Time to find a new Bota Dealer

[ByronBob]

Hmmmm......

Heated issue here huh?
My float broke at 10 hours on the tractor. Am I lying? Nope. I have the service receipt right here in my hand. So you mentioned a case in point to the man and he flew off the handle.

I like Neil's point here the most. Most stuff mentioned here is by people who have a tractor and post their experiences as they've lived them or seen them evolve. But like anything else information should be taken with a grain of salt.

My question after all of this is knowing that he's able to flip out over something like this then how would he treat YOU in the future. It seems to me you cought him on a bad day or his demeanor is really bad. If you have the ability to get another dealer then you might want to consider it.

The Internet availablilty of the dealer shouldn't be a big consideration to service and quality of your tractor and the relationship it plays with the business. I consider it a bonus.

 

[brinet]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( FYI, the Kubota stance on this not that you can't deal with customers over the internet. Its that you need to be able to sell, pre-deliver, deliver, and service any tractor that you sell. )</font>

GEEZ! Without the internet I would have almost NO Kubota support! I'm not throwing stones and I DO appreciate your comments.... BUT.... in the REAL world (at least here in WNC) their system isn't working.

(2 pages of rant deleted.... )

What is amazing is the Good Cop/Bad Cop mentality I get when I call Kubota to resolve an issue (such as the leaking fuel tank that HAD A RECALL).

Conversation with local dealer: We will NOT fix this, because you didn't BUY the tractor from us!!!! Sure we didn't have the tractor you needed and couldn't get it for months, but we still want to punish you for not buying from us.

Conversation with Kubota (Atlanta): That dealer shouldn't refuse to work on your tractor, ESPECIALLY on such a critical safety recall as this. We will have the area representative to call you and help you resolve this situation. Sorry for the trouble you had.

Conversation with Mr. Dwight Whitehead, local Kubota representative: You need to take your tractor back to the purchasing dealer for this an all future repairs, questions, and service. This dealership no longer wishes to have your business. Period.

Conversation with purchasing dealer 1 hr away: Sure we can fix it, but we are COVERED UP. It will be weeks before we can get to it, and then you will have to leave it.

So I decide to purchase the parts and do it myself. I call the next closest dealer to verify they have the parts in stock. They do, so I go to pick up the repair parts.

Conversation with next closest dealer upon arrival: Oh.... you didn't buy the tractor from us.... Well we won't sell you the parts. You need to purchase them from the dealer you purchased the tractor from!!!!

AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! After much BEGGING, they sold me the parts.

Parts to replace faulty fuel sender seal: $15
Hassle received: $10000000000
TBN help to determine that this WAS a recall and to get part#: PRICELESS

However, I DO sympathize with the dealer to a certain extent: If I were in the market for a new tractor and were reading this forum, I wouldn't have considered a BX series because of all the posts here regarding how hard it is to remove/reinstall the mowing deck. But I think this is where a competent dealer can also excel by showing you first hand how easy it is to remove/reinstall. IMO, the best dealer would be knowledgeable enough to show you why your assummptions are correct or incorrect.

 

[getut]

I think it is issues like this that make dealers hate the internet. There are too many times in this world where the company has power over the individual. In small instances like this it is the other way around.

1) Give me the best price or I go somewhere else and purchase.
2) Punish me for going somewhere else and you get negative publicity as a dealer.

Companies as a whole try to clamp down on information flow because it maks them work harder and more fairly. The bigger and more recognized the company the more this is true (and disliked).

 

[Volfandt]

It is disheartning to read these accounts. When I was shopping for a SubCUT I primarily ruled out all my local JD dealers (4) for the exact reason and troubles I'm seeing others experiencing from their local Kubota dealers!

The 2 local Kubota dealers in my immediate area turned out to be the most personable, as well as having the best pricing of all the CUTS & SubCUTS I considered.

I think posting the names of the good AND bad dealers on an open forum such as this would be of benefit to all!

