Lawnmower broken after 2 months

donalg1

I recently purchased a lawnmower from a well known diy and garden shop, when i brought this home i took it out of the box and when i went to start it nothing happened, so i packed it back up and returned it to the shop where they told me they would have to send it back to be repaired and would take ten days. I wasnt happy with this as i didnt want to have it repaired when its supposedly brand new as if its broken to begin with what would it be like in two years time?!! So i bought a different lawnmower that day in the same shop and had to pay a small but extra for it. That was two months ago now and this lawnmower is broken now, oil in air filter and rattle from blade.

I called in saturday with it to the shop and they said they couldnt do anything because their lawnmower man wasn't in until monday. I told them i want a refund, but they said they dont do this and will only send it back to be repaired provided its not something i did to it myself (which it isnt).

Can they just refuse to refund my money? I dont want it repaired as i have only had it two months and have no intention of having to bring it back every few months to be fixed. Any advice?

RangeR

donalg1 wrote: »

Can they just refuse to refund my money? I dont want it repaired as i have only had it two months and have no intention of having to bring it back every few months to be fixed. Any advice?

In fairness, what you want is irrelevant. Any retailer is well within their rights to offer a Repair, Replacement or Refund. You don't have to agree, however. If there is no agreement between you and retailer, you ONLY option is the SCC. However, the SCC probably won't look favorably on you if you reject the shops first offer.

donalg1

well i would happily take a refund if offered or replacement, i just dont feel like getting it repaired would be any good as its only worked for two months. Am i within my rights to ask for a refund? or is what i get based purely on shop policy?

Xcellor

donalg1 wrote: »

well i would happily take a refund if offered or replacement, i just dont feel like getting it repaired would be any good as its only worked for two months. Am i within my rights to ask for a refund? or is what i get based purely on shop policy?

As previous poster said

"Any retailer is well within their rights to offer a Repair, Replacement or Refund"

There is no automatic requirement to get a replacement. Quite unlucky to get two dodgy lawnmowers.

Welease

It's not based on shop policy, its based on the Sale of Good act.

Your situation is not as bad as you think imo.. You already have had a replacement, so that option has been used by the shop.. You should allow a repair, because all repairs must be permanant!... If it breaks again, then you are within your rights to request a refund (assuming it's the same fault again) via the SCC.

donalg1

just had a look at the Sale of Goods and Supply of Services Act 1980 which was very helpful as were your replies. Thanks very much at least now i know what i am entitled to when i call in today.

Thanks again

maxer68

donalg1 wrote: »

I called in saturday with it to the shop and they said they couldnt do anything because their lawnmower man wasn't in until monday. I told them i want a refund, but they said they dont do this and will only send it back to be repaired provided its not something i did to it myself (which it isnt).

Can they just refuse to refund my money? I dont want it repaired as i have only had it two months and have no intention of having to bring it back every few months to be fixed. Any advice?

A shop cannot be expected to just throw out refunds on demand from a customer.
How is the shop to know you didn't break it though mis-use, maybe the problem is such a minor one it can be fixed in seconds?

If you buy a new car and a fault happen 2 months down the line, do you expect a refund there and then too? Same thing, just a few quid in the difference.

Lawnmowers are mechanical products, nuts become loose, things go wrong and in nearly every case it can be repaired as good as new fairly quickly.

A repair is what will be given and a repair is all that any store would offer unless its something that cannot be repaired economically

donalg1

provided that repair is permanent i wouldnt have a problem with it, but two problems in two months is a bit ridiculous, the problem has been exacerbated by the fact the first one i bought never worked at all, then this one breaks after two months its not a great advertisement for the shop really

maxer68

donalg1 wrote: »

provided that repair is permanent i wouldnt have a problem with it, but two problems in two months is a bit ridiculous, the problem has been exacerbated by the fact the first one i bought never worked at all, then this one breaks after two months its not a great advertisement for the shop really

I doubt very much if the shop makes the lawnmowers and in the first instance they gave you an immediate replacement.

You will find that anythign mechanical will develop faults, petrol Lawnmowers will require annual servicing and now and again things will go wrong. I've just spent €360 on repairs to a ride on, even though its only 2 years old - it went over a metal bar!:eek:

donalg1

They dont make them but based on the Sale and Supply of Goods and Services Act they are responsible for the repairs of it which, i am just annoyed as i have only had it two months and used it maybe 5 times, plus my garden needs to be cut badly!!!

REXER

What brand of mower is it and what engine is in it?
A lot of the smaller ones have Briggs & Straton 3.5hp engines and a lot of those would have an oiled air filter.

donalg1

yeah it is a Briggs & Stratton engine, a McCulloch Mower, would it be normal to have oil in the air filter then?

slimjimmc

donalg1 wrote: »

yeah it is a Briggs & Stratton engine, a McCulloch Mower, would it be normal to have oil in the air filter then?

