AceDeuce
Gold Member
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2006
- Messages
- 348
- Location
- Northern Virginia
- Tractor
- Kubota BX1500 w/ R1's and LA181 FEL
Well, you know what they say... hindsight is 20/20.
Lesson Learned #1: I should have bought an aftermarket loader.
Lesson Learned #1a: I really should have bought the Kubota loader back when I bought the tractor.
Lesson Learned #2: I should NOT have gone to the dealer I went to to have it installed.
Here's how I got there...
Back in February, yes February, I decided to pull the trigger on a FEL for my BX. The trouble was, there were no more complete LA181 kits for the BX1500 available on the market. I found an incomplete kit (just the loader frame and bucket) for a good price up in Michigan and my local dealer said he could supply the missing parts (valve and mounting posts) to come up with a complete unit.
I asked him specifically if he was sure everything would fit up BEFORE I bought the loader. He said yes, so I made the call.
Long story short--- I just got my tractor back last weekend. The loader is installed and it works fine. That said, the past 10 weeks have been a nightmare. No tractor, and no communication from the dealer. I had to call him just to find out what was going on, and when I did I heard nothing but excuses about why the machine wasn't ready and whining about how he never should have agreed to do the installation. He aparently ordered the wrong parts - several times, and kept making and breaking promises about delivery.
You know what? I'm the customer. All I know is what I want - a loader for my tractor. He is the dealer. As far as I am concerned, as the dealer he is supposed to be the product expert. I placed my trust in him and took him at his word that he knew what he was doing and could get the job done. Now I know better because along with getting my tractor back after being in the shop for over two months for what should have been only a few days, it came with a hydraulic leak which decorated my 1 year old asphalt driveway. When I called to ask them why they didn't check their work prior to making delivery they had the nerve to tell me the tractor would have to come back to be repaired. I think not. I might never get it back.
So now, I lost my entire Spring planting season and half a day last weekend trying to fix the leak. I reduced it, but either a fitting or the hydraulic tap block is bad because it is still leaking despite being taken apart and put back together four times.
He'll be getting a bill for the parts when I finally get it fixed. And he'll be lucky not to get a bill for the damage to my driveway.
Sorry, I'm usually not this critical and I've been very polite to this guy the whole time (maybe too polite) but I just had to vent...
I'd recommend against anyone patronizing this dealer. Let's just say he's located in the Warrenton, Virginia area. He comes off as a "nice guy" but he doesn't know his own product line, his mechanic does shoddy work, and his word means nothing.
Lesson Learned #1: I should have bought an aftermarket loader.
Lesson Learned #1a: I really should have bought the Kubota loader back when I bought the tractor.
Lesson Learned #2: I should NOT have gone to the dealer I went to to have it installed.
Here's how I got there...
Back in February, yes February, I decided to pull the trigger on a FEL for my BX. The trouble was, there were no more complete LA181 kits for the BX1500 available on the market. I found an incomplete kit (just the loader frame and bucket) for a good price up in Michigan and my local dealer said he could supply the missing parts (valve and mounting posts) to come up with a complete unit.
I asked him specifically if he was sure everything would fit up BEFORE I bought the loader. He said yes, so I made the call.
Long story short--- I just got my tractor back last weekend. The loader is installed and it works fine. That said, the past 10 weeks have been a nightmare. No tractor, and no communication from the dealer. I had to call him just to find out what was going on, and when I did I heard nothing but excuses about why the machine wasn't ready and whining about how he never should have agreed to do the installation. He aparently ordered the wrong parts - several times, and kept making and breaking promises about delivery.
You know what? I'm the customer. All I know is what I want - a loader for my tractor. He is the dealer. As far as I am concerned, as the dealer he is supposed to be the product expert. I placed my trust in him and took him at his word that he knew what he was doing and could get the job done. Now I know better because along with getting my tractor back after being in the shop for over two months for what should have been only a few days, it came with a hydraulic leak which decorated my 1 year old asphalt driveway. When I called to ask them why they didn't check their work prior to making delivery they had the nerve to tell me the tractor would have to come back to be repaired. I think not. I might never get it back.
So now, I lost my entire Spring planting season and half a day last weekend trying to fix the leak. I reduced it, but either a fitting or the hydraulic tap block is bad because it is still leaking despite being taken apart and put back together four times.
He'll be getting a bill for the parts when I finally get it fixed. And he'll be lucky not to get a bill for the damage to my driveway.
Sorry, I'm usually not this critical and I've been very polite to this guy the whole time (maybe too polite) but I just had to vent...
I'd recommend against anyone patronizing this dealer. Let's just say he's located in the Warrenton, Virginia area. He comes off as a "nice guy" but he doesn't know his own product line, his mechanic does shoddy work, and his word means nothing.
