# Ariens 24" SHO 921308 is a No Go!



## Vento

Received this 24" SHO snow blower today, unpackaged it and started the installation process. After installing the handle bars I went to move the unit forward and it would not budge. I should note that the unit was not running at the time. I then proceeded to move it backwards, and it moved just fine. However, I just could not move the unit forward. I contacted a nearby dealer and they told me that they have never heard of this before.

I continued the installation process for the chute/cables, which by the way is not very clear in the instructions on how to install it. However, with the help of Ariens customer care we were able to figure it out after about 10 minutes on the phone.

I proceeded ahead by reversing the unit into position since I could not push it forward, and poured some fuel into the tank. I started up the unit, put it into forward gear and it didn't move. I also started to hear some metal on metal banging. I put it in reverse and it still did not move. Put it back into forward gear, and it still did not move.

I called the dealer that I bought it from and they stated the sound was normal as it was a belt, and that I needed to adjust the drive shaft???? When does a belt make a banging sound???

When I got off the phone with the dealer, I rechecked everything tried to push the unit forward and it did not budge. However, I was again still able to push it backwards. I started the machine back up again, and this time a louder metal on metal sound took place and I saw a rod (drive shaft??) pop out from the side of the housing. 

I called the dealer I purchased it from, and they told me it's basically my problem to find a dealer and bring it to them for service. I can't believe the kind of customer service offered these days, especially when I just spent $1400 on a brand new machine that I am unable to use. So I left a message with Ariens, and we will see what they have to say. I will also report back with hopefully some answers.

ps

Something else I need to bring up with Ariens. I also noticed fuel dripping out of the gas cap as I was trying to maneuver the unit around. Are they selling lemons these days??? Do they have a QC department??


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## Kiss4aFrog

Welcome to the forum Vento 

What dealer did you buy it from that tells you you have to take it to another dealer ??


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## Vento

Kiss4aFrog said:


> Welcome to the forum Vento
> 
> What dealer did you buy it from that tells you you have to take it to another dealer ??


I purchased it from an online dealer.


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## Zavie

Welcome to the forum Vento. Please tell me that you put this purchase on a charge card. Use this to leverage satisfaction from your dealer and Ariens. I would absolutely not pay the charge bill until you have received an excellent working unit. Isn't the gas cap leaking a known issue? This is crazy, here you have good money paid for stuff like this, urgggg!!!! Isn't there someone else on the forum with a new SHO that has a leaking cap and a tiny fuel tank? The Ariens 24" SHO used to be on my stretch to buy love to own list, but I'd have to re-power it with a Briggs & Stratton so I could get a good engine.


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## liftoff1967

Vento said:


> I purchased it from an online dealer.


Wow. To bad you did not come to us *before* you made this purchase. Not a person on this forum would have green lighted this "on line purchase". All of us strongly believe to deal with a brick and mortar authorized dealer, and not even a big box store dealer. Now your stuck up sh1t creek with out a paddle.

My only suggestion is to reach out to Mary Lyn of Ariens, she is on this forum, and is an employee of Ariens Mother ship in Brillion WI, and see if she can help you. She is a great lady and has helped many on this forum. PM her your model and serial number. 
DO NOT LIGHT HER UP, this is not her fault. Be respectful, it will go a long ways. You get more honey from bees than vinegar. 

Maybe flip the blower on it's bucket (called the service position) take off the 6 bolts that hold the bottom cover on, and stick your nose in there to see if anything jumps out at you in the area of the friction disc (side to side silver looking disc) in relation to the drive wheel (front to back wheel with a rubber cover running the circumference of the wheel)

Good luck!!


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## UNDERTAKER

you could post pics or a vid of these problems that are presenting themselves unto you.


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## charley95

Sorry to hear your problem. I would be beyond livid. Hopefully you will get good support from Ariens.


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## Vento

Zavie said:


> Welcome to the forum Vento. Please tell me that you put this purchase on a charge card. Use this to leverage satisfaction from your dealer and Ariens. I would absolutely not pay the charge bill until you have received an excellent working unit. Isn't the gas cap leaking a known issue? This is crazy, here you have good money paid for stuff like this, urgggg!!!! Isn't there someone else on the forum with a new SHO that has a leaking cap and a tiny fuel tank? The Ariens 24" SHO used to be on my stretch to buy love to own list, but I'd have to re-power it with a Briggs & Stratton so I could get a good engine.


Hi Zavie,

I did purchase it with a charge card, and they are already aware of the situation. As for the gas cap leaking, I've done some browsing around, and it seems like others are having similar issues as well. In addition, I've found some other reviews with similar issues with the unit not being able to move.


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## Normex

Vento said:


> In addition, I've found some other reviews with similar issues with the unit not being able to move.


 Welcome to the forums Vento, would it be possible to give us the links to those reviews as we might get more insight to this problem. Thanks 
Good Luck


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## micah68kj

Boy. Ariens really seems to be taking it on the chin. I'd seriously think twice before buying a new Ariens. Maybe it's because ther are so many of them but this forum seems to be rife with complaints. I dunno....


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## Vento

liftoff1967 said:


> Wow. To bad you did not come to us *before* you made this purchase. Not a person on this forum would have green lighted this "on line purchase". All of us strongly believe to deal with a brick and mortar authorized dealer, and not even a big box store dealer. Now your stuck up sh1t creek with out a paddle.
> 
> My only suggestion is to reach out to Mary Lyn of Ariens, she is on this forum, and is an employee of Ariens Mother ship in Brillion WI, and see if she can help you. She is a great lady and has helped many on this forum. PM her your model and serial number.
> DO NOT LIGHT HER UP, this is not her fault. Be respectful, it will go a long ways. You get more honey from bees than vinegar.
> 
> Maybe flip the blower on it's bucket (called the service position) take off the 6 bolts that hold the bottom cover on, and stick your nose in there to see if anything jumps out at you in the area of the friction disc (side to side silver looking disc) in relation to the drive wheel (front to back wheel with a rubber cover running the circumference of the wheel)
> 
> Good luck!!


Liftoff,

I live in the Northeast right now and every B&M store has sold out of snow blowers, and didn't have any platinum 24" in stock. Trust me when I say this, that I called around before making this online purchase as I strongly believe in purchasing from a B&M. Also, the place I purchased this unit from is not Home Depot or Lowes, however I probably would have gotten better service than this dealer. I should note that in the process of calling around, I also found out that Ariens has stopped production of snow blowers and has transitioned over to lawn mowers, which is making it difficult to find one here. 

As for this person Mary Lyn, maybe she will see my email and hear my voicemail next week. I won't "light her up," because I won't be doing business with Ariens again, but I will give her a chance and see what she has to say.

Thank you also for suggesting the service position, but I am not going to start doing a diagnosis on this machine as I just want it taken away. Plus if I did that, all of the fuel will just drip out of the faulty cap.


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## Vento

POWERSHIFT93 said:


> you could post pics or a vid of these problems that are presenting themselves unto you.


Powershift,

There is no need to post a picture or a video of a snow blower that doesn't move.


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## Vento

charley95 said:


> Sorry to hear your problem. I would be beyond livid. Hopefully you will get good support from Ariens.



Charley,

I am disappointed in the fact that the dealer I purchased it from just pawns this off on me to find another dealer to fix this issue, and for them to just walk away smiling with my money. I am also disappointed that a machine of this value left the factory in this condition. There are obvious quality issues and they should be addressed especially when I have found reviews of similar issues.


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## Vento

Normex said:


> Welcome to the forums Vento, would it be possible to give us the links to those reviews as we might get more insight to this problem. Thanks
> Good Luck


Normex,

Please go to these links below to see for yourself all the issues people are experiencing with transmissions and gas cap leaks, and more...

Ariens - Platinum 30 customer reviews - product reviews - read top consumer ratings

Ariens - Platinum 24 customer reviews - product reviews - read top consumer ratings

Ariens - Deluxe 28 customer reviews - product reviews - read top consumer ratings


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## Vento

micah68kj said:


> Boy. Ariens really seems to be taking it on the chin. I'd seriously think twice before buying a new Ariens. Maybe it's because ther are so many of them but this forum seems to be rife with complaints. I dunno....



Micah, I won't buy another one. What makes me really mad is that the first name that comes to peoples' minds when it comes to snow blowers is Ariens. Yes, maybe they had superior products back in the day, but with some companies quality changes over time when they start to cut back costs, and as you can see we as consumers are left with products that are sub par for the price we pay. Even when my father was here he could not believe what he was seeing as he always says "Ariens wrote the book for snow blowers!" This doesn't seem to be the case anymore.... 

My original selection was the Husqvarna ST224, and by the looks of the machine and reviews this was the perfect machine for me. Whether I was going to have these same issues that I experienced with the Ariens is unknown because they were no longer available as they are sold out for the season. But I will tell you this, if they still have this model for the next upcoming season that is the machine I am going to purchase. 

I just made this thread to open peoples' eyes that they may not be the company they used to be. Do believe others negative reviews about the products they are currently releasing.


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## Vento

micah68kj said:


> I wouldn't fool with it either. I'd leave it outside and have the company come get it. That's pathetic. I feel for Mary Lyn. She's nice but boy does she have her hands full.


Micah,

It's currently assembled and ready at the end of the garage for someone to come pick it up. The dealer I purchased it from doesn't care of the situation, so who knows who is going to come get it.


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## micah68kj

You can bet if you stop payment on it someone will be knocking on your door. Hopefully it'll be your "dealer".


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## Vento

micah68kj said:


> You can bet if you stop payment on it someone will be knocking on your door. Hopefully it'll be your "dealer".


Micah,

I mentioned to the dealer that I would be opening up a dispute with the credit card company, and they told me "to go right ahead." Nice response, don't you think???


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## liftoff1967

Vento, First off,,,,,,, WELCOME to the forum. Lots of good people here willing to help as much as they can.

To bad you happened on this forum, as I'm *assuming *it is an act of desperation as I think you are staring down the barrel of another massive snow fall being there was no dealer around you that had inventory.

I do smell what you are stepping in, spending BIG money on one of the top of the line snow removal machines in the industry. I get that. I wanna stress that I really do!

