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John Deere to pay $99M in right-to-repair settlement

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Re: John Deere to pay $99M in right-to-repair settlement

#91

Post by pdpi »

M95D wrote: post #80
causality0 wrote: post #11

One of the most user-hostile companies on earth. My John Deere lawnmower came with a fuel gauge that runs off a CR2032 that's embedded in epoxy. The battery runs out of charge in about six months and the gauge stops working. If you saw the gauge open and replace the battery it doesn't start working again. If you disconnect the gauge the lawnmower won't start. Replacement gauges are $60.

In EU, a product such as this would have a 2 year minimum warranty. How long was yours?

They might be able to work around that by arguing it’s a consumable, so not a warranty issue.

Re: John Deere to pay $99M in right-to-repair settlement

#93

Post by laughing_man »

M95D wrote: post #86
laughing_man wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Don't buy their stuff" is exactly the right answer. You need to do your research before you buy big ticket items. It may not be true in every sector, but Deere has plenty of competition.

No, that's not the answer. It only applies to those people who have time and energy to spare to do that reasearch. I'm not talking just farming equipment, but ordinary items such as a vacuum cleaner or printer. If you're low income, work 2 jobs, single parent, get home at 23:00 broken tired, want a meal but your fridge just broke down and everything is spoiled inside, you don't spend 2 more hours doing reasearch. You…

It takes twenty minutes to figure out what other people are saying about a product. And even if you don't have time to do research, you develop a feeling for brands over time. I would never buy a lawn mower from Deere, not because this or that lawnmower is a known bad item, but because the company has had a bad reputation for decades.

A tractor can be almost a million dollar item now, and nobody spending a million dollars should be doing so without doing some research.

Re: John Deere to pay $99M in right-to-repair settlement

#94

Post by genxy »

datahack wrote: post #65

This is woefully inadequate as a remedy. The dollar amount is minuscule and the remedy time limited. Seems like they just got a license to continue business as usual.

10 years is just about when things start needing a whole lot of attention. Frankly no one should buy something like this unless a whole shelf of repair manuals is available, along with spare parts.

Re: John Deere to pay $99M in right-to-repair settlement

#95

Post by M95D »

pdpi wrote: post #91
M95D wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In EU, a product such as this would have a 2 year minimum warranty. How long was yours?

They might be able to work around that by arguing it’s a consumable, so not a warranty issue.

Fuel is a consumable, and fuel gauge is also a consumable? You have lots of terrible judges if anyone could seriously consider that argument.

Re: John Deere to pay $99M in right-to-repair settlement

#96

Post by universa1 »

M95D wrote: post #83
choilive wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well.. farming equipment are high 6 figures 7 pieces of business equipment (the lifetime operating costs are definitely in the 7 figures.) These are owned and operated by people who I would expect to do this type of research and critical thinking. These aren't normie consumers buying everyday appliances or electronics. However.. farmers are a weird bunch and they are blinded by brand loyalty or will only buy from an…

I'm no farmer, but brand loyalty might have practical reasons, such as compatibility with attached farming equipment (plows?).

The attachment mechanism is usually standardized, so you can just switch between brands.

Nowadays a larger factor might be how close the next dealership/repair shop is. Some things are time critical, and when it breaks in this time, then you don't want to drive hours to have it fixed/get a part/ have a mechanic available.

There are some differences between the brands... And you can always be Clarkson and get a Lamborghini, even when it makes no sense ;-)

Re: John Deere to pay $99M in right-to-repair settlement

#97

Post by brikym »

lifty wrote: post #78
itbeho wrote: post #67

I live in a wine region in central Calif where everyone has a tractor. We bought a Kubota, enjoy using it and get a lot of work done with it. We have a neighbor that bought a new John Deere and for about a 3 month period we endured nothing but abuse from him because we didn't buy "American". Then his problems started...

Did he empathize with you after or he remained bitter?

I'm guessing once he understood his tractor is a lemon he asked his neighbor for a taste of his sweet orange one.

Re: John Deere to pay $99M in right-to-repair settlement

#98

Post by gambiting »

M95D wrote: post #80
causality0 wrote: post #11

One of the most user-hostile companies on earth. My John Deere lawnmower came with a fuel gauge that runs off a CR2032 that's embedded in epoxy. The battery runs out of charge in about six months and the gauge stops working. If you saw the gauge open and replace the battery it doesn't start working again. If you disconnect the gauge the lawnmower won't start. Replacement gauges are $60.

In EU, a product such as this would have a 2 year minimum warranty. How long was yours?

Again, it's a misconception(and I'm from the EU). EU law guarantees that for 2 years from purchase(it's actually 6 on most items) the seller has to fix any issues that arise from manufacturing faults. In the first 6 months of ownership, any fault is automatically presumed to be a manufacturing fault, after 6 months the buyer has to prove that it is. That is not the same as a warranty, if your laptop randomly stops working 2 years in you don't automatically get a right to have it repaired unless you can prove it failed because of a manufacturing defect(which as you can imagine, is actually quite hard to prove).

A lot of manufacturers have alligned their warranties to be 2 years long in the EU because they don't want to deal with the above, but it's completely 100% legal to offer a 1 year or 6 months warranty in the EU on any item. Your rights with regards to seller's responsibility are not affected by it.

Re: John Deere to pay $99M in right-to-repair settlement

#99

Post by gambiting »

laughing_man wrote: post #18
snowe2010 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don’t comment if you don’t want to actually contribute. How are people supposed to know these things before buying the equipment. What if they’re the only provider in their region? There’s a billion reasons why your comment doesn’t contribute.

"Don't buy their stuff" is exactly the right answer. You need to do your research before you buy big ticket items. It may not be true in every sector, but Deere has plenty of competition.

Please tell us - if you were buying one of these, would you specifically research how the fuel gauge works? Be honest.
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