Kohler M20S won on ebay- 2nd UPDATE

[Nubian 3]

I won this engine on ebay (total including S&H $684.95)from one of our club sponsors, and upon recieving it the air filter assembly was apart and in pieces as was the carb nothing like it was pictured in the auction (bottom two pictures),I also noticed a rather large black gook resembling melted plastic, on the engine block between the dipstick and cooling fins,after cleaning it off it looks like a hole and a crack that were filled in and then patched over. Now prior to bidding I spoke to them on the phone and via email and was reassured that the engine did not need anything and ran good. I don't think an as-is clause should cover this. What do you guys think? I will be calling them first thing Monday morning.Here are some pictures UPDATE:Called them first thing today they requested pictures which were sent.Tim emailed me at the end of the day saying that I should have called them before scraping that gook offB). He was going to check why it was not noticed before and why the carb and air filter were taken apart. He is offering a partial refund if I wanted to keep it or if I just wanted to return it^. I chose a return with a FULL refund which would include S&H;). Will advise of final outcome. 2nd UPDATE: I am happy to announce the SEW has issued a FULL refund of the purchase price:D [img]/club2/attach/nubian/Picture 102.jpg[/img] [img]/club2/attach/nubian/Picture 104.jpg[/img] [img]/club2/attach/nubian/Picture 100.jpg[/img] [img]/club2/attach/nubian/Picture 106.jpg[/img] [img]/club2/attach/nubian/Picture 111.jpg[/img] [img]/club2/attach/nubian/Picture 112.jpg[/img] [img]/club2/attach/nubian/Picture 117.jpg[/img] [img]/club2/attach/nubian/Picture 119.jpg[/img] [img]/club2/attach/nubian/M20-49544-a.jpg[/img] [img]/club2/attach/nubian/M20-49544-b.jpg[/img]

[lboy1971 0]

They obviously didn't look the engine over very closely or they should've mentioned in the auction that it had been repaired. Now in their defense maybe it does run good although the carb doesn't look like in the bottom pictures. What did they start the bidding at? Did it have a reserve? If they started the bidding at $1 with no reserve that's one thing. I've sold some stuff on ebay and only had a couple problems. One time 1 of 3 packages,2 sets of wheel weights, didn't arrive with the first two so the guy got upset and the other time a guy didn't like the wear on a set of used chains I sold. I view ebay as like going to a regular auction. Once you buy it it's yours. So I always bid low incase things aren't as they seem. You should call them monday and see if something acceptable to both can be worked out.

[D-17_Dave 12]

I agree, I'd call them and see what they have to say about it. I'd ?? the fact that it didn't arrive in the same condition as it was shown and represented. Check their feedback, if they are straight up they will probably try to come to some resonable agreement.

[Ronald Hribar 91]

Was this the motor out of the Sunstar? Or was it the one out of a John Deere ? Maybe they got them switched around.

[Nubian 3]

I agree, if it was mentioned that it had been repaired that would be one thing but it wasn't and there were no pictures showing the repair.

[Nubian 3]

I did check their rating,and it was a good rating, but was I wrong to feel a sense of security in dealing with them since they are a club sponsor?

quote:

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Originally posted by D-17_Dave
I agree, I'd call them and see what they have to say about it. I'd ?? the fact that it didn't arrive in the same condition as it was shown and represented. Check their feedback, if they are straight up they will probably try to come to some resonable agreement.

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[Chris727 1,925]

That patch job is a sign that something pretty serious happened to this motor. It may have other issues that show up over time. Sounds like a bad deal to me.

[brooksdr 0]

I would bet the engine has no governor. It probably came through the block! If you payed with paypal I would file a complaint asap! What was the auction number.

[ambler 0]

Eddie, Don't let them slide. Its clearly not as advertised. Wasn't this company name changed a few years ago? I think it was Don somebody or other. Maybe an appeal to the top would help.

[Kent 435]

Since he mentioned Tim, I'm guessing his last name is Padgett, from SEW... Keep us posted...

[ambler 0]

Thanks Kent thats the name.