However, this is a machine, built buy humans, and it sounds like it was shipped by humans (or gorillas being it was shipped to your home, as I deal with shipping claims day in and day out in my line of work) so there is allot of unknown variables that could have happened with this SHO 24 once it left Billion WI.

I once heard a wise mentor of mine state, "a lack of planning and forethought on your part does not constitute and emergency on my part". More specifically, what I'm saying is you made in impulse purchase, and you got burnt. 

I also under stand you not wanting to mess with this to try to fix your issue, but if your not willing to help yourself solve this issue, then why did you post your issue? Frustration would be my guess. 

Actually, I did see you post about bringing other "ariens issues to light" To bad those hand full of issues are over shadowing the thousands of machines that Ariens built. Maybe Ariens should have just left their production numbers where they where at, and not tried to help out you New Englanders (again assuming that is where you are at being you do not indicate in your profile) 

I have absolutely no association with Ariens, other than using their products since I was born from lawn mowers, to tillers, to snow blowers, and even snowmobiles, yes Ariens even produced snowmobiles.

In closing, I hope you get your issue resolved to your satisfaction, and I hope you stick around this forum to promote what ever product you get to replace your SHO 24.


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## Vento

liftoff1967 said:


> Vento, First off,,,,,,, WELCOME to the forum. Lots of good people here willing to help as much as they can.
> 
> To bad you happened on this forum, as I'm *assuming *it is an act of desperation as I think you are staring down the barrel of another massive snow fall being there was no dealer around you that had inventory.
> 
> I do smell what you are stepping in, spending BIG money on one of the top of the line snow removal machines in the industry. I get that. I wanna stress that I really do!
> 
> However, this is a machine, built buy humans, and it sounds like it was shipped by humans (or gorillas being it was shipped to your home, as I deal with shipping claims day in and day out in my line of work) so there is allot of unknown variables that could have happened with this SHO 24 once it left Billion WI.
> 
> I once heard a wise mentor of mine state, "a lack of planning and forethought on your part does not constitute and emergency on my part". More specifically, what I'm saying is you made in impulse purchase, and you got burnt.
> 
> I also under stand you not wanting to mess with this to try to fix your issue, but if your not willing to help yourself solve this issue, then why did you post your issue? Frustration would be my guess.
> 
> Actually, I did see you post about bringing other "ariens issues to light" To bad those hand full of issues are over shadowing the thousands of machines that Ariens built. Maybe Ariens should have just left their production numbers where they where at, and not tried to help out you New Englanders (again assuming that is where you are at being you do not indicate in your profile)
> 
> I have absolutely no association with Ariens, other than using their products since I was born from lawn mowers, to tillers, to snow blowers, and even snowmobiles, yes Ariens even produced snowmobiles.
> 
> In closing, I hope you get your issue resolved to your satisfaction, and I hope you stick around this forum to promote what ever product you get to replace your SHO 24.


Liftoff,

I appreciate what you wrote. I actually did know about this forum while doing research for my snow blower, and I will definitely stick around. As I've already stated the Husqvarana was my first choice as it had everything I needed and the reviews were great from what I read, but they like Ariens have already stopped production for this winter season. I could not find a local dealer nor could I get Lowes to ship me one as it would be coming direct from Husqvarna.

I also understand that there are unknowns here that "may have happened" after it left the factory. However, there was no damage to the package other than a small hole in the corner. I just don't think they test every single one of these units before they leave the factory, and that is an issue. Their QC department (if they have one) wouldn't know there was a problem with this unit not moving if they didn't test it.

Yes, I came on the forum with some frustration, but I also want people to know that Ariens may not be best especially when you see other issues people are experiencing as well. Let me say this, I was really excited to see the unit dropped off this morning but after the frustration dealing with it not operating and dealing with the dealer that excitement went away real fast. I have no problem spending money on superior products (I actually was thinking of getting the Honda 24" that is more expensive), but when they don't live up to what they are supposed to deliver then I am the first in line to make sure others know about my experience. Now I can't speak for Ariens customer service on this issue, but the dealer was definitely no help. I will wait for Ariens to contact me next week with anything they have to say, and I will report back with that.


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## Jackmels

When I hear these kinds of issues, it makes me Appreciate My Quality Built 1965 Ariens.


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## Kiss4aFrog

Vento said:


> Normex,
> 
> Please go to these links below to see for yourself all the issues people are experiencing with transmissions and gas cap leaks, and more...



In going to the link for your machine I come up with this: 
Overall rating:








(147 reviews) 










138 out of 146reviewers recommend this product.



If 138 out of 146 reviewers recommend the product, that doesn't sound like poor quality.

You received a unit that apparently has a problem with something jamming. It shouldn't happen but it does. I would call Ariens and also a local dealer and see if you can get some help explaining you purchased on line because you couldn't get one in person locally.
If both the local dealer and the company left you hanging I'd understand your frustration but it seems you're tossing in the towel a little early. Just my view of the ordeal.


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## CO Snow

Vento, why don't you tell us the name of the on-line retailer so that we can avoid it - even for parts orders.


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## Kiss4aFrog

Vento said:


> Powershift,
> 
> There is no need to post a picture or a video of a snow blower that doesn't move.



I'm pretty sure he's suggesting you pull the bottom pan so we can see what is and isn't moving to try and pinpoint what is causing the problem.
Understand you don't want to mess with it.


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## bkwudz

It sucks that your stuck with a machine you can't use, but obviously need if you live In the new frozen tundra, Massachusetts. And seeing how you need it, I don't see why you wouldn't pop the cover and see what the problem is. These Are quite simple machines using a design that goes back many years. Probably and easy fix or more likely and adjustment. 

I also belive these units are not designed to be set up by homeowners, a fair share of them require a little tweaking I would guess. I bet yours is something simple that the dealer would have corrected during setup, and something that you could correct quickly as well.

I too have a brand new Ariens, that had a problem, a bad weld broke and the chute fell off, right in the middle of clearing my property. Was I pissed, yes. But my dealer got me going within hours of it happening. And will replace the part when it gets in.

Did that sour me on areins, no. They are machines, built pretty much by hand, by regular people, in the great US of A. Crap happens and stuff gets by every day just like most of the stuff we deal with on a regular basis. You hear about more Ariens because they probably sell more than anyone. I have a 2104 GMC Seirra, I'm more unhappy with that, than my snowblower that broke.

I picked a great Ariens dealer who made my issue a non issue. And The lady from Ariens on here saw my post and contacted me to see if there was anything she needed to do with the dealer to make it right. Which she didn't because my dealer ROCKS.

However, even if my dealer was unable to fix me on the spot, I would have welded it myself while I waited for the part. I love my new snowblower, it does what it is supposed to with ease, it moves snow very efficiently.

Where are u located? If your machine is a quick fix, he'll, I'll buy from you, fix it and mark it up $400 and sell it tomorrow in this area.


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## gsnod

I've read this whole stream, and understand Vento's frustration with receiving a non-working unit. Yet, I also agree with a previous poster -- Vento waited until the season is well underway, and then could not find the machine in the local area. I wish he would have ordered the Husquavara, rather than bash a well respected vendor. I'm sorry to say that I don't think there is anything anyone can do to change his mind about Ariens products. His opinion is set, and those of us with Ariens Snow Thro's should enjoy our well working machines, as we at least try to keep them up and ready for the storms.


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## charley95

I bought a wheeled HS724WA [wheeled] and couldn't be happier. I got 28 years out of my MTD 24" Tecumpseh. I wouldn't even consider an MTD today.
Other than price, what do you like better about the Huskvarna over the Honda?
I know the Honda is the most expensive but, I'm 50 and wanted one that would be the last snowblower I would buy in my lifetime. Hopefully it will last many years. I bought mine from a local construction supplier who will hopefully give good service when needed. Hopefully you will get your situation resolved.
There is nothing worse than paying good $$ for a product and getting a second rate product.


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## Vento

CO Snow said:


> Vento, why don't you tell us the name of the on-line retailer so that we can avoid it - even for parts orders.


CO, I will not mention the name for now until this situation is sorted hopefully tomorrow.


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## Vento

Kiss4aFrog said:


> I'm pretty sure he's suggesting you pull the bottom pan so we can see what is and isn't moving to try and pinpoint what is causing the problem.
> Understand you don't want to mess with it.


I simply don't want to mess with anything especially if they come back to me stating I voided the warranty. This is the dealer's mess to resolve, not mine.


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## Vento

bkwudz said:


> It sucks that your stuck with a machine you can't use, but obviously need if you live In the new frozen tundra, Massachusetts. And seeing how you need it, I don't see why you wouldn't pop the cover and see what the problem is. These Are quite simple machines using a design that goes back many years. Probably and easy fix or more likely and adjustment.
> 
> I also belive these units are not designed to be set up by homeowners, a fair share of them require a little tweaking I would guess. I bet yours is something simple that the dealer would have corrected during setup, and something that you could correct quickly as well.
> 
> I too have a brand new Ariens, that had a problem, a bad weld broke and the chute fell off, right in the middle of clearing my property. Was I pissed, yes. But my dealer got me going within hours of it happening. And will replace the part when it gets in.
> 
> Did that sour me on areins, no. They are machines, built pretty much by hand, by regular people, in the great US of A. Crap happens and stuff gets by every day just like most of the stuff we deal with on a regular basis. You hear about more Ariens because they probably sell more than anyone. I have a 2104 GMC Seirra, I'm more unhappy with that, than my snowblower that broke.
> 
> I picked a great Ariens dealer who made my issue a non issue. And The lady from Ariens on here saw my post and contacted me to see if there was anything she needed to do with the dealer to make it right. Which she didn't because my dealer ROCKS.
> 
> However, even if my dealer was unable to fix me on the spot, I would have welded it myself while I waited for the part. I love my new snowblower, it does what it is supposed to with ease, it moves snow very efficiently.
> 
> Where are u located? If your machine is a quick fix, he'll, I'll buy from you, fix it and mark it up $400 and sell it tomorrow in this area.


BK,

It's great you have a dealer that is able to respond so quickly. I assume the way we have been getting all these storms here that most dealers have a back log of repairs to be done for all sorts of manufactured snow blowers. 