Normally yes, so long as it's clean oil. Read the manual, it may tell you how to perform routine service / maintenance on the air filter.
The oil acts as an binder to trap fine particles which the foam filter can't stop.

BrianD

donalg1 wrote: »

I recently purchased a lawnmower from a well known diy and garden shop, when i brought this home i took it out of the box and when i went to start it nothing happened, so i packed it back up and returned it to the shop where they told me they would have to send it back to be repaired and would take ten days. I wasnt happy with this as i didnt want to have it repaired when its supposedly brand new as if its broken to begin with what would it be like in two years time?!! So i bought a different lawnmower that day in the same shop and had to pay a small but extra for it. That was two months ago now and this lawnmower is broken now, oil in air filter and rattle from blade.

I called in saturday with it to the shop and they said they couldnt do anything because their lawnmower man wasn't in until monday. I told them i want a refund, but they said they dont do this and will only send it back to be repaired provided its not something i did to it myself (which it isnt).

Can they just refuse to refund my money? I dont want it repaired as i have only had it two months and have no intention of having to bring it back every few months to be fixed. Any advice?

I'm not being smart here but you are now on your second mower here. Is it anything to do with the terrain and the grass you are trying to cut? I'm ruling out lack of maintinance as the product is only new. Have you been following all the pre-use instructions in the handbook and ongoing maintenance?

Machines are machines and will develop faults. Just because its had a repair under warranty early in its working life doesn't mean it has been compromised for ever.

Are the brands that you are buying a reputable brand?

smelltheglove

I worked in a diy shop for some time in customer services. I kind of volunteered to take over the care of the lawnmowers at one stage as it is a complicated area and people are often unsure as to what they are entitled to. I found myself often using the following comparison. A petrol lawnmower is in fact an engine. If you bought a car in a garage and it packed up due to lack of oil would you expect a refund? The answer is of course no yet customers often thought they were, not realising it is one and the same thing.

In answer to your question though, sending the machine for a repair is what the store should be doing, keep on them to be sure as to when it is sent and when to expect back, I took over in my case as the whole management of the mowers was so unorganised lawnmowers were left sitting for months before being sent for repair. The repair centre will come up with a conclusion as to what has happened, unfortunately if it is down to misuse of the mower it is you that needs to pay for the repair, and even then sometimes it is cheaper to just go and buy a new one. If it is an issue with the mower and it cannot be repaired the store should offer you another of equal or more value as a replacement.

donalg1

BrianD wrote: »

I'm not being smart here but you are now on your second mower here. Is it anything to do with the terrain and the grass you are trying to cut? I'm ruling out lack of maintinance as the product is only new. Have you been following all the pre-use instructions in the handbook and ongoing maintenance?

Machines are machines and will develop faults. Just because its had a repair under warranty early in its working life doesn't mean it has been compromised for ever.

Are the brands that you are buying a reputable brand?

Well technically its not the second mower as the first never worked to begin with, took it out the box and it never started so they took that one back no questions asked, the terrain is as flat as a pancake and my last mower lasted about seven years on the same stuff, its a McCulloch mower with Briggs & Stratton engine

RangeR

donalg1 wrote: »

Well technically its not the second mower as the first never worked to begin with, took it out the box and it never started so they took that one back no questions asked, the terrain is as flat as a pancake and my last mower lasted about seven years on the same stuff, its a McCulloch mower with Briggs & Stratton engine

No. Technically, logically and rightly it is your second mower. They replaced the first one as it was DOA.

No makey things uppey

donalg1

RangeR wrote: »

No. Technically, logically and rightly it is your second mower. They replaced the first one as it was DOA.

No makey things uppey

Well technically its not my second mower as it never mowed anything, technically it was a model of a mower or lump of useless metal!!

sendit

donalg1 wrote: »

Well technically its not my second mower as it never mowed anything, technically it was a model of a mower or lump of useless metal!!

Of corse its your second one even if the first one didn't work doesn't mean its not a mower, plus you siad you got a different one the second time so i think its just a case of bad luck to get two mowers that had something wrong. As some one ealse said shops aren't going to hand out refunds anytime something goes wong that ccould be fixed

donalg1

sendit wrote: »

Of corse its your second one even if the first one didn't work doesn't mean its not a mower, plus you siad you got a different one the second time so i think its just a case of bad luck to get two mowers that had something wrong. As some one ealse said shops aren't going to hand out refunds anytime something goes wong that ccould be fixed

They sent it off yesterday to be fixed so fingers crossed it will come back in proper working order and will last a little longer this time

Ash.J.Williams

When a mower is incorrectly stored (ie on it's side or vertical) oil gets into places it shouldn't?

