ComplaintsforFabick CAT

• Initial Complaint

  05/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I have bought several new machines and attachments in the last 3years. Recently the service department has refused to honor the warranty and has refused to put things in writing. The have also made multiple charges on my credit cards without authorization and forced me to pay by threatening to not repair my equipment. I have tried multiple times to rectify the situation and I cannot get a resolution. At this time, I now have half of million dollars in equipment and have no service. I need help!

  Business response

  05/10/2024

  Hello BBB,
  
  Wed like to share the following details regarding our interactions with ************. We are hoping this information will be helpful in determining how best to resolve this complaint. 

  October 2023: ************ brought his 299D3 skid steer into Fabicks service department for a repair to the lift cylinder. The skid steer was purchased by ************ from Fabick on August 16, 2022 with a 36 month/2500 hour limited warranty (Exhibit A). The machine was 14 months old with 1256 hours when it was brought in for repairs.  Fabick examined the machine and determined the failure resulted from debris build up in the lower cylinder towers of the machine causing damage to the cylinder (Exhibit B). Fabick contacted Caterpillar Corporate and after looking at the damage to the cylinder the determination was made that the failure was not warrantable as the customer did not remove the debris build up from the lower tower area as required pursuant to the daily operator checks called for in the machines operation and maintenance manual (Exhibit C) which are required to maintain warranty coverage (Exhibit D). At that time Fabick asked Caterpillar Corporate to assist the customer with repair and a three-way cost split was agreed to by the *******************************, and Caterpillar, each sharing 1/3 of the repair cost. ************ was presented a quote for the total cost, with a 67% discount for the costs that Fabick and Caterpillar Corporate agreed to cover even though the repair was deemed not warrantable (Exhibit E).  *********** signed the quote as an approval to proceed with repairs. Furthermore,Fabick supplied a loaner machine and mulcher free of charge for ************ to use while the repairs were being completed to his machine. Once the repair was completed, ************ picked up the machine without paying the invoice, and over the next few months did not pay his portion of the repair invoice. His Caterpillar Cat Access account did not have enough available credit to cover the repair. At that point, Fabick communicated to ************ that all future field service work would have to have a credit card up front before the repair is started to cover travel cost not covered by warranty which is an industry standard ( Exhibit F). While ************ was not happy with this, he did agree and over the next few months Fabick completed some additional repair work for ***********. 
  
  February 2024: Fabicks credit department invoiced the still unpaid October repair to Mr. ***** Caterpillar credit account as he then had the available funds to cover most of the repair, as per Fabicks standard practice for customers with Caterpillar credit accounts.  ********************** explained the situation to ************, and while he was still claiming the October repair should have been warranty, he did not dispute it further. 
  
  March 2024: ************ brought his mulcher in for a warranty repair of a bearing at which time he requested damage to the rear of the mulcher frame be repaired. The HM418C Mulcher weas purchased February 26, 2022 with a 24 month limited warranty (Exhibit G).  Fabick noted the damage was caused from wear and contacted Caterpillar Corporate for guidance on what caused the wear, and if it would be a warrantable failure. Caterpillar Corporate sent it to the engineering level for the product and it was determined that the wear was caused by ************ using the mulching head improperly and past its designed intentions.  This was confirmed by Caterpillar engineering after they viewed ******* videos of ************ incorrectly using the mulcher to till dirt and rocks rather than only to mulch brush (Exhibit H, also see video at Animal Shelter - Walking Paths Timelapse Full 3-30-24 - *******, and Exhibit I).  Fabick and ************ had this discussion and the repair was quoted, signed and approved by ************ to proceed (Exhibit J). Similar to the repair in October, ************ picked up the mulcher and then refused to pay the repair invoice. Furthermore ************ contacted ************* and disputed the February charge on his Caterpillar account for the October repair. Fabick arranged a meeting between ************, a Technical Rep from Caterpillar, and Fabick to allow ************ the opportunity to explain his thoughts on the situation, and for Caterpillar to explain why the repairs fell outside of their scope of warranty.  ************ was given copies of warranty statements for his machines, shown the operation and maintenance manuals, and shown documentation from Caterpillar explaining how Mr. ***** operation of his machines had caused failure outside of the scope of what Caterpillar warranty would cover. Fabick explained to ************ that to continue to do business with Fabick, the outstanding balances would have to be paid in full (Exhibit K).
  
