Craftsman 6 horsepower Lawnmower - hard-starting problem - will follow not follow warranty service plan recommended by store Orchard Supply Hardware

Complaints.com received the following consumer message on March 12, 2002:

From: McDonell Roy [Email User]

Craftsman 6 horsepower Lawnmower - hard-starting problem - will follow not follow warranty service plan recommended by store Orchard Supply Hardware

I bought a new Craftsman 6 horsepower lawnmower from Orchard Supply Hardware last October. When we got it home, I followed all instructions on adding oil, and using fresh 91 octane gasoline. It started up on the second tug and I completed mowing our front yard that had newly planted grass ( approximately 8

weeks old .) Two weeks later I went to mow again, and it didn't start until 25 pulls. At was at this time that our neighbor brought his identical mower over and offered to let us use it.

His never had the hard-starting problem that mine had. Anyway, to make a long story short, it is now March and I have returned it to the place I bought it, because it takes btwn 35 - 40+ pulls to get it to start and I noticed the spark plug and wire were very corroded.

On an earlier event my wife had to hold the throttle back while I pulled, after I allowed the mower to 'warm -up' in the sunlight for several hours - a method that I'd resorted to in the past with a much older mower. With a two year warranty, I want to trade it in for a more expensive model because of the nature of this problem and the possibility that I may have a costly 'lemon.' So far Orchard has been good about dealing with this, even offering a loaner; however, the customer service person seemed unwilling to allow us to return it for an exchange. At this time, I will follow the warranty service plan recommended by the store.