Ariens/warranty/loyalty

Most big co's don't show loyalty to their customers anymore. They are all working on pennies, shaving off all aspects of their business to stay alive. When was the last time anyone got a raise. CEO's are doing OK. I have a 47 yr old Sears/Murray still working great, yeah i keep it going with some improvements. I changed the suicide clutch to a dead man clutch, it has John Deer auger bearings, modern ignition, anyway the Murray rubber drive was always superior to the Ariens' vulcanized rubber drive. I also have a 13 yr old Ford Ranger, and I an very happy with it. Now they are not going to make them anymore. Where is my company loyalty. Think I can keep the truck 47 years. Thanks for listening.
Sid

 

Ariens does not consider Home Depot as competition to it's servicing dealers. So why do the dealers feel threatened by home depot?

 

Here is the second part of the "except below"

 

So if I read that correctly the engine is covered under a seperate warranty which is standard practice for the industry. What are the terms of the engine warranty?

 

Well, I just read that warranty. Thanks for the link!!
"Such repair or replacement will be free of charge (labor and parts) to the original purchaser except as noted below"
I am not a lawyer, but this seems rather simple. Free of charge It then says labor and parts, in brackets. It does not say that labor and parts are the only charges that are free. I would consider a registration fee to be a charge. As such I do not see why you would have to pay it, and Ariens should force any "authorized" dealer to perform the service for free.
Otherwise IMO this warranty is not worth the paper it is printed on. Or digitized on

However, it looks like if the problem is in the engine, then the engine warranty covers it, and I will need to read that to see if its totally free or not.

If the engine warranty is the same, then IMO the fee should not be charged.
Thanks to HJames for pointing out that exclusion.

I checked Briggs & Stratton, and it also states free of charge, with the owner being liable for transportation. Not sure what engine is in this snow thrower, but I would think that most engine makers would be forced to match warranties.

 

3 years on the AX engines

 

Up here in Canada, we have what is called Small Claims Court, to settle disputes under $5000. No lawyers required, although Ariens would be entitled to one because they are a corporation. You both get to argue your case in front of a judge and he/she decides who is right. Does the American justice system have a version of that?

 

Oh yes. I think it's up to $9000 and you can use a lawyer if you want but is not needed.

 

Maybe if was mentioned to Ariens that the OP was considering that, they would back down and make it right. The warranty document clearly states "without charge" Where I come from, that means free.

 

The AX engine warranty says "without charge for parts and labor"
The Briggs engine warranty I have says without charge.
Not sure if there is a difference. But the wording of the Briggs engine warranty sounds better. In effect no charges.
The AX engine warranty specifically states parts and labor charges. I suppose that may be the opening for dealers to add "other" made up charges like the "registration" fee BS.
Not sure if that's the case, just my interpretation.

 

A few emails by various people quoting this thread as the reason they won't consider doing business with a company that allows dealers to charge for 'Free Warranty Coverage" may do wonders.

Ariens Corporate : Contact Us

sending one now.....

 

Yikes, I shouldn't start out in a thread like this but i just can't resist.

Ya know, until you've been on both sides of the counter.........but here's how it works: OEM's really can't dictate dealer policies or force them to do warranty repairs, cheerfully or otherwise. Some dealers make policies like the one in this thread that are guaranteed to irritate their customers, but if that's what they want to do, Ariens can't stop them.

Box store warranty work is a delicate issue, and both dealer and customer need to consider their words and body lauguage if they expect to work together. Anyone comes into my store with the "you have to" attitude is asked to leave. Ask us for help with your problem however, and we're glad to take care of you. With no silly fees. Everything is a two way street. Courtesy, honesty, and respect. Even the simple decision whether or not to do business with one another is a choice that can be made by the dealer as well as the customer. Guys like the poster who simply on the basis of this thread, wants to start a crusade against the Ariens company is the kind of person I'd have a hard time doing business with.

The OP on the other hand can't be faulted by that dealer for buying at Home Depot when the dealer was charging a premium. In fact my hunch is that there's some price gouging going on here, because Ariens is still building and has models available to ship. But again, if the guy wants to raise his prices, that's up to him. I'm out of product and with March only 10 days away, I'm not looking to get any. Some of my customers are asking if I would still work on their machine if they get one somewhere else. Well of course we will.