  If you have any questions or concerns regarding the details provided here, please contact me directly. We would be happy to follow whatever steps necessary (from a BBB process perspective) in order to appropriately get this complaint removed or resolved.
  
  Thank you! 

  Customer response

  05/11/2024

  Complaint: 21667908
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  Let the record state the following,
  
  The statements sent back by Fabick are very vague and there are no real details about the entire situation. I will explain in much more detail about the issues and what has transpired.
  
  The machine in question is a 299D3 *************** CTL designed by Cat for Forestry applications. The attachment purchased at the same time is a HM418 Forestry Mulcher.
  
  My business is Midwest Forestry Mulching & Land Clearing. We are strictly in the business of mulching, and we do not do grading, nor do we till gardens or grind rocks. The representee of Fabick stated in their response that we used the machine in a matter not designed. This is 100% false. We purchased 5 of these machines and have used them all the same with no major issues until this one over the past three years.
  
  The machine was purchased brand new with no demonstration on how to use or how to maintain. We did not ever go over the machine with anyone at Fabick nor did anyone every come to us and train us or illustrate any details on what would be recommended or required.
  
  Please also note, after running the same machines for the last three years and having Fabick sell and service each one from the day we took delivery we have never been asked to do a better job of cleaning nor have we been told anything negative ever. Every machine has everything completed by Fabick service as directed.
  
  The machines have been our key to our business and without them, we have no business, so we strive to maintain and to keep them running perfect. For any day a machine is down for even the smallest repair, it will cost thousands in. lost revinue.  Because of this, I have never taken any machines to any other repair facility or tried to do my own repairs. I also have relied on what Fabick service has told me and what they recommend.
  
  The machine that started all the problems within Fabick and myself all began when I reported to service that the machine could not hold the loader arms up or down for any amount of time. I was not sure if it was a hydraulic issue or something electronic. I was told to bring the machine into Fabick service and they would look it over.
  
  The machine was dropped off and I received a call letting me know it had a bad cylinder on the hydraulic arm and it would most likely have to be replaced. They wanted to look at the other side and check it but they also said that it would most likely not be a covered repair. They wanted me okay to go thought the entire hydraulic system and check for debris. I told them go ahead, I have a platinum warranty and please make sure it gets completed as quickly as possible, the service manager stated this would not be a covered item and it would be at my cost. I asked why this would not be covered and he said the towers are dirty and as a result this would be considered abuse and Cat would not warranty an abused machine, I ensured him we did not abuse nor have we ever any of our machines. He stated it would cost most likely $30,000 to repair my machine and could take up to a month.
  
  I told him I did not have an open checkbook, nor did I agree upon the repair, and I was not happy, but I kept my composure. I called my salesperson *********************** and asked for help. He didnt know what he could do but said he would try. I decided to go to the top, so I went to Fabick in person to see ***********************, Executive Vice President. I was unable to meet in person, but we did talk on the phone, and he agreed to get involved. He called me a day later and said ********************* who oversees Parts and Service for all the stores would be handling the situation.  I later was greeted by ***** over the phone, and he was a breath of fresh air, he assured me we would get something handled.
  
  I asked to please call Cat and explain the situation and to let them know I have been a loyal customer and have used the ********************** service and parts department 100% for all my machines and never even used an off-brand grease. After several phone calls he said Cat would not warranty the claim, but they had agreed to take some fault and so did Fabick. He asked me if I would accept paying 1/3 of the bill which would result in about $9,000. At the time I was very appreciative of his work, and I was also very happy to hear that it was not going to be $30,000 as stated by the service manager.
  
