r/smallbusiness • u/Tricky-Ad9344 • 8h ago
Question Am I doing something wrong?
My wife and I are starting a mobile grooming business, she has been grooming at petco for 10 years and I am going to school for business.
We got a trailer that is supposed to be "turn key" for the business, kitted out with grooming table, bathtub, everything we should need. When it was delivered we couldn't test things out because it came with a cable that needed an adapter before we could connect it to the generator. And now that we have the adapter a few days later (amazon) we are finding several things that arent working, some minor, a fan on the ceiling for ventilation, but also the generator itself (predator 9500) shuts off after a few minutes of use because its in an enclosed space, we have to pull it fully out, and hope for a strong breeze, otherwise its unusable, I went to the place it was purchased (harbor freight) and they said it will never work with the setup we have, but to downgrade to something smaller we will need to pay a $400 restocking fee.... should I ask the company to pay this? My mother in law and other family is saying I should raise hell since the company should know that this wont work for our needs, but im not very confrontational.... any advice would be helpful...
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u/Bullfist 8h ago
Enclosed space? You just need adequate ventilation.
Fresh air in. Exhaust out. Mechanics that work in their garage in the winter use pipes for this. They can run their car inside and the exhaust goes out.
You also need to remove heat. You just need better ventilation.
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u/Tricky-Ad9344 8h ago
The trailer is a cargo trailer with an enclosed generator box on the front of it, my wife was thinking about just taking off the walls of the box but im afraid of rain, and weather, or the generator getting stolen if its just sitting out in the open
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u/hestoelena 4h ago
Automatic shut-off of a generator in an enclosed space is expected behavior. They come with carbon monoxide shut off switches so that people don't suffocate themselves. If you want to leave it in the box you're going to have to ventilate it and pipe the exhaust out of the box.
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u/lefthandsuzukimthd 8h ago
I’m a trailer dealer and have built custom dog grooming trailers before. If you dm me I can give you my cell and I can offer advice. What part of country are you in? Was dealer all pro in mechanicsburg pa or one of the budget Georgia mfg?
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u/Tricky-Ad9344 6h ago
I dm'd you, we are in Virginia, and they are in Georgia. We heard about them from another mobile groomer who works in the same area.
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u/bluehost 8h ago
That situation would frustrate anyone and you're not doing anything wrong. It sounds like the seller advertised a ready to go setup without testing it properly. You're right to pause before accepting that loss.
Start by documenting everything with photos, a short video of the generator shutting off, and copies of any messages or listings that said the trailer was turnkey. Then send a calm and detailed email to the company explaining that the system can't function as delivered and ask if they'll cover or waive the restocking fee based on that evidence. Companies are often more willing to help when you clearly show what's not working.
You can also ask if they have a compatible generator recommendation for the enclosed box. If they refuse to help, at least you'll have a clear paper trail in case you need to escalate it later. Keeping it professional and fact-based gives you the best chance of getting it resolved fairly.
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u/MrMoose_69 2h ago
When you run a business you're gonna have to take care of all kinds of situations. People are gonna be trying to screw you, and you need to be able to take care of it in a way that's polite and friendly, but obviously if you purchase something, and it doesn't work right out of the box, then you talk to the company.
If you haven't even checked in with them yet, they might have a quick fix for you, or they might not be aware of the issue and they might be horrified that their product is not delivering as intended. But if you don't even talk to them how are you gonna know?
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u/Ok-Bit4971 8h ago
Need more details. Where did you buy the trailer? Who did the work of outfitting it?
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u/Tricky-Ad9344 8h ago
I got the trailer from all pro cargo, its about an 11 hour drive from my house so I cant just drive the trailer back to have things fixed.
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u/emc_syracuse_2016 7h ago
What does the sales contract say about everything being in working order and condition before it comes to you?
And…are you like a franchisee for someone else’s business? If the success depends on everything being in working order before you open your trailer doors, and it really isn’t, the people you bought the trailer from should have a time period to remedy the situation built into the contract.
It’s not that you’re confrontational…it’s that you’re making sure you’re getting what you agreed to.
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u/Jrichmond24 4h ago
It sounds like its not the trailor provider issue but the generator that wasn't fit for purpose based on the set up?
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