My advice to the OP is to let go of the incident and find another dealer that will get the thing going for you. Heck, bring it to my shop if you're not too far away. (I have an idea what the problem is) But continued calls to Ariens are only going to result in continued frustration. Shooting for some corporate policy change is simply not a realistic expectation.

A word of caution: MOST box store "warranty" expectations are not actually warranty problems. Usually fuel problems, (customer), or quite frequently, incorrect set up, (box store or customer). A dealer can't file a claim for a product that was improperly set up by Home Depot, as set up is the responcibility of the selling retailer. Kind of what I meant before when I said that box store warranty is a delicate issue.

But again in the OP's case, a dealer that reads his service bulletins would know that there is a problem on a limited number of those units where a wire is grounding out and killing the machine. And that is certainly a legitimate warranty issue. We only had one, but without the SB, it would have driven us nuts.

 

Earlier in the year I bought an Ariens hydro pro32 that didn't work out, but that's not the point. Home depot couldn't get the hydro pro line... I had to go to an authorized dealer to get that level machine.... Much the same as you can't buy a "real" John Deere at home depot.

When you get your machine from home depot or lowes, it is assembled by a high school kid that is getting texts from his girlfriend every 30 seconds. That is a big part of the problem.

Last point, even though you can device your car at any dealer, you definitely get treated better if you go back to the dealer that sold you the car.

 

Earlier in the year I bought an Ariens hydro pro32 that didn't work out, but that's not the point. Home depot couldn't get the hydro pro line... I had to go to an authorized dealer to get that level machine.... Much the same as you can't buy a "real" John Deere at home depot.

When you get your machine from home depot or lowes, it is assembled by a high school kid that is getting texts from his girlfriend every 30 seconds. That is a big part of the problem.

Last point, even though you can device your car at any dealer, you definitely get treated better if you go back to the dealer that sold you the car.

Good points.

Truth is that all of the anger in this thread is really being misdirected towards the Ariens Company..

We have one snowblower with a simple problem.

We have one dealer who is simple minded.

And these guys want to re-enact the Salem Witch Trials because Ariens can't prevent that dealer from being an idiot. It's hilarious.

 

I could be wrong, but I think the anger from the OP is that the warranty states "free of charge" and has no mention of (potential) dealer's registration fees in the fine print.

If Ariens can't force dealers to honor warranties FoC (Free of Charge), or the Big Box stores do a better job of setup, then they should at least include in warranty verbiage that the dealers are indie, and can set whatever fees they want to provide "FoC" warranty issues. For Ariens to include "FoC" and "Authorized dealer" in the warranty and then shrug when an Authorized Dealer tries to add a 'fee' is bull.
Fix the problem or change the warranty verbiage. Anything else is simply fraud.

/end of rant

 

I bought my snow thrower from a dealer. I received excellent service, and an excellent deal, and I will return to his place to buy stuff that I could buy elsewhere. I also buy from a local hardware store in town whenever possible rather than go to Home Depot.
However, I did buy a high priced Honda lawnmower for $100 less at Home Depot rather than from a dealer, as no dealers were close by. When I needed some warranty service I took it to a dealer and they treated me very well and did not charge me any extra "fees". I think that is how the Arien's dealers should treat the OP. I was surprised they did not. Hopefully this will be resolved to the OPs satisfaction. I like the Ariens products and I would still consider buying them. But I am puzzled as to why they are allowed to add fees in this situation. I think it is wrong. JMHO. Not a witch hunt.

 

The problem that ariens has caused with selling at home depot is that their dealer network isnt very large and there are a ton of home depot's selling their equipment. I also patronize a local dealer as opposed to home depot. Simplicity's dealer network is much more accessible than ariens is but they are not available at big box stores. there are 13 simplicity dealers within an hour of me but only 2 real ariens dealers....did ariens alienate their dealers by going big box ?

 

Speaking of small hardware stores in CT, I just love Pfaus.
Every time I go in there I feel I am stepping back in time. Outstanding customer service!

