get a card, nor do I want anything to do with a law suit..., but if I paid for a 5 horsepower mower, and ended up with a lower horsepower mower.. say 2 or 3, then I'd want them to make right on it. Like give me my darn 5 horsepower engine. I don't want the money, I want the power. That's where fair is fair to me.