Kids not allowed at Tractor Dealership?

[dave1949]

I want to start by saying I agree with you about they should be well behaved and stay by their parents. Now for what I don't agree with. I am aiming for a learning experience. A farm kid needs to be involved at a very early age if they are going to be a contributing member of the family farm. They only have so many chances of being involved in the purchasing process. How much equipment does a typical family farm buy before the kid is 18. I think you would be surprised how well behaved most farm kids are if they are actively participating in farming. Again I think you miss the point of my previous post. If the kids are misbehaving you ask the parents to control their child. If they continue to misbehave you ask the family politely to leave. If I was at the dealer and I saw an employee ask parents to remove well behaved children I would tell the dealer they will not be getting my business and leave. Because that is not a dealer I want to have a relationship with.

I suppose I didn't say it quite right.

Well behaved kids should always be welcome. If they are with their parents and paying attention, as opposed to running loose, yes there are lessons to be learned. To maximize those lessons, it would be good to explain beforehand why you are going there and what you hope to accomplish. That gives the child some insight and expectations. Later you can talk about what happened and why or why not, and what you plan to do next.

Of course, the lessons have to be tailored to the age of the child. It doesn't matter if you are looking at lawnmowers or 100 hp tractors, a parent can engage a child at their level and make a learning experience out of it. Treat kids like thinking beings and they will become one.

I bet you know that, but I am just giving some examples for clarity.

My comments aren't aimed at farm kids, just kids in general. And the idea applies to many places a child would go with a parent, not just tractor dealerships.

 

[crazyal]

I think the other issue here is that how many people shopping for tractors at the dealer are actually farmers? How many people on this forum are actually farmers? (I am not) The problems with children that most on here are referring to are not actually problems with "farm" children typically. From what I have seen, most "farm" children have learned respect at an early age. The real question is (as many have eluded to) how to you set a policy that separates the good from the bad. How do you tell one family that their children are not welcome as they are looking over at another family standing there with 3 children and nobody is saying anything? If a family is not able to raise well-behaved children, they probably also can't distinguish the difference between their children and the others, and feel that they aren't being treated fairly.

I do agree that there should not be a blanket policy that indiscrimately prohibits children, it is just difficult to figure out how to handle different families with different circumstances.

I've been around here for a while now. I can remember a heated discussion about someone getting their brand new CUT delivered and the dealer used chains to tie it down instead of straps. To half here it was no different than throwing paint on the Mona Lisa while the other half couldn't understand where the problem was. To them why wouldn't you use a chain, it's stronger than a strap. Most of the dealerships around here that sell CUTs don't have real "farm tractors". They sell to people who have a garden, not crops. They sell to people who are looking for high quality lawn mower that can do more. To them looks matter. They are spending a heck of a lot more than the riding mower at the box stores would cost them. They may even wax them on a regular basis.

Just read through some of the posts in the tractor sections. You will always find a thread from someone who is upset because of a cosmetic flaw. Dealers see this, they know who are buying their products. I've thrown a couple of hypotheticals out there but the fact is we do not know why each dealer is different than another. One dealer near here has all of their tractors behind a fence. You can't easily get to them. You would have a very hard time testing one out. I'm guessing they put them their for a reason and are willing to deal with moving several tractors so one can be brought out for a demo.

 

[ultrarunner]

Point well made... many do not farm and the target market in advertising uses terms like estate tractor or shows how useful a small tractor can be with a few horses around.

If a significant portions of your business caters to Gentleman Farmers that would almost always include the spouse/family

My Grandfather, a dairy farmer didn't have to ask any one's permission to buy equipment he needed to run his operation efficiently.

I think for a lot of us a new compact tractor in the driveway without a word/permission from the spouse would lead to much grief...

In my case... I wanted to showcase the Dealer to my brother and his family... who also own 3 horses.

The experience was not what I had expected and in fact, had the opposite outcome... especially from my sister-in-law's prospective and in a perfect world there could have been a future sale down the road...

 

[daugen]

There have been many articles on the challenges of parents with kids with true "issues" like autism, or its relatives.
Parents want their kids to grow up experiencing the normal world, and I hope they do.
But have a half hour screaming and throwing fit in a restaurant? Don't the other folk there have some rights too?
The dealer has rights also. When the local kids from the Lancaster area go into Messicks, hard to believe many of them would misbehave,
other than wanting to touch everything, which is totally normal. But I don't have "farm kids" in my area anymore.
Many of you don't either, and I think we all see the results. It's all about manners and respect. But let's give a four year old some slack, but let's also not let him run wild.

btw, once upon a time, that four year old would be a future farmer of America...

 

[3v0]

ultrarunner. Why is it fair to judge the dealership based one what might have infrequent or one time event. You mentioned you liked the father but not the son. What is the reason behind the dislike and how deep is it. Could that be the true motivation here and you see this visit as the straw that broke the camels back? Were you looking for something like this to happen.

