Thursday, May 16, 2024
Perhaps it is the times we live in, or maybe it is people in general, but folks seem to be more demanding than they once were. There is a time to make reasonable requests or to insist on getting what you paid for. It is not unreasonable that your salad be delivered a reasonable time prior to the entrée, and not at the same time. One is entitled to ask for the repairman to clean up the mess he created in performing the repair, but it is not reasonable to ask the same repairman to clean the whole house. It is not out of the question to anticipate the Amazon delivery driver will place your package near your front door, rather than driving by your address at a high rate of speed, throwing the package out the window, and hoping you find it somewhere on the block where you reside. No one is saying that sticking up for yourself is inappropriate. On the other hand, it is not always about “me.”
Not long ago, I had the need to go to my neighborhood John Deere dealership and get an oil filter. The tractor needed to have the oil changed, and I hoped to purchase the necessary item so I could get the task at hand accomplished.
When I arrived at the dealership, I walked up to the parts counter to find an older man in the line ahead of me. He was engaged in an animated conversation with the service manager, so I backed up a little bit giving them some room, hoping that calm would soon be restored.
As the conversation continued, I could hear the old man speak in a very agitated and loud manner, “If this is not covered by warranty, your tractors are not worth a flip.” He continued to rant, “I will never buy another tractor from you again. This is ridiculous. You are doing nothing but trying to cheat me!”
As I listened, I was very shocked by the old man’s rant. John Deere products are noteworthy for their reliability, and I dealt with this dealership through the purchase of two different tractors, service issues, and regular maintenance. My experiences had always been very positive, and I had endorsed the dealership to my friends and neighbors. It was hard for me to imagine what the old man was saying could be true.
Finally, the old man exclaimed, “I am leaving, and you will never have my business again.” He then shouted something which is not appropriate to put into a public newspaper. As he left, I meekly approached the counter and the store employee. The man was red-faced, and it was easy to determine he was agitated by his conversation with the mad customer. I hoped to inject some levity into the situation so I jokingly said, “Would now be a bad time to ask to borrow some money?” and then I smiled.
The man behind the counter let out a sheepish grin and said, “As good as any,” and then giggled a little bit. I responded by saying, “That conversation did not seem to go well,” and the service rep responded by saying, “You do not know half of it. I have talked to that man on the phone twice, the store manager had talked to him once, and we all told him the same thing, but he still will not accept that his tractor problem is not covered by the factory warranty.”
I could not help but ask, “what was the problem with the tractor” to which the service man said, “He has a problem with one of the pistons and the engine rings.”
At first hearing this information I could not help but ask myself, “I wonder why the piston and rings would not be covered by the man’s warranty.” I guess the thought running through my head was written on my face, so the employee looked at me and exclaimed, “It is sort of easy to understand. He bought his tractor 22 years ago!” It turns out the old man wanted John Deere to repair an engine which he had owned and used for 22 years and expected it to be covered by his original factory warranty!
I assured the clerk that my experiences with the dealership had always been positive, and I was sorry the man had acted so out of line. He smiled and thanked me for my pleasantness, and I headed out the door to get home and change the oil. On the way home I started to giggle, thinking about the old man who made such a disruption. I wonder if he thinks the same way about everything he ever bought. Is there a “lifetime” warranty on cars, appliances, and electronics? Heck, I am pretty sure there is not even a lifetime warranty on life!
Thought for the day: A warranty is a notice telling the buyer when the product they just purchased will no longer be functional.
Until next time…I will keep ridin’ the storm out!
sam@hcnews.com
