mowkep
Well-known member
in June. The 10th to be exact. 15 percent off and free delivery from HD. Called yesterday and it's somewhere but no exact answers. Crazy, crazy.
Ordered a new lawn tractor....
- Thread starter mowkep
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Ton ton
Well-known member
You should support your locally owned small engine dealer. I do.
glend123
Well-known member
Yep, the dealer by me only carries mid/high end commercial stuff, so i went to home depot. at least I tried.
It’s in a warehouse somewhere. Home Depot most likely contracts out those type of freight deliveries. Sometimes it’s more work to chase down the status than if you had a UPS tracking number. Given that you’re closing in on a month, call HD and see if it can get escalated so you can at least get an ETA. That may require someone picking up the phone, but they owe you that at this stage.
Of course it’s very possible it’s held up because it’s not built, waiting for parts to come from China. There has been a whole ripple effect in supply chain issues. If HD says it hasn’t shipped, tell them you have foot long grass to be cut and ask them if they can work out a deal on something in inventory.
Of course it’s very possible it’s held up because it’s not built, waiting for parts to come from China. There has been a whole ripple effect in supply chain issues. If HD says it hasn’t shipped, tell them you have foot long grass to be cut and ask them if they can work out a deal on something in inventory.
BTW, a friend of mine ordered a lawn tractor online from a dealer around the same time frame. I guess that dealer was sitting on inventory because they were there the following morning (1 hour drive) unloading his new tractor from their pick up onto his driveway. He checked under the deck and they even sharpened the blades. He was a happy camper. Hopefully you will be soon as well.
Yep, the local dealer has JD, Honda, Cub Cadet, and they have a professional parts counter/service for warranty repairs. Way better customer service for about the same price.
Ton ton
Well-known member
Even the local dealers can't keep push mowers in stock right now. Unfortunately.
PelicanPines
ALLIANCE MEMBER
After frustration trying to order locally... I ordered from MowersDirect ... the delivered 12 days later on a pallet... dropped it exactly where I wanted. Offered to help uncrate it. Best delivery service, considering it was supposed to be curb delivery. He said I was nice enough to pay for a lift gate... it was the least he could do.
After the website saying July 3rd delivery every time I checked. That day came and went. Even took the day off. I called HD, he couldn't find any info on his end. Put me on hold and called JD. The best he could get from them was a week or two. I could have bought one that night at a local HD but they couldn't figure out how to use the promo code without me having my HD account number with me. Pretty dumb
The biggest problem with buying from a home center is when it comes to warranty support. The home center will tell you to go to a servicing dealer. That dealer will put you on the bottom of their stack of repair orders. (giving first priority to their own customers).
I can be a long wait during high season.
I can be a long wait during high season.
vavet
Well-known member
I want details man! What model? Hp? How big is your deck? Mowing deck, I mean.
While the above might be true about dealers, I went to two different dealers when I wanted to buy a chainsaw a few years ago. A salesman wandered up to me at one of them. He was the lawn mower salesman. He told to go find someone else and pointed off in a direction when I said I was shopping for a chainsaw.
I went to another place and couldn't find anyone to wait on me.
I went to HD and found a helpful associate who helped me pick out an Echo chainsaw. It's been great for my purposes (yard cleanup, not serious lumberjacking).
While the above might be true about dealers, I went to two different dealers when I wanted to buy a chainsaw a few years ago. A salesman wandered up to me at one of them. He was the lawn mower salesman. He told to go find someone else and pointed off in a direction when I said I was shopping for a chainsaw.
I went to another place and couldn't find anyone to wait on me.
I went to HD and found a helpful associate who helped me pick out an Echo chainsaw. It's been great for my purposes (yard cleanup, not serious lumberjacking).
TNToy
Well-known member
That’s because the residential / non-professional JD stuff is the same rebranded MTD product as Craftsman and all of the store brands, it’s just green and yellow. The dealers don’t sell disposable box-store grade stuff.