 

[txdon]

I want to start by saying I agree with you about they should be well behaved and stay by their parents. ..... If the kids are misbehaving you ask the parents to control their child. If they continue to misbehave you ask the family politely to leave. If I was at the dealer and I saw an employee ask parents to remove well behaved children I would tell the dealer they will not be getting my business and leave. Because that is not a dealer I want to have a relationship with.

Well behaved stay, misbehaves leave - good policy until they are both on the property at the same time and are of different races.

 

[Gator6x4]

I am beyond being appalled when parents start looking at tractor, truck or automotive sales locations as just another theme park for their children.

Children should not be allowed to play on equipment unless the parent has them under constant supervision and allowing them to play on their own equipment. I do not want the neighbors children playing on my equipment for several reasons, one being they could seriously injury themselves or accidental fall and seriously injury themselves. Reason two is the liability issue. Someone is going to get sued when a child is seriously injured and the medical bills start arriving.

Now the biggest reason, when it comes down to whose side a jury would take in a child versus adult civil suit. I think the answer is a no brainer.

If this makes me sound “anti-child” I am not. I just do not think an individual or a business owner should have to expose themselves to a potential civil issue just to placate some parents urge to provide something new and different for a child to play with.

 

[kiotiken]

I am beyond being appalled when parents start looking at tractor, truck or automotive sales locations as just another theme park for their children.

Children should not be allowed to play on equipment unless the parent has them under constant supervision and allowing them to play on their own equipment. I do not want the neighbors children playing on my equipment for several reasons, one being they could seriously injury themselves or accidental fall and seriously injury themselves. Reason two is the liability issue. Someone is going to get sued when a child is seriously injured and the medical bills start arriving.

Now the biggest reason, when it comes down to whose side a jury would take in a child versus adult civil suit. I think the answer is a no brainer.

If this makes me sound 殿nti-child I am not. I just do not think an individual or a business owner should have to expose themselves to a potential civil issue just to placate some parents urge to provide something new and different for a child to play with.

Couldn't disagree more. Cars, trucks, tractors, boats etc. are in the showroom for people to touch and feel. I wouldn't let my kids disrespect the dealerships property, but I make no apologies about them enjoying getting up on them, even though we're not likely to buy it. How often does anybody go to a dealership for no reason other than to sit on a tractor? Never, you're either in the market for a tractor or you need parts or accessories for one you already have. You're either a customer or potential customer. I don't own a motorcycle and my wife would find a new and rather disturbing use for my bench vice if I told her I wanted to buy one. I would never simply stop into a motorcycle dealer with the kids so they could have fun playing with them, that just doesn't make sense, who has the time to do that?

Some dealers are going to cater to families with kids, some are not. Some of us care, some of us don't. Looks like the crazy long thread just shows everybody has a different take on it. Mine would be to find a different dealership.

 

[Gator6x4]

Couldn't disagree more. Cars, trucks, tractors, boats etc. are in the showroom for people to touch and feel. I wouldn't let my kids disrespect the dealerships property, but I make no apologies about them enjoying getting up on them, even though we're not likely to buy it. How often does anybody go to a dealership for no reason other than to sit on a tractor? Never, you're either in the market for a tractor or you need parts or accessories for one you already have. You're either a customer or potential customer. I don't own a motorcycle and my wife would find a new and rather disturbing use for my bench vice if I told her I wanted to buy one. I would never simply stop into a motorcycle dealer with the kids so they could have fun playing with them, that just doesn't make sense, who has the time to do that?

Some dealers are going to cater to families with kids, some are not. Some of us care, some of us don't. Looks like the crazy long thread just shows everybody has a different take on it. Mine would be to find a different dealership.

Questions for those that feel a child should have free rein at a dealership. Who pays for the damage done? Do you expect the dealer to eat the cost? Automobiles are expensive. Who wants to purchase a sixty thousand dollar vehicle with scratches on the interior or exterior? Who pays for medical treatment if the child falls and break a limb? What happens if it is a compound fracture requiring surgery?

Have you talked to sales people lately. More and more people are showing up at dealerships, not to buy but just looking and giving the children something to do.

 

[kiotiken]

Questions for those that feel a child should have free rein at a dealership. Who pays for the damage done? Do you expect the dealer to eat the cost? Automobiles are expensive. Who wants to purchase a sixty thousand dollar vehicle with scratches on the interior or exterior? Who pays for medical treatment if the child falls and break a limb? What happens if it is a compound fracture requiring surgery?

Have you talked to sales people lately. More and more people are showing up at dealerships, not to buy but just looking and giving the children something to do.

If my kids break something by being negligent, then I do the responsible thing and pay for it. My kids aren't any more likely to scratch a vehicle than an adult getting in an out. I don't let them run like wild animals, but I do take the time to play with them or supervise closely. Costs of healthcare are a little different on my side of the boarder, we have universal healthcare, thoughts about costs would never enter my head, and I doubt anybody else would change their behavior because of it either. I already know the reaction this will get with the right biased crowd on TBN, but we all do stupid things now and then, and yes, society as a whole bares that burden, and I'm good with it.