You cant fix stupid!

I have a new saying at work "We can't fix stupid, but we can charge you for it!"

I manage an outdoor power equipment store (here) and we had a customer bring in his shiny new Toro mower (he purchased online from mowers direct for $539 with free shipping and no tax!) During the assemble process he stripped out the holes in the cast aluminum deck by over torquing the handle retaining bolts. His words "the manual said apply torque, this is covered under warranty right?"

Well no sir incorrect assembly is not considered a manufactures defect and this will not be covered under warranty. Huff Puff customer is now upset with me! I welcomed him to pay the shipping to return the mower to mowersdirect.com as defective. "I need to mow my lawn now!" Must not be friends with any of his neighbors as borrowing a mower must be out of the question. We offer an expedited service rate at 1/2 again our normal labor charge or you can get in line with our standard first in first out repair procedure and have your mower in a couple days. "I need it now go ahead and fix it!" We installed two timeserts added the engine oil that is not supplied with the mower, finished the assembly process for him, filled the fuel tank and test ran the mower and made the needed adjustments to drive cable and set engine RPM so he was all set to mow when he left the store. He picked up the mower 45 minutes later and was still fuming even though we went above and beyond to make sure he would not have any further issues.

Well $110 later he had his shiny new mower he ordered online and now had $649, some frustration and wasted time invested in it! He could have driven the 3 miles from his house to our store and purchased the exact same mower for $526.45 out the door! That mower would have been assembled (properly), oiled, test run, adjustments made, cardboard recycled and we do all the warranty registration paperwork for our customers as well as education on operation and preventative maintenance.

Moral of the story...if you can buy something locally, buy it! If it's available at a box store it is likely available at an independent retailer for the same price but with professional sales, service and parts availability. We don't sell 2 x 4's or plumbing supplies but we do sell Outdoor Power Equipment!

Did you know that 60% or more of every dollar you spend at an independent retailer stays in your community. And only about 30% of that same dollar spent at a box store stay in your community. Food for thought ......

Terrific story!!

no brains, no headaches.

I try to do the same with our gunstores, gun shows, and shooting ranges. OK, I will buy bulk ammo online, but only if I can't find what I need locally, which is often the case.

Randy
NRA Life Member

Joe Fobes wrote: His words "the manual said apply torque, this is covered under warranty right?"

Did he use a cheater bar ?