[BrianP 1]

I've dealt with quite a few sellers on eBay, and as of yet have not gotten "burned." I came real close though. I won a computer that had clearly been canibalized for parts and then re-assembled with improper components. It wouldn't even boot up completely. I contacted the seller via email, included pictures and the manufacturer's specs for the machine. I asked what his refund policy was, and we struck a deal for a replacement. New one worked fine, old one was picked up by UPS. However they took their sweet time in completing the swap out. I really sweated this one out, (they were not the greatest communicators), the swap took weeks, so I can sympathize with your situation. I usually check out not only their feedback, but how long they've been a member of eBay. I would also have thought being a club sponsor would enhance their reputation It certainly appears to me you got a bad deal with the engine you purchased. Of course, how the auction page was worded should be your ultimate guide...I steer clear of "as is" items or those with an opening bid "too good to be true". Hopefully the seller will stand behind it like the one I dealt with did. Recently, I won a BGB that was in "great condition" I got one needing one new gear, some seals, bearings etc. Even had some bits of metal lining the bottom of the case. My advise: Check sellers out carefully, (square deal certified is supposed to be a plus), and don't get caught up in a "bidding war." Also as other's have said, stay on their case about this if all else fails, I believe they have a dispute settlement area of eBay for situations like this.

[D-17_Dave 12]

Glad it all worked out for you. Minus the inconveniance part. I'm still waiting on a cyl. sleeve tool for better than a mounth now. Even w/ a good rateing sometimes things happen, but it hurts when you get something and it ends up being so much less than exspected.

[ambler 0]

Thats great Eddy. I know it doesn't make up for the disappointment of your plans for the engine.

[Morris 0]

Most eBayers are ok, but my experience with bad ones comes to two things...volume sellers who lose track of things...(I have 30.00 out of my checking acct. for a repair manual yet to arrive after 8 weeks) or occasional sellers who don't take the time to properly list and explain everything. The volume sellers have multiple employees and it isn't hard to see how mistakes can occur. The occasional sellers are worse; they don't always know how it works and leave out the most critical details. All in the luck of the draw, I guess.

[wasmeneh 0]

Hey Nube, What was the outcome with the ebayer when you contacted him? Mike I bought a large frame Ford Hydro on Ebay, the guy said hardly any rust. Well it had a homemade dash he didn't mention and the deck was rusted badly, as was a lot of the rest of the tractor. Towed my trailer 150 mile to pick it up and just about fainted when I saw it in person. The guy let me out of the deal when I pointed out the mistakes in his listing. He eventually refunded my money via Pay Pal minus his listing fee (I agreed to that) Live and learn. Mike

[wasmeneh 0]

Sorru Nube, Saw that you added the outcome to your original post. Good for you!!!!!! Mike

[JohnFornaro 38]

Ebay is totally caveat emptor. I bought a right hand lift lever from a guy. "Complete" the ad said. I didn't check the photos close enough. When it arrived, it had the lift lever with a jury rigged spring mechanism, the bracket that attached to the tractor, and nothing else. Probably 25% of the parts listed in the manual. So I guess "complete" meant completely what he was selling me. I just chalked it up to $200 tuition in the college of hard knocks. Don't let your desire to own something lead you to get something just because it's there, even if it is rare. It'll probably come around again. On the other hand, maybe a dozen of my other transactions went fairly smoothly. John

[Alpha8D 0]

Mixed results with ebay. I've had bad but just also had good. I bid on a set of 42" blades for deck this week and didn't notice they were right hand discharge. I need left. Seller kindly let me retract bid no problem.

[goatfarmer 817]

I bought one engine from SEW.It was a new vertical Vanguard 14HP.When it arrived,it was in a box twice as big as needed,with absolutely no packaging of any kind inside.You could tell the engine had been bouncing around inside the box.The crank was sticking through the bottom of the box. Fortunately,there was no damage to the engine. I emailed my concerns to them,about their shipping methods. I received a reply that basically said,thats the way we do it,if you want to pay extra,we will foam it in place. No more.

[Nubian 3]

Goatfarmer that's exactly how I recieved mine, except it was in a perfect size honda engine box but with no packaging whatsoever strapped to a pallet.

[KVANDY12 0]

I to have had good an bad exprences with E-bay. It sure is buyer beware now more than ever. I own a shipping and packing business, and can believe how poeple pack heavy thing to ship. And I ship a lot of stuff for people that sell on e-bay. anyway I'm glad you got your problem taken care of.

[PhanDad 3,531]

Looks like it's for sale again: http://cgi.ebay.com/Kohler-20hp-Engine-fits-Simplicity-Allis-Gravely-USED_W0QQitemZ7721762826QQcategoryZ66761QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[RayS 79]

It states that they are a member of Square Trade and you can bid with confidence.

[JoeJ 0]

[V]Sure is the same pics. And NO mention of that divet Eddy's pics show. Sure hangs a cloud over buying from them. Joe