 

Spike 60 raised some interesting points. I think mostly from a small business owners standpoint. I don't feel there is anything delicate about box store warranty's. Spike explains that "OEM's really can't dictate dealer policies or force them to do warranty repairs, cheerfully or otherwise " and that is true in the sense OEM's cant directly after the fact do so. No, that kind of persuasion should come way before (In this case Arien's) the the dealer gets the right to sell the line. This is where OEM can establish some requirements from the the prospective dealer, which will determine if they will get the line. That's just good business, no surprises after the fact.

The dealer can say never mind, I don't want your line, your requirements are to much a burden on the way I run my business. The OEM's run the risk of having trouble getting dealers if requirements are to burdensome. OEM's that fear that scenario have flaws in the business model at some level that must be addressed.

I dislike the words dictate and control because those words are a toxic nemesis for forming solid business relationships.

That's my take. I'm not a business, I don't really know about business and do not profess any specific knowledge or prowess dealing in such. My background is large corporate service. So my opinion is worth the price charged.

 

Not From Salem

Ariens warranty document says free of charge. If you buy one of our machines and something goes wrong, we will make it right. Free Of Charge. It doesn't say"only if you buy one of our machines from dealer X."
A warranty is a contract that you enter into with, in this case, Ariens when you purchase their product. If they can't keep a rein on their dealers, then they should start stating that in their warranty contract, but unless and until they do, they are legally and honour bound to stand behind that contract.
I bought from a dealer. I didn't even consider buying from a big box, mostly to avoid a hoo haw like the one this thread is discussing. But a contract is a contract folks.
JMHO

 

Most of the warranties Ive ever read say "covered when purchased from an authorized dealer". Home Depot is an Ariens authorized dealer. I dont think they get sticky enough to say that HD is authorized only for certain models. Either they are or they arent.

At that point, the Ariens I bought from HD should be able to go to Knights Inc right down the street in Orange CT to get fixed under warranty. Knights shouldnt (and Im pretty sure they WOULDNT) charge me $30.00 to work on it, register it, whatever.

I think it comes down more to the dealers reputation and attitude than the what the warranty reads or how Ariens runs their business.

Look at it like a car.....I bought my car brand new in Virginia. Went to a dealer for the same brand up here in CT and they outright told me it doesnt matter where I bought it, they are an authorized dealer and servicer and my car is under factory warranty. Period.

I would contact Ariens in the context of complaining about their dealer. But let Ariens deal with them whatever way they see fit. If they dont want to deal with them (as it sounds like from the OP of this thread), go to a different dealer if possible, or vote with your wallet the next time you need a new snowblower.

 

That's a good post Spike. I'd like you to know I do understand your points and they are well taken. This is America and we all still chime in and call it just like we see it. .

Ariens Home Depot online sales are fulfilled by dealers, set up by them and delivered by them. How does that work Spike? How does HD compensate the dealers for their time doing this. Why don't dealers that object to this stand up, shake their fist at Ariens saying they will not be part and parcel of HD snow blower sales?

You see I believe a rift anywhere within the OEM organization starting at the top, down to the vendors who make and supply the parts, the OEM business has to be the catalyst of the making of a fix.

The customer will always perceive the OEM as culpable.

 

Ariens is the only company I know of that includes dealers in the box store business, and I give them credit for doing so. That's why in the case of Ariens products, we will do warranty work on the HD units.

How the program works is simple. Customer orders unit online and pays HD for the unit. (Not Ariens or the dealers.) Ariens ships the unit to the dealer and pays us a fee to set up and deliver the unit to the customer. Customer signs a delivery receipt which we fax to Ariens for payment.

Dealers and Ariens select zip codes that determine the area the dealer will service. Usually a 15 mile radius, but in our case a little bigger since it's pretty rural here with greater distance between dealers.

That's a good post Spike. I'd like you to know I do understand your points and they are well taken. This is America and we all still chime in and call it just like we see it. .

Ariens Home Depot online sales are fulfilled by dealers, set up by them and delivered by them. How does that work Spike? How does HD compensate the dealers for their time doing this. Why don't dealers that object to this stand up, shake their fist at Ariens saying they will not be part and parcel of HD snow blower sales?

You see I believe a rift anywhere within the OEM organization starting at the top, down to the vendors who make and supply the parts, the OEM business has to be the catalyst of the making of a fix.