When it comes to these machines being built by human beings there is a point of quality control that needs to be looked at. I don't think anyone should say "oh this was built by a human being so I should expect a problem, and I know this in advance!" I think that is a bologna way of getting around the quality problems of a company. If you are more than happy with buying something of this cost only to expect issues than you sir can keep on doing so. I on the other hand do as much research as I want to when I buy something of this value and expect there to be no faults. And, if there are any issues I expect the seller or manufacturer to own up to this. So far the seller has not.

Congrats on your new snow blower that works for you. The one I have is waiting to be picked up by the dealer I bought it from, Ariens or possibly you....we will see hopefully tomorrow.


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## Vento

gsnod said:


> I've read this whole stream, and understand Vento's frustration with receiving a non-working unit. Yet, I also agree with a previous poster -- Vento waited until the season is well underway, and then could not find the machine in the local area. I wish he would have ordered the Husquavara, rather than bash a well respected vendor. I'm sorry to say that I don't think there is anything anyone can do to change his mind about Ariens products. His opinion is set, and those of us with Ariens Snow Thro's should enjoy our well working machines, as we at least try to keep them up and ready for the storms.


Gsnod, my friend from MA,

You do not know my situation but if you would like to know here it is. I recently purchased a home and with all the moving in stuff that needed to be done a snow blower was the last thing on my mind. That is until we got hit with all these storms. Although I am well fit, my body can only take so much of this shoveling. I tried to purchase the Husqvarna from a local dealer and they didn't have any. I purchased it from Lowes, and it was later canceled because there were no more being manufactured. 

So, I did more research and I narrowed it down to this unit and the Honda. If I am going to make a purchase like this, I am going to purchase a unit that hopefully lasts at least 10 years where I get my well spent money out of it. In addition, to my father stating I should buy an Ariens, the features in this unit appealed to more to me than the Honda (including the price). I called around and no one had this particular unit. In fact no one had a 24" compact or deluxe. Therefore, other than buying the 24" SHO on ebay (which I would never do), I purchased it from an online dealer. From there I think you know the rest. Hopefully you continue to use your Ariens to make a path out of your home. I will be shoveling.


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## charley95

If you buy another one, what makes you pick the Husky over the Honda?


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## Vento

charley95 said:


> I bought a wheeled HS724WA [wheeled] and couldn't be happier. I got 28 years out of my MTD 24" Tecumpseh. I wouldn't even consider an MTD today.
> Other than price, what do you like better about the Huskvarna over the Honda?
> I know the Honda is the most expensive but, I'm 50 and wanted one that would be the last snowblower I would buy in my lifetime. Hopefully it will last many years. I bought mine from a local construction supplier who will hopefully give good service when needed. Hopefully you will get your situation resolved.
> There is nothing worse than paying good $$ for a product and getting a second rate product.


Charley,

Congrats on the HS724WA it looks like a beast of a machine. I hope it works well for you. Do you have any comments for me that might persuade me into buying this unit?

I liked the Husqvarna better simply by the features I was getting for the money. I also liked the layout of the control panel a lot as well as the handle configuration. The unit also looks well built, and for the price I don't think you can beat it. By the way this is all going off pictures and reviews that I have seen.

I think that it's awesome you got more than 20 plus years out of your old unit. I was hoping to get just 10 out of this Ariens. Please leave some comments as to how you like the Honda.


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## Vento

charley95 said:


> If you buy another one, what makes you pick the Husky over the Honda?


Charley,

Please see my reply to your previous post.


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## loneraider

I love my Ariens deluxe 28 Its a good machine and I hope you get the issue with yours resolved very soon. I know you may not want to pull the bottom cover off your machine to see what the issue is but I Would.
It would **** me off so much that I would shut gas off tilt bucket on a piece of cardboard remove bottom cover and have a good look inside .Maybe something simple..I know you should not have these issues with a new machine & I feel for ya .Best of luck .


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## charley95

Vento said:


> Charley,
> 
> Congrats on the HS724WA it looks like a beast of a machine. I hope it works well for you. Do you have any comments for me that might persuade me into buying this unit?
> 
> I liked the Husqvarna better simply by the features I was getting for the money. I also liked the layout of the control panel a lot as well as the handle configuration. The unit also looks well built, and for the price I don't think you can beat it. By the way this is all going off pictures and reviews that I have seen.
> 
> I think that it's awesome you got more than 20 plus years out of your old unit. I was hoping to get just 10 out of this Ariens. Please leave some comments as to how you like the Honda.


Although I liked the extra features of the other brands I felt the Honda was a better quality unit. I have only owned the Honda for a couple of months. It has 1.5 more HP than my old MTD. It does an excellent job of cutting through the EOD slush left by the snowplows. Starts first pull every time. List is $2300 and my local dealer sold it to me for $2150. I just didn't like the idea of a Made in China engines on most other brands. It's not easy forking out over 2g's for an entry level 2 stage but, so far I think it's worth it.

I think the Honda is a heavier made unit over most other brands. I strongly feel the over all performance and quality of this unit is 2nd to none over the other brands. I feel that you can pay now or pay later by choosing the Honda. Electric start and light do not come with the 724. Keep this thread updated as to what happens with your Ariens.


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## charley95

One other thing that is annoying about the Honda is: The chute crank is mounted too low and the forward/reverse is placed on the wrong side of the control panel. These are just two design nuisances that I can think of.


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## Vento

loneraider said:


> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99aIQN5X6AE
> 
> I love my Ariens deluxe 28 Its a good machine and I hope you get the issue with yours resolved very soon. I know you may not want to pull the bottom cover off your machine to see what the issue is but I Would.
> It would **** me off so much that I would shut gas off tilt bucket on a piece of cardboard remove bottom cover and have a good look inside .Maybe something simple..I know you should not have these issues with a new machine & I feel for ya .Best of luck .


Loneraider,

Thanks. Do you mind telling me what this rod is that decided to work it's way out during start up?


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## Vento

charley95 said:


> Although I liked the extra features of the other brands I felt the Honda was a better quality unit. I have only owned the Honda for a couple of months. It has 1.5 more HP than my old MTD. It does an excellent job of cutting through the EOD slush left by the snowplows. Starts first pull every time. List is $2300 and my local dealer sold it to me for $2150. I just didn't like the idea of a Made in China engines on most other brands. It's not easy forking out over 2g's for an entry level 2 stage but, so far I think it's worth it.
> 
> I think the Honda is a heavier made unit over most other brands. I strongly feel the over all performance and quality of this unit is 2nd to none over the other brands. I feel that you can pay now or pay later by choosing the Honda. Electric start and light do not come with the 724. Keep this thread updated as to what happens with your Ariens.


Charley,

Thank you for your comments. One thing I liked the most about the Husqvarna and the Ariens was the chute controls. Although some may still like the old school way of turning the chute, I would rather have it on the control panel. Since I may now wait until August/September when the manufactures release their new units it gives me time to decide on if the Honda is the right one. If I do purchase it, hopefully I can get 10 or 20 years out of it. Heck, I may call a local dealer tomorrow if they are working to see if they have any available.


----------



## loneraider

Ariens 921038 (000101 - )Platinum SHO 24 Parts Diagrams for Swing Plate

Try this site .


----------



## fixer5000

Vento said:


> Loneraider,
> 
> Thanks. Do you mind telling me what this rod is that decided to work it's way out during start up?


thats what your problem is. i think theres a bolt and washer missing from the other side of the machine ( outside ) thats a driveshaft and yes you could fix that easily for sure with the right bolt and washer. flip it up and take off the lower cover to see whats bound up in there. slip it back in place and install the bolt and you should be good to go again.


----------



## loneraider

Its the swing gate support I think.. here a pic part # 6 has a shaft on top I wonder if its missing a clip on the other side
or a bolt that holds it in ( on the left side of your snowblower)


----------



## loneraider

Opps guess I was wrong ,,Well if its a driveshaft yes you could fix this yourself.


----------



## Shryp

I thought that rod looked like #8 on the first diagram.


----------



## Kiss4aFrog

From what I can see you would need to tip it up, pull the bottom pan and then push that shaft back into it's place on the right side of the case. From the diagram I just can't see what locks the shaft in place but I'd GUESS it's a bolt. Somehow it wasn't locked in properly leaving the factory. I could also be something as simple as a click pin since it doesn't need to rotate.
If you wanted to try and fix it.

What happened to the old MTD ??
.


----------



## liftoff1967

This is great help guys, now we are getting somewhere.

Vento, *if you want to dive into this*, I would imagine you will have to jocky around that gear assembly (#39) to get that rod back into place. What holds that all into that gear assembly, I have no clue, but maybe someone can chime in. My guess is some sort of pin fastener

Side note,,,,,,, I did fire of a private message to Mary Lyn of Ariens this morning, with the link to this thread, asking her to help out.


----------



## liftoff1967

Shryp said:


> I thought that rod looked like #8 on the first diagram.


I'm pretty sure it is rod #27 that is sticking out the left side (as standing behind the blower) on kiss4afrog's detail he posted.

Now that I look closer I think #8 and #27 are one in the same. Sorry for the confusion!


----------



## Kiss4aFrog

What would really be helpful is someones photo of their right side of that shaft in a working machine !!
Trying to find one on line but no such luck so far


----------



## Vento

liftoff1967 said:


> This is great help guys, now we are getting somewhere.
> 
> Vento, *if you want to dive into this*, I would imagine you will have to jocky around that gear assembly (#39) to get that rod back into place. What holds that all into that gear assembly, I have no clue, but maybe someone can chime in. My guess is some sort of pin fastener
> 
> Side note,,,,,,, I did fire of a private message to Mary Lyn of Ariens this morning, with the link to this thread, asking her to help out.


Liftoff, 

Thank you for sending a private message to Ariens. However, I will not be diving into this as I'm not going to mess around with it.


----------



## scrappy

Kiss4aFrog said:


> From what I can see you would need to tip it up, pull the bottom pan and then push that shaft back into it's place on the right side of the case. From the diagram I just can't see what locks the shaft in place but I'd GUESS it's a bolt. Somehow it wasn't locked in properly leaving the factory. I could also be something as simple as a click pin since it doesn't need to rotate.
> If you wanted to try and fix it.
> 
> What happened to the old MTD ??
> .


My guess is #8 is the missing bolt. Is there a parts description?


