ATV Info & Consumer Guide
Don't take 'no' for an answer
The thing with ATVs is that they, sometimes, come with faulty parts. This is not a unique situation to only the ATV industry. It happens…period. A juicer could come with faulty parts and the same goes with a table lamp or a piece of apparel. Sometimes we get a bad ATV…that's it.
Mike Thompson, as interviewed by Action 9, felt that he was shortchanged when his five-year-old ATV. This is the same vehicle he bought some time back and he uses it very often. During one of his expeditions, the ATV won't budge from first gear. Thompson took the ATV back to the manufacturer, Honda, to get the parts replaced. Apparently, the ATV came with problems that had nothing to do with him but had everything to do with the product itself. After a quick check, it seems that the model of ATV he bought came with two recalled parts, the shift plate and the A arm…and Thompson did not get any notification about the recall. Hence, he continued to use the ATV without much ado…until the recent problem.
Thompson received a ‘no' as an answer when he told the Honda manufacturer that they should cover for the repair. This is true because the problem is a direct result of the faulty parts and irregardless of the length of time that the ATV has been use, the manufacturer should replace the parts without arguments. The bill came up to $256….not a big amount but not a small amount either.
The user knew it wasn't his fault because the problem wasn't a result of normal wear and tear and he was adamant about the fact that Honda should cover for the repair, so he persisted because he is a loyal Honda customer.
His persistence paid off when Action 9 got in touch with Honda representative and finally the representative agreed that the manufacturer should replace the parts.
So, if you're dealt a pair of unfair cards when you purchase your ATV and you end up with a less than perfect ATV, don't hesitate to push your point across. When it is not your fault, it's not your fault. Therefore, there should be no reason why you should settle for a faulty ATV when you should get a top quality one because you paid the price for one.