New Virginia Tractor

I called VIRGINIA TRACTOR and spoke with their financial/accounting person, and explained what had happened. She was exceedingly understanding and helpful, calling the parent company financial service on my behalf. In a short time, she called me back, having squared everything with the company. All I had to pay was the missing $10, which saved me over $500 from my own check-writing mistake.

New Virginia Tractor picked up my L140 John Deere lawn tractor on the date arranged for a tune-up. The day before, I uncovered the tractor from protected winter storage and disconnected the battery trickle charger. I put some gas in the tractor, started it up (it fired up without hesitation or multiple attempts after a cold winter in storage, drove the tractor around the yard a couple of laps, engaged the blades underneath the mower deck, and then drove it to the bottom of our driveway (up some hilly terrain along the way) for easy access by the trailer that New Virginia Tractor had sent. It seemed to be the same tractor and in the same condition that I remember it was in before it was stored for the winter: No problem starting, no problem with engine power, and no problem with cutting grass (although I believed that it was time for the blades to be sharpened or replaced). It took about two (2) weeks to get a call on answering machine from a fella named Scott. Scott said the tractor needed substantial repairs, particularly with the mower deck. Scott further said the shop foreman was going to look the tractor over to make sure it really needed all the repairs they thought it did. He conveyed some skepticism in his voice when he said that. I called in a couple of days and talked to a service representative. They said the Tractor needed $1200 in repairs. I said the tractor was running fine at the end of the season and right before they picked it up and that I could practically buy a new tractor for $1200. They explained the mower deck needed extensive repairs and two tires needed to be replaced. I asked for their recommendation. They said not to put more money in the tractor than a tune-up and a blade sharpening and let it run until it can't run anymore. I agreed and the tractor was redelivered about a week later. Little did I know that the tractor was pretty much done running well enough once it came out of New Virginia Tractor service. Upon delivery of the tractor (I wasn't home to see it delivered), I later started up the returned tractor with difficulty. It stalled several times before the engine would catch and hold. Power seemed diminished. I drove it around to warm it up and tried to engaged the blades. The tractor engine stalled. Repeated this about 10 times before the blades finally engaged and turned without the engine stalling. The mower deck made incredibly loud noise, nothing like I remember at the end of the previous season or before they picked the tractor up. You could not drive the tractor without hearing protection - it was so loud, it hurt my ears. I went and got some hearing protection and tried to cut grass. It stalled over and over again (the grass was pretty high and thick, being early spring), but it would cut grass. I then just tried to drive the tractor around the yard without the blades engaged, to preserve engine power. The tractor did not seem to want to go up hills as easily it went up before. I estimate it would have taken me almost twice as long to cut the grass given the early spring thick n tall growth and the tractor's condition. That's 4 hours on a lawn tractor - no thanks. I met with the New Virginia Tractor store owner on 4/24/14 (who was filling in the for the service manager) and told him the story above. He said that sometimes his mechanics make mistakes and that if I hauled the tractor back to their facility (about 20 miles for me) he would see if they could get it running better for no additional charge, but they would not perform the expensive mower deck repairs that I had refused without charging me. I told him that given their track record, that approach sounded like more trouble than it was worth since it was pretty clear to me that the tractor was in worse condition than when it left my home and that it had completed the previous mowing season with no problems and was in protected storage all winter long. I offered to give the tractor to the store and simply call it even without paying the repair bill. The store owner refused. I asked the store owner if he would negotiate on the service bill and he refused. The owner did say that he would be willing to put some of the repair total toward a new tractor. My conclusion is that New Virginia Tractor may very well have thought it was time for me to buy a new John Deere Tractor for $2500.00 or so. A store credit for half my service bill would not have put much of a dent in any profit margin and they would be servicing my tractor for years after that. I decided to just go ahead and pay their $332 invoice in full on the way out and told the receptionist to convey to the owner that they had LOST A CUSTOMER FOR LIFE. I wonder how many people will hear or read this story. Seems awfully short sighted on the part of the store owner.