Thursday, May 29, 2008

28 days out of warranty

our "show" husqvarna tiller failed catastrophically. i was remiss to not blog about it but we were so ruined that i was scared to confront the reality of not having it. we bought it just over two years ago and it was twice as much as we could afford at the time. we did it anyway justifying the purchase "it is a longterm purchase." we bought it from a reputable company not a big box store.

i must say it was magic what this thing could do with hellish ozarks soil. it would tear rocks from the ground that wouldn't fit in a five gallon bucket. i admit that i worked this thing beyond any realistic expectations. tearing roots and rocks from virgin ozarks soil is no easy task and this thing did it time and time again only asking for a little bit of petrol and a dry place to live.

when i took it back for an autopsy i plead with anyone that would listen. "we live from our garden." "we must have this tiller." "anything that can be done for it must be covered by warranty" it was twenty days too late, they would say. after spending a few hours there pleading my case over and over they finally let me talk to the manager of the repair department. i gave him my best plea ever. he said, "he'd do what he could do."

i thanked him and slinked from sight with tristan in tow. i'm sure his sad eyes shored my story. i called two days later and asked if they knew anything yet. mark said he'd call me. i felt chastised. that was two weeks ago.

today mark called, personally. he said that he got them to cover the entire repair under warranty.

WHOOOO HOOO

we are so blessed.


husqvarna really came through for us. mark at race brothers is the man. i sing an ode to them both if i could sing. the best i can do is to recommend them both as highly as my status allows. they are of yesteryear stock. the disposable economy we currently live has so few companies of this stature that it is a pleasant surprise to do business with them.

20 comments:

Sasha said...

That is awesome! We use ours so much so I knew when you posted that yours broke what a terrible blow it must have been.

~Sasha

Lisa said...

Whoo hoo for sure! I worry about all my expensive "longterm" purchases failing me just as the warrantee wears out!!

Anonymous said...

that is awesome. It is nice to hear a happy ending when dealing with repair work and such. Customer service at the smaller stores can be one of their best qualities.

Anonymous said...

JOY! Good karma to that man! It is getting that kind of customer support even once that makes up for years of terrible, rude support, isn't it?

Danielle said...

So pleased to hear it! It's folks like this who remind me to have faith in our world.

Not as significant, but when my Kitchen Aid went, I pleaded with the local repair guy to have it back as soon as he possibly could. Same reason: we live on our Kitchen Aid stand mixer! It's great when people get this.

Ron said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

You used Tristan to "sell" that guy, didn't you?
Seriously, though, three cheers for the integrity of small towns, small companies and small dealers!

tansy said...

that is great. i'm glad the company was nice enough to honor the warranty. my opinion is, why by the big name brands if they're not going to make it right if something happens to it.

when will you get it back?

Gina said...

Agree with Tansy on the brand name thing. Glad it worked out. I surely know how losing that valuable tool would have been, especially this time in the season and with economy as it is.
if I lived nearby, I'd give that guy my business!

jayedee said...

seems like honor is in short supply these days.....nice to know there are folks out there that will go the extra mile!

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you got that resolved, although two years seems like a short time for a catastrophic failure. That's of some concern to me as we just bought a Husqvarna garden tractor which works great now, but like you, I justified the extra expense on the theory that I'd get a minimum of seven years out of it.

Cheers.

Sean said...

saw this today on lifehacker.com and thought of you guys: myfolia.com

btw, are you still brewing kombucha? how;s that going?

Madeline Rains said...

What a great faith restoring story. thanks for sharing it.

Omelay said...

sasha, thanks it was a terrible blow.

lisa, making big purchases is such a risky thing. we worry about them everytime.

nathan, yeah no more purchases from home depot or lowes for me.

donna, thanks we can use all the good karma we can get.

danielle, it is amazing when things go right. buying from the right place getting from a reputable manufacturer. our kitchen aid might be similar blow if it were to break.

ron, i have their chainsaw too. they have all of my large tool purchases forever.

matt, thanks yeah we feel blessed buy the integrity in this area.

tansy, thanks, we'll get it back hopefully in time for okra planting?

gina, husqvara sells world wide, just get it from a good dealer. not lowes.

jaydee, it is sad to be surprised buy a company with honor. it used to be the exact opposite. maybe the tides are turning?

r sherman, yeah but i was really really hard on this tool. the ozarks are a true test of a machines metal.

sean, kombucha a-hoy. i'm fully addicted and brew six gallons at a time.

madeline, thanks yeah i will write a letter to husqvarna and forever pledge my tool purchases to them and race brothers.

Woody said...

Karl...it is so nice to actually be able to plead a case with someone who CAN do something and not some bubblegum smacking kid that can't seem to keep his britches hitched up over his arse. Great to hear that they covered their product. I too have a husky chainsaw and a stihl. They are both fine products that are serviced by our local dealer.

The garden looks fantastic...

peace

MamaHen said...

Very happy for you karl!

Anonymous said...

For years things would break right before Christmas, stuff like the Central air unit, the dryer, the fridge. It got to a point that I was worried when the holidays would get close.

Love your blog.

BeanMama said...

Oh, wow. What a huge relief. What was wrong with it?

Omelay said...

woody, no kidding it is such a pleasant surprise.

annie, thanks we feel so lucky.

tim, yeah at least it's not christmas.

margo, it was the main drive system gears, transmission, and support frame. if it were a car it would be totaled.

The Unusual Farmchick said...

Glad to read they had your back on it.LOL. I love my new old tiller and would be devastated if it were to stop working, especially so early in the season.
I hope the plants were all alive when you recieved them. They sat in the box for the long weekend and I almost opened it up to see if they were O>k. Then thought I best not- that would just delay their mailing out, knowing me.LOL. Wishing a bountiful garden for you all this year.

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