Just another update on the mower . . .
I called the dealer today and spoke with another manager who had to take my information down and call me back after he looked into what was going on. About 20 minutes had passed and he called back to let me know that they (techs) were just buttoning up the mower. I asked what was done to fix the mower and I was told that the deck was adjusted. I promptly interrupted the manager and explained what the problem was at that a simple adjust met would not correct my issue. He then said he would have to go talk to the techs and see what was going on. He said he would call me back shortly.
Of course I wanted to sit by the phone and await their call but I had things to do so I went about my day. A few hours had passed and I went back to look at my phone and had a voicemail from another person at the dealer saying that my mower had a bent blade and that I could call back and schedule a delivery. I called back and talked to a third person who explained to me that the original service adviser had remarked the work order incorrectly so when it first came it in just stated that the deck needed to be leveled. This is what aggravates me the most since I had an extensive conversation with the service adviser about the deck not being level in-between the wheels and I even included a handful of pictures of not only the grass after being cut but the blades in the middle of the deck not being on the same plane.
So then I start the conversation of what exactly is going on considering that a) the two blades when rotated manually did not result in any change in the difference of where they meet, b) I was not experiencing any vibration/shaking, odd noises, c) I was not getting a wavy cut from either blade and d) how likely is it that I would receive a mower with bent blades?
At the end of the conversation this is the "resolution" for the time being: due to my schedule and the forecast I will not be receiving my mower back until this Friday. Once it is delivered I am to take it right out to my lawn, which by then will be slightly overgrown, and mow a couple of passes to see if it is still cutting poorly. They did replace at least one blade but I am not at all confident that this will resolve my issue. If it still is not cutting properly, the driver is to then take the mower right back to the dealer and the Sales Manager and I will be having a conversation about what is to happen next.
Based on my little experience with mowers but having a decent understanding of geometry and mechanics, I still believe that the deck is warped/bent on top or one of the spindles is not seated properly. At this point I have already had the mower at the shop longer than I have owned it and very well could see it going back for the second time in just two weeks. If this is the case I will be refusing to keep the mower and will demand a refund.
This is just not a good start to my ownership experience!!
I will give an update at the end of week and hopefully all is well. If not, I will be back on the hunt for a new mower!