Idiot light

[gemini5362]

I agree totally with Gary. Get a fresh, cautious, and totally new start.

All the major brands have good tractors and some of the more recent imports are giving them good competition. I happen to own Kubota which is quite popular here in south central Oklahoma. I have seen lots of brand X tractors and there will be folks bragging about each and every one of them (and others just the reverse) which will be true for the big names as well. With my limited experience the only newcomer that impressed me was a Montana owned by Gemini. Until or unless it breaks or similar I will always be a bit jealous of the price/feature ratio.

Pat

Pat thanks for the nice words about my tractor. I still like it quite a bit. I am however getting cautious about recommending it to anyone. I would check out the Montana dealers for a while before buying. Right now within a 100 mile radius of me the average life span of Montana dealers seems to be about 3 to 4 years. or less. I am not sure what the problem is but even the very well established tractor dealer that sold Montanas along with New Holland has stopped carrying them. That worries me a bit because the dealer I am talking about is only 15 or so minutes from the factory by truck. I have not stopped to talk to them about why they quit selling them but when I am in their neighborhood with some spare time I am going to find out. If someone is near a Montana Dealer that has been there for several years I would ask them how their relationship with Montana is and make sure they forsee maintaining that relationship for a while. There are several places that are not tractor dealerships that are selling Montana off of their lot. I would definetly not recommend buying from one of those. They seem to be there for a short period of time and then gone. My dealer was like that he had Montana for about three years and now is selling trailers and cars off of his lot.

 

[Soundguy]

IMHO.. that dealer needs to part ways with that salesperson.. he's a magnet for bad juju at this point.

soundguy

I am going to disagree with the majority opinion on here ( isnt that a surpise) That dealer would be at the top of my list of people to deal with. I would not deal with that salesperson again and I still would check out other dealers and let price, options, which tractor I liked more etc. But one thing you know with that dealership is that the GM is a standup guy. He stepped in and made things right which to be honest with you I really did not expect to happen. The GM backed a non existent warranty on the tractor you bought just because it was the right thing to do. I would imagine on a new tractor he sold he would stand behind the warranty on that with no problem. I also think you owe him a chance to be at the head of the competition for your buisness. He did the right thing with you and did not make you resort to legal measures to make him do it. Why would you punish him for that by not favorably considering him for your other purchases.

 

[gemini5362]

IMHO.. that dealer needs to part ways with that salesperson.. he's a magnet for bad juju at this point.

soundguy

I agree that the salesguy might need to find other employment. Of course the salesguy might be the dealers brother in law and firing him could be painful. I would not deal with that salesperson in any circumstances but I would consider giving my buisness to that delership. If they only have the one salesperson tell the GM you are interested in buying a tractor from him but under the circumstances you want to deal directly with the GM. I have gone to buy a car and got insulted by a salesperson. I wasted no time telling the sales manager about it and telling them I would not deal with that salesperson ever again.

 

[Soundguy]

I've done that at a GM dealer... service manager screwed up a bunch of stuff for me... I believe it was the letter to corporate, CC: tot he GM, and the owner of the dealership that got the juices flowing.. in the end. I got the repair done.. but when i brought it in for them to fix their 'fix'.. they were going to have me meet with the service manager again and I flat out told the secretary that I was under no circumstances EVER speaking to him again.. and if that meant they were eating the car.. or I had to write more descriptive letters to more people.. no problem. In the end.. the gm found someone else to help me, and kept the service manager out of the area while I was there... that was a good call I might add... the SM was a twit..... mr dumbwrench...

soundguy

 

[mjncad]

IMHO.. that dealer needs to part ways with that salesperson.. he's a magnet for bad juju at this point.

soundguy

The salesman needs to fall off the escarpment.

 

[RobJ]

I am going to disagree with the majority opinion on here ( isnt that a surpise) That dealer would be at the top of my list of people to deal with. I would not deal with that salesperson again and I still would check out other dealers and let price, options, which tractor I liked more etc. But one thing you know with that dealership is that the GM is a standup guy. He stepped in and made things right which to be honest with you I really did not expect to happen. The GM backed a non existent warranty on the tractor you bought just because it was the right thing to do. I would imagine on a new tractor he sold he would stand behind the warranty on that with no problem. I also think you owe him a chance to be at the head of the competition for your buisness. He did the right thing with you and did not make you resort to legal measures to make him do it. Why would you punish him for that by not favorably considering him for your other purchases.