  He also was able to get me my most recent trade in as a rental which I had just traded in on another new $140,000 machine. I later was told I would need to have special insurance which cost me $250 per week. This was also the beginning of me losing jobs due to not having equipment in the beginning. As a small business owner, loosing thousands daily was a huge problem and a lot of stress not to mention the stress from the uncertainty of the overall cost that went on for weeks.
  The rental didnt get to be used right away because it had a major issue and Fabick sent a tech out and took the machine all apart on my driveway and left pieces everywhere for about a week. My place looked like a salvage yard and the machine could not be moved or used. Another example of unprofessional work.
  
  After the service department having my machine for over a month, I finally received it back and it broke down a day later. It then broke down four more times and some of these breakdowns the machine was left in the middle of the ***** on my customers property and others, we had hydraulic oil more than 5 gallons pour out on my clients driveways. Let me just say, I looked very unprofessional, and I was not only embarrassed but losing my patience. I had mailed a check for the major repair but received the check back in the mail. When I received it, I was shocked, and I had said something to my salesperson *********************** and asked if there was something going on and if not could we please renegotiate the terms of the 1/3 payout because I was losing thousands of dollars and I felt as though this machine may never be good again and maybe we should just trade for a different machine.
  *********************** agreed and said he knew I was going through a lot with this machine and the service department had done a poor job making things correct. One of the issues that almost cost an injury of my employees was from a technician not even installing the cab bolts that hold the cab to the chassis. The cab came up and almost flipped over while going up a steep hill in the *****. This was very scary for my employee and was just another example of unprofessional work completed by the Fabick service department.
  
  Even though we continued to have all these issues, I continued to try to work with everyone and I never once talked down to anyone or made any remarks that would be unprofessional. I though was not treated the same. I had called for additional service because the machine died and would not restart and *********************** the service manager in Foristell had thought he had hung up the phone and began to say many bellingerite things about me and was very rude and unprofessional. I told ********************* about the incident, and he spoke with ******, and he admitted what he said to ***** and when I came into service, he made an apology. I am not sure if it was sincere or made by threat of losing his job, but I was again very polite to him and continued with handling what I was there for and not worrying about childish drama.
  
  I then had another new ordeal on the phone right after that situation from ******. I called for service again because my other machine, the newest one had broken down and he said that I had to pay a trip fee and I had a bill in service for a general maintenance repair. I had never heard of this so-called trip fee, nor have I ever paid this in the past but was told this was normal. The fee should have been charged since day one, but they hadnt been doing a good job with it and ***** had tightened up the service and I was being used as an example. They refused any service on my new machine under warranty until I paid this new trip fee upfront and the other open bill.  Because I had no choice, I was forced in distress to pay or have a machine not operable and not be able to get my work performed.
  
  I had asked *********************** several times about the big ticket, $9,000 and never could get an answer nor a trade number if we were going to trade. I also never received a phone call or an invoice for the amount but later found out that Fabick had charged my credit card without authorization or signature for the amount and then was told that ********************* had waived another $850 off the bill only because my credit card would not authorize any additional amount. This meant they maxed out my card without asking me for prior authorization or even a simple phone call. I found out the hard way because I had my bank set up with auto pay for $350 per month to pay the card and the card called me and said I was late on my payment. I looked at my account and said no, the payment went through. The card agent said no, your minimum payment is $1,200. I told the card agent there must be some confusion and I asked for all charges, and this is how I found out about the charges Fabick had put on my card more than $8,000.
  She asked me if I wanted to dispute the charges and I said no. I was very afraid to do this because I knew if I had a future issue, I would get no service and I would have even more issues because I would lose in this game Fabick was playing.
  
