National Federation of Independent Business

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2017/05/22) */
Dixie Diesel called and spoke to the manager of our diesel department, Manseil WashburnPictures were sent to Manseil and after looking over the pictures he told Dixie Diesel that the clutch had been burned up, most likely due to slippingOur
warranty policy states that it covers only manufacturers defectsThat means something comes apart or breaks due to faulty workmanshipClutches don't burn themselves up while in use unless they are slippedAfter talking to Dixie Diesel Manseil determined that the first clutch that was purchased was too much for his vehicle so a lower performance kit was sold to themWe sell these clutches all day long, it wasn't anything "custom" built for just his vehicleALL of our clutches are built to order although we do have the ability to custom build clutches
Due to the fact that there were no manufacturer defects we did not, and will not, warranty his clutchWe did, however, give them a deal on the replacement clutch by knocking off almost ***
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2017/05/24) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Dixie Diesel most certainly represented to me that this clutch was built specifically for my truckThis is the one and only clutch I have ever purchased from Dixie Diesel; it is the specific clutch they recommended for my vehicle, and it was more than twice as expensive as the previous clutch I had had installed in the truck by another mechanicSouth Bend's response above is consistent with what I was told by Dixie Diesel: they are trying to claim that the clutch was damaged by driver error, and this is simply not the caseAs I previously mentioned, the person who was driving the vehicle is a trained professional driver who at one time had a CDL; the only other person who had driven the vehicle in the six months prior to the clutch failing was myself, and I have been driving manual transmission trucks for thirty-six yearsThis clutch was sold with a one-year warranty, and it failed after only nine months, and now the manufacturer is trying to shirk the responsibility of honoring their warranty
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2017/06/01) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
They are making excuses and refusing to honor their warranty, plain and simpleBy their logic, no manufacturer of any product would ever be responsible for its failure because they could just claim it was user errorThe clutch had a one-year warranty; the truck was only driven by highly experienced, expert drivers; the clutch failed, though it was recommended for my truck by the busiest and most reputable diesel repair shop in town, and now South Bend is simply trying to get out of honoring their warrantyOne year is one year; the clutch failed well prior to one year, and it most certainly was not due to driver error
Final Business Response /* (4000, 13, 2017/06/13) */
Our warranty says: Warranty Policy South Bend Clutch, Incwarrants that our Clutches are free from defects in workmanship and material under use and serviceThe obligation of South Bend Clutch, Incunder this warranty is limited to repair or replacement of the defective products, which fails within months or 12,milesWe will not be liable for losses that might be claimed as a result of the failure of any part, nor shall we be liable for damages or injury to any persons or property resulting from the misuses or improper installation of any part subject to this warranty
South Bend Clutch, Increserves the right to examine all parts returned for warranty claim to determine whether or not any such part has failed because of a defect in material or workmanshipOur obligation under this warranty shall be limited to repairing, replacing, or crediting, at our discretion, any part found to be defective
The Limited Warranty will not be valid under the following express conditions:
When proper breprocedure was not followedTo receive proper breprocedure for your application please call X-XXX-XXX-XXXX
When Flywheel was not replaced with new or resurfaced to specification
Clutches which have been altered, improperly installed, or damaged by accident, negligence or misuse
PRODUCTS USED FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE AND/OR RACING PURPOSES WHICH THEY WERE NOT ORIGINALLY ENGINEERED FOR, WILL NOT BE COVERED
Return Policy
No returned product for warranty, repair, or replacement will be accepted without a return authorization numberPlease call and speak to our warranty department at X-XXX-XXX-XXXX
There were NO manufacturers defects and none of the parts broke or came out, the disc was slipped which was evident in the pictures we were sent, so this does NOT fall under our warranty policyIf that exact same clutch would have been installed into a different truck that had over hp it would have worked beautifullyThere was nothing wrong with the clutch that was installed except that it was too strong for his stock truck
We feel that we have already done more than we should have by replacing his clutch with the correct one at a reduced priceMr *** states he paid $for the 2nd clutchThose clutches run *** retailHe wants a free clutch but that isn't going to happenWe also don't pay for towing billsWe do offer a refund on labor of *** but he doesn't qualify for that either
We have an excellent reputation and have gone above and beyond for our customersYou HAVE to have the RIGHT clutch and you can't abuse itWe HAVE followed our warranty policy and won't be bullied into giving him what he's demanding