What we will do to mow a lawn

So as we were moving away from our home in California we gave our lawn mower away. On one hand it was practically new and quite dependable, but would never have been anywhere near good enough to mow the yard we have in Texas.

So we moved here and decided to hire someone on. However to mow our 2.25 acres people wanted a small fortune. We went through three individuals who all decided to flake on us at some point. They would stop showing up and we would have to rush to find someone new while the rains caused the grass to grow at an amazing speed.

After the third individual stood us up we decided we had enough. We would mow it ourselves, so off we went to Lowes. Lowes has always been my fave home improvement store and I had purchased many items from them in the past with minimal issues. Here is the first place I faltered. I did not research my purchase beforehand. Normally when spending such a large amount of money on something I like to do a little reading on reviews, but this time I just wanted to get it over with. Our lawn was growing quickly and neighbors were asking questions lol.

So after looking at all the models and discussing it with the lowes employee and my father, we decided to go with a Troy Bilt Horse ride on mower. We also purchased an attachment to catch all the grass being cut. The two things were scheduled for delivery on a Sunday.

Sunday came and the attachment showed up, but no lawn mower. I was pretty upset as I  had intended to spend the rest of the day mowing. I called Lowes and after speaking with the manager we found out that the cashier had put the ride on mower as a carry out. So they said the best they could do was deliver the mower the next day. I accepted.

Monday the mower arrived. Enter the large paper weight.

I read the quick start guide and the instruction manual. I checked the oil and added fuel then I went to start it up. Nothing. Actually the only thing that did happen was the battery wire melting from coils under the seat. 

I called Lowes again. They apologized and told us they could bring another out on Wed. Later that day it rained (its Texas....sunny to rain then sunny again is normal). It continued to rain on and off the next few days. 

Wednesday came and they swapped out for the same exact model (as we had requested). We had to let the ever growing grass dry before I could mow. The next day we added gas then ran through all the start up procedures. It started! We were in business! I mowed about half of our front lawn which happened to be our priority at the time. It died unexpectedly and would not restart. Richard was at work, but thankfully John works from home. He pushed the mower back into the garage. I tinkered with it for a bit but nothing. Richard came home and spent the evening and part of the next day trying to trouble shoot it. However it seemed the issue was going to take more intensive work and I wasn't keeping this mower around as I had just bought it. 

So again we called Lowes. This time we made it clear we no longer wished to own this model or brand. They asked us to come down and pick out the other model then they would arrange for the swap. We picked a John Deere model that had great reviews and was a bit more money. Again I spoke with the manager who took down all our information and went to set up the delivery for the following Thursday. 

Thursday came and nothing arrived. Midday I called lowes and spoke with someone named Sherry at 2:39 pm on 7/9. Well she said she would look into it and call me back. True to her word, she did. Turns out they had no clue what I was talking about. The swap had never been set up and because I couldn't recall the managers name (apparently there is quite a few) she was unable to figure out what happened. 

Sherry asked us to pay the difference, fine. She then told me they could deliver next Wed. I explained that my HOA was getting antsy about our grass. That I was leaving to go out of town and needed this mower ASAP. She was then able to somehow get it out on Saturdays delivery date. 

Today is Saturday, 7/12. The John Deere was delivered and the Troy Bilt from hell removed. Richard proceeded to mow most of the front lawn, but we still have quite a bit of lawn to go. So far the Deere has preformed like a champ. Fingers crossed it continues to do so. 

Oh and all throughout this experience I was never once asked if I wished to buy a protection plan on any of these lawn mowers.... Lowe's in Bryan Tx really seemed to drop the ball. It makes me wish to shop at Home Depot in the future.