ComplaintsforK&D Sales and Service

• Initial Complaint

  08/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On July 14, 2023 K&D picked up my lawn mower to change the oil, sharpen blade and change spark plug. On July 15 they returned my lawn mower. Upon my inspection I found that they removed the front drive wheels and replaced them with totally bald wheels. The engine was removed and replaced with a different engine that was extremely loud. On July 17 I went to K&D office and explained my concerns which they totally denied and they refunded my check for $182.29. Both my daughter and my neighbor who frequently mow my lawn concurred that the wheels were not bald at last mowing. They both agreed that the engine was different as the old engine had a black base and the engine they put on had a silver base. Further inspection indicated shiny new bolts where the wheels were replaced and new shiny bolts on the engine mounting. My lawn mower was only 7 years old and was only used to mow my very small yard. My options were to have a new engine and wheels put on at a cost of at least $300-$400 or to buy a new lawn mower. The bald wheels prevented the auto drive from working and the engine was extremely loud. I had to purchase a new lawn mower at the cost of $484.92.

  Business response

  08/16/2023

  The customer contacted us to request we pick up her Toro lawn mower to check it over and give it a tune up. She bought the mower from ** 7 years ago and we have since serviced this mower and her other lawn equipment. For years we have gone out of our way to try and make this customer happy.
  July 14, 2023 - We picked the ******** and did the tune-up which includes checking the carburetor and fuel system, changing the oil, replacing the spark plug and air filter. We also sharpened and balanced the blade, cleaned the mower deck. We greased and lubricated the machine and adjusted the cables. This is all standard tune-up work.
  July 15 We let the customer know the machine was done and the bill total. We returned it to her home. Payment is required upon delivery. While at her home, instead of paying her bill she said shed stop at the business and make the payment. Seeing as she was a longtime customer, we made an exception for her and agreed.
  July 17 - She came in to pay the bill and was going to use a credit or debit card. We reminded her, as we had told her previously, there was a small fee to use these cards. She said shed be back with a check.
  July 18 - She returned with a check and paid the bill.
  July 24 One week later the customer returned to our business with her daughter. They claimed we has switched out the front tires,giving her worn replacements. We did not change her wheels. They also said the mower was running loud.
  We agreed I would follow her back to her house and check the machine. The mower was not running any louder than a normal mower does. While I was there, they decided I must have switched out the engine for an inferior one when we serviced it. They said their original engine was black and the replacement was silver. We would never randomly change an engine and there is no black engine available for this machine.
  The shiny new bolts she refers to are her original bolts. The only reason they may look different is because we clean up equipment while servicing it.
  We did not replace the customers mower engine, the wheels, nor the bolts. These are the most ridiculous accusations we have ever heard in the more than 40 years weve been in business. It was out of great frustration with this customer that we returned her check and told her shed need to take her business elsewhere.
  

  Desired Settlement:To be paid for the work we did for this customer, $182.92.

  K&D ********************** & ********************** is owned by *************, not a ********************

  Customer response

  08/21/2023

   
  Complaint: 20417047
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  I totally disagree with the response from K&D. First, when I offered to pay for the service, he said he could not accept a credit card and I needed to go to the shop to pay. When I learned there was a fee to use a credit card I had to return to return again to pay by check.
  
  I refuse to accept his desired settlement.
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  Business response

  08/29/2023

  Our customers are always, always told two things when we schedule equipment pickup and delivery.First, we do not carry a mobile credit/debit card processer and they will need to pay by check or come into our business to make an electronic payment. The second thing is that there is a small processing fee if they choose to use a debit/credit card. This is also posted in our business.
  When we returned the mower to the customer at her home and expected payment, she claimed she had not been told about the debit/credit processing fee. She didnt want to pay the fee. She told us that shed need to bring a check to the business, which she did. The customer has done business with us for at least seven years. She lives 3 minutes or 1.1 miles from our business.
  One week after she brought the check, she returned. This time claiming we had switched her mowers tires and engine and that the machine was running loud. We are a small business. The business owner is the small engine mechanic. The tires and engine were not switched. Aside from that, we went back to her house to see if there was a new problem. There was not. The mower was not running any louder than it ever did.
  There was no reasoning with this customer so we ended up returning her uncashed check. The customer received the tune-up *********************** she requested and we received no payment. We did not switch her mower tires, nor her mower engine.
  We owe her nothing. She owes us $184.92 for her mower service. We are a small, family-owned business. We have been in business for more than 40 years and this loss of income for services we provided matters to us.
  To clarify her complaint, she did not pay us $484.92 for whatever new mower she chose to purchase from another source.
  Desired Settlement: $184.92 for the work she had us do on her mower.

  Customer response

  09/02/2023

   
  Complaint: 20417047
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I do not agree with K&D. My lawn mower was pirated, wheels and engine were changed. Will not pay K&D requested amount.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