Well, I'm waking up from a 12 hour round trip yesterday learning all about my vermeer salesman.
Got down to evansville about lunch time. And there she sits, my beloved 665a. Good grief that's a big mother.
I look her over, plenty of superficial needs, but nothing bothers me. I get to the wheel and find two serviceable teeth, about 6-7 missing carbide, and the rest rounded to worthlessness. Ok, no biggy, it's not a good sign, but these are consumables and I want yellow jackets anyway.
Mech comes out to greet me and tells me they washed it up for me, but doesn't act too happy that I'm there, but he's not rude. He tells me they found the relative source of the engine oil leak. Engine oil leak? What engine oil leak?? There is a distributor and a pulley shaft coming out of the same area. The pulley turns a belt that spins the alternator. He says from somewhere in there and then the pully flings it. I asked how bad and he just looks at me. What will it take to fix that? He's not sure what all. He said she smokes too. Really?? So he fires it up and it's happy to smoke for us ....and fling engine oil. I ask how long does it smoke like that, he said I was welcome to let it run as long as I want.
We talked a bit about how it really didn't look like a relatively fresh motor, nor act like one. A bit about the pros and cons of wiscons and the carb system. I pulled the stick, it was down a bit with solid black oil. The filter was faded and oxidized. It also turned the wheel at idle while disengaged and the belt was junk. Tires didn't look to be wanting to make the trip home. the fenders had been welded to the framework cracked, re welded and cracked. The more I looked it over the more I found and the more I felt to be looking at a piece of scrape iron.
I'm getting pissed. I wasn't expecting something great, but at least something serviceable.
I call my bank and talked with my vp and we stopped payment on the check that my salesman said he would hold until I made certain it was what they said it was. He also said he would be out golfing, but to call if there was an emergency. I called and left a brief message. Never heard back. Went in to see my point of contact (a manager, not a salesman) who proceeded to explain to me what I had just found and that he told my salesman all of this yesterday while we were calling from my driveway. This reaffirms why my ex salesman walked a distance from me once he started getting answers.
Now I'm livid. But I’m cool. Evansville told me the truth and I appreciate that. They were just as disgusted, but not near as mad.
I was told that a couple teeth had chips, but the rest were serviceable, might need sharpened some, but that it was ready to go and they'd have it washed up for me. According to evansville, they told him everything and not to send me clear from Champaign-Urbana to look at it because it needed alot of work and that it was not serviceable. I remember my ex salesman responding with things like, "that's ok, this guy's a good mechanic." True, but I'm expecting a serviceable grinder that may need this and that along the way like we discussed, not something that needs a complete overhaul.
I lost a day for no reason and a responsible and respectable salesman would have disclosed what he was told, not send me on a wild goose chase. They have the monopoly in this area and I guess could care less. Well, me too then. Vermeer is a good product, but as long as I live and build a company in this area, I'll drive twice the distance for a bandit, mobark, rayco, etc. (This officially solves the which chipper debate.)
Thanks Vermeer of Central Illinois. I learned my lesson the first time here, no need to start an account now. I may have lost a day, but looks like I saved thousands of dollars and countless days. Maybe you'll get a christmas card....ummm…let me think..probably not.
