My BAD tractor buying experience

[Inspector507]

One thing I don't remember seeing posted, but some, if not most credit card companies offer an "insurance plan" for lost or defective merchandise. May want to check into that as well. I used it once and really helped me out.

 

[DavesTractor]

A Non,

I'm sure you are already doing this, but make positively certain you are talking to the owner of the business. He is the one with the most to lose if he ends up in court, and in theory he cares most about his reputation (which you are kind enough to protect so far).

I would guess that you might also have bought this out of state to save on sales tax, so you would probably have to sue him where he lives. (I am way out of my expertise on that, so feel free to correct). If that is 350 miles away, it complicates things a little.

If you are on the west coast I can probably guess where you bought it. If I am correct, it might be worth a trip up to see the owner face to face. Not in a "in your face" type manner, but as a customer looking for resolution. It is easy to be brave on the phone or email (or to just ignore you), but something else when looking eyeball to eyeball with someone. You become a person with a problem, not just another mad long distance customer. Only do this if you have someone with you and you can control yourself and handle confrontation in a businesslike manner.

Dealing with the court system is expensive and slow. Sometimes it is necessary, but I would make every effort to resolve it out of court first. That might mean some compromise on your part regarding freight or something along those lines. If you have already had it out with this guy, he probably won't back down (the pride thing we all deal with) unless you give him a little wiggle room.

I'm a tractor guy, not a pyschologist...so I better stop. Good luck.

 

[BenderKC]

You definitely should be able to dispute the charges with your credit card company. You were shipped damaged goods. I have done this several times for some substantial amounts of money and won every time. Follow the credit card company rules and you are certainly within your rights.

 

[DIYGuy]

Dear A-non. I feel your pain. Your experience speaks to the integrity of the dealer, not chinese tractors on the whole, or most of the chinese dealers I know.

The three dealers I've worked with would have never let one leave the lot in that shape and would have bent over backwards to make it right.

I hope you can find resolution. Please keep us posted, and take a trip over the www.ctoa.net. It will have contacts for most of the who's who in Chinese Tractors.

 

[Tractors4u]

There is a lot of truth in what DIYGuy says. A good dealer would have made your tractor buying experience a whole lot better. The Chinese tractors get a lot of negative talk about them so you would think that a dealer would go out of his way to make them shine and prove everybody wrong. This one bad apple will probably kill a good number of Chinese tractor sales. There is a saying that I am fond of. It is used to discribe what one group of people should do if one of their own is doing something to bring shame upon that race, relegion, team, company organization, etc etc. "Cull your nuts" In other words, the quality minded Chinese dealers need to have a discussion with this bad dealer and explain to him how his actions are costing everybody $$$$.