A1 Small Engine Repair

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Pre Owned Equipment for Sale
Quality Service
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Pre-Owned Equipment for Sale

Dont buy. Sold junk. Sold equipment.
Lost money instead having deal with them as other posters said.

BEWARE!!!!!!!! I brought my John Deere 1032 snow blower in to have it fixed in November because it was running rough and stalling at the end of the year in 2011. I started it up on the first snow and it still runs rough and stalled three times, basically no different then when I brought it in and I paid them $140.00 and they did nothing. I called and spoke to a "lady" and she just wants to charge me more money to look at it again. This is a very large and heavy snow blower and it's not easy getting it there so now she wants to charge me for pick up and delivery. VERY POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. I WILL NEVER EVER GO HERE AGAIN. I'd rather pay someone else to look at it than bring it here again. This used to be a good place for small engine repair, not anymore.

Three weeks ago, I called A1, as my family members had used them in the past, as well, it seemed to me they had a good reputation. They told me that it was $59 + parts. That is it. This couldn't have been farther than the truth.

I was having an issue with my Craftsman Riding Lawn Tractor were the tractor would not continue to run if I released the clutch. It would stall. Initially, I had looked up the issue online and found that this is quite common among these tractors and found that it is almost always the Seat Safety Switch. If that is not it, it would be either the Clutch Switch or the Switch that engages the Mower as there are only 3 switches.

So, I went down there and paid $5 cash to purchase a Seat Switch. It was used. I replaced my Seat Switch with it and sure enough, it continued to stall upon release of the Clutch. So, I purchased all three switches on the mower, brand new, from Sears. In the Mean time, I had the battery checked out, to make sure if wasn't giving false electronic feedback to the sensors. The Battery was working properly according to AutoZone.

So, after receiving all three brand new switches, I replaced them, and it still would not continue to run upon release of the clutch. So, at this point, I briefly looked through the Wire-harness for visible breaks or shorts and there was no visible sign of wear or tear on them. At this point, we made the determination to bring the Tractor down to A1.

I am very familiar with small Engines, small electronics, and such. For me to trouble shoot this on my own and diagnose it, is not uncommon as I don't want to spend money having an 'expert' fix it, if I can fix it myself. And, its not like I do not know what I am doing, I have worked on Small Engines a lot. But, I figured, since I cannot resolve this on my own, it must be something within the Engine or I am blatantly missing something. But, for the quoted $59 plus parts, I figured it wasn't too bad a deal. And, remember, at this time, they had a good reputation in my mind.

So, I brought it down there and spoke directly with Fred, the Owner. I informed him of all I had done to the tractor and showed him how I had already trouble-shot a lot of the basic stuff. He informed me that Checking the Switches and the wire-harness are the first steps to trouble shooting but that he has a guy with 70 years experience who could fix anything and that they would fix it. I made it clear that though I had just replaced the 3 switches with brand new ones, to check them anyways. He assured me, it is the first step in trouble-shooting and that it would be done. I dropped it off on a Monday.

Now, I am a very patient person, that is flexible when informed. After the first week, I called the next Monday (1wk) and asked how the progress was going. I was told they hadn't gotten to it yet, and that it would be worked on the following day. So, I called back on Wednesday (1.5 weeks into it) and an old man came on the phone and told me that he just needed more time. So, I told him that was fine and that I would follow-up on Friday.

Friday, I called and Linda, the secretary, told me that he had spent 4 hours on it, and that he could not figure out what was wrong with it and he needed more time. So, I asked her if I should just call back on Monday and she told me they would call me, when it was done.

Tuesday, over two weeks now, I hadn't heard anything and so, I went down there and Linda, was behind the desk. I asked her how it was going, and she said he had spent four hours on it, and couldn't figure out what it was. But, that he had been thinking about it, even at home. I asked if I could speak to him, since he was the person working on it, she said, no. That he wouldn't give me a second of his time, nor would he learn anything from me, and that it would be a waste for him to talk to me. All I wanted was for him to tell me what he had spent four hours doing, because I couldn't understand what had taken four hours without accomplishing a single thing. (I am a manager in the service industry. Four unaccountable hours is just unacceptable) So, I asked if there was someone I could talk too that could explain this to me. She said no. And, she said I had no right to even talk to the owner. She told me they will call me when its finished. I tried to get some sort of explanation out of her, but it was clear she didn't know. I asked her again to make sure they check all the switches, even though they were brand new. And she told me they had already done this and that I really screwed it up for tinkering with it. She made it sound like since I had trouble-shot it already, it was my fault and that I was the one to break it. (you have to realize that I am not the typical customer who tinkers and doesn't really know what they are doing, I am very familiar on how to work on these things) At this point, I was still be very kind and patient with them. Then, she kept going back and fourth saying it was an estimate of four hours. So, when I asked for clarification as to whether they had already spent four hours or still needed to, she kept say, its four hours. She wouldn't say if it still needed to be done. So, I told them to call me when it was done. But I made it clear to inform me first of what it was going to cost. Every time I would call down there, they would tell me it was an electronic issue. The funny part, was that I had told them it was an electronic issue when I brought it down there.