That’s because the residential / non-professional JD stuff is the same rebranded MTD product as Craftsman and all of the store brands, it’s just green and yellow. The dealers don’t sell disposable box-store grade stuff.
It says they are made in Greenville, TN but I guess that doesn't mean with American parts
If that is happening, then it is because of the management at your dealer. There is not a John Deere policy stating customers go to the back of the line if they bought their lawnmower from Home Depot.
That’s because the residential / non-professional JD stuff is the same rebranded MTD product as Craftsman and all of the store brands, it’s just green and yellow. The dealers don’t sell disposable box-store grade stuff.
The lawnmowers from home centers are not different than what Deere dealers sale and none of the Deere branded mowers are rebranded MTD mowers.
cherrybomb
Well-known member
That maybe the John Deere policy,which is how you would want it to be,having a green tractor.But dealers are offended by this situation. They find a way,to fit you in the schedule,yet always looking out for the loyal customers.I have found that brand and dealer loyalty, sometimes really shines,the next time you purchase,or send some one else in.Dealers sometimes,show loyal customers,tips and tricks,to keep their machines running well.I sense and reward good product and dealerships,good service personel by repeat business,and a simple thank you.Price is not the only factor,but thats just me.Good Luck !
Kevin54
MEMBER EMERITUS
You shoulda never bought a JD from a box store. You should have went to a dealer. And the dealers really don't like the box store cheap JD's.
Re my big box (Lowes) JD D170 mower; I get adverts and coupons from the local JD dealer for regular maintenance, repairs and new products all the time. Must have gotten on their mailing list. They seem to like me and my lawn mower just fine.
finn
Well-known member
The box store JD mowers do just fine on a typical suburban lawn. It’s nonsense to spend $3000-10000 on a lawnmower for a lawn that’s probably less than half an acre.
A lawn over an acre or two, on the other hand, is probably better cut with a ztr.
A lawn over an acre or two, on the other hand, is probably better cut with a ztr.
Well according to a local JD dealer, that was trying to explain the differences to me/while also sales-pitching me, the big-box stores that sell the E100-Series JD's, are selling JD mower's specifically designed & manufactured for the big-box stores, with expected lifespans in the 10 yr max range.
Whereas all of the JD dealer's that I've visited locally, sell all of the residential riding mower Series' (or Serieses?
)... incl the E100-Series, the S240 Sport Series, and the X300, X500 & X700 Series'. He also said that the X-Series JD's are built to be 20~30 yr lifespan mowers.
If you read the customer reviews on the Lowe's & HD websites, for the E100-Series JD's, the 'critical' reviews are plenty and rather
...shocking/alarming. Our neighbor experienced some of the same when he took delivery of a E130 last week; his was 2 weeks late being delivered (he bought it around 1 June), and the delivery guys left as soon as he signed for it— without even walking him thru the basic start-up & operation &c. Thence before the neighbor could make it out of his driveway...the deck drive belt fell off, as the tension spring was installed incorrectly. On top of that, his brand new E130, that supposedly took 4+ weeks to assemble, according to Lowe's, was delivered in dirty (filthy according to neighbor) condition, complete w/ grease on the yellow seat, bird poop here and there & scratches in the green painted plastic.Also, you have to go with no less than the E140....in order to get 4 anti-scalp wheels on the E-Series mowing decks. Another thing our neighbor was immediately lamenting over... the fact that his new JD E130 scalped the heck out of his lawn on the first mowing. He could've had the deck set too low I guess. But having (4) anti-scalp wheels is a must, in most conditions, as far as I know, unless you have a purdy flat little lawn.
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So I get a phone call today from the local John Deere dealer (30 minutes is the closest) and he asks about my lawn tractor I ordered. Then he asks if he can deliver it today. So I got it today and they went over every feature on the mower. I would love to have the best mower on the market (and to have bought it from a local shop) but in the end I can just afford this one. So with the 15% and the $100 for the inconvenience, I saved over $300.
