Cub Cadet Lawnmowers Are Crap!!!

I wrote and sent an angry letter to the Cub Cadet Company today.  Cub Cadet isn't even really a Company anymore, just a brand name (that used to signify a quality product) that is slapped on lawn and garden machines so they can generate a premium price.

This damned lawnmower has been the bane of my existence the for the last three years.  Alycia's Dad got it for us as a gift and I think that it was just a lemon, a dud, a bad mower, perhaps one possessed by evil spirits, it's hard to tell.  It performed so poorly I'm still partially convinced that it was a joke lawnmower, bought by Alycia's Dad at some gag gift store online to play a prank on me (if so it was a magnificent prank).

On the one hand this mower has caused lots of wasted time and energy and generated significant amounts of John-angst-rage, but the positive thing that has come out of it is that Alycia and I have decided to finally get an electric lawn mower. I'll post more information on the new lawn mower once it gets here and after it (hopefully) demonstrates its' awesomeness.

Here's the letter I sent to the Cub Cadet Company.  The letter won't do anything, it was just a cathartic expression of my anger at the countless hours spent trying to get this damned mower to work.  Regardless, it felt good to write it and send it. 

To Whom It May Concern,

I received a Cub Cadet walk behind, self propelled lawn mower three years ago as a gift from my Father-In-Law.  My initial happiness at the gift quickly turned to disbelief at the mowers performance and over the last three years has morphed into outrage and anger.  This lawn mower has NEVER worked correctly and Cub Cadet products in my opinion are complete and utter pieces of crap (I apologize for the language but since I know this e-mail won’t result in any substantive changes, it serves merely as a vessel for me to vent).   The only reason I keep trying to make this mower work is not only because I don’t want to litter (by throwing it off a cliff), but also because I don’t want to hurt my Father In Law’s feelings since this was a gift from him.   

The mower constantly stalls, sputters, and refuses to run.  I’ve spent near $300 (equivalent to the purchase price of the mower) on tune-ups, repairs, and other attempts to fix it over the last three years, all to no avail.   I’m not sure what the problem is or why the mower doesn’t work, but this situation has me frustrated and angry beyond belief.  

Since this item was a gift, I don’t have the warranty information or a receipt, and as such have never been able to make any headway with your customer service department over the telephone.  I have taken the mower to every repair shop in town that services Cub Cadet’s and each repair shop tells me that the necessary repair wouldn’t be covered by the warranty anyways.  I’m tired of throwing money down the drain and I’m profoundly disappointed by your product, your service providers, and your corporate customer service department.

I’m only one person and I realize that my opinions or anger don’t mean much to a large company such as yours, but please know that I will make every effort to communicate my experience with your product to my friends, neighbors, colleagues, fellow gardening enthusiasts, and everyone on the Internet.  I am an avid gardener and blogger and will make every effort to let other folks know that I think Cub Cadet’s are pieces of junk and make every possible overture to dissuade them from every buying a Cub Cadet product.  At a recent Garden Club meeting in my area, during a roundtable discussion of “What was your biggest gardening mistake?”, I informed the 35 or so people that the biggest gardening mistake I’ve ever made was getting within 20 feet of a Cub Cadet, they are unequivocally pieces of crap.  

Please consider this letter as my last ditch appeal to you to make this situation right.  I don’t want anything free.  I don’t want money.  I don’t want a coupon for 10% off my future purchases of Cub Cadet equipment (there will NOT be any).  I don’t want a referral to an authorized service shop in town.  I want this lawn mower to work.  Period.  I want you to make the situation right. 

I can be contacted at the e-mail or phone below:

Angry Regards,

John (last name redacted)