If this subject has been raised before then I appologise.

I have a fairly large lawn, about half an acre and as I'm now an old git
(approaching 70) I need a sit on job. Lawnmower that is.

Do you think its reasonable to be without it for over three weeks while its
having its annual service. They collect it from my home and then put it in a
queue while they slowly progress there way through the list.

The mower has a five year guarantee and has to be serviced by the dealer it
came from. So I am told. Its a Honda, by the way.

If a car went in for a service this way there would be a public outcry.

Am I alone and being taken for a mug or do others experience this.

Harry

It doesn't need 3 weeks of work on it. They should collect it just before
they work on it. Less chance of you making a warranty claim if you cannot
use it. What do they claim to have done on the invoice?

--
Rocket
MCSA
=====
"Harry Rogers" wrote in message
...
If this subject has been raised before then I appologise.

I have a fairly large lawn, about half an acre and as I'm now an old git
(approaching 70) I need a sit on job. Lawnmower that is.

Do you think its reasonable to be without it for over three weeks while
its
having its annual service. They collect it from my home and then put it in
a
queue while they slowly progress there way through the list.

The mower has a five year guarantee and has to be serviced by the dealer
it
came from. So I am told. Its a Honda, by the way.

If a car went in for a service this way there would be a public outcry.

Am I alone and being taken for a mug or do others experience this.

Harry

"Rocket" wrote in message
...
It doesn't need 3 weeks of work on it. They should collect it just before
they work on it. Less chance of you making a warranty claim if you cannot
use it. What do they claim to have done on the invoice?

--
Rocket


I havent seen the invoice yet as they still have it.

Harry

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer ^W^W^W^W uk.rec.gardening, I
heard Harry Rogers say...

"Rocket" wrote in message
...
It doesn't need 3 weeks of work on it. They should collect it just before
they work on it. Less chance of you making a warranty claim if you cannot
use it. What do they claim to have done on the invoice?

--
Rocket


I havent seen the invoice yet as they still have it.

Ring them and ask for a replacement or tell them you will charge them
the cost of hiring one while they have it. No service department should
take that long.

--
Fenny
AI programmers only think they do it

"Harry Rogers" wrote in message
...
If this subject has been raised before then I appologise.

I have a fairly large lawn, about half an acre and as I'm now an old
git
(approaching 70) I need a sit on job. Lawnmower that is.

Do you think its reasonable to be without it for over three weeks
while its
having its annual service. They collect it from my home and then put
it in a
queue while they slowly progress there way through the list.

The mower has a five year guarantee and has to be serviced by the
dealer it
came from. So I am told. Its a Honda, by the way.

If a car went in for a service this way there would be a public
outcry.

Am I alone and being taken for a mug or do others experience this.

Harry

Most of the gardeners decide to have a 'service' about April when the
grass needs cutting. Service places take then in so they do not loose
trade and put them in a queue.
The answer is simple. Have the machine serviced in January or February
when there is no queue.
Peter.

"Harry Rogers" wrote in message
...
If this subject has been raised before then I appologise.

I have a fairly large lawn, about half an acre and as I'm now an old git
(approaching 70) I need a sit on job. Lawnmower that is.

Do you think its reasonable to be without it for over three weeks while
its
having its annual service. They collect it from my home and then put it in
a
queue while they slowly progress there way through the list.

The list is longest when the grass starts growing again and people suddenly
remember the annual service. Three weeks is not uncommon at this time of
year. Three days is more usual in November and I get a 10% discount then.

Colin Bignell

In message , Harry Rogers
writes
The mower has a five year guarantee and has to be serviced by the dealer it
came from. So I am told. Its a Honda, by the way.


As a Honda dealer I can confirm that it must be serviced by a Honda
dealer, but it doesn't have to be the dealer you purchased it from.

However you will probably find that all garden machinery dealers will be
quoting lengthy queues at this time of year. Most dealers will give
priority to warranty work and commercial users, so an annual service is
not going to get you to the front of the queue. Honda usually send
service reminder letters to all registered owners between November and
January which is the time when most dealers are desperate for work.
It's a highly seasonal business.

Chris.

--
Chris Davenport Email:
Joint General Manager

Gordon B. Davenport Web: www.davenport.gb.com
65 Battlefield Road Email:
Shrewsbury Phone: +44 (0)1743 462950
Shropshire, SY1 4AD Fax: +44 (0)1743 450384
United Kingdom Lawn and Garden Equipment Distributors

Chris

My real gripe is this stupid lets collect it and keep it in a queue system.
Right put it in a queue but collect it a day or so before its due for
servicing. Years ago we used to call this JIT (Just in Time) . Why clog up
the dealers back yard with hoards of machines waiting their turn. Using a
bit of careful planning it could work quite easily.

My timing for a service is due to the fact that I bought it at this time of
the year.

My lawn is now looking awful and I might have to hire a mower or someone to
do it for me.

Harry

ps.......... yesterday they said it was still in the workshop and will call
me back to let me know whats happening. Havent heard from them yet.

"Harry Rogers" wrote in message ...
If this subject has been raised before then I appologise.

I have a fairly large lawn, about half an acre and as I'm now an old git
(approaching 70) I need a sit on job. Lawnmower that is.

Do you think its reasonable to be without it for over three weeks while its
having its annual service. They collect it from my home and then put it in a
queue while they slowly progress there way through the list.

The mower has a five year guarantee and has to be serviced by the dealer it
came from. So I am told. Its a Honda, by the way.

If a car went in for a service this way there would be a public outcry.

