New 2415 HST Owner

[EFC]

The tech figured it out right away. The all the charges (the $1.75 per mile and the $75 per hour labor) were incurred during the drive time. I'm wondering if maybe a note to the BBB and state attorney general's office might be in order.

I probably should just let it go and amortize it over the life of the tractor, as has been suggested.

It's just so hard to turn the other cheek when you've been torpedoed between them.

It is normal to either charge a "trip charge" which is a flat rate for the truck and mechanic to show up and then its hourly while the mechanic is onsite. Charge a "per hour rate" or charge a "mileage rate". Not two or three of those added together. We do a trip charge which is one rate for 85hp and under and another for 85 hp and over. I personally do everything humanly possible not to send the trucks out under 85hp.

As far as the BBB or Attorney General. Dont waste precious tractoring time filling out forms and drafting letters. The Attorney generals primary focus is on class action complaints so unless it affects a known percentage of the people in your state you will receive a nice letter and a smile and that is as far as it goes. The BBB focus is on arbitration after you and the dealer cannot come to an agreement and you both relinquish you right to sue, but that is the level it will take for them to act. If you ever want to know how useless the BBB is just look at the major offenders. There isnt a major nationwide retail chain that isnt right at the top of the list and it hasnt affected their business in any measurable way. Just to test that, ask yourself how many time you have looked at the BBBs web site to determine if you should buy your plywood at Home Depot or Lowes or eat at the Olive Garden or Applebees or shop at Macys or JCPenneys. They are all at the top of the SUPER BAD list.

Buck

 

[matt701]

I wouldn't bother with the BBB or Attorney General either, but you could always ask what one of the Mahindra USA reps think about your experience as they visit this forum from time to time.

 

[lfarrar]

BBB is'nt all that it seems. They are small fish and not much real power. Just got a letter back from them for a claim I had for service rendered but not recieved, I have tried contacting the supplier for almost ayear with no reply. Basicly their letter says they had no contact or response, so they were no better than I.
Feels good to vent anyways!
Lou

 

[ChuckinNH]

Well, I have to say that I did call the attorney general's office in my state one time about a car problem. The car had been taken to the dealer's more than three times for the same problem. Basicly, the AT's office said that I had rights, but would be responsible for all costs incurred unless I won. Hmm, thought I. Anyway, I called the dealership, and told them that I had been in contact with the AT's office, and that they had told me I had some rights in this matter. The dealer's reaction was really pretty funny. He wanted to know where the car was at that moment in time, and asked if I would allow them to try once more to fix it. I replied, of course. An hour later, the owner's wife showed up with a very nice car for me to drive while mine was being worked on. The car was fixed properly, and I never had that problem with it again. ( computer module) I am not one to call in big guns at every little issue, but it sure helped resolve things that time. The dealer was some distance away, and my wife, and I were getting tired of convoys to his place.

I have also run into the kind of hourly + driving charges on machine issues on machines that I had purchased for the company I worked for. One supplier went as far as saying "That is why we like selling smaller machines to hobby machinists so much....... they never question these charges". I think your dealer let you pay for the same nice breakfast stop that my supplier did. I somehow doubt that your dealer's regular Ag customers, with big machines would put up with that kind of thing, and are probably not treated that way. In the case of my supplier at work, he didn't know that the machine he had sold me was a test unit for both the machine, and his service prior to us investing a few million in a new production line........ his loss, as I'm sure your dealer will learn at some point.

 

[RussPack]

I didn't really see any benefit to filing complaints with the AT or the BBB after visiting their web sites. I guess I'll just consider the matter closed and lesson learned (albeit and expensive one).

I still may drop a line to Mahindra Customer service to tell them how much I really like the tractor, though. Of course if I let it slip out how their dealer shafted me and how I won't be doing any more business as a result.....

 

[DavesTractor]

Russ, Just to be clear, you did buy the tractor from the dealer that did the service call? I assume so, but I just wanted to confirm. Thanks.

 

[flusher]

I'm the proud owner of a new 2415HST, thanks in part to this forum for some of my research. I just thought I'd stop by and thank you guys for all the info you have posted regarding these fine tractors.

It's my first tractor so I'm still learning all the things it can do. I got it with a 60" cutter for mowing my pastures (9 acres), FEL (for all the great things it can do), and a 48" Woods BB (got it cheap from a friend who didn't have a use for it). Now, if I can just get some seat time with it....

Actually, my wife uses it daily for hauling manure from our horse stalls in the barn out to the pastures--gotta love that FEL. She also does most of the mowing (she claims it's therapeutic). She's even learning to grade with the box blade and can switch implements like a pro.