----------



## liftoff1967

Vento said:


> Liftoff,
> 
> Thank you for sending a private message to Ariens. However, I will not be diving into this as I'm not going to mess around with it.


Understand Vento, completely.

I was going to go into my garage and do as kiss4afroff asked for, but being your not going to mess with it, and it is 3 degree's in my garage right now I will sit tight. Maybe this spring I will do a video of this area when I do my end of the year service.

Are you willing to keep this blower if Ariens mother ship has a local dealer repair it? Just trying to get a feel for where you are at right now so Mary Lyn knows her course of action. 

Again, I'm not tied in with Ariens just trying to help Mary Lyn as she has helped me out when I was in a bid. Evening the score if you will.


----------



## Kiss4aFrog

scrappy said:


> My guess is #8 is the missing bolt. Is there a parts description?



Here you go: Ariens 921308 (000101-) Deluxe Track 28 Parts Diagrams for Friction Drive


----------



## liftoff1967

Vento, even tho you are not going to mess with this right now, I'm sure we will continue to work thru this issue.

Reason is in the event something like this happens to someone else and they end up doing a search and finding this thread, they have some idea where to start, and hopefully finish. Some of us here (myself included) get kinda anal about solving a problem/issue.


----------



## Kiss4aFrog

liftoff1967 said:


> I was going to go into my garage and do as kiss4afroff asked for, but being your not going to mess with it, and it is 3 degree's in my garage right now I will sit tight. Maybe this spring I will do a video of this area when I do my end of the year service.


If you get a chance later in the week to get a photo of that shaft please post it here. It might be helpful for the next guy coming along should his shaft come loose like this one did and also helps close the thread with an answer.


----------



## liftoff1967

Kiss4aFrog said:


> If you get a chance later in the week to get a photo of that shaft please post it here. It might be helpful for the next guy coming along should his shaft come loose like this one did and also helps close the thread with an answer.


Not gonna happen this week, unless I bring my blower along with me to Key West. 

That might get the locals down there talking,,,,,,,,,,,, I bet they would be step'n and fetch'n just trying to figure out what the he11 it is.


----------



## bkwudz

That is shaft 8, a small clip through a hole in the shaft holds it in place. Quite possible it was treated to some rough shipping and it popped out. If the clip is in there, it's a 10 minute fix. At some point that cover is going to have to come off to grease the machine, after the first 25 they recommend. I did mine yesterday. 

I understand if your not comfortable doing that kind of work. But if you did, you could be out blowing snow in 20 minutes.


----------



## Vento

liftoff1967 said:


> Understand Vento, completely.
> 
> I was going to go into my garage and do as kiss4afroff asked for, but being your not going to mess with it, and it is 3 degree's in my garage right now I will sit tight. Maybe this spring I will do a video of this area when I do my end of the year service.
> 
> Are you willing to keep this blower if Ariens mother ship has a local dealer repair it? Just trying to get a feel for where you are at right now so Mary Lyn knows her course of action.
> 
> Again, I'm not tied in with Ariens just trying to help Mary Lyn as she has helped me out when I was in a bid. Evening the score if you will.


Liftoff,

I don't know what's wrong with it, but from what I heard after starting it up I doubt it's going to look good. With that being said, I'm the kind of person that becomes hesitant to accept it again even if it is repaired. I don't know what Ariens is going to tell me, but I'm sure it's going to be that they want a local dealer to look at it. If something like this happens with any product, I would expect an exchange. 

Would you be satisfied if you purchased a brand new TV at say $1500-$2000 and find out it has a dead pixel or maybe two the very first time you turn it on? Then the manufacturer tells you this is normal as we allow for 5 pixels. I've heard this happen with people who purchase Samsung Televisions. By the way, this is not directed at you, but something that I feel should be exchanged out for a new one. So as of right now I just want it taken away.


----------



## scrappy

Well so much for #8, it's a grease fitting. 

It must be the clip #14. Should be a simple fix.


----------



## Vento

bkwudz said:


> That is shaft 8, a small clip through a hole in the shaft holds it in place. Quite possible it was treated to some rough shipping and it popped out. If the clip is in there, it's a 10 minute fix. At some point that cover is going to have to come off to grease the machine, after the first 25 they recommend. I did mine yesterday.
> 
> I understand if your not comfortable doing that kind of work. But if you did, you could be out blowing snow in 20 minutes.


BK,

It's not that I'm not comfortable, it's:

1. This is not my issue
2. I don't want to void any type of warranty, and have this backfire on me
3. I don't feel like emptying out the fuel that's already in the tank


----------



## bkwudz

This is the shaft, yellow arrow, The missing clip is the left arrow.


----------



## scrappy

bkwudz said:


> This is the shaft, yellow arrow, The missing clip is the left arrow.


Agree 100%


----------



## liftoff1967

Vento said:


> Liftoff,
> Would you be satisfied if you purchased a brand new TV at say $1500-$2000 and find out it has a dead pixel or maybe two the very first time you turn it on? Then the manufacturer tells you this is normal as we allow for 5 pixels.


Trust me, i'm not taking this personal, life is to short for that. We are just trying to help out the situation. That's the beauty of this forum.

To answer your question, would I keep the TV, He11 no. 

BUT if the Daytona 500 race was on in 6 hours, and I had a sh1t load of people coming over to watch the race, and I had some direction to try to fix it, I would take a shot at it, video documenting every frigg'n step of the way to cover my arse in case said TV mfg tried pushing it back on me as my fault.

Infact when I purchased this home brand new the plumber criss crossed all the down stairs pluming. The toilet was flushing with hot water. I called the builder, and a few days later the plumber showed up, dragging his dick in the sand as I called it, and fixed the issue. An extreme example I know, but I still kept the house.


----------



## fixer5000

thats the shaft with the grease fitting on the outside. just checked mine...sorry...id bet that clip is in the belly pan or you could get one from any hardware store


----------



## liftoff1967

scrappy said:


> Agree 100%


+one on this.


----------



## Vento

liftoff1967 said:


> Trust me, i'm not taking this personal, life is to short for that. We are just trying to help out the situation. That's the beauty of this forum.
> 
> To answer your question, would I keep the TV, He11 no.
> 
> BUT if the Daytona 500 race was on in 6 hours, and I had a sh1t load of people coming over to watch the race, and I had some direction to try to fix it, I would take a shot at it, video documenting every frigg'n step of the way to cover my arse in case said TV mfg tried pushing it back on me as my fault.
> 
> Infact when I purchased this home brand new the plumber criss crossed all the down stairs pluming. The toilet was flushing with hot water. I called the builder, and a few days later the plumber showed up, dragging his dick in the sand as I called it, and fixed the issue. An extreme example I know, but I still kept the house.


I appreciate the help, and I appreciate you reaching out to Ariens. I will report back with what they have to say, and what takes place after that.


----------



## Ariens Company

Vento said:


> I appreciate the help, and I appreciate you reaching out to Ariens. I will report back with what they have to say, and what takes place after that.


Vento -

I am sorry that you are having an issue with your snow blower, and I appreciate liftoff1967 letting me know of this thread. I also appreciate Kiss4aFrog's post on the rating of the Ariens machines as you can see that the majority of the users are happy with their machines. Unfortunately, it would be impossible to not ever have an issue with a new unit. Rest assured that Ariens stands behind their products, and we want to work with you to make it right. You don't have to feel sorry for me (as someone mentioned), as I enjoy working with you guys, and there are way more positive situations than negative.

Please send me a PM with your model and serial number as well as your contact information so I can work with you on this.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Mary Lyn


----------



## Vento

Ariens Company said:


> Vento -
> 
> I am sorry that you are having an issue with your snow blower, and I appreciate liftoff1967 letting me know of this thread. I also appreciate Kiss4aFrog's post on the rating of the Ariens machines as you can see that the majority of the users are happy with their machines. Unfortunately, it would be impossible to not ever have an issue with a new unit. Rest assured that Ariens stands behind their products, and we want to work with you to make it right. You don't have to feel sorry for me (as someone mentioned), as I enjoy working with you guys, and there are way more positive situations than negative.
> 
> Please send me a PM with your model and serial number as well as your contact information so I can work with you on this.
> 
> I look forward to hearing from you.
> 
> Mary Lyn


Mary Lyn,

I sent you a pm.


----------



## gsnod

Thank you Mary Lyn for your assistance with this issue. It's so very nice to know that the Ariens Company stands behind their products, and monitors these types of boards.


----------



## scrappy

I just have to say:

We did round up the _*Conestoga*_ wagons, figured out the problem. so some folks are like horses, can lead them to water and just don't want to drink. Thats ok. Always better to be self sufficient. One of the best managers I worked with always said to me in a time of need. "What would you do if your stuck in a desert?" the answer is simple, do what ever to get out.


----------



## charley95

Be sure to give us an update when you get this resolved with Ariens.


----------



## ih8thepackers

Just got done reading this thread,very interesting...this is why I come on here,all you guys always try to help out anyone on here with a problem..Facebook users should come on here see what its like.instead of posting what they had for dinner,or their baby just took a dump,or someone's ass they are going whip(who cares).I've posted threads on here numerous times, asking for advice,and always got it..well I know I kinda went off topic,but I thought I would chime in..


----------



## caddydaddy

ih8thepackers said:


> Just got done reading this thread,very interesting...this is why I come on here,all you guys always try to help out anyone on here with a problem..Facebook users should come on here see what its like.instead of posting what they had for dinner,or their baby just took a dump,or someone's ass they are going whip(who cares).


I'm on some Facebook groups where others do help solve problems. Maybe you are on the wrong groups! 
You should start a snowblower group on Facebook!


----------



## Kiss4aFrog

Better yet, just post a link to send the Facebook people who want help here. Just don't bring the selfie posting wing nuts with


----------



## Vento

charley95 said:


> Be sure to give us an update when you get this resolved with Ariens.


Charley,

I will definitely update the thread with any new information.


----------



## Vento

All,

The update after speaking with Tyler at Ariens is that they will not exchange the unit. I appreciate Tyler reaching out to me earlier this morning, but according to him Ariens can only reach out to a local dealer to get it serviced. Tyler called around and found a local dealer willing to take the unit in (most are very backlogged with repairs around here), but they wouldn't be able to pick it up for a few days. They then stated it would take up to an additional 14 days for a repair, which is already putting us into March (too long for me). This local serviceman even stated that if he were in my position that he "would not feel right with a unit in this condition even if it was repaired."