  About two weeks later, I have the same machine quit working again because a bearing in the mulcher had gone bad. The repair was covered by warranty, but I was told the frame had a hole and needed repair and the cost would be $5,000. I asked why this would not be covered under warranty and they stated it was a wear part. I looked over all the paperwork and of course the Cat Warranty. I found a very small list of exclusions that are not covered but this item was not mentioned anywhere in the warranty. I began to make several calls and to do my research. I tried multiple calls to ********************* and he finally said he was too busy but ************************* which he said is his right-hand man would jump in and help me. I had a meeting set up with him and he had a personal issue, and I was told no one else could help me so I wasted my day not going to work and not meeting with anyone to get anything resolved. The service department continued to say this was strictly a wear item. I needed my machine back and I agreed again under distress to pay for the repair because every day it was there cost me several thousand dollars. The repair was adjusted to $3,500 and when I picked up the machine I was not required to pay. The machine was left outside the gate because they had left for the day and ****** said he would leave the keys in it and parked by the highway. When I picked up the machine, I was shocked. The welding and fabrication looked as though it was completed by an amature. I was told after several calls to them that they wanted to rectify the problem by bringing it back in and redoing the entire job. Please keep in mind though, I was pushing hard to get paperwork showing this part was to be modified and not replaced and I wanted to see something in writing stating it was not a covered part by Cat warranty and it was denied from Cat as a warranty. After almost a month, they finally agreed to have a Cat rep come to Fabick to meet. I went to a meeting with *********************, *************************, ***** (Sales Manager) and the rep from Cat. The four of them had nothing to say other than I am using the machine in a manor not intended. The abuse of the head is a result of my skills as an operator. The part in question is not a replacement part from Cat and is not available from parts. It would have to be fabricated and done by Fabick even though the warranty clearly states this would void the warranty. They refused to show me anything on paper in the warranty showing the item was not covered. They also admitted they did not turn this in to Cat because it would go against their Matrix and instead said they did a chat type text but said It was not any of my business what was discussed, and they would not share the chat with me, nor would they prove any documents of such. They also said they would give me a $2,000 mobile repair credit but nothing in writing stating the fact. They also said my card had been disputed and they wanted their money, or I could not return to Fabick. I ensured them I did not dispute the charges and I am now paying the enormous payment to the credit card company for repairs that should have been covered or adjusted since Fabick continued to do horrible work and they all admitted to the fact.  I offered to call the credit card company in the office at the time so they could see I was being 100% transparent.
  
  I left the room that day feeling as though, I have zero support and now I have hundreds of thousands of dollars in Cat equipment with no one to go to and no one to help me. I even went to parts a few days later to find out they were not only having a customer appreciation party that I was not invited to and found out my account was shut down and I could not even go to the counter to get parts because they couldnt look of the *** to look up the parts..
  
  My salesperson that I thought was even a friend has told me that he doesnt want to talk to me on the phone because he needs to focus on sales and there is nothing, he can do to help me. He was told not to converse with me if he wanted to be employed. Of course he thanked me for the Honey Baked Ham I sent him and his family for Easter.
  
  I AM ASKING TO BE TREATED FAIRLY, I AM NOT ASKING FOR MONEY. I AM ASKING FOR THE SERVICE I PAID FOR AND FOR DOCUMENTATION BACKING ANYTHNG PERFORMED.  I AM SKING FOR MY MULCHING HEAD TO BE REPAIRED CORRECLTY WHICH WOULD BE A NEW FRAME AND NOT MODIFED. I AM ALSO STATING THAT ANY BILLS I OWE OR IN THE FUTURE WILL BE PAID BUT I WANT FULL DISCLOSER AND NOTHING HIDDEN.
  
  This is a very sad situation that can easily be rectified,
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  Business response

  05/15/2024

  We will respond to the complaint online.

  Customer response

  05/19/2024

  BBB,

  Fabick and I have agreed on terms and I would like to wipe the record clean and end the complaint. Please let me know if there is anything I need to do to cancel and void this complaint. 

   

  Thank you,

  ***********************

  ************

  Customer response

  05/20/2024

  I have come to a resolution with Fabick. I am requesting to please drop all negative information against Fabick and to consider this issue resolved. 

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