I had an incredibly disappointing experience with M & H Tractor Co. during what was already a stressful week dealing with a malfunctioning 4-month-old Cub Cadet zero-turn mower.
I take care of several lawns, so having my mower go down unexpectedly was a major problem. I contacted Cub Cadet directly, and they referred me to M & H Tractor Co. as the nearest Cub Cadet-certified repair center where my factory warranty would be honored.
When I called, the person I spoke with was very pleasant and told me to bring the mower down and they would get me checked in. Unfortunately, the experience changed completely once I arrived.
While one employee was entering my information into the computer, several others came out. One employee immediately told me, "I hope you know it's going to be a really long time." When I asked if he meant weeks, he told me it could be even longer and then said, "You didn't buy this mower here. You are not our priority. All of our other customers come before you."
He then went on to tell me not to bother calling to check on it, saying that the more customers call, the less time they have to work -- essentially telling me to drop off a nearly new mower and not call to ask when I might get it back.
Despite how rude and dismissive the interaction was, I remained polite and even offered to do whatever I could to make the process easier for them.
I walked back out to my truck, made a few phone calls, and thankfully found another Cub Cadet repair shop a few towns away. The gentleman I spoke with there couldn't have been nicer and told me to bring the mower over. He also made an important point: Cub Cadet reimburses authorized dealers for warranty repairs. They are not being asked to repair my mower for free simply because I purchased it somewhere else.
I went back inside M & H, told them I would be taking my mower elsewhere, loaded it back onto my trailer, and left.
Maybe, in the end, they saved me the trouble of leaving my mower somewhere I clearly wasn't valued as a customer. But when someone has spent a substantial amount of money on a brand-new machine and is already stressed because it has malfunctioned only four months later, a little professionalism and basic courtesy go a long way.
I completely understand that repair shops get busy. I understand that there can be long wait times. What I don't understand is telling a customer to their face that they aren't a priority because they didn't purchase their machine from you -- especially when you're representing yourself as a certified Cub Cadet warranty repair facility.
I certainly won't be returning to M & H Tractor Co. for service, and after this experience, I wouldn't consider purchasing a mower, tractor, or anything else from them in the future.
Thankfully, another Cub Cadet repair shop was happy to help and treated me like a customer rather than an inconvenience. read more
