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Small Engine Warehouse Sells Defective B&G Engine Refuses to make it right Does't honor warranty Muncie Indiana
Small Engine Warehouse in Muncie Indiana is selling Brand New - Scratch and Dent Versions of Briggs and Stratton lawn mower replacement engines with a 2-Year Warranty. I traveled the 2 hours to pick one up. When they wheeled it out it was unboxed and wobbling around on the shaft with no packaging whatsoever. I asked where the box was and they said scratch and dents didn't have a box and that they came on a pallet. I inspected the motor and it looked okay. I asked them to start it up and they said they couldn't do that because they would have to put oil in and didn't have a test rack anyway. They have 1000's of engines, but no way to test them? They guaranteed it would run fine. Being a good mechanic, but not professional, I carefully installed the motor in my Snapper RER. On the first start up it just revved up and down and would not come off of the governer. I had no choice but to use the mower that way for several mows over three weeks. Not being able to make the 2 hour drive again, I did the usual troubeshooting, checking for loose screws, clogged carburetor etc. Eventually I discovered that the motor was shipped with a broken intake manifold. When I called them about a replacement they said that I was beyond the 22-day return period and said they could not help me. They even admditted to having two of the manifolds in stock, but refused to send me one. Mostly they felt that I broke the manifold during installation, insinuating that I must have picked the motor up BY THE CARBURETOR. But, based on it's location, the crack was clearly not caused by anything like that and was more likely the cause of overtightening the mounting bolts on installation at the factory or something similar. Had someone actually picked the motor up by the carb, the crack would have been on the underside and at the valve inlet side, not the carb side. I ended up having to order a new manifold for 50 bucks from B&G. The point is, they could have easily sent me a new manifold at a minimal cost to them, less than twenty dollars, but instead chose not to honor the warranty and said I should fight it out with Briggs and Stratton "But don't get your hopes up!" So apparently they were completely unconcerned about my satisfaction as a customer, which could have been reversed by less than $20. I highly recommend that you not purchase any equipment from them, but if you must, make them start the engine at the store and assure that it runs correctly before you leave with it, because if you do have a problem, you are on your own.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
That's right Blame Me for everything.
#3Author of original report
Fri, October 21, 2016
The third party nature of your rebuttal is really quite transparent. And you (or they if you prefer) obviously accept zero responsibility for selling a defective engine. Any reader should take note of it's tone and complete lack of any concern for my problem. So after taking a day off work and a five-hour round trip to your store for an engine that was UNTESTED by your staff, lets see how that phone call might have gone. I'd like to ask anyone who's ever called a mechanic on the phone what the first response always is. It always goes something like this... "We're really going to need to see it." Meaning I should go another day out of commission, uninstall the motor, drain it and spend 5 hours transporting it. Or spend an inordinate amount of money and time shipping it back and waiting for it to be fixed and returned. That process would have negated ANY savings on the motor and it would have been just as costly to buy a full price new engine from the local shop with no trouble at all. So YOUR lack of testing put me in a very bad position indeed and I did what I could only afford to do. That was to hope that it might be either a break-in issue that would straighten itself out over time or do some basic troubleshooting to find some simple reason for the failure. After all, it was a New Motor right! Maybe it WAS something I did, giving YOU the benefit of the doubt. But it wasn't. It's unfortunate that it took just a few days longer than 22 to find the cause. And just because that's your "policy" doesn't make it right or fair. So I saved us all a bunch of trouble and money by finding the problem myself. All you had to do was send me a LESS THE $20 cost to you part and this could have resulted in a understanding and satisfied customer. You ship engines all over the country. Imagine the cost of you shipping this UN-tested motor to a mechanically challenged individual several states away. The shipping time alone could have put the fix outside of your 22 day period. I called as soon as I discovered the problem. When I did I was answered with nothing be negative information and an unavailable support person even though the business was still open. I feel you should at least refund me the price you sell the part for. I'm not even asking for the full $50 the fix cost me. But for you I see that it's just the principle of the thing. Your policy was violated and d**n the outcome, your not going to loose $20 over it, period. Potential buyers should be aware that the "Scratch and Dent" part of the deal may involve a part critical to the proper operation of the motor itself, and that the motor is handled during processing like the piece of junk it could possibly be. You'll never know until you install, fill and start it. It was never made apparent to me that that was the kind of risk I was taking
Tyg
Pahrump,Nevada,
USA
Incorrect....
#3General Comment
Wed, October 19, 2016
You are WRONG! THEY would have been more then willing IF YOU HAD CONTACTED THEM BEFORE THE 22 DAY TIMEFRAME! So YOU failed to do YOUR part within the timeframe allowed. THEY have NOT ripped YOU off! YOU did that to yourself BY WAITING! YOU CHOSE to go with a returned/open item due to the price. And YOU CHOSE to wait to contact THEM. NO ONE is going to help you AFTER that window has closed. Its NOT about customer service, its about people keeping thier jobs. Im sure in your profession YOU have had to tell someone NO due ONLY to the policies YOU have to follow to continue working for whomever YOU work for. YOU should have taken care of the situation IMMEDIATLY! YOU did not do this so THIS situation is of your own doing and YOU want to place the blame on THEM for the choices YOU made. HOW is that fair in ANY WAY? How about just admitting that YOU screwed yourself over and try and be an adult about it. YOU do not show ANY wrong doings on thier part. The ONLY thing that matters is PROOF and YOU bring none of that to your tale. The ONLY thing YOU show in YOUR post is that YOU are LAZY and expect that others will reward YOU for your excuses and laziness. REALITY doesnt work that way and YOU KNOW THIS!