"The "customer service" department is a joke…"

The "customer service" department is a total misnomer. The after sales support is woeful. I bought a Rider 27H ride on mower and it makes a quite unbelievable rattling noise when engaging the actual cutter - that is, if doing so doesn't stall the engine! I eventually managed to cope with this with some help from the selling agent.
However, I decided that I would like to try mulching my grass rather than collecting it in dry weather. I purchased a mulching kit (or so I thought) online - progressing from the actual mower to attachments and purchased the kit. Next day (good delivery service I admit) the kit arrived but it was the wrong one.
Despite a few phone calls (including to a manager - Josh - I was told vehemently that this was MY fault and that I had to pay for the return of the wrong part/kit before I could get a refund. Then to get the right part I had to pay again before they could send it out.
So - I had to pay twice up front, then accept that a return charge would be deducted from their refund for wrong item.
In the course of my telephone conversation I was advised that they were one of the biggest companies in Europe. That may or may not be correct BUT what passes for customer service is pathetic.
Why not simply deliver the correct item and collect the wrong item at the same time? Apparently "not company policy/practice"
First and last dealing with Atco!

"I brought a gt38hr May 2016 after 10 …"

I brought a gt38hr May 2016 after 10 days the safety cut out with broke after using it twice so went in for repair, it arrived with a damaged bonnet this took 5 months to replace, the celanoid in the starter motor went and the ignition had to replaced all within 12 months, I had it serviced in may this year used once and now the reverse switch has broken, customer service is non existence I'm still waiting for a call back from 2 months a go, the dealer came out and put the tow bar bit bak on with the lever to put it into push mode behind so can't even push it manually if needed, waste of money. 10/08/2017 UPDATED After speaking to Gary and listening to my concerns ATCO have replaced my Ride on with a new one.

"Extremely poor design and total lack of customer support"

I wrote the original review below on 20 April 2016, this was over five years ago, they never bothered to respond but are now asking for further information! Unbelievable!!!

I purchased an Atco Rider 28H Lawn Rider, this is a ride-on mower costing £1899.00. The owners handbook is useless and emails to Atco customer service go unanswered. This is probably the worst company I have ever had to deal with.

The mower itself is very poor and fails on one of its two primary functions, it does not collect grass properly. I cut my lawn yesterday and despite my going over it a number of times to collect the cuttings it failed to do so and just left them, there were no grass cuttings at all in the grass box, I do have a mulching kit but it wasn't fitted. The lawn looks a right mess and I will have to use a rake to collect the cuttings.

It is extremely difficult/almost impossible to get to the engine, even simple tasks such as changing the oil are a mammoth task as the oil drain pipe is situated well inside the engine cover and you need to be a contortionist to get to it, this even after removing various parts of the cover. It is virtually impossible to collect the old oil and most of it ended up on the drive. The battery is also situated in a very awkward place under the steering column, why?! It seems as though no thought whatsoever has been given to the design of the mower and the very considerable access difficulties to carry out even very simple maintenance tasks. I have yet to find the spark plug!

I have the version with hydrostatic transmission, the handbook shows a lever at the rear on the outside to disengage the transmission to enable the mower to be moved without starting the engine; I couldn't find this lever and eventually after a number of emails to Atco and the local dealer I was advised they had moved the lever and it was now right underneath the engine, it is extremely difficult to see let alone get to! In any event this "automatic" transmission isn't that effective and I would have been better off saving money and bought the manual version but I would never buy Atco again nor would I recommend them. I understand Atco also own Mountfield.