Broken Lawnmower guarantee query

retro:electro

Am asking this on the behalf of my mother. She bought a very expensive lawnmower under a year ago (€520) Last week my brother was mowing the lawn and hit a part of the lawn where there used to be a tree but still remains a small stub, and thus the lawnmower stopped working. On initial inspection my brother felt like maybe a bolt became loose and that's what the problem was.

We brought it back to the shop we got it from and they initially quoted my mother €100 to fix the problem. They then rang her a few days later and said it will actually cost €300 because it's a much bigger problem than they thought and it will need a whole new motor. They said that whatever my brother hit has damaged the motor and the shaft. Should this be covered by manufacturers warranty as it is still under a year old? Or are we out on out arses because my brother caused the damage so therefore the warranty is null and void?
Would appreciate any info. Thanks

mickdw

anna080 wrote: »

Am asking this on the behalf of my mother. She bought a very expensive lawnmower under a year ago (€520) Last week my brother was mowing the lawn and hit a part of the lawn where there used to be a tree but still remains a small stub, and thus the lawnmower stopped working. On initial inspection my brother felt like maybe a bolt became loose and that's what the problem was.

We brought it back to the shop we got it from and they initially quoted my mother €100 to fix the problem. They then rang her a few days later and said it will actually cost €300 because it's a much bigger problem then they thought and it will need a whole new motor. They said that whatever my brother hit has damaged the motor and the shaft. Should this be covered by manufacturers warranty as it is still under a year old? Or are we out on out arses because my brother caused the damage so therefore the warranty is null and void?
Would appreciate any info. Thanks

You can actually do serious damage by hitting a solid object with the spinning blade.
This is user damage and cannot be covered by warranty.
The warranty is not null and void as it would still be there for other defects that might need repairing but it simply won't cover this fix.
Its like crashing type car into a wall and asking dealer to fix it under warranty.

donegal.

unfortunately you're out on your ass.

its not guaranteed to be unbreakable. You're only covered if it stops working due to a manufacturing or design fault etc.

slimjimmc

No, manufacturer's warranties/guarantees cover manufacturing defects not owner's misuse. The warranty is not null and void, it's just that it can't be used for this problem or any future problem arising from this damage.

retro:electro

Ah I see, thanks guys!

delahuntv

I'd bring it somewhere else and get another quote - 300 seems very expensive


Possibly it's covered on house insurance.

ford2600

delahuntv wrote: »

I'd bring it somewhere else and get another quote - 300 seems very expensive


Possibly it's covered on house insurance.

Not to give you any hope but I'd have thought a shear bolt would be a good idea on a lawnmower I.e. a deliberate weak point in drive to protect the engine in event of hitting an immovable object.

In saying that I'm not aware of them on any make of lawnmower but they are standard on farm grass cutting machinery.

coylemj

delahuntv wrote: »

I'd bring it somewhere else and get another quote - 300 seems very expensive
Possibly it's covered on house insurance.

It probably would be covered as it's accidental damage but you'd be mad to claim for something as small as €300 off your household policy. For starters there will be an excess so the best you'd expect to get would be €200 and they will more than recoup that in increased premiums over the following few years, during which nobody else will quote you because you've had a recent claim.