Crappy American made products and their companies!

Tiger_Tammer

*rant*
My Fiance and I purchased an Ariens Snowblower last February from Home Depot. We got to use it a whopping 4 times before it broke. Now I am doing the run around between Home Depot, Ariens, and Briggs & Stratton (the engine co.) and not a single one will take responsibility for the darn thing.
I don't care who's problem it is, I just want my $525 back!

Any advice on laying the smack down with these companies?

gundy21

What happened?  Did the sheer pin on the auger break (that would make the auger stop spinning)?  If it is that, it is supposed to break to avoid motor damage if something gets stuck.  It cost just a buck or two to replace the pin - you should keep spares on hand - we went thru 2 last winter.  Also good to have extra cotter pins (hold on the wheels, used on the chute rotator thing).

Tiger_Tammer

No, the engine stopped due to a broken connector rod. The rod broke due to "lack of engine lubrication". We changed the oil in this thing between seasons, and it was full and rip roaring ready to go. They even said when they inspected it that the engine had oil in it, but a broken connecting rod is most commonly caused by lack of lubrication. WTF?

All I can think is that the engine was defective and not lubricating it's self properly, because we did everything correct on our end. Airens wont cover us under their warranty (even though it is their product?) because it was the Briggs & Stratton Engine that failed, And Briggs & Stratton wont cover under their warranty because oil and lubrication are a "maintenance issue". Therefore we are stuck with a hunk of junk that we paid over $500 for, and got to use 4 times.

What is the point of buying American made products if their companies wont even stand by their own product when it fails? I am beyond livid about the situation, and nobody seems to want to help me as a customer.