DavesTractor
Elite Member
As a dealer, we clearly tell folks that the factory warranty does not include hauling the tractor nor onsite service calls. It covers parts and labor, but the customer must get the tractor to our shop, or pay us to haul it. If you think about it, most items you purchase are this way. But this causes customer frustration on a regular basis.
Let's first agree that nothing is free. It can be included in the purchase price or offered as an add-on, but if a dealer is hauling tractors for "free", someone has paid for it - and that someone is the end user whether you want to admit it or not.
If we wanted to offer "free" hauling for 3 years or 5 years, we could try to calculate the cost and add the cost to the price. But then if we found ourselves to be $500-$1500 higher than other dealers we would lose the sale. I can't see this working, nor is it fair to the guy with a trailer that plans to haul it himself.
We could offer an optional yearly care package for "free" hauling and maybe even "free" regular services. The actual cost would have to factor in customer proximity to the dealership, average hours of use, model, etc. It would need to be a discount off full rate if customers were basically paying in advance, yet the dealer would need to profit as well. It could be a little tricky to figure costs, but that could be done. Would folks be interested in this?
I'm just looking for some discussion on this, thanks.
Let's first agree that nothing is free. It can be included in the purchase price or offered as an add-on, but if a dealer is hauling tractors for "free", someone has paid for it - and that someone is the end user whether you want to admit it or not.
If we wanted to offer "free" hauling for 3 years or 5 years, we could try to calculate the cost and add the cost to the price. But then if we found ourselves to be $500-$1500 higher than other dealers we would lose the sale. I can't see this working, nor is it fair to the guy with a trailer that plans to haul it himself.
We could offer an optional yearly care package for "free" hauling and maybe even "free" regular services. The actual cost would have to factor in customer proximity to the dealership, average hours of use, model, etc. It would need to be a discount off full rate if customers were basically paying in advance, yet the dealer would need to profit as well. It could be a little tricky to figure costs, but that could be done. Would folks be interested in this?
I'm just looking for some discussion on this, thanks.