donalg1

Yeah i had figured that but it was only ever stored on the flat and never on its side, the pipe running from the oil cap to the engine is leaking at the bottom connection aswell dont know if this means anything other than a small leak

BrianD

Do ask them for a report card as to what happened.

donalg1

ok will do thanks brian

Eleganza

There is no way oil would get in to the air filter unless you overfilled it with oil or turned it on it's side.
If it is a McCulloch Briggs and Stratton lawnmower then it is either a B&S Sprint or B&S Quantum engine and doesn't have pressurized lubrication instead using a simple splasher in the sump to distribute the oil around the crankcase.
If the air filter is sponge then rinse it out in petrol(works better than washing up liquid) and re-oil as described in the B&S owner manual(not McCulloch manual) which accompanied the lawnmower. If it is paper then replace the air filter at your expense as it is not the shops fault.
If the blade is loose tighten it with a 9/16" spanner. If the blade boss is broken then replacement is needed.
If there is a indent on your blade then you broke the blade boss by hitting a rock or other solid object and it is not a warranty issue.
McCulloch lawnmowers are at the cheaper end of the market and would have a softer alloy blade boss which would not be able to withstand the same level of abuse that a more expensive lawnmower could withstand.
This appears to be the wrong forum for this issue as this certainly seems to be an issue with a consumer rather than a consumer issue.

donalg1

Eleganza wrote: »

There is no way oil would get in to the air filter unless you overfilled it with oil or turned it on it's side.
If it is a McCulloch Briggs and Stratton lawnmower then it is either a B&S Sprint or B&S Quantum engine and doesn't have pressurized lubrication instead using a simple splasher in the sump to distribute the oil around the crankcase.
If the air filter is sponge then rinse it out in petrol and re-oil as described in the B&S owner manual(not McCulloch manual) which accompanied the lawnmower. If it is paper then replace the air filter at your expense as it is not the shops fault.
If the blade is loose tighten it with a 9/16" spanner. If the blade boss is broken then replacement is needed.
If there is a indent on your blade then you broke the blade boss by hitting a rock or other solid object and it is not a warranty issue.
McCulloch lawnmowers are at the cheaper end of the market and would have a softer alloy blade boss which would not be able to withstand the same level of abuse that a more expensive lawnmower could withstand.
This appears to be the wrong forum for this issue as this certainly seems to be an issue with a consumer rather than a consumer issue.

The blade itself seems fine although the rattle sound does seem to be emanating from this area as it is amplified slighhtly when the mower is tipped back a bit exposing the blade, its still with the shop with no word of the problem they said hopefully someone will look at it by Friday.

Dont see how its in the wrong forum though, if you look at OP

sailordog13

Any report on the mowers condition yet ?

donalg1

yeah i got it back last friday was only talking to a girl in the shop who said there was no rattle, which i told her there defo was one!!! She said she had just been told this so didnt know any more about it, but when i got the mower back the blade had been changed so i got a brand new one on it now, the rattle has stopped aswell, they also changed put a new choke on it and air filter and looks like they did something to the oil pipe where it connects to the engine, tis running far better now than it ever had before, even just the idle on it is much better

sailordog13

Better luck with it this time.

donalg1

Yeah fingers crossed thanks

scorn

Just to give you a bit of past experience with this type of mower. My wife has owned one since 2002 - it took loads of abuse and some dodgy petrol was put in it at one stage (it was years old - the petrol that is). She took it to a service shop and they said it wasn't worth repairing.

However - the mower kept going (slowly deteriorating) until recently when it wouldn't idle well and basically stopped cutting. We were looking to throw it out but I spoke to a small motors mechanic who said he'd take a look.

€40 later, he had serviced it and sharpened and cleaned the blade. Said they were great little engines and would last as long as the chassis (McCulloch) didn't rust through (so keep it in the shed if you can). He thinks we'll get at least another 5 years out of it - so 14 years for a small mower isn't too bad!

Good luck with it - hope you get years out of it.

ejmaztec

scorn wrote: »

Just to give you a bit of past experience with this type of mower. My wife has owned one since 2002 - it took loads of abuse and some dodgy petrol was put in it at one stage (it was years old - the petrol that is). She took it to a service shop and they said it wasn't worth repairing.

However - the mower kept going (slowly deteriorating) until recently when it wouldn't idle well and basically stopped cutting. We were looking to throw it out but I spoke to a small motors mechanic who said he'd take a look.

€40 later, he had serviced it and sharpened and cleaned the blade. Said they were great little engines and would last as long as the chassis (McCulloch) didn't rust through (so keep it in the shed if you can). He thinks we'll get at least another 5 years out of it - so 14 years for a small mower isn't too bad!

Good luck with it - hope you get years out of it.

So your wife mows the lawn?

maxer68

ejmaztec wrote: »

So your wife mows the lawn?

But he's cleaning the kitchen whilst she's mowing the lawn:D