Although Ariens tried, their attempt is still unacceptable to me (maybe to some of you this is ok). I believe that Ariens should have reached out to the online dealer to rectify this situation. However, since there is nothing that can be done here, my credit card company will take over this mess. What I have learned from all of this is to never order a piece of equipment like this again from an online source, and to just be patient and work with a B&M dealer (even if I have to wait for the next season to arrive). 

Although some of you believe Ariens produces some of the most quality equipment in the industry, they certainly did not live up to my standards. In this situation, I believe both Ariens, and the online dealer are both to blame here and both are alleviating themselves from it by putting this on a local dealer. After the dispute is settled with the seller I will definitely report back as to whom the dealer is that I purchased this snow blower from.

There was one good thing that came out of this situation, and that was I got introduced to a local dealer that carries many brands of snow blowers. They were very nice and understand on the phone with me, and even willing to repair a unit that was not purchased from them. This customer service is what I look for in a company, and for some reason many companies don't care about customers these days. I assured them that I will definitely be visiting them later on in the year to purchase a snow blower from them. I also found out that they carry Husqvarna so they may just have the unit I was originally looking for when the next season arrives. Or I might just get the Honda. 

Thanks to all of you again for your comments, support and suggestions. I will be sticking around to learn more about newer models that might be arriving for the 2015 season. Stay warm everyone!


----------



## Normex

Vento said:


> - but according to him Ariens can only reach out to a local dealer to get it serviced.
> - This local serviceman even stated that if he were in my position that he "would not feel right with a unit in this condition even if it was repaired."


- Any company brand would react in the same way and not leaving the customer to perform a repair himself when there is a claim # pending with warranty issues and Ariens as expected is paying the local dealer to have the repair done.

- I would be weary of this local serviceman to assert himself in this way for a couple dollars in parts plus his time (probably 15 to 20 minutes), this unit will find its way back to a new owner and probably perform as supposed.

And lastly you are most definitively right by not dealing with online sales of this kind as service from a dealer is the other big half of owning these machines. Good Luck


----------



## bkwudz

What town are you in?


----------



## Vento

bkwudz said:


> What town are you in?


Why do you ask BK?


----------



## gsnod

Thanks Vento for closing the loop on this issue. It's good to hear that you've found a local small dealer to buy from, and that will allow you to get the unit you want! That's good, as you'll be able to try several and choose which one fits you best. Look in the fall, or late summer, perhaps during tax free weekend. 

Best of luck with the rest of our winter -- I know our machines (and bodies) are getting quite a workout these months.


----------



## Vento

gsnod said:


> Thanks Vento for closing the loop on this issue. It's good to hear that you've found a local small dealer to buy from, and that will allow you to get the unit you want! That's good, as you'll be able to try several and choose which one fits you best. Look in the fall, or late summer, perhaps during tax free weekend.
> 
> Best of luck with the rest of our winter -- I know our machines (and bodies) are getting quite a workout these months.


Appreciate the kind words gsnod.

I have no problem shoveling (going to the gym needs to serve a purpose), but this is getting out of hand already! Especially with people not being able to get around because of the MBTA. I'll start looking around August/September as I've heard this is the best time to pick one up. Is this true?


----------



## bkwudz

Vento said:


> Why do you ask BK?


Just curious, depending where u are I can point you to 2 top-notch dealers.


----------



## charley95

This pisses me off just hearing about this. Nothing like the customer being right. You spend $1400 for a snowblower that is junk right out of the box. 
Just what you want is to have to repair a brand new unit that cannot even be used. I would go all over social media and tell everyone how bad Ariens and the online dealer has not even cared about you the customer. Don't screw around with the Husky and get yourself the Honda. I bought my HS724 2 months ago and the quality and performance is second to none in my opinion. These big companies only care about the bottom line and out source their crap motors overseas so they can score a bigger incentive bonus at years end. 

I certainly hope you disclose the online dealer who cheated you so that we may all be forewarned. Your situation would make me feel I have been had by gypsies!


----------



## Vento

charley95 said:


> This pisses me off just hearing about this. Nothing like the customer being right. You spend $1400 for a snowblower that is junk right out of the box.
> Just what you want is to have to repair a brand new unit that cannot even be used. I would go all over social media and tell everyone how bad Ariens and the online dealer has not even cared about you the customer. Don't screw around with the Husky and get yourself the Honda. I bought my HS724 2 months ago and the quality and performance is second to none in my opinion. These big companies only care about the bottom line and out source their crap motors overseas so they can score a bigger incentive bonus at years end.
> 
> I certainly hope you disclose the online dealer who cheated you so that we may all be forewarned. Your situation would make me feel I have been had by gypsies!


Charley,

I appreciate you siding with me on this situation after knowing all the facts. I am, as well as my father (who was a believer in this brand), are both extremely disappointed in the outcome. However, I kind of had a feeling Ariens was going to go the route that they went, but I still wanted to hear them out. I will definitely let you know who the dealer is after the dispute is handled between them and my credit card company. It's so hard to believe neither Ariens nor the dealer want to take the blame and correct this situation the right way. If either of them stepped up and exchanged the product I would still be an Ariens customer. Now, I don't know if I'll ever buy an Ariens product again. But I do know I won't be purchasing anything from this dealer again. I will also make my friends, family and colleagues aware of what happened so they know in advance what they are getting themselves into.

Oh and there is no need to bash Ariens all over social media when this thread has over 4000 views already. 

Thanks again for your advice and support!


----------



## Ariens1976

Still a big believer in Ariens.


----------



## charley95

Ariens1976 said:


> Still a big believer in Ariens.


Yeah but, do you believe in how they treated him?? It's more or less a to heck with you we got your money now it's your problem attitude.


----------



## Vento

Ariens1976 said:


> Still a big believer in Ariens.


Ariens that's ok, you have a right to your own beliefs. I just wanted to share my situation and make people aware of it. I believe in many manufacturers I have purchased products from, and they in my opinion always stand behind their products. Maybe you've had great luck in the past, but sometimes companies/products/people change. 

Good luck!


----------



## Vento

By the way I should note that the people who know me know that I take great pride in the products that I select to purchase. Most come to me for advice and know that if it was good enough for me then it will be great for them as well. Do you think I just went out and bought a platinum edition without doing any homework? I could have easily selected their very basic snow blower but I didn't. I wanted something top of the line from them for me to have for years to come. But that will no longer be the case.


----------



## bkwudz

charley95 said:


> Yeah but, do you believe in how they treated him?? It's more or less a to heck with you we got your money now it's your problem attitude.


Sorry, but he bought an item that u don't buy from online dealer. Dealer should have made it right, but they didn't. His problem is a small clip fell out, could have been from getting bounced around in shipping, who knows how that box was treated.

I would have popped that cover off, and probably found the clip in there and had it fixed in 10 minutes. I understand him not wanting to, it's cool. But right now in New England, I need a snowblower. I would have fixed it without even callig the dealer. No one, not the dealer, or Areins would have known., or cared. That cover is made to come off as part reg maintenance.

Still a Areins fan here.


----------



## charley95

Vento said:


> By the way I should note that the people who know me know that I take great pride in the products that I select to purchase. Most come to me for advice and know that if it was good enough for me then it will be great for them as well. Do you think I just went out and bought a platinum edition without doing any homework? I could have easily selected their very basic snow blower but I didn't. I wanted something top of the line from them for me to have for years to come. But that will no longer be the case.


I will pay top dollar for a good product and take excellent care of it but it has to be a good product though. I would strongly suggest looking at the Honda's! My dad was a rep. for GM for many years and I always stayed loyal to the brand.
After owning many late model GM's I gave up on them. The day after X-mas. I bought a new Lexus and must say I am extremely impressed with their product. Time will tell and granted I will pay 2-3 time more for parts & service.
The overall quality so far is much better than any domestic I've owned. I hope to drive it for at least 10 years. Go to any GM related discussion forum and see what kind of trouble these guys are having with their new Vettes & Cadillacs.


----------



## pdesjr

I feel your pain.It,s unfortunate but as bkwubz stated it was a clip.I wish the local dealer could have done something else but that didn't happen. I think they dropped the ball. I still believe Ariens makes a great product. But as the saying goes sh*t happens. I hope you get the machine fixed and see what a great machine it is. Good luck


----------



## Prof100

Vento,

You have the patience of a saint. I would have wanted to reach through the phone and throttle the guy at Ariens that offered you a 2 week window of repairing a dead on arrival snow blower. It is akin to buying a new car at local dealer, getting in and it won't move and then the dealer says we'll fix it but the Service Dept. is busy and won't be able to get to it for two weeks. Opening a dispute with you credit card company seems to be the ONLY way to get this straightened out. Good luck.

Bill


----------



## charley95

The bottom line is the company should have authorized an exchange for a new unit. Like he said if they would have stood behind their product he would have had no problem. Typical greedy big business who could care less about the customer after the sale. Quit trying to sugar coat this inexcusable problem he is having. I bought a $750 Farm sink from Signature Hardware for a kitchen remodel. The first three came damaged and the 4th one they sent was finally not damaged. The point is, they stood behind their product and took care of me as a client. I will continue to do business with Signature Hardware. They want the customer satisfied!


----------



## Vento

bkwudz said:


> Sorry, but he bought an item that u don't buy from online dealer. Dealer should have made it right, but they didn't. His problem is a small clip fell out, could have been from getting bounced around in shipping, who knows how that box was treated.
> 
> I would have popped that cover off, and probably found the clip in there and had it fixed in 10 minutes. I understand him not wanting to, it's cool. But right now in New England, I need a snowblower. I would have fixed it without even callig the dealer. No one, not the dealer, or Areins would have known., or cared. That cover is made to come off as part reg maintenance.
> 
> Still a Areins fan here.


BK,

Nothing was wrong with the box other than some damage (fist size) in a corner towards the upper front of the machine. I even took a picture of it upon arrival just in case they blame the shipping company for any damage after I removed it. Actually when I talked to Tyler on the phone he mentioned my faulty leaking gas cap is due to damage incurred while shipping. This is hard to believe and maybe it's an answer for them to keep their customers still confident in their products while issuing a gas cap band-aid kit!

