ComplaintsforBobcat Central, Inc

• Initial Complaint

  03/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  In 2023, we asked Bobcat Central to fix, onsite, a Kubota Tractor. The first repairs included replacing a battery, oil change, exchanging the diesel fuel & other tasks. The tractor worked for a week. We asked Bobcat to return - the battery was charged and alternator replaced. The tractor worked on the day it was repaired but did not start again on subsequent days. At this point I tried to fix the problem but was not successful. We asked Bobcat to return. They said the problem was that I had messed it up - then recharged the battery, etc. Once again, the tractor worked on that day but on the next day, would not start. I made no attempt to fix the tractor & called Bobcat again. On this visit, the technician found that I had not done anything other than try to start the tractor. Mt wife suggested to him that perhaps more was involved than a battery and alternator. He charged the battery and discovered that when running, the tractor was draining power. He consulted his ******* computer & postulated that the real problem was the harness. He agreed to provide a dollar estimate and timeline for the repairs.Three weeks later, my wife called them beginning an unending run-around as she was told the technician was on vacation. Next time she called, was told to call person x, time after that person y. She finally talked to the person who was sending us a bill during all of this, described the situation & asked for a written estimate, timeline and warranty. Never heard from them again other than monthly billing.Bobcat has no intention of completing the job. I have no intention of paying for the last visit as they won't complete the job. I have to begin again with another tractor repair vendor including a new diagnosis. Since Bobcat is unwilling to complete the job/provide written estimate and warranty, I don't feel I owe them the $330.00 they keep billing me for. The real problem with the tractor was that it was never accurately diagnosed and repaired.

  Business response

  04/02/2024

  Is it possible to get clarification on the dispute of $330.00 in the narrative vs. the $5700.00 Disputed Amount?

   

  Thank You - *****

   

  *************************

  Bobcat Central Inc.

  3516 *****************.

  ********, ** 95205

  Office: **************

  Mobile: *************

  *********************************************

  Customer response

  04/05/2024

  I apologize for the confusion between the $330.00 and the approximately $5,700.00 amounts.

  We have paid in excess of $5700 to Bobcat Central to fix our Kubota tractor over about 3-4 trips. After the first repair, the tractor worked for about 2 weeks then would not start. I was frustrated and so tried to fix the tractor myself but couldn't. I know that this voided any implied warranty. I called Bobcat and they came out again and "fixed" the tractor so that it ran for about 1 day. This happened twice. The last time this happened (the tractor working for about 1 day) my wife insisted that I leave the tractor alone, which I did, and called Bobcat to come out again. At this point we had paid Bobcat over $5,700.00. We are NOT disputing this charge.

  When the technician arrived, he was satisfied that I had not done anything to the tractor and acknowledged that the tractor was not running. He became a little nasty and said he had done everything he could (new battery, alternator, and other "fixes") and didn't know what else he could do. My wife suggested that maybe it was not the battery. He then charged the battery and discovered that the battery was draining. After some thought and consulting his on-truck computer, he decided that the problem was the harness. He said he would get back to us with an estimate. He never did. My wife called Bobcat and was given a variety of excuses. She wanted a written estimate and warranty on the work to repair the harness as it may be the root cause of the tractor not working. However, Bobcat started sending a monthly bill of $330 and did nothing else.

  At this point, Bobcat will not follow through on the harness diagnosis. That makes me feel that they may not be sure of the diagnosis and don't want to warrant any future work. To us, this constitutes Bobcat refusing to the finish the job. I will have to find another onsite tractor repair service to adequately diagnosis the problem and then fix it. Because Bobcat will not finish the job, I will be paying for the same service twice so I AM DISPUTING the $330,

  Business response

  04/11/2024

  See attached.

  Customer response

  04/16/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  Although I am accepting Bobcat Centrals agreement to drop the $330 charge I believe it is important to correct misinformation that was included in its response to my complaint.

  First and foremost, I tinkered with the tractor after the first two visits because although the tractor worked the day the technician worked on it, it did not start on the following days. Yes, I was frustrated having spent a considerable sum of money on the repairs, and yes, my tinkering did not help the situation. But none of this would have happened if the tractor had been repaired correctly the first time.

  On the third occasion, and after the tractor once again would not start, my wife went through all the protocols for starting the tractor and was also unsuccessful. As Bobcat Central should know, Kubota has safety protocols regarding specific aspects of the tractor that if not correctly put in place, will prevent the tractor from starting. Since we wanted to be sure that operator error, in terms of the starting safety protocols, was not the problem, we asked a friend experienced in using Kubota tractors to go through the protocols to see if the tractor would start. The tractor did not start for him either. None of us tinkered with the tractor.

  When the Bobcat Central technician arrived, he checked the tractor and admitted that it was clear we had not tinkered with it. He was also stumped as to what the problem could be and finally decided it was the harness. Bobcat Central's claim that the technician told us it was the voltage regulator is incorrect.  And since none of us disconnected the battery and then reconnected it in reverse polarity prior to this third visit, the rationale for the diagnosis is suspect. If Bobcat Central is claiming that this happened the first time I reconnected the battery in reverse polarity, then I have to wonder why the technician didnt identify this the first time and fix it then. This continued ineptness by the technician explains why no one in Bobcat Central's office would return our phone calls or talk to us about the situation because it had no solution that it was willing to stand behind.

  We too are looking forward to working with a competent repair technician who can identify the full range of issues and fix all of them the first time and treat us with professional courtesy and respect.
  

  
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