Last night we brought you the story of two farmers stuck with farm machinery still covered by warranty they say is faulty.
Frustrated and facing serious financial issues, the men have turned to Federal Member for the New England Tony Windsor for help.
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It amazes me that you do not get a balanced opinion before going to air on these stories.
Warranty covers failures due to faulty workmanship and components. It does not cover abuse, miss use, or normal wear and tear. Warranty repairs also do not cover things such as oil and travel. A customer has to accept that there will be a cost and the warranty agreement they sign acknowledges that the customer is aware of this.
My experience with most suppliers and dealers is that they will bend over backwards to help their customers because it is a business with an extremely high level of repeat customers. If you treat them badly then you will not have a business left. If you are going to look at who is really getting a raw deal how about the import agents for cheap Chinese built tractors who offer no spare parts, no service or support and machines that do not comply to Australian standards and the real dealers out there are mopping up the mess.
I agree with Natalie who has made a measured comment. Australia is already a highly regulated country. The proposal that farmers be treated as consumers when they are buying machinery for business purposes is missing the point. Manufacturers’ warranty are more than adequate for these businesses’ requirements. My experience is that farmers have the intelligence and business acumen necessary to make choices about the machinery they want to buy and will choose the manufacturers who they think best provide the support. Getting protection from a nanny state will only result in the cost of the machines going up. That surely cannot be good for the farmers.