We are still learning how to utilize this machine, which brings me to a question I have about dealer support. I'll give the Reader's Digest version:

A few weeks ago, after loading the bucket with manure to spread, the tractor wouldn't start. It had started only 20 minutes earlier, so I was puzzled. Thought it might be the safety lockout on the treadle-pedal, so I nudged it with my foot (this had worked before). Nothing. Called the service manager at the dealer (70 miles away). He told me how to hotwire it, basically, to start it. Got it started and dumped the manure, then parked it. Still wouldn't start in the usual way. I suspected a faulty/bad safety switch. Called the service dept. for some more help. Since I don't have a trailer, they would have to send a guy out, to check it out, for a service charge. I didn't ask how much so this is where I screwed up--silly me for thinking like a sane person, I figured at most $150.

It turns out that the PTO lever had been bumped a little so it wasn't quite in the full OFF position. Service Charge=$593 and some change. It turns out that the dealer charges $1.75 per mile and $75 per hour for a service tech to make a house call. This was NOT explained to me in advance. After a call to the dealer, and speaking to the manager, he agreed to knock $100 off the labor charge. What a guy!

Needless to say, I will never spend another dollar at that dealership!! Just a heads up to anyone in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. Steer clear of Landmark Equipment, unless you really want to get "serviced". Or is this the normal practice in the tractor business?? If so, I'm changing careers...

Other than this bad experience with the dealer, I love this little tractor.

Russ Packham

Mahindra 2415 HST, Woods 48"BB, Mohawk 60" Cutter, FEL

Same thing happened to me with my 2005 Kubota B7510HST. I was digging a 4-ft wide excavation for a paver block walkway. I stopped the engine to have lunch. When I tried to restart, nothing. It took me about 5 minutes before I figured out that the PTO lever had been knocked a little out of the off position.

Didn't have to have a service call. Sorry to hear about your sad experience.

A few weeks ago I traded that 7510HST for a brand new Mahindra 5525 with the ML250 FEL. The 5525 is a real honey.

 

[Rick_CT]

Russ,

Have you submitted the invoice from the dealer to your medical insurance carrier, I belive that this type of treatment is covered as long as you use the correct code, which I believe is "in field colonoscopy, PTO bump detected".

All kidding aside, I'm feeling your pain. I pulled the copy below from a web site that repairs fork lifts:

. "Repair and service labor rates are charged as follows:
a) $68.00 per man per hour based upon time accrued portal to portal our shop in Providence, R.I.
b) Overtime and Saturday rates will be $102.00 per man hour.
c) Sunday and Holiday rates will be $136.00 per man hour.
d) Mileage charges will be added at a rate of $.45 per mile per vehicle portal to portal in Providence".

I can't really argue with the above statement of their charges, and I can live with the $.45 per mile charge along with the hourly rate. I think if they did away with the per mile charge, they would only increase the hourly rate to compensate (as my company did at $120 per hour (don't ask)). I do have a problem with $1.75 per mile on top of the hourly rate. Even at 10 mpg, and $3.50 per gallon, I can't see more than $.70 per mile to cover all vehicle cost. I think that this dealer is looking at his truck as a "profit center", rather than a tool.

I would certainly vent to Mahindra, as they have a vested interest in knowing both the good and the bad of their dealers actions. Nothing will ever change if we don't make our concerns known to a responsible party. I would let them know that first and foremost that you are satisfied with your tractor, but were let down by the dealers actions, especially considering that you are a newbie. You might even suggest that you understand that they don't have control over what a dealer charges for their services, but considering the "donation" that you have made to support one of their growing dealerships, that they consider fair compensation a free 50 hour service kit delivered to your door (include a copy of the dealers invoice). Mahindra corporate should understand that you, as a current owner of their product are the least expensive future sale to get, the repeat customer. We know the dealer has probably blown this opportunity via their actions, but thinking long term, Mahindra should want to take care of you because we all know that the 2415 is only the beginning. My father made a great deal of money as a salesman, and the bulk of this was done by developing repeat customers, not banging on doors looking for new ones all the time.

In the end Russ, you might have to chalk this one up to experience, but give it the tractorybynet try, we would all love to hear if you get any response from Mahindra. I am rooting for them as the new guy on the block (no I don't own one but I'm thinking about it, drive past the dealer on the way to work every day) and how they handle situations like this might make the difference between my going red, or blue, or orange. See, we all have choices.

Hang in there, I still think you purchased a great machine (if I go Mahindra it will be the 2415 HST as well).

Rick