Am I alone and being taken for a mug or do others experience this.

Harry

Fairly typical I'm afraid, for reasons others have already explained. Add to that difficulties dealers seem to have
getting good fitters. Planned maintenance in the winter is best approach. Summer breakdowns can be a real pain and cause
serious delays even to commercial users - we just try to do all we can for ourselves and shout at the dealers if they
fall down on the job.

Rod

"Chris Davenport" wrote in message
...
In message , Harry Rogers
writes
The mower has a five year guarantee and has to be serviced by the dealer
it
came from. So I am told. Its a Honda, by the way.


As a Honda dealer I can confirm that it must be serviced by a Honda
dealer, but it doesn't have to be the dealer you purchased it from.

However you will probably find that all garden machinery dealers will be
quoting lengthy queues at this time of year. Most dealers will give
priority to warranty work and commercial users, so an annual service is
not going to get you to the front of the queue. Honda usually send
service reminder letters to all registered owners between November and
January which is the time when most dealers are desperate for work.
It's a highly seasonal business.

never use the honda main dealer try another shop or get someone do an on
site service

Previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer ^W^W^W^W uk.rec.gardening, I
heard Peter Coddington say...
Most of the gardeners decide to have a 'service' about April when the
grass needs cutting. Service places take then in so they do not loose
trade and put them in a queue.
The answer is simple. Have the machine serviced in January or February
when there is no queue.

I've just had to write a maintenance schedule for a garden for a college
assignment. Lawn mower maintenance is a job that I remembered to put in
for Nov or Dec.
--
Fenny
A mathematician is a machine for converting coffee into theorems.

g'day harry,

i was a mower serviceman for a long time and when summer comes and the
grass grows all of a sudden everyone wants their machines
serviced/repaired, we had a que system that took around 2 weeks. a
workshop can only service so many mowers in a day and all through
summer we would have a long que.

best advice that has already been given get your servicing done before
the season starts, if you find a shop that isn't snowed under it may
mean that their work is no good.

check with the manufacturer of the mower as far as i know their is no
requirement to have your machine serviced by the selling agent, so
long as the servicing is done to manufacturer specifications your
warranty should be valid.

len

On Tue, 15 Apr 2003 21:57:14 +0000 (UTC), "Harry Rogers"
wrote:

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

"in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment
http://hub.dataline.net.au/~gardnlen/

In message , pied piper
writes

"Chris Davenport" wrote in message
...
In message , Harry Rogers
writes
The mower has a five year guarantee and has to be serviced by the dealer
it
came from. So I am told. Its a Honda, by the way.


As a Honda dealer I can confirm that it must be serviced by a Honda
dealer, but it doesn't have to be the dealer you purchased it from.

However you will probably find that all garden machinery dealers will be
quoting lengthy queues at this time of year. Most dealers will give
priority to warranty work and commercial users, so an annual service is
not going to get you to the front of the queue. Honda usually send
service reminder letters to all registered owners between November and
January which is the time when most dealers are desperate for work.
It's a highly seasonal business.

never use the honda main dealer try another shop or get someone do an on
site service

But getting a non-Honda dealer to do the service would invalidate the
5-year warranty. Of course, it would not affect your statutory 12-month
warranty so it's entirely a matter of personal choice.

Chris.

--
Chris Davenport Email:
Joint General Manager

Gordon B. Davenport Web: www.davenport.gb.com
65 Battlefield Road Email:
Shrewsbury Phone: +44 (0)1743 462950
Shropshire, SY1 4AD Fax: +44 (0)1743 450384
United Kingdom Lawn and Garden Equipment Distributors

In message , Harry Rogers
writes
Chris

My real gripe is this stupid lets collect it and keep it in a queue system.
Right put it in a queue but collect it a day or so before its due for
servicing. Years ago we used to call this JIT (Just in Time) . Why clog up
the dealers back yard with hoards of machines waiting their turn. Using a
bit of careful planning it could work quite easily.

I agree. Shop around. Different dealers use different systems.

My timing for a service is due to the fact that I bought it at this time of
the year.

Okay, this is a point that dealers often fail to mention (and amongst
the wealth of information that the owner of a new ride-on must absorb,
it is easily overlooked). In order to qualify for the 5-year warranty
you MUST have the machine serviced within 12-months of the purchase
date. Since most people will buy a machine during the busy summer
season this suggests that you will have to have the machine serviced at
the busiest time of year too. But actually you don't have to wait until
the 12-month period is about to expire. You are allowed to bring it in
earlier!

Ideally, if you bought the machine in April you should bring it in for
the 1st year service anytime between October and February, that's the
quiet time for dealers. It's less than 12 months old but that's okay.
In subsequent years your services will be 12-months apart.

My advice would be to grin and bear it for this season (assuming you
want to keep the 5-year warranty), then make a note to bring it in for
the 2nd year service during the winter months. That will get you in
synch with the dealers and you may even save a bit in the process as
many dealers will have special offers running over the winter.

Chris.

--
Chris Davenport Email:
Joint General Manager

Gordon B. Davenport Web: www.davenport.gb.com
65 Battlefield Road Email:
Shrewsbury Phone: +44 (0)1743 462950
Shropshire, SY1 4AD Fax: +44 (0)1743 450384
United Kingdom Lawn and Garden Equipment Distributors

Thanks for all the advice.

Got the beast back today after three weeks. It was its second service and
will make sure it's in earlier next year (or at the end of this year).

Hope that other less experienced users of these services like me have
benefitted from this thread.

Lawn looks nice again tonight.

Harry