Hello,
My parents bought our kids the F150 Black Truck last Fall. There is a one year warranty on it.
We took it out of storage a couple weeks ago. After about a week of driving, it started acting up. Wouldn't go in reverse. Then quit driving forward too (about 10 minutes after the reverse quit.......) So we called. They said we had 2 options. 1: We could drive an hour and a half away and pay $50 to leave it at a service center. They would fix it and IF the problem was under warranty, we would get the $50 back when we picked it up. 2: We could wait 2 to 3 days for an email with a mailing label and send a certain part (includes a wire so we would be DISABLING the vehicle permanently) with a copy of the receipt to the company and get a refund check. Of course we choose the second option. BUT, today was the 3rd day and I didn't receive the email....... I tried calling and they are closed (of course......)
So, my question is: Has anyone else had to do this???? Send in for a refund? Did you have any trouble GETTING your refund?
We were a little put off by the fact that had this happened a couple months later, they would have done NOTHING! We are unable to get a part for it because they said they don't sell parts! (My husband took it apart and found what is wrong and it's just a small part we need to fix it!) So if we would have missed the 1 year mark, my parents would have been out $300! Not to mention, our little boy has been very sad since his truck broke. He would ask to drive it and we would remind him it was broke so then he would ask if he could just go look at it.........
Since we will be (supposedly) getting the refund, we did go and get him a new one. (I wasn't going to but my parents really wanted them to have another one.) Now I"m just really worried that in 13 months we/my parents may be out $300 since PowerWheels won't sell parts............. HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD ANY ISSUES???
PS> When my husband called the warranty/service center the guy was EXTREMELY rude. And my husband usually has WAY more patience than I do with these thing. He actually hung up on the guy! Which never happens........ The 1st lady he talked to at PowerWheels suggested calling the service center. Either way, we had to hang up because he had to run out to the shed to get some numbers off the truck for them to start the process of a refund. The 2nd lady I talked to at PowerWheels was really nice and apologized about the guy.
Thanks.
Marda- It WILL take another 6 to 8 weeks for the ACTUAL refund. I was supposed to get an email with a shipping label (NOT pre-paid) just with the address within the 2 to 3 days. AND I was just saying that HAD it been after the warranty that they REFUSED to sell ANY parts. The lady said they don't do that! So IF it would be after warranty, MY only option would be to DRIVE 1 1/2 hours EACH WAY TWO TIMES and PAY for the service center to TRY to fix it.......... PLEASE READ THE WHOLE THING IF YOU ARE GOING TO REPLY. And I was just asking a question. No need to be that way with me~! You are the one who chose to answer my question.
SB- I actually did call Walmart. That is where it was purchased. They said if it was more than 90 days that they would not take it back as the company wouldn't give them credit then. The "warranty" must go directly through the company...... THANKS for thinking of that too though!
Fometoz- I don't even know what tweeting is....... If I don't get anywhere when I try calling them again next week I may have to figure it out! THANKS!
I was going to say yes when I saw your title. I assumed you had the same problem I had which was my kids trying to run me over.
I had a small problem with one of them but they shipped me the parts to fix it right away without a charge.
My sister bought my son a black Cadillac Escalade back a few years when they first came out. We used it maybe a half dozen times in the summer, stored it for the winter and when we pulled it out the next year it was broke.
The new battery, that we hoped would fix it was $75...we bought it, it didn't fix the problem and our 1 year warranty had expired.
What a waste. I was irritated beyond belief! It sat broken and unused in our garage until a lil' old man came around asking if we had anything electrical he could have to tinker with (sweet man, lives in out neighborhood, retired and bored) we gladly handed over the darn thing and told him to have fun with it.
My sister was pissed.
We have a Power Wheels 4 wheeler for my oldest and it works great. We bought it used, so it is actually about 4 years old. We did have to buy a new battery, but that is the only thing we've had go wrong. Make sure that you store it without the battery attached.
FYI: When we buy bigger ticket items, say over $100, we buy the extended warranty. This has come in handy more than once!
I have heard they are not an easy company to work with from other parents. I would do one of two things. Google the part and see if you can find it. You may not find the "power wheels" part, but you'll probably find a compatible piece. My hubby repairs things this way all the time. I would also try returning the truck to where it was purchased. If it's still under warranty they may be willing to exchange it for you, depending on the company. It's worth a shot.
I was just listening to a story on NPR about tweeting. Why don't you tweet about the problem and tag the company and ask them to help you express your dissatisfaction. See what happens! Companies are starting to understand the impact of social media on their reputation and seem to be pretty responsive.
I suggest that 3 days is not too long to wait for a refund. Most places tell you up front it's 4-6 weeks. I'm not saying it'll be that long. I am suggesting that you're getting yourself all worked up for nothing.
What if it had happened after the warranty was out. Huh! Why are you concerned about that. It did not happen after the warranty was out.
Relax, be patient. Did you look up the company on the Better Business Bureau site? Perhaps that'll help you calm down. I just googled power wheels and learned it's a Fisher Price product. Fisher Price is a responsible company who will do as they say. They've been around for years and years.
