Very disappointed in Cashman's service department.
While digging a foundation I broke the master link of a track on a little 308D excavator. I contacted Cashman (under advice to get a quote up front) to initiate the repair process. I will say at this point that I was advised by a couple of other (owners of) dirtwork companies to not use Cashman and if I did - to get a quote up-front.
I did quite a bit of business in Alaska with caterpillar so I didn't have much concern.. I was quoted 1 hour by a gentlemen named Brennan to press a pin out, and press a pin back in on a new link. I confirmed with a gentleman (shop-head) named Charlie upon drop-off that it should be pretty quick (I told him Brennan said an hour - he thought it could be less but could also be around an hour depending on how things went). He said they'd call me early in the morning to let me know it was done and that I could pick it up. Charlie was actually extremely helpful and friendly - no complaint there.
The next day I received a call from Brennan in the afternoon letting me know that it took 4+ hours. Total cost for parts and labor was $850+. There were no surprises or fixes outside pressing out/in the pins on a single link. To put this in perspective, I can buy a set of links (track chains) for an entire side of a 308D excavator for $900. Brand new. Yes, I would have to switch the track pads to the new links, but I'm giving this for perspective. I would never have spent $850+ for fixing used tracks when I can replace the whole track chain for roughly the same price, let alone loading them up in my pickup and driving almost an hour to take them in (as well as again to pick them up). I was obviously unhappy and with disappointment decided to stop doing business with them over what I viewed as an ethical conflict - so I canceled an order for an excavator attachment as well as making the decision to purchase a small dozer elsewhere in a few months.
When I went in to pay the bill for the service work and pick up the tracks, I was taken to a gentleman named Andy in service. He was confrontational from the outset and proceeded to imply that I lied about Charlie's time estimate, and that Brennan was only a "quoter" and didn't know the time involved. He then continued to also imply that I would dispute the charge on my card - while I was there to overpay for services quoted at 1/5 what I was paying for. Finally; he proceeded to tell me that I was ignorant of what it took to do the work. Outside of being insulted on many fronts, I remind you that I was only there to pay the bill - not argue the total, not pick a fight. I assure you that I didn't go in hostile, and was nothing but cordial while being talked down to. I just wanted to pay and cut ties with a company that I didn't feel was moral or ethical at this point. I am not a confrontational guy, and I just wanted to put this negative experience behind me.
At the end of the day, if you're looking for a Cat service department to stand by their word, do what they say they're going to do, and not take advantage of what they see as an open checkbook - Cashman is not your company. I haven't gone into details of the more disturbing aspects of my interaction with Andy as it's not relevant to the review of the service department. The gist of my complaint is the fact that their word can't be trusted in an industry where trust in all aspects is paramount. I will possibly do business with other departments at Cashman in the future if there's no alternative, but I would recommend going elsewhere first. And definitely stay away from their service department. read more