I'm glad you "would have fixed it." You don't even know what was heard when this unit was started up. I'm sure from what I heard, you would be at the dealer that day with it looking for parts or a repair. Or, just maybe you would be in my situation looking for a replacement unit. Also, if you read the entire thread you would have known why I purchased this unit online and not through someone local. 

Guess it's hard for some Ariens fan boys to believe that Ariens quality is not what it once was. Although something "may have happened" during transit, I found no damage or a clip that you are referring to near the unit when it was unpackaged. This is a quality issue in my opinion, and they should have done a better job in checking these over before releasing them to the public. 

Good luck on your Ariens journey!


----------



## Vento

charley95 said:


> I will pay top dollar for a good product and take excellent care of it but it has to be a good product though. I would strongly suggest looking at the Honda's! My dad was a rep. for GM for many years and I always stayed loyal to the brand.
> After owning many late model GM's I gave up on them. The day after X-mas. I bought a new Lexus and must say I am extremely impressed with their product. Time will tell and granted I will pay 2-3 time more for parts & service.
> The overall quality so far is much better than any domestic I've owned. I hope to drive it for at least 10 years. Go to any GM related discussion forum and see what kind of trouble these guys are having with their new Vettes & Cadillacs.


Charley,

This is all great information and advice. See, even you changed from being a "GM fan boy" due to their quality going downhill. Sometimes it's hard to let go, but it's possible that some of the Ariens' customers may feel the same affect in the next generation of products they release. Who knows, right? 

But I do like where this thread has gone, and with over 5000 views (can't believe it!), I'm sure some people will think twice about purchasing one of these units online. Maybe it's opened their eyes to Ariens customer care, if they have a warranty issue and Ariens may not stand behind their products....

Take care, and I will report back later on this year with a 2015 purchase, and maybe it will be that Honda.


----------



## Vento

pdesjr said:


> I feel your pain.It,s unfortunate but as bkwubz stated it was a clip.I wish the local dealer could have done something else but that didn't happen. I think they dropped the ball. I still believe Ariens makes a great product. But as the saying goes sh*t happens. I hope you get the machine fixed and see what a great machine it is. Good luck


pdesjr,

Please see my reply to BK. I hope the unit gets taken out of my garage as soon as possible, and not for a repair.


----------



## Vento

Prof100 said:


> Vento,
> 
> You have the patience of a saint. I would have wanted to reach through the phone and throttle the guy at Ariens that offered you a 2 week window of repairing a dead on arrival snow blower. It is akin to buying a new car at local dealer, getting in and it won't move and then the dealer says we'll fix it but the Service Dept. is busy and won't be able to get to it for two weeks. Opening a dispute with you credit card company seems to be the ONLY way get this straightened out. Good luck.
> 
> Bill


Prof,

I agree 100% with your comments. However, I believe in Karma more than loosing my patience these days. Instead of the online dealer rectifying this situation with me, they now have to deal with the credit card company.


----------



## Vento

charley95 said:


> The bottom line is the company should have authorized an exchange for a new unit. Like he said if they would have stood behind their product he would have had no problem. Typical greedy big business who could care less about the customer after the sale. Quit trying to sugar coat this inexcusable problem he is having. I bought a $750 Farm sink from Signature Hardware for a kitchen remodel. The first three came damaged and the 4th one they sent was finally not damaged. The point is, they stood behind their product and took care of me as a client. I will continue to do business with Signature Hardware. They want the customer satisfied!


Charley,

Exactly! I'm glad you got your farm sink situation corrected. This is what customer service is all about! I'm sure they took a huge hit on shipping costs (unless it was the shipping companies fault), but they made right in the end. We purchased a Kraus sink for our home and we couldn't be happier with it.


----------



## Vento

In my opinion, I believe this situation should have been handled in the following manner by either the online dealer, or Ariens to keep myself or any customer satisfied. I have worked with customers for over 10 years in a retail store, so I do know a thing or two how a customer should be treated.

I would have been very apologetic, and offered either a replacement unit that was fully assembled and shown to work before delivering, or just simply offered a full refund. I would have been extremely happy with a replacement unit, and an apology.


----------



## bkwudz

charley95 said:


> The bottom line is the company should have authorized an exchange for a new unit. Like he said if they would have stood behind their product he would have had no problem. Typical greedy big business who could care less about the customer after the sale. Quit trying to sugar coat this inexcusable problem he is having. I bought a $750 Farm sink from Signature Hardware for a kitchen remodel. The first three came damaged and the 4th one they sent was finally not damaged. The point is, they stood behind their product and took care of me as a client. I will continue to do business with Signature Hardware. They want the customer satisfied!


Since we are now comparing Areins to auto industry, when does a one problem with a new vehicle necessitate replacement of the whole vehicle...it doesn't. You take it to your dealer and get it repaired. 

Too bad he picked a suck dealer, that won't help him. Ariens got a dealer to try to help him. but it's a tough in the northeast right now

I also asked his location because he's in Ma like me. And if he was close enough i have a connection at one of the best dealers around. My neighbor is the VP, I told him the story, and he agreed it was crap that no one was willing to help him, especially the dealer. And as I told my neighbor that he was one of my good friends he said to have him call him if he was close enough, and maybe they could help him. But for some reason his location is a secret, The dealer is a secret too. 

It's obvious, He didn't come to this forum for help. Because we tried to help him fix it, and get some help. He only came here to whine about his situation and bad mouth Ariens. 

And the clip that fell out, won't be found in the box. It's under the cover.


----------



## Vento

bkwudz said:


> Since we are now comparing Areins to auto industry, when does a one problem with a new vehicle necessitate replacement of the whole vehicle...it doesn't. You take it to your dealer and get it repaired.
> 
> Too bad he picked a suck dealer, that won't help him. Ariens got a dealer to try to help him. but it's a tough in the northeast right now
> 
> I also asked his location because he's in Ma like me. And if he was close enough i have a connection at one of the best dealers around. My neighbor is the VP, I told him the story, and he agreed it was crap that no one was willing to help him, especially the dealer. And as I told my neighbor that he was one of my good friends he said to have him call him if he was close enough, and maybe they could help him. But for some reason his location is a secret, The dealer is a secret too.
> 
> It's obvious, He didn't come to this forum for help. Because we tried to help him fix it, and get some help. He only came here to whine about his situation and bad mouth Ariens.
> 
> And the clip that fell out, won't be found in the box. It's under the cover.


BK,

If you still live North of Boston it's no help to me, but thank you. 

You are almost correct when you say I didn't come on the forum for help. I came here to share my experience as well as get others advice and input. Never once did I bad mouth Ariens! But what I did do is state the facts that I was supplied with a lemon, and they or the online dealer will not take full responsibility for it. 

I've had nothing to complain about here with any of you. All the posts have been great, and it seems like this thread has become pretty popular amongst the forum. Also, I have clearly explained the entire situation, and I'm waiting on a resolution from the credit card company at this time. How is any of this bad mouthing Ariens??? 

If you would like to know the dealer I purchased this unit from then I can disclose that after all of this is over. Ariens indeed knows and they had the opportunity to call them and make this right. Anyway, it really shouldn't matter to you as you won't ever purchase this type of equipment online.


----------



## gsnod

I'm going to make one last comment on this series of post, which is that all parties involved (Vento, Ariens, and all of us) will be better off once this issue is resolved. Vento is better off, as he'll be able to get a unit that he likes and can (hopefully) be happy with. Ariens is better off, as they won't have a customer that is unhappy and seems to be challenging to satisfy. And lastly, we'll be better off as we can get back to helping each other fix/repair our machines, no matter what brand they are.

Now, where's that snow? Oh yea, it's about 6 1/2 feet tall in my yard!


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## Mad Suburban Dad

I feel Vento's pain about needing to go online to find a machine. I called every authorized Ariens distributor in eastern and central Massachusetts and machines were incredibly scarce anywhere within a 250-mile radius of Boston. Even Sears was selling out of the Craftsman units as far south as New Haven.

I ended up going online and even there, quantities were limited. Snowblowers Direct was backordered on everything besides the Toros and lower-end machines. I ended up buying a Deluxe 28+ (921037) from a dealer northwest of Chicago in McHenry, Ill. and couldn't be happier. I put it together in the dark in 4 degree weather and cranked it up the next morning. It's worked like a beast all week clearing 2+ feet of hard-packed powder. 

I noticed that some things were off (missing washers, decals misapplied, etc.) so I'm guessing that the rush of getting machines out of the factory is leading to some quality control issues. Those might have been easily caught if the machine was assembled at a store before arriving at the customer's door. That might have contributed to Vento's problem, and could be something that the factory may need to step up for the next big production push....


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## Kiss4aFrog

Welcome to the forum MSD 

Might not be the friendliest thread to step into for a first post but welcome and thanks.


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## gto4evr

I just caught up on this thread and I feel I just have to respond to the various comments here as well as multiple other threads shredding on the online purchases while elevating the local dealers to angelic status. Let me first state that I can acknowledge the importance of quality service, but I also place an even greater importance to value. In my case, the blower supply dried up around here instantaneously after our 6 ft storm blitz back in November (here in Buffalo NY). During my search, I ended up here on this great forum after chasing through various links bringing me to the backordered Ariens P30 SHO model online at PED (power equipment direct). Anyways, when they finally came back into stock in January and went on sale for $1567 (using the additional 2% off for personal check payment), I pulled the trigger. That was over a $500 savings from any local dealer price I could get. That’s $500 I paid myself for bolting handle bars on and setting up the machine. I don’t think any dealer could have put any more care into the initial setup beyond what I did with setting everything up, pulling covers, checking, greasing and adjusting everything. I’ve also had two very poor experiences with local dealers that make MY opinion of them exactly what many on here attribute to the "evil" box and online stores: Once they’ve got your money, go pound salt. So we all have our own experiences to draw from for our opinions. I don’t doubt that many of you have great dealers that bend over backwards for many of you, but I’ve had the exact opposite when dealing with them. I have had nothing but great experiences with PED and my issues with Ariens on missing parts and a leaking gas cap were handled by their service department promptly so I’ve got no complaint with Ariens either (other than the useless factory skids, and tiny gas tank design) and I don’t really expect that they can do much about that anyways.

