When my brother and I decided upon a Kubota, we investigated used tractor prices and quickly discovered that used Kubotas hold their value exceptionally well, so a used tractor would be pretty pricey. At the time of our purchase, Kubota had a 0% down, 0% interest financing deal, so between the two of us it was far more economical to finance the purchase of a new tractor than to drop ~$18K in cash on a used tractor. Our target was a 32HP B3200, and we shopped around a bit, pricing out the tractor we wanted at a few central California dealerships. Ultimately, we purchased from C&N in Watsonville, our local dealership, which in the eyes of many of my neighbors has a reputation for being a little more expensive than other places for farm equipment parts and service. But they matched the price of other dealers an hour or more away, and given that they were so local, we thought going elsewhere would have been silly.
In the end, any concern we had about having C&N as our source and main service provider for our new Kubota has been permanently erased by our recent experience with them. During the first 65 hours or so of mowing and other normal use around our properties, some 'ripgut' brome grass wrapped around the drive shaft between the engine and the transmission and sprung a leak in the seal. Needless to say, we were really disappointed in the engineering of the machine that would allow for such a problem to develop, and some internet research suggested that it was a fairly common issue and that the whole tractor would have to be split at a huge labor cost ($1000) to replace this $10 seal. The tractor was returned to C&N for service and we prepared for a huge labor bill and enormous disappointment in our new machine, since multiple internet forums told stories of these repairs not being covered under any warranty.
A few days ago, Nigel the repairs department manager called to tell us that the tractor was being returned to us. The seal had been repaired, and at no charge to us. They had also fabricated a small guard and installed it on the underside of the machine to prevent the same problem from recurring, also at no charge to us.
For me, this was one of those make-or-break moments in my relationship with a business. If we'd been charged a huge amount of money to repair a minor problem that had developed before our tractor had 75 hours of use on it -- which by all accounts they probably would have technically had the right to do -- I would have been really, really disappointed and probably wouldn't ever buy another implement or tool from C&N. In contrast, they went the exact opposite direction, standing by the products they sell, repairing a problem that truly wasn't my fault or theirs (regardless of whether it was covered under warranty) at no cost to me, even going above and beyond by fabricating a custom part for me to avoid the problem in the future.
C&N (and Nigel specifically) has done right by me as a customer, and I will return that respect with loyalty. When I need my next implement, or perhaps a bigger tractor, I won't purchase from a far way internet-based company, I'll buy right here in Watsonville with the confidence that if something goes wrong with my equipment, C&N will treat me fairly. When my neighbors ask about my experience with tractor dealerships, I'll tell them how great C&N has been to me so far. They've earned my business. read more