For a dealer to turn down business because of nothing more than sour grapes is very bad business management in the least and SHOULD cost them business in the long term! It plays both ways! To cut your nose off to spite your face is IGNORANT!

Such business practices can get a manufacturer to open up their market to more dealers in a specific area also. Of course a business that turns profitable business away probably doesn't have SERVICE as it's creed anyways.

As an aside, my local area has several very large and competitive new car dealerships. I don't know how our local TV stations/News Papers would get their advertising income if not for them. Anyways, it wasn't two weeks after I had purchased a new F150 that I recieved a letter from a competing dealership congratulating me on my new Ford truck purchase and then offering to perform any and all warranty and scheduled maintenance on it, even though I had purchased it from their direct competitor! And yes, I have used both and I believe all 3 of us have benefited in this business practice.
You never know when a customer will upgrade to a new vehicle/piece of equipment and deneighing a customer service that you DO recieve compensation for will DEFINITELY cost you future revenue when this now disgruntled customer takes his business elsewhere, as he should!

I'd like to know how it feels to turn business away because of sour grapes, fortunately in our shop we get over lost sales soon enough and get back to the business of providing the best sales and service we can offer to all customers, whether they originally purchased from us or not......

Volfandt

 

[botalvr]

An old saying from my days in sales still rings true:

A happy customer tells three people.
An unhappy customer tells twelve.

I tell anyone who asks about my purchasing dealer, my bad experience, and how wonderful my new dealer is. (who was also happy to get my warranty work business by the way)

And in return, I buy everything from my new dealer. And If I ever decide to upgrade, and if I forgive Kubota for their quality transgressions, I will be buying from my new dealer.
/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[chucko]

one "oh sh#$" will take away all your "that a boy's"

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I think posting the names of the good AND bad dealers on an open forum such as this would be of benefit to all! )</font>

I agree with most of what you said in your post, but there are problems with posting the names of "bad" dealers. First, among friends here, we "assume" the poster is telling the truth, but the "bad" dealer named would probably not be here to tell his side of the story. Secondly, we can be anonymous enough on the Internet that there would be no way I know of to prevent "trolls" or even a competing dealer from registering and posted untruthful information. And third, you might be leaving yourself open to a libel lawsuit.

So for us to post our experiences is great, but to name "bad" dealers is something I don't think we want to do.

 

[Volfandt]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( So for us to post our experiences is great, but to name "bad" dealers is something I don't think we want to do. )</font> Dang, I don't never have no fun /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Volfandt

 

[riptides]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Conversation with Mr. blank blank, local Kubota representative: You need to take your tractor back to the purchasing dealer for this an all future repairs, questions, and service. This dealership no longer wishes to have your business. Period.)</font>

Say what? A dealer is telling *the* parent company that they no longer want to service a particular customer? Man, so may things are going through my head right now, I think I'll go leave the board till I cool off. *bad* things....

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[brinet]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( ( Conversation with Mr. blank blank, local Kubota representative: You need to take your tractor back to the purchasing dealer for this an all future repairs, questions, and service. This dealership no longer wishes to have your business. Period.)

Say what? A dealer is telling *the* parent company that they no longer want to service a particular customer? Man, so may things are going through my head right now, I think I'll go leave the board till I cool off. *bad* things....

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

)</font>

Well, the real question is if the dealer really said this.... It was very inappropriate for the area rep. to "relay" this info, or even to bring it up. I would have expected a call from the dealer stating this type of info. Either way, the dealer permanently lost a customer, not to mention the fact that when people ask about my tractor and where to buy one, I immediately tell the where NOT to buy.

All I know is that I purchased my $1600 grass catcher at this dealer and this is the thanks I get!

I am now in the market for a loader for my BX2200. I cringe at the thought of talking to another Kubota dealer. This has swayed me towards looking at the Woods loader. Only quality would keep me away from Woods and if I HAD to buy the Kubota loader, I would drive to Johnson City TN (>1hr away) BEFORE going next door. It's a beautiful drive anyways.