Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/29/2024

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Purchased a new ****** mower in January 2024 for almost $16,200 for residential use. Prior to purchase, the owner of Ground Works brought a mower to my home for a sales pitch/demonstration which did not involve lowering the deck to a normal cutting height nor did it involve actually engaging the blades of the mower to cut any grass. The retailer was responsive to making two separate repairs to the mower upon using it the first and third time. First time an ignition wire was cut as it was apparently installed too close to a wheel. The second issue was a plastic hydro fan that broke completely apart into pieces for unknown reasons. Upon using the mower for the 7th or 8th time, I determined that it was not going to work for my landscape. There had been constant slipping on the hills/slopes and the mower deck digging into unlevel portions of the yard, The last time the mower was used it slid down a hill, almost overturned and could not be controlled due to its weight, inability to steer straight, and to overall perform on such a slope. As a result, I contacted the retailer who would not offer any type of refund and also contacted Ground Works Distribution. The only option I was given was for the retailer to take and sell the mower, which I ultimately did. However, I placed advertisements on 20 ********/Marketplace groups in an attempt to sell for approximately 4 weeks. As a result, the mower sold for almost $3200 less than I had paid for it six months prior with a total of 8 work hours on the mower. I did not expect a refund of the total amount paid but am extremely dissatisfied and frankly disappointed with Ground Works and the retailer. I feel that the business owner basically provided misleading/false information regarding the mower's capabilities and was not motivated to assist in working with their retailer on any type of return/refund. The last time the mower was used could have resulted in serious injury or death.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/23/2024

  Ground Works Distribution is a wholesale distributor.  We do not sell anything directly to an end user.  We sell to our Dealers only.  The only thing that ***** ***** (owner of Ground Works Distribution) did was personally brought the mower to the customer's house per the customer's request and demonstrated it on his property.  Mr. ***** told ***** that his only concern was the slight hill in the backyard.  ***** demonstrated that the mower was completely safe on the slope and that the slope was under the hillside slope rating for the mower, deeming it safe to use on that property.  This rating for the manufacturer is done through ANSI.  After the demonstration, Mr. ***** decided that he wanted to purchase the mower.  Mr. ***** then, went to Price Small Engines (a completely separate company) and purchased the mower from them.  *************** had the mower for 6 months, he then decided that he no longer wanted the mower.  Mr. ***** reached out to ***** *****, and ***** informed him that there was nothing that he could do since Mr. ***** purchased the mower from Price Small Engines, but he would do anything he could to help out.  ***** did reach out to Price Small Engines and asked them if they would assist Mr. ***** in selling his mower, to which they agreed to do and did in fact sell it for him.  It is not the fault of Ground Works Distribution or Price Small Engines that Mr. ***** changed his mind about the mower.  Price Small Engines did in fact help him sell his mower and then Mr. ***** purchased a push mower. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/25/2024

   
  Complaint: 22210328
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I have measured the slope of my back yard.  It is 15 to 19 degrees in most areas with a few areas that contain a greater slope.  According to the ****** C19 Mower Owner's Manual, page 17, the safety instructions contain a warning of a roll over hazard and contains the language "Do not operate on slopes greater than 15 degrees".  ***** ***** of Ground Works Distribution should have advised me that the mower would not perform as expected on my yard and in fact would be a safety hazard.  With my limited knowledge of the mower, I would now be able to advise a potential customer whether the mower would perform as expected and whether it may potentially be a safety hazard.  There is a reasonable expectation that the owner of a business that is a wholesale distributor for ****** mowers has this knowledge and would be up front with a potential customer of a retailer to whom they supply mowers.  In my rebuttal to the response from Ground Works Distribution, I'd like to add that I did not simply change my mind about wanting the mower, I changed my mind due to the fact it did not perform as expected on my yard and presented a safety hazard for me to continue to use it.  Again, the mower was used 7 or 8 times at the most which resulted in 8 working hours being put on the new mower.  I also did not purchase another mower as stated in the response to my complaint.

  Sincerely,
  
  ******** *****