Another Rant Day

After being frustrated with my old riding lawn mower, I decided to buy a new one. My old tractor was eating belts like it was starving. I could barely finish mowing my acre of grass without having to replace it. The belts didn't fray, some sharp edge was cutting it. I never could find what the culprit was, so I bought a John Deere lawn tractor from a local dealer. I figured I'd get good service and the mower was from a brand name company with a reputable history.

I've had great service from my local dealership, answering any questions that I have had. They delivered the machine soon after I purchased it. No question seemed to small for them to take seriously. More than six weeks ago, I couldn't get it to start. They asked for symptoms. When I described what was occurring, they suggested that I clean the battery terminals and charge the battery. I did and problem solved. About four weeks ago I had a similar problem, but this time the slight difference was that when I turned the key, the mower only clicked. The lights were bright, so it wasn't the battery. They felt it was the solenoid and ordered it right away. The delivery days for parts are Tuesdays and Fridays. I called a few times and no parts came in. When I called Tuesday, the technician said that the warehouse listed the part was in stock, but it hadn't been pulled, labeled, or shipped yet, suggesting that the warehouse was short staffed. (Covid?) I'm tired of Covid being used as an excuse for shoddy service. If I was the head of John Deere, The janitors, secretaries, and YES, even the three piece suited executives would be in the warehouse pulling products to keep their customers happy and to protect their reputation. Scientists have trained chimpanzees to do mundane tasks like that, surely executives could learn that too and many factories have gone to robotics.

I am seventy-two year old, Navy veteran, retired nurse who had open heart surgery in March and I am out mowing my one acre lawn with a walk behind push mower. While these executives sit in their air conditioned offices, their customers are having to make do. I'm sure there are colleges close by to their warehouses and college students are always looking for jobs. Adjustments could be made to accommodate their schedules. I may need to call their headquarters in Jolene, Illinois and express my extreme displeasure.