The next day, Linda calls me and tells me they fixed it. I asked her what was wrong with it, and she said that it was the Seat Safety Switch. She told me my bill was $255 for the 4 hours of labor and that it could have been more, but since they didn't switch the wire-harness that it saved me an extra $170. I told her this was unacceptable and that I had been told it was $59 + parts and that they hadn't informed me of changes. Then I asked her how long they had spent on it, and she said they had estimated four hours but that the guy had spent 2.5 hours of labor on it, and it would be another 2 if we switched out the wire-harness. I asked her why we would switch out the wire-harness if it was fixed. She said, to make sure it is fixed. So, again, I asked if I could speak to the person that actually worked on it, and she told me again, no, that I had no right to talk to them, and that I couldn't speak to the owner either, and that I would be wasting their time to do so. At this point, I was mad. I felt I had been pushed into a corner and taken advantage of. I got upset with her and told her that it was unacceptable and that I wouldn't pay more than $100 because they had spent two weeks on it and simply replaced 'My brand new seat switch from sears, with their used one, and now it worked. I asked her why it took that long to figure that out. She told me they never looked at it because I had already switched it out, with a brand new one. And that they just assumed the new one was working. I told her, I had made it clear, to her brother, the owner, that they needed to check that first. And, switching out the Seat Switch is a fifteen minute process. She blamed me for them not checking it first, because I had worked in it, before bringing it down there. And at this point, I was told it was $59/hour + parts. $59 an hour and $59 total are two different things and they made it clear before I went down there, it was $59 + parts total. But, after I got it down there, they made it clear it was $59 an hour. Interesting.

I actually called her back and apologies to her for getting worked up. I figured, maybe she had never been apologized to and that it might make her feel good.

Finally, I went down there and I had decided I would just keep my cool and just try to figure out a way to talk to the owner or someone else. Nope, she was the only one there with my bill, in fact, the owner was there but he hid out back the entire time. Finally, I looked at the bill and it wrote, $155 for 2.5 hours labor and 1 seat switch. (you have to remember, I had gone through one seat switch, which I had already purchase from them, and another brand new one from Sears.) She told me she could have charged me for the 4 hours of labor, though the four hours was a pure estimate and they had only physically spent 2.5 on it. I still wasnt sure what could have taken 2.5 hours, when the seat switch is a 15 minute deal. But, whatever, Then, she said I had bought the wrong seat switch. (the seat switch I looked up in the Manual and got the PN from the manual. It is the only seat switch in the manual, so really there is no way to mess that up.) but, I said ok, its my fault I understand, and so, I got out my checkbook and was about to pay her $155 and she told me that I had to pay cash. I said, it says on your sign right there that you accept check or cash. She said, I know, but your a disgruntled customer and when we have to deal with those, it becomes cash only. She told me that too my face. You have to realize, I was patient, kind, and I had not exploded on her, though I had wanted too. I had done nothing to deserve any of this. So, I paid her cash, got my mower, and left.

So, basically, after two and a half weeks, $155, three seat switches, being called a disgruntled customer, being told my bill was my bill and that I had no right, as a customer, to talk to the person actually working on my tractor, nor the owner. I got it home, and sure enough, it still doesn't work.

I've dealt with my fair share of poor customers and poor business, but I had never experienced anything like this in my life. It's up to you to do business with them, but be prepared to be caught with your pants down if you do. And, don't say I didn't warn you.

At A-1 small engine repair the labor is 47.95 on a push lawn mower plus parts. As you all know the customer must pay for thier parts on items they have repaired. This customer must not have listend very well or perhaps she should let her husband take care of repairs on the lawn equimpent. I have been at this place of business for the past ten years and dont have a bad thing to say. They are honest and very fair.

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Pre-owned equipment for salequality service low cost133860attr:service

A-1 Small Engine Repair is located at the address 600 Leonard st Nw in Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504. They can be contacted via phone at (616) 459-7058 for pricing, hours and directions.

A-1 Small Engine Repair has an annual sales volume of 0 - 500K. .For more information contact Randy Woderk, President

A-1 Small Engine Repair provides Commercial Services, Estimates, Maintenance to it's...