Virginia Outdoor Power Equipment Co., Inc.*** *** Hwy *** *** RdFairfax, VA Springfield, VA 221.5###-###-#### ###-###-####***December 22, 2016RE: ***To Whom It May Concern:The mower in question was run low on oilThis damaged the engine to the point where it would not
be economical to fixWe put enough oil in the engine to lubricate the piston in order to break free of its seizure to the cylinderAfter doing so, it would be possible to start the machine and run the unit, but internal damage was done which will shorten the remaining engine life since it is already at a weakened stateOur policy when we encounter an engine with this type of damage is to inform the customer that it would need a new engine because there is no cheaper alternativeOn these machines, it is not worth putting an engine on because the cost of the engine plus labor to install is close to the cost of a replacement unitWhile we could get the unit to run for a few more minutes or hours, we could not stand behind the work as being a completed repairThat is why the unit was deemed to be unrepairable.The repair ticket that the customer received did state that "oil was added to the proper level” however, that was left on in errorThe oil that was added was only used to free the piston from the cylinder to inspect the damage to the engineSince the engine was deemed to be beyond repair, the oil level was not filled to keep the unit in the same state it came in asThis information was given to the customer over the phone.The customer stated to us that he was going to complain to ToroWe received contact from Toro in doing so that he had contacted themToro contacted us to find out the situation and was given the same information provided to the customerThe Toro Company agreed with our findings and said that they would be in further contact with the customerWe had not heard from either party since until this complaint.Although the unit is manufactured by Toro, the warranty on the engine comes from the engine manufacturer which is Briggs & StrattonThe unit would not be covered by Briggs & Stratton warranty because it was run low on oilOur service manager made an offer to the customer to break down the engine and submit the findings to Briggs & Stratton for Warranty consideration, but was told that in similar cases such as his, the warranty has been deniedThe customer declined that offer.It was stated in the complaint that our store is only open Monday to Friday, which is falseOur Fairfax location, which is where he dropped the unit off at, is open in Saturdays from AM to PMIt was also stated that “the person receiving the mover even checked the oil level when I dropped it off" which is also falseThe counter person who helped unload the mower is not a mechanic or a service adviser and did not check over the machine with the customer, he only unloaded the unit from the vehicle and took it to our staging area.We feel that we have completed a thorough evaluation of the unit in question and deserve to be compensated our fee for evaluationWhile it is an unfortunate situation, our experience is that this was user error and is not considered to be manufacturer defect.Sincerely,David W*** Manager VirginiaOutdoor Power Equipment
To Whom It May Concern:Attached is the correspondence between *** *** *** and Virginia Outdoor Power Equipment about the issue in question.We are sorry that *** *** has continued to experience issues with his machine, however we were unable to duplicate his complaint during the time the
machine was at our facilityIf the air filter was installed backward at our shop, the machine would be running at very low RPM, if at allIt would be like trying to drive your car down the highway while at idleThe engine cannot operate over idle with the air filter in backward.Part of his claim for $we have offered to refund and still stand by thatAS goodwill to the customer, we will refund the pickup and delivery and the half hour of labor that was charged to pull the fault code from the engine and contact the engine manufacturer to work through a diagnosis.Is *** *** the only operator of the machine? We have been led to believe that some of these issues have occurred while he has not been presentIs it possible that someone else tried to correct the perceived problem by installing the air filter in backward? VOPECFrom:: *** *** * Sent: Monday, July 17, 10:AM To: [email protected] Subject: for Dave - Customer complaintHi Dave,Your team suggested send you a note regarding a Concern I have about some recent service on my lightly used (
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
They contest, incorrectly and w/out basis, that someone else must have touched the air filter - "We have been led to believe that some of these issues have occurred while he has not been present. Is it possible that someone else tried to correct the perceived problem by installing the air filter in backward?"
No one else but VOPEC touched the air filter. It would have been natural for them to take it out and check it in their original diagnostic. I am certain that they simply put it back backwards and missed that fact in two subsequent service calls. The dealer (who is not VOPEC) then picked it up from me and immediately found and corrected the problem. It has run perfectly fine since then. Between VOPEC's original service and it being returned from the dealer, it ran so rough, shutting off after 2-3 mins w/ the blades activated, as to be unusable. No one else looked at or touched the mower other than VOPEC.