Didn’t mean to hijack the thread but sounds like Vento’s done with this anyways and I had to get that off my chest. This site is awesome and I love the information and knowledge everyone throws out there to help each other out as evidenced in this thread. I come here to restore my faith in humanity!


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## Kiss4aFrog

charley95 said:


> The bottom line is the company should have authorized an exchange for a new unit. Like he said if they would have stood behind their product he would have had no problem.


I agree fully. If it was assembled properly this thread wouldn't even exist.
Ariens should replace the machine.

That said, it's one machine, one incident and there are a lot of happy owners out there. I don't think this shows a problem in quality control as much as one in customer relations.


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## Prof100

At the risk of blowing this thread off course I am going to tell you a decision I made regarding where I will buy my next vehicle. My wife is handicapped and needs hand controls. All car companies offer a $1000 reimbursement for installing handicapped devices. My wife's car was leased from company "A" dealer and they took care of everything including coordinating with Mobility company. All I had to do was sign a document assigning the reimbursement money to the dealer who fronted the money. I* had no out of pocket expense for the handicapped equipment. *

I then leased a new vehicle from Company "B." After signing the Company "B" minivan lease I had to transfer a scooter lift from my old van to the new. I had to take care of everything including fronting the $1000 and submitting claims to Company "B" to receive the $1000 reimbursement. *I won't see a check for 4 months. Nobody at the dealer or parent auto company is doing anything to improve the reimbursement time. I get apologies from the dealer and a clown show response from the auto company. *

Which company's vehicle will I buy when my wife's car is due for replacement?


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## AriensPro1128

I have a very small amount of experience in the retail world but have many decades of experience in customer service as I now work in an Info Technology department. Would Vento expect a new car if there was an immediate mechanical defect. He probably would but would he get one? Probably not. I am sure there is verbiage in the Ariens warranty that specifies its liability is limited to repair that he agreed to when he purchased the blower. He is in an area that has broken 140 year old snow records yet he expects to be treated as the most important person in New England There should be an online registry of people for for retailers to avoid. I would add Vento and Charley95 to it. Have I dealt with similar people at work? Yes. I am glad they are not my customers with their unreasonable expectations. Would I be happy? No! It's not a perfect world even with the best QC. I question if he is ever satisfied with any purchase. He also refuses to name the on-line dealer and town he is located in. There is no transparency with Vento. Some of the most expensive cars in the world also have the highest initial quality issues. Just my point of view. I am from Nh BTW but originally from Massachusetts.

Richard


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## charley95

Most important person in New England??? He just spent $1400 for something that doesn't work. I presume you have never been in this type of situation?
This is not a car,Ariens can afford to exchange for a replacement. I'm saying that they are not handling this right.


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## charley95

If you read post #92 I wrote on this thread you'll see that I had to get 4 sinks before Signature Hardware got me one undamaged. Why they would do this is beyond me. Maybe they cared about customer satisfaction? I even received a call from them to make certain I was satisfied with their product.Ariens could do the same but, they choose not to.


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## AriensPro1128

Charley95, I did read every post. There is a certain price point above which it is not reasonable to expect a new, replacement item. The $1,400 snowblower would no longer be 1,400. It would be two or three thousand dollars. You ad Vento are welcome to take your business elsewhere. I am curious as to how Vento makes out with his credit card company. They will not get the more from the Ariens Company but from the retailer if they side with Vento. I do not think they will BTW.

Richard


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## Kiss4aFrog

_"warning: we're now beating a dead horse but I can't help myself"_
Me too. 

It's not a car it's a snow blower and we all know that. So what any of us would do with a car really doesn't relate to Vento's case.
After all they don't sell you a car on line and expect you to do needed assembly and adjustments before use.

What makes me stand up for Vento getting a new blower is that had he not come here he would be the proud owner of a brand new $1,400 non functioning snow blower making horrendous metallic sounds when it's attempting to operate and won't go forward. Could be something simple or could be something really complicated and expensive. Might be repairable or might be a severe unrepairable defect. He's not going to know and shouldn't be expected to do the troubleshooting.

OK, he did give enough info we think it's a simple repair BUT . . . we all know if you pull that cover off it's almost guaranteed there's going to be some metal shavings laying in there from that gear and or chain grinding on or being ground against other parts inside that trans. Not his fault, you put it together you're going to try it, it's that simple.

So ... if you went to a brick and mortar store and bought *THIS* machine as new and found the metal shavings in the transmission and a little damage to the housing, gear, chain or ?? how happy would you be with your purchase ?? Wouldn't you want a new, undamaged one since that's what you paid for ?

As far as poor quality, it's one case, one machine. Most people come here because they are having a problem. It seems with Ariens owners who have problems almost all of them are happy to find out how to fix their machine and want to keep it because they're happy with it. That says a lot.


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## sscotsman

I just deleted one post from this thread..
(not a bad record! considering!) 

but one post wandered into speculation about another forum members motives and thought processes..that went into the realm of a personal attack..not acceptable.

this thread is fine, as long as the topic sticks to snowblowers, and not speculation about the the thinking or personalities of people involved.

thanks,
Scot


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## micah68kj

... But in Vento's defense I will add that if there is a dispute, there enters into the legalities of naming names. His complaint would probably immediately get tossed. I wouldn't talk at this point either. 
Ya know, maybe he *can* take the bottom cover off and poke around it there and replace the clip... If that is what it actually is. But, maybe it is something else and much more costly to repair. Everybody is at best speculating on the problem being the missing clip. So, he takes of the cover and there's nothing biut a pile of metal scraps? Has he voided the warranty? What does the warranty actually say? 
Another thing to consider... Not all of us are mechanically adept. There are some of you in here who have the tools and knowledge to build your own blower. Some of us don't know which end of a hammer to hold. 
Let this thing play out and we'll all know what happened soon enough.


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## charley95

AriensPro1128 said:


> Charley95, I did read every post. There is a certain price point above which it is not reasonable to expect a new, replacement item. The $1,400 snowblower would no longer be 1,400. It would be two or three thousand dollars. You ad Vento are welcome to take your business elsewhere. I am curious as to how Vento makes out with his credit card company. They will not get the more from the Ariens Company but from the retailer if they side with Vento. I do not think they will BTW.
> 
> Richard


I do think if any of us were in Vento's situation we would not be happy. I don't know about price point to replace as new but those sinks were $750 each and very heavy to ship. I'm sure that Arien's makes a decent unit and Vento just happened to be the unlucky one. I can very much relate to his trouble. I have had trouble with a lot of product through the years. If they only made 10 snowblowers in the world and they were the best of the best, the 1 out of the 10 that I bought would be defective. I have always had that luck with most higher end product I've bought but, not all. His situation hits home because I've been in his shoes many times. I deal with a lot of local business here in central Illinois and I must say there are about 50% I've dealt with that think they are doing you a favor just to do business with them.

Vento please buy the Honda, you won't regret it.


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## Mad Suburban Dad

AriensPro1128 said:


> ... Would Vento expect a new car if there was an immediate mechanical defect. He probably would but would he get one? Probably not. I am sure there is verbiage in the Ariens warranty that specifies its liability is limited to repair that he agreed to when he purchased the blower.


If a critical component on the car was broken to the point of the car being inoperable, and couldn't be repaired after repeated tries, then yes...he likely would have received a new car, or had his money refunded under Lemon Laws.

Unfortunately, getting the assembled blower to a dealer would likely have been a nightmare. 




> He is in an area that has broken 140 year old snow records yet he expects to be treated as the most important person in New England


This is a ridiculous and unnecessary personal slam. He paid $1,400 for a broken machine. I would have been absolutely rip---- if I was in the same position. 



> There should be an online registry of people for for retailers to avoid. I would add Vento and Charley95 to it. Have I dealt with similar people at work? Yes. I am glad they are not my customers with their unreasonable expectations.


Again...It's not unreasonable to expect a brand-new, $1,400 machine to work correctly. But...it's also not unreasonable to expect that some machines will have issues. That's a given.

Sure, things will go wrong occasionally. That's why it's also not unreasonable to expect a certain level of manufacturer/dealer support when issues arise. The online dealer (or a company rep) should have guided the customer through the process of getting the machine repaired or replaced. That's basic CRM and protecting the brand. The new machine sent out to replace a bad one costs less than the four you potentially lose from bad word-of-mouth advertising. 

All that said.....I had the opposite experience and despite a couple of extremely minor QC issues, I love my two-week old machine.


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## AriensPro1128

Mad Suburban Dad, we probably agree on the Lemon Law issue but Vento won't even consider a repair. As to my New England VIP thought. I was without electrical power from Thanksgiving eve through Thanksgiving night. My family had to relocate our Thanksgiving dinner. Sure, I would have liked to had my electrical power restored first but that was not and never will be reality. Most dealers will try to make existing customers happy first or service as many machines as possible in the shortest time frame. No hard feelings over your slam of my thoughts. Another poster would consider a TV with a certain number of dead pixels defective and return it immediately. Most screens come with dead pixels. Perfection costs money. The original poster would not even consider disclosing his location despite an offer from another poster to have it fixed by the dealer friend of another poster. It is impossible to satisfy some people. That is a fact of life. As someone in a service field, I would like to know that up front before I deal with a person like that. We will never know if it was a QC issue or something due to rough handling since it was an internet dealer. Sears is the only company that I know of that is both a retailer and repair facility. Unfortunately, there equipment isn't what it used to be. In fact, I think the Sears decision to switch to Chinese engines led to the demise of Tecumseh.


----------



## 1894

Side tangent , but I am curious if not for me , anyone else that may have to resort to buying online because the local dealers are sold out and can't get more in stock. 
What are the chances that the local dealer you want to buy from and use for service and repairs would accept delivery of that crate ? 150 - 200 $$ to the local dealer for them to set it up and treat you like you bought it from them ?


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## Mad Suburban Dad

1894, some Ariens dealers will service equipment regardless of where purchased. They're explicitly listed on the Ariens website in the "Where to Buy" section. I'm not sure whether the original poster knew this.