This makes a lot of sense, but is hard to put into play. If I go to a resturant and get a bad meal, they replace the meal AND give me my money back. I'm still probably not going to rush back to that resturant. Nobody wants to risk another bad meal.

 

[MLD]

Idiot light update:

Wow! This post has taken on a life of it's own. I just logged on to see what's new here on TBN and "Idiot Light" lives! As Yogi Bera put it " It Ain't over till it's over"

All you readers and posters certainly deserve to know the final chapter. I went to pick up my check thinking that I'd just go and pay for the one hour of diagnostics and I'd be on my way.

Not sooo fast there Buckaroo!

I walked in and asked for the person I was told had the check and was asked to wait in their seating area, instead I wandered around the show room looking at all the toys and gadgets. About ten or fifteen well spent minutes passed when I was summoned by a very nice lady and ushered upstairs through a rabbit warren of hallways to a large office because "Blank" wanted to meet me.

Now maybe it was my imagination and maybe they treat all the "inmates" like this but I did get a feeling that they had been warned "About this one" That maybe I'd been labeled with "he bites" or something. But again thats just my imagination.

I was graciously received and sat across the desk from "Blank" and we had a conversation from scratch about what had transpired in this idiot light saga, and I mean the whole who, what, when and where all over again.

Well Blank wants to know, and rightly so, " why, am I buying a tractor from you"?

I retold the story and also told "Blank" that I'd told this all to the GM and asked who he was. and "BLank" tells me he is the owner of the dealerships.

"BOING!" My lights come on at last.

Well we had a nice conversation about his business and my business, he wrote me the check, I thanked him very much, and was then ushered down stairs " By the Nice and still unbitten Lady" and went on my way, after of course getting my pants wet sitting in all of the tractor seats in the outside display.

I would...No I will.. definitely put that dealership at the head of my list of places to buy a tractor, or anything else for that matter.
Very Impressive indeed.


MLD

 

[gemini5362]

Idiot light update:

Wow! This post has taken on a life of it's own. I just logged on to see what's new here on TBN and "Idiot Light" lives! As Yogi Bera put it " It Ain't over till it's over"

All you readers and posters certainly deserve to know the final chapter. I went to pick up my check thinking that I'd just go and pay for the one hour of diagnostics and I'd be on my way.

Not sooo fast there Buckaroo!

I walked in and asked for the person I was told had the check and was asked to wait in their seating area, instead I wandered around the show room looking at all the toys and gadgets. About ten or fifteen well spent minutes passed when I was summoned by a very nice lady and ushered upstairs through a rabbit warren of hallways to a large office because "Blank" wanted to meet me.

Now maybe it was my imagination and maybe they treat all the "inmates" like this but I did get a feeling that they had been warned "About this one" That maybe I'd been labeled with "he bites" or something. But again thats just my imagination.

I was graciously received and sat across the desk from "Blank" and we had a conversation from scratch about what had transpired in this idiot light saga, and I mean the whole who, what, when and where all over again.

Well Blank wants to know, and rightly so, " why, am I buying a tractor from you"?

I retold the story and also told "Blank" that I'd told this all to the GM and asked who he was. and "BLank" tells me he is the owner of the dealerships.

"BOING!" My lights come on at last.

Well we had a nice conversation about his business and my business, he wrote me the check, I thanked him very much, and was then ushered down stairs " By the Nice and still unbitten Lady" and went on my way, after of course getting my pants wet sitting in all of the tractor seats in the outside display.

I would...No I will.. definitely put that dealership at the head of my list of places to buy a tractor, or anything else for that matter.
Very Impressive indeed.


MLD

I am glad it worked out for you this way.

 

[gemini5362]

This makes a lot of sense, but is hard to put into play. If I go to a resturant and get a bad meal, they replace the meal AND give me my money back. I'm still probably not going to rush back to that resturant. Nobody wants to risk another bad meal.

Rob that is one way of looking at it. I had looked at it like you went to a restraunt and got bad service (the waiter is sort of your salesperson) If you went to the manager and they told you that they would make it right with you by refunding your money for the meal you might want to go back to that restraunt again just make sure that you got a different waiter.

 

[greggh]

All's well that ends well. It's great to know that not only was the GM a great guy, but the owner as well. It sounds as if the sales person may be looking for employment else where. Or at the least washing the tractors instead of selling them. I'm glad it all worked out.