Regards,
[redacted]
Virginia Outdoor Power Equipment Co., Inc.*** *** Hwy *** *** RdFairfax, VA Springfield, VA 221.5###-###-#### ###-###-####***December 22, 2016RE: ***To Whom It May Concern:The mower in question was run low on oilThis damaged the engine to the point where it would not
be economical to fixWe put enough oil in the engine to lubricate the piston in order to break free of its seizure to the cylinderAfter doing so, it would be possible to start the machine and run the unit, but internal damage was done which will shorten the remaining engine life since it is already at a weakened stateOur policy when we encounter an engine with this type of damage is to inform the customer that it would need a new engine because there is no cheaper alternativeOn these machines, it is not worth putting an engine on because the cost of the engine plus labor to install is close to the cost of a replacement unitWhile we could get the unit to run for a few more minutes or hours, we could not stand behind the work as being a completed repairThat is why the unit was deemed to be unrepairable.The repair ticket that the customer received did state that "oil was added to the proper level” however, that was left on in errorThe oil that was added was only used to free the piston from the cylinder to inspect the damage to the engineSince the engine was deemed to be beyond repair, the oil level was not filled to keep the unit in the same state it came in asThis information was given to the customer over the phone.The customer stated to us that he was going to complain to ToroWe received contact from Toro in doing so that he had contacted themToro contacted us to find out the situation and was given the same information provided to the customerThe Toro Company agreed with our findings and said that they would be in further contact with the customerWe had not heard from either party since until this complaint.Although the unit is manufactured by Toro, the warranty on the engine comes from the engine manufacturer which is Briggs & StrattonThe unit would not be covered by Briggs & Stratton warranty because it was run low on oilOur service manager made an offer to the customer to break down the engine and submit the findings to Briggs & Stratton for Warranty consideration, but was told that in similar cases such as his, the warranty has been deniedThe customer declined that offer.It was stated in the complaint that our store is only open Monday to Friday, which is falseOur Fairfax location, which is where he dropped the unit off at, is open in Saturdays from AM to PMIt was also stated that “the person receiving the mover even checked the oil level when I dropped it off" which is also falseThe counter person who helped unload the mower is not a mechanic or a service adviser and did not check over the machine with the customer, he only unloaded the unit from the vehicle and took it to our staging area.We feel that we have completed a thorough evaluation of the unit in question and deserve to be compensated our fee for evaluationWhile it is an unfortunate situation, our experience is that this was user error and is not considered to be manufacturer defect.Sincerely,David W*** Manager VirginiaOutdoor Power Equipment
To Whom It May Concern:Attached is the correspondence between *** *** *** and Virginia Outdoor Power Equipment about the issue in question.We are sorry that *** *** has continued to experience issues with his machine, however we were unable to duplicate his complaint during the time the
machine was at our facilityIf the air filter was installed backward at our shop, the machine would be running at very low RPM, if at allIt would be like trying to drive your car down the highway while at idleThe engine cannot operate over idle with the air filter in backward.Part of his claim for $we have offered to refund and still stand by thatAS goodwill to the customer, we will refund the pickup and delivery and the half hour of labor that was charged to pull the fault code from the engine and contact the engine manufacturer to work through a diagnosis.Is *** *** the only operator of the machine? We have been led to believe that some of these issues have occurred while he has not been presentIs it possible that someone else tried to correct the perceived problem by installing the air filter in backward? VOPECFrom:: *** *** * Sent: Monday, July 17, 10:AM To: [email protected] Subject: for Dave - Customer complaintHi Dave,Your team suggested send you a note regarding a Concern I have about some recent service on my lightly used (
[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
They contest, incorrectly and w/out basis, that someone else must have touched the air filter - "We have been led to believe that some of these issues have occurred while he has not been present. Is it possible that someone else tried to correct the perceived problem by installing the air filter in backward?"
No one else but VOPEC touched the air filter. It would have been natural for them to take it out and check it in their original diagnostic. I am certain that they simply put it back backwards and missed that fact in two subsequent service calls. The dealer (who is not VOPEC) then picked it up from me and immediately found and corrected the problem. It has run perfectly fine since then. Between VOPEC's original service and it being returned from the dealer, it ran so rough, shutting off after 2-3 mins w/ the blades activated, as to be unusable. No one else looked at or touched the mower other than VOPEC.
Regards,
[redacted]