Lassen Forge
Well-known member
Sounds like a win win, and you might get a "dealer deere" instead of a "boxstore deere" of the dealer is delivering it... Win win.
Hope it works great for you and lasts as long as you need it to.
And yes, if the JD dealer assembled it...then that's definitely a win win, as most/or all of the reviews I read concerning the E100 Series' having issues— were ones' assembled at the big-box stores.
RTM
Well-known member
I’d add their number to your phone, as you will want to thank him with service and parts orders, or take your other gas tools to him too.
My non local service guy gets all my work, the local guy is just a parts replacer, and has blown off my repair requests. I send friends to him too.
Bigblockyeti
Banned
It doesn't have the dreaded K46 Tuff Torq transmission does it?
Ton ton
Well-known member
Good deal, mowkep.
Hope it works great for you and lasts as long as you need it to.
And yes, if the JD dealer assembled it...then that's definitely a win win, as most/or all of the reviews I read concerning the E100 Series' having issues— were ones' assembled at the big-box stores.
The majority of bad reviews I read, which weren't alot, were about bad delivery, followed by dead battery and then followed by misc. mower issues. We don't have a huge yard but if it saves the knees in the summer and the back in the fall with picking up leaves, it'll worth it's weight
I didn't say it was a policy but it's the way many independent dealers operate. Their own loyal customers are top priority and I don't blame them.
seber
Well-known member
All John Deere lawn and garden tractors are made at the Greenville plant. Dealers can sell the lower end tractors as well but most choose not to as it leads to unhappy customers. The big box stores just sell the lower end models because they are selling by price point. The units are not designed for them, it is just a difference in retail strategy. A friend was selling the same brand walk behind for many years when the local Walmart started selling the same brand. Eventually he changed brands as Walmart was selling the mowers in the box and telling the customers to go to Ace hardware to get them put together and debugged under warranty. Putting them at the back of the line was his first line of defense but that made customers angry, so he just switched. It is totally unfair to a dealer to buy at one store and expect another to provide free service. Yes I know the manufacturer pays for warranty but it almost never covers the actual cost. That's why car dealers will always find other problems when you bring your car in for warranty service. They need to find a way to make up the difference.
ScottsGT
Well-known member
That’s because the residential / non-professional JD stuff is the same rebranded MTD product as Craftsman and all of the store brands, it’s just green and yellow. The dealers don’t sell disposable box-store grade stuff.
When I bought my Cub Cadet many years back (10-12??) I went to a dealer and not HD because I wanted the priority repair service. But it was the identical mower that HD carried. Dealer was within $200 of HD price. Funny part is that I paid more for dealer priority service but I’ve never had to use it! LOL!
Same with my MIG welder. Bought it from a real welding store, not a mail order or a Hobart (identical to my Miller) at Northern Tool.
bpjr
Well-known member
That’s because the residential / non-professional JD stuff is the same rebranded MTD product as Craftsman and all of the store brands, it’s just green and yellow. The dealers don’t sell disposable box-store grade stuff.
That bogus info has been floating around for decades. I guess that's what JD dealers want you to believe...I wrote JD about this and they said if it says JD on the mower it's JD built and not a rebranded something else. This is easy to verify if you contact them and ask.
I own a JD rider for home use and dealers are far and few close to me for parts or service. They also cater to the commercial guys who mow for a living. This means delivering my mower a minimum of 30 miles for service or parts.
Local dealer that sell other brands won't service or sell parts for JD...they tell me they have to buy JD parts at the same retail price I can. The result is I do all my own work, order parts online and deal with it. The only good thing is my low end homeowner JD has mowed 1.5 acres for 22 yrs without needing a dealer but I still pay a premium (2x-4x) for chassis parts no matter where they are purchased. I'm in the market for a 42" zero turn and if a JD will buy from the local big box store.