The customer will always perceive the OEM as culpable.

 

the problem being is that with HD selling ariens at a much higher clip than a normal dealer and HD not having a service department. If I was a ariens dealer who was flooded with units from HD that werent setup properly I wouldnt want to service them free of charge either. It costs money to run a service department properly.

 

Dealers are paid for their time servicing. I have not seen anyone here say their HD blower was not set up correct. They may have got a lemon and the machine replaced though. If you bought the machine and set it up wrong yourself the warranty won't cover that.

If I were a dealer I would expect to make money on the backside when the machine is out of warranty. All those HD machines coming back to me for service, all because I set em up, delivered them and shown the customer how to use them.

While in warranty I fixed and serviced their machines in six sigma fashion making them happy customers for life.

 

uot

Dealers are paid for their time servicing. I have not seen anyone here say their HD blower was not set up correct. They may have got a lemon and the machine replaced though. If you bought the machine and set it up wrong yourself the warranty won't cover that.

If I were a dealer I would expect to make money on the backside when the machine is out of warranty. All those HD machines coming back to me for service, all because I set em up, delivered them and shown the customer how to use them.

While in warranty I fixed and serviced their machines in six sigma fashion making them happy customers for life.

Really???? I've been a member for 5 months and I can't even count how many new members have joined because they have "x" problem(normally standard setup procedure). At least 50% of the "problems" that Ariens warranty service is dealing with are probably associated with improper setup.

 

It's sad that a experience like this, sours your experience with an otherwise great machine.

Granted, these dealers are independent, but they are the face to the company, that most ill only see.

 

Yes but improper set up by who? Most of the problems I've seen here have nothing to do with actual set up.

I have not been on the board as long as you so if I'm wrong... Fine I stand corrected.

My machine came from a dealer and it was not set up correctly. Twice!

 

Yes but improper set up by who? Most of the problems I've seen here have nothing to do with actual set up.

I have not been on the board as long as you so if I'm wrong... Fine I stand corrected.

My machine came from a dealer and it was not set up correctly. Twice!

Honestly......Box stores and Dealers. Those who have received and assembled the blowers themselves have no complaints...If you want something done right.....

 

Its a shame to read things like this.....when a local dealer pulls a crappy move like this, it only drives buyers to the Big Box stores that actually survive on Customer Service. Then, the independent dealers complain that people only want to buy a the Home Depots of the world.

I live in a small town, but in a fairly suburban area, and always try to support the local small business. That being said, try to really take advantage of me and you'll never get another dollar from me....


By the way, I did buy from my local dealer instead of Home Depot as the price was the same and when I spoke the dealer they agreed to deliver it for free...and the first time I used it in a storm all sorts of bolts popped off, which means even a good local dealer can assemble something sloppily.

Sean

 

UPDATE:
I FINALLY got through the correct person at Ariens (I would love to mention his name and/or title here, but I won't). This gentleman first of all agreed with me that it was a crappy way to do business, and they are in the process of re-writing the agreements with dealers and he said that the charge I saw with my local dealer will be changed (hopefully; time will tell). He also said Ariens is going to cut me a check for $31.80, which is what I had to pay the dealer. I told him that hearing about dealer agreements change was enough for me but he insisted on re-paying me.

By the way, i did finally get my blower back (after I called them to ask if it was done as they did not call me like they said). It turns out it was a faulty fuel control valve that was not opening all the way (10 days to fix this by the way). Got the blower back just in time as it is now snowing outside and can't wait to get home and fire it up.

Thanks for all the comments on this thread. It's unfortunate that this one dealer may be the cause for stricter dealer standards, because there are dealers out there that have a strong customer focus already without Ariens having to bring the gavel down on them.

Whew, I need a beer. Cheers

 

I figured that they would address that silly $30 registration fee in some way. That's great that they did that. It will be interesting to see if anything different turns up in the dealer agreement. If it does, I'll bring this thread back up and share it with you guys.

I have no issue with "the gavel coming down" as most dealers would never treat customers that way to begin with. So rules to address that behavior are not something that I would object to. But still, for the dealers who want to be morons, some will still find a way to do it.

I hope your blower gives you no further problems and that you enjoyed that beer!