Don't Judge A Horse By Its Power

In my mailbox the other night was a post card indicating that I could receive up to $35 because the manufacturer may have misled me about the horsepower rating on a push mower I bought in 2003. This class action lawsuit allots up to $75 for a riding mower. Wow, I had no idea ... for the past seven years my mower has done a really good job of making grass short. But the defendants, who you can learn about at www.lawnmowerclass.com, and the plaintiffs decided to settle – and now I and every other schmuck who bought a lawnmower up to 30 hp between January 1, 1994 and April 12, 2010 can benefit. The guy who spearheaded this class action suit seems to be primarily driven by the fact that the defendants conspired to trick consumers into buying more expensive mowers, and then conspired to conceal their efforts. The defendants naturally deny any wrongdoing, but have decided to settle nonetheless, which is often the case in events like this. And now they're going to pay – and even people like me who haven't for one second felt victimized are going to benefit. That's the system. Here’s the kicker: In lieu of that $35 or $75 cash settlement, I and many others could simply be awarded an extended warranty; sounds like that’s up to a given manufacturer to decide. So “making this right†could fall on servicing dealers. How “extended†the warranty will remain to be seen. My guess is that mowers that are more than three years old will fall into the cash settlement category. Mowers still in warranty will be granted another year. What are your thoughts? ~ Gregg Wartgow, editor-in-chief Yard & Garden and PRO Magazine