Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought a "deluxe" 28 in December 2013 and got to use it six times before it needed serious repair. The auger rake on the left side folded up against itself and jammed into the chute. I had to pry it out to see what was going on. At some point the shear pin finally broke. ( I have to assume it was after the rake bent up otherwise it wouldn't have bent) I contacted Ariens and explained that there was no way that the auger rake should fold up and that if the shear pin had served it's function there wouldn't have been a problem. Ariens response was that we must have hit something and that it's the owners responsibility to make sure that the machine only ingests snow. I told the rep (Greg) that all I was doing was blowing out the stuff pushed into the end of my driveway by the city plow. I asked if I am supposed to sift through every flake of snow before I use the blower to make sure it won't crumple up the auger. Ariens feels that the cheap materials that they use now as opposed to the materials they used to use when they actually made a quality product are acceptable. Only if you don't ever expect to use the machine to clean your driveway. Don't forget, this was even the deluxe model. If you are searching for a new snow blower don't base your decision on the reputation of the old Ariens company. The current one makes garbage and will not stand behind it. FOLLOW-UP After writing my initial review I was contacted by a third representative of Ariens. After several communications between him, myself and the dealer Ariens decided to pay for the parts and labor needed. He apologized for the problems I had with the other reps and said he still felt that his company does make a good product and wants to stand behind it.