You'd probably need to negotiate directly with them to arrange delivery and set up (although setup really wasn't too hard at all, even with gloves on and in the dark.)


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## Mad Suburban Dad

AriensPro1128 said:


> Mad Suburban Dad, we probably agree on the Lemon Law issue but Vento won't even consider a repair.


Based on his previous posts, he contacted local dealers and the company directly to see about a repair. 



> As to my New England VIP thought. I was without electrical power from Thanksgiving eve through Thanksgiving night. My family had to relocate our Thanksgiving dinner. Sure, I would have liked to had my electrical power restored first but that was not and never will be reality.


Not sure this is the best analogy to illustrate your point. You were one of thousands of residential customers left without power. You're never going to be a priority, as service restoration happens first for public safety, hospitals, schools, major intersections, major commercial users...and THEN residential customers. 



> Most dealers will try to make existing customers happy first or service as many machines as possible in the shortest time frame. No hard feelings over your slam of my thoughts. Another poster would consider a TV with a certain number of dead pixels defective and return it immediately. Most screens come with dead pixels. Perfection costs money.


There's a massive fundamental difference between a few pixels short of perfection and spending $1,400 to buy a brand-new broken machine. The TV works, the blower doesn't. 



> The original poster would not even consider disclosing his location despite an offer from another poster to have it fixed by the dealer friend of another poster. It is impossible to satisfy some people. That is a fact of life. As someone in a service field, I would like to know that up front before I deal with a person like that. We will never know if it was a QC issue or something due to rough handling since it was an internet dealer.


Your blame in this situation is horribly misapplied. If it was damaged in shipping, then the OP should have flagged it and refused shipment, and then the internet dealer or freight company should have handled it. Period. If there was no resolution there, or if it was determined that a fastener was missing, it should have escalated to Ariens, which should have directed him to a local dealer to pick up the machine and fix the issue. 

There are multiple points of failure in this whole deal, and no one is entirely blameless -- but the OP is out $1,400 for a machine that's essentially an orange lawn ornament, and Ariens has a dissatisfied customer with a horror story to tell. No one wins.


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## charley95

Hey Vento, Do you have an update on this yet?


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## Vento

charley95 said:


> Hey Vento, Do you have an update on this yet?


Ariens (Mary Lyn, Mike and even Dan the CEO) are working with me to resolve this issue. I will report back when all is finalized, but things are looking up.


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## knu2xs

Vento said:


> Ariens (Mary Lyn, Mike and even Dan the CEO) are working with me to resolve this issue. I will report back when all is finalized, but things are looking up.


That's good to hear...........

Sitting out in my garage is a 2013 Ariens Zoom42 XL and a 2014 Ariens Platinum 24 SHO 
that I love, but reading your post makes me feel a little more pride in being an Ariens owner.

Sometimes the difference between being a good company and 
a great company is going that extra mile for your customers.


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## Normex

+1 on that and this is all possible with this great forum here whether for venting or for assistance.


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## Mad Suburban Dad

Vento said:


> Ariens (Mary Lyn, Mike and even Dan the CEO) are working with me to resolve this issue. I will report back when all is finalized, but things are looking up.





knu2xs said:


> That's good to hear...........
> 
> Sitting out in my garage is a 2013 Ariens Zoom42 XL and a 2014 Ariens Platinum 24 SHO
> that I love, but reading your post makes me feel a little more pride in being an Ariens owner.
> 
> Sometimes the difference between being a good company and
> a great company is going that extra mile for your customers.


Great news, and definitely reassuring that the company is standing by the product. That's why I bought an Ariens...


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## charley95

This is good to hear. I hope Ariens stands behind their product for you and possibly regain your confidence.


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## loneraider

++++1 
Nice to hear were heading in the right direction with this. 
Hopefully you'll be doing this soon. This pic was taken a couple of days ago.


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## AriensSnowman

knu2xs said:


> _Sitting out in my garage is a 2013 Ariens Zoom42 XL_ and a 2014 Ariens Platinum 24 SHO
> that I love, but reading your post makes me feel a little more pride in being an Ariens owner.


How do you like the Zoom mower? I'm looking for a new 60" zero turn this spring (if it ever comes) and the Ariens Max Zoom 60 is supposed to be the same as the Gravely.


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## knu2xs

AriensSnowman said:


> How do you like the Zoom mower? I'm looking for a new 60" zero turn this spring (if it ever comes) and the Ariens Max Zoom 60 is supposed to be the same as the Gravely.


 I have no complaints after two seasons of use.


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## charley95

Any word yet Vento?


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## Vento

All,

Thank you so much for taking the time to follow the thread, and adding suggestions/support throughout it. Today I received my snowblower back (the original one, and not a replacement) from Manny over at Hillside Lawn & Farm Repair. He picked up the snow blower on Wednesday, fixed the unit and got it back to me today. He even installed some new poly shoes for me!  I now have a local dealer who is extremely polite, and trustworthy. He will definitely be servicing this unit from here on out.

Manny described to me that the issue was pins that came undone from the shaft that needed to be put back into place. He said no damage occurred, and reassured me of this. He looked over the machine and made sure it was ready to go. He also replaced the leaky gas cap with the service kit that was sent over night to him by Ariens. 

I have to thank again Mary Ann for reaching out to me, and following up with me throughout this process. I also want to thank Mike and Tyler in technical support for all their help. A special thanks also goes out to Mr. Ariens for providing excellent customer service in the end.

Overall, Ariens came through and gave me their word that they would take care of this situation, and indeed they did. I now having a working snow blower, and I feel confident that it will remain working for a long time!

Take care everyone and I hope some of us (including me) learned a lesson from this situation.


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## CO Snow

Now will you tell us the name of the online retailer so we can avoid it?


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## Vento

CO Snow said:


> Now will you tell us the name of the online retailer so we can avoid it?



Sorry, it was Speedway Sales & Service


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## Kiss4aFrog

The better business bureau has them in good standing and a rating of "A" ??

Speedway Sales, LLC Review - Lawn & Garden Equipment & Supplies in New Berlin, WI - BBB Business Review - BBB serving Wisconsin


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## CO Snow

Kiss4aFrog said:


> The better business bureau has them in good standing and a rating of "A" ??
> 
> Speedway Sales, LLC Review - Lawn & Garden Equipment & Supplies in New Berlin, WI - BBB Business Review - BBB serving Wisconsin


But 2 negative customer reviews and 1 negative vendor review.


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## charley95

Glad to see that you got it resolved. Hopefully you'll get some snow to chew up with it. Let us know how you like it.


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## PixMan

Given how busy Ariens would be at this time of year, combined with the HUGE demand for snowblowers that they just can't keep up, the service you got is OUTSTANDING.

That speaks volumes to me about the two I just bought, though I know my local retailers who I bought them from (City Power Equipment, Charlton MA and Gauvin Supply Co., South Grafton MA) will stand behind the sales and "run interference" for Ariens should I have any issues.

This is why I buy locally and support the mom & pop stores of all kinds...so they will be there when I need them. I do buy a lot of tooling for my machine shop on eBay and other on-line suppliers, but only when I know it's a "one time, single use" product of high quality which will need no local support.

I stay out of the "big box stores" whenever possible, though I know from the business I'm in that those big distributors are the ones who move a lot of product and get your name out there. That's why Ariens has to do it; if they don't, there's a long line of competitors who will.

There's value in selling through them, though for me, little value in _buying_ from them.


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## sscotsman

Vento,
great to hear it all worked out in the end! 
thats excellent..

give us a report on how it works in its first outing with snow! 

Scot


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## liftoff1967

Sorry for being a johnny come lately, but I was MIA for a while.

Glad to hear everything was worked out to your approval!


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## Loco-diablo

Vento said:


> All,
> 
> Thank you so much for taking the time to follow the thread, and adding suggestions/support throughout it. Today I received my snowblower back (the original one, and not a replacement) from Manny over at Hillside Lawn & Farm Repair. He picked up the snow blower on Wednesday, fixed the unit and got it back to me today. He even installed some new poly shoes for me!  I now have a local dealer who is extremely polite, and trustworthy. He will definitely be servicing this unit from here on out.
> 
> Manny described to me that the issue was pins that came undone from the shaft that needed to be put back into place. He said no damage occurred, and reassured me of this. He looked over the machine and made sure it was ready to go. He also replaced the leaky gas cap with the service kit that was sent over night to him by Ariens.
> 
> I have to thank again Mary Ann for reaching out to me, and following up with me throughout this process. I also want to thank Mike and Tyler in technical support for all their help. A special thanks also goes out to Mr. Ariens for providing excellent customer service in the end.
> 
> Overall, Ariens came through and gave me their word that they would take care of this situation, and indeed they did. I now having a working snow blower, and I feel confident that it will remain working for a long time!
> 
> Take care everyone and I hope some of us (including me) learned a lesson from this situation.


What? No hat? You deserve one of those fancy Ariens snow caps some folks here have been getting! 

Seriously, I glad to hear it all worked out. Now that a proper service tech has gone through it, i'm sure you'll be good to go!


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## fixer5000

its all good...now it wont snow again till next year lol secretly hoping this will be the case


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## Vento

fixer5000 said:


> its all good...now it wont snow again till next year lol secretly hoping this will be the case


Yes fixer, I hope we don't get anymore snow and that the snow blower can stay warm in the garage!


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## Vento

Loco-diablo said:


> What? No hat? You deserve one of those fancy Ariens snow caps some folks here have been getting!
> 
> Seriously, I glad to hear it all worked out. Now that a proper service tech has gone through it, i'm sure you'll be good to go!


Loco, I'm just glad I have a snow blower that moves now.


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## liftoff1967

Loco-diablo said:


> What? No hat? You deserve one of those fancy Ariens snow caps some folks here have been getting!


You mean a hat like this one?


I told Mary Lyn of Ariens I would take this photo for her this weekend. Doubt the island of Key West ever seen a hat like this one.

Side note, I had a nice email conversation with Mary Lyn, telling her how impressed I was that even Mr. Ariens himself got involved. Guess he takes stuff like this pretty personal. Here is part of her email : I am lucky that Dan Ariens agrees how important it is to work with the customer to take care of their issues. 

Needless to say I'm impressed they pulled this off with all the snow and repair backlog going on in your region.


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