Aztec Rental: The Backfill

Contrary to what you think, which probably comes from what you have been told or maybe through some of your own experiences but, MOST equipment dealers, repair shops, and mechanics are not out to get you or purposely screw you over.  Don’t get us wrong, there is always a bad apple  in every bunch, but any respectable company that wants to stay in business knows this is no way to treat anybody, especially a paying customer.  So, for the purpose of this article we will say Aztec Rental or most dealers, because we can’t speak for every company and they might not feel the same way we do.   Aztec Rental has been in business for over 44 years and strives on our customer service.  A bad taste in the mouth of one of our customers is one too many.  The idea of losing a customer, any potential customers and developing a bad reputation at the same time is not worth the risk for any business to make a few extra dollars on a repair.

We want to help bridge that gap of customer expectations and exactly what a repair shop can and should do in reference to equipment warranty work and repairs.

Warranty Work

The words “it’s under warranty” is one of the most slippery slopes between a customer and a dealer, and to be honest where most disputes and equipment owner dissatisfaction are born.  This all comes from lack of warranty education given to the customer when purchasing a piece of equipment.  This is why we suggest anytime you buy a piece of equipment to ALWAYS buy from a local dealer over a “box store” that does not have repair capabilities and will not be servicing your warranty needs.  (Not to mention, dealers will take care of customers that purchased equipment from them first).  The simple fact is most of the time your salesperson, in these stores doesn’t understand warranty policies and tell you “everything” is covered under warranty.   This is simply not true, very misleading and it leaves the dealer in a bad situation to explain it, which ultimately makes the repair shop look like the “bad guy.”

What can you expect to be covered under warranty?  Great question, let us try and clear the water.  It is actually pretty simple; warranty covers any manufacture defects on your equipment.  If your equipment is not working due to a part malfunction or a workmanship issue the manufacture will cover the repair, because it has stemmed directly from the manufacture.  Now, if the failure is due to customer misuse, abuse, any adjustments needed (i.e. carburetor or alignments), you ran over something, hit something, unit has been dropped, lack of maintenance or bad/stale fuel, which is probably the single biggest issue right now (click here to read article on fuel issues), all repair costs become the owners responsibility.

We get customers in all the time that say, “my mower won’t start and it is still under warranty.”  So we get the, not so fun task of educating the customer what is and is not covered under warranty.  In most cases that fall under the “my mower won’t start” category are not covered under warranty, because 95% of the time it is a fuel related issue.  This makes the repair shop look like the “bad guys” because they were told everything is covered under warranty and were not educated on policies or issues that might not be covered.

Understand that dealers want to help you out and make it as easy as possible on you; this is how we gain customers.  So, telling a customer that the repair will not be covered under warranty is just as hard on a dealer as it is on you.  Dealers get paid by the manufacture for warranty work so your repair being covered under warranty is better for us, because every customer walks away happy not having to pay out of pocket.  Which is usually a new customer gained for dealers on future repairs or purchases, because you were taken care of with no cost to you.

The manufacture makes the final call on if a repair is covered under warranty, not the dealer.    Dealers would be out of business so fast, if we filed warrantees on every issue and the manufacture comes back and declines the repair, leaving the dealer to foot the bill.  Make no mistake either, manufactures want to make it “right” for a customer as well, because they want you buying their products in the future. 

The most important thing to remember is manufactures and dealers are on your side! We are in business and make a living because of customers, and want to make every issue “right” for you.  So, don’t shoot the messenger if you receive news that you didn’t want to hear.  Instead; be educated, ask questions and know all of your options. 

The “Up Sell” On Your Equipment

We hate the term “up sell” because it is a double edged sword.  To the customer it looks like the dealer is trying to find more problems with your equipment than what you took it in for, “up sell you”, so we can make more money.  It is true the dealer will make a little more money if other repairs need to be done, but in the case of Aztec Rental and most dealers it is not a tactic to suck a few extra dollars out of you for this one repair.  The other side of the sword is, if a customer as another issue with their equipment after a repair and nothing was said about it when it was in, they don’t understand how this happened.

There are a couple of things to note when talking about this issue.  A repair shop can only afford to tackle or look at the issue your equipment was brought in for.  Mechanics cannot spend 2 hours on a piece of equipment going over the entire machine if you took it in for an oil change and tune up, a 1 hour job.  You as a customer will and should only expect to pay for the 1 hour labor that was performed to do the job you requested, and in return a customer cannot expect a shop to find everything that is wrong with a unit while only paying for the 1 hour labor.  Second, it is a repair shop’s duty and job to inform a customer “IF” they find an issue that they think should be addressed, while performing the requested repair.

It never fails, if nothing was said about other issues dealers will get, “why didn’t you fix that when it was just in there?”

When this happens we have to look at where the problem lies.  Was it something that could be seen while performing the requested repair or was it completely unrelated to the repair.   A customer has to remember that a mechanic “might” see other issues while doing the requested repair, but they can’t spend time looking for more problems.  Charging a customer 1 hour labor if a mechanic spends 2-3 hours on a piece of equipment will put a time and money crunch on repair shops which makes it hard to stay in business with those ratios.

If and when other problems are found then it is on the dealer to contact the customer and explain the findings, give all the options, and give an opinion on what action should be taken.  Obviously there is no way to give an exact timeline of how long a part will last because it could last the rest of the time you own that equipment.  But, that being said it is on the customer to decide what they want to do after hearing the dealer’s opinion.

Bottom Line

A customer should expect a repair shop to be trustworthy and always looking out for their best interests.

Aztec Rental and most dealers have no long term benefit for making it “hard” on a customer or sucking every penny out of you for a single repair.  As stated before a bad taste in one customers mouth is one too many.  A dealers goal when a customer picks up there equipment after a repair, no matter what the cost was,  should be for you to exit with a smile and make sure you were treated fair and was taken care of in the best way possible . 

So, don’t shoot the messenger when you hear news you might not want to hear, just know Aztec Rental and most dealers are on your side!

TIP: Find a reputable, experienced and trust worthy dealer to take your equipment to, The Backfill suggests Aztec Rental.

[Biggest Factor In Engine Problems Are Fuel Related Issues]