Unresponsive dealers

[bill177]

Yesterday I sent detailed emails to two local dealers - one Kubota and the other Massey Ferguson. They described in detail what I want - model numbers etc. along with a few small items to be included in the sale. Total about $18,000.

I specifically stated I wanted their best price, as I plan to buy before week's end - CASH.

About noon I called their respective phone numbers to make sure they were at work, as I had heard nothing. Yes both salesmen were indeed at work. Do they check their email, I asked. Answers were empatically, "I guess they do." I wasn't even asked if I would like to leave a message and was not asked what the call was about.

It is past the end of the business day and I never heard a word from either dealer. Guess business must be so good they don't bother to respond to emails. Must be lines forming to buy tractors.

If they don't bother to get back to me - phone number was included with the emails - before the sale, just how good will the after-sale service be? HAHAHA

Oh yeah, I called the local John Deere dealer and left my number for the salesman to call back. He never did.

I have been to each of these dealers once in the past two weeks and the Deere dealer twice. The Deere dealer has yet to step from behind his counter.

I do shower, dress neatly, drive a relatively new Suburban, speak English, and wear a hat with my airplane's manufacturer logo.

Am I missing something here? Maybe I should go in with a few hundred dollar bills stuck in my hat brim - just to get their attention. These dealers are all in the Albany, NY area.

Is this the norm among tractor dealers?

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Most tractor dealers do not reply to emails.

They don't think you are serious unless you go to their store. I'm not saying it is good or bad, it just is what it is. The two dealers I buy from do not answer email. I've spent many thousands with each, I am a repeat customer with both.

 

[kozak]

Bill,

The few Dealers (New Holland & Case) I have been in contact up here in Ontario Canada have responded to my e-mails. Strange that those dealers do not want to take that hard earned CASH off your hands. As Bob says, maybe the dealers in your area have found too many people fishing & too few sales from e-mail to be bothered. However, as you say, even when you called back they still don't seem to be interested. If your really set on a MF or Kubota, maybe you need to contact the owner & feel him out. Maybe they don't care much about selling compacts & are mainly focusing on Ag style tractors.

Vic

 

[ultrarunner]

I never could get a price from my Deere dealer. I went to the local Deere store on two occasions and no one was available except at the parts dept. Both times I asked if I could make an appointment, left my number and waited...

My local Kubota Dealer had his prices marked (Full Retail +) I made an offer and he said there was no room to negotiate on the tractor and suggested that maybe he could do something on implements.

I called an out-of-area Kubota dealer, told him what I wanted and what I was willing to pay. He asked me if it would be cash and he told me he could have one ready the next afternoon if it was.

When I got there the paper work and tractor were ready to go as promised.

A week later, my local Kubota dealer called to say that he was expecting a new shipment and would be willing to work with me. I told him I bought my tractor last week, but I was still looking to buy implements. He wished me luck and hung-up.... That was two years ago and I have not been back.

 

[Iowachild]

IMHO if you are going to have e-mail and you advertise the address either in print ads or on a web site, either respond to it or get rid of it. I think many business realize they need e-mail ability these days, but if they don't properly monitor and respond in some way, what have they gained. I use it as a benchmark. If I send an e-mail to a business and they don't bother to respond in some fashion, the chances of them getting any business from me goes way down. In the cases bill177 mentions, what would it take for the dealer to acknowledge the e-mail with a "Hey come on down, I think we can do business"? That took me about 10 seconds to type. Why should he or any of us waste our time and gas driving around to see who might be willing to deal with us?

Just my opinion!

 

[MikePA]

IMHO if you are going to have e-mail and you advertise the address either in print ads or on a web site, either respond to it or get rid of it.

I agree with Bob that some dealers just don't use email to communicate with customers. I also agree with you, if they're not going to respond to it, take it off their website, business cards, brochures, etc.

 

[bones1]

"I do shower, dress neatly, drive a relatively new Suburban, speak English, and wear a hat with my airplane's manufacturer logo".
That's the whole problem.I ran a JD parts dept for a while and I know the mentality of salesman,not all mind you, some are really good and want to make money.I bet if you were to go back in there, no shower, really dirty clothes,driving you BIL's 72 f100, had trouble with some of your words and turned your hat around, you would draw some salesmen.If you look successful then you are going to intimidate them and they just know you have done your homework and are going to try to beat them down on the price.Call the owner direct, that might get their attention.
Tractor dealers are not like the King of Cars.
Just an observation.

 

[jand38]

I have a different take on this, in todays retail world most of the people who are selling are waiting for another position to open up this "selling etc " is just to get by. I feel that it would be difficult to make a (good) income in tractor sales, hard to be real go getter when there is not much reward. Just my two cents worth

 

[roxynoodle]

I was shopping for a used tractor. There is a huge dealer about 12 miles south of me. I sent an email telling him what I was looking for. In reply he sent a rather rude email saying that since I didn't include my address he wasn't going to bother with me because I might be from California for all he knew. Of course I was thinking, why would I contact you if you weren't local?? But, then what if I was from California and I was moving to Ohio? Or what if I was buying this tractor for one of my children who lived there? Needless to say I didn't buy a tractor from them. The dealer I did buy from answered all my emails promptly. I had also sent an email to a Massey-Ferguson dealer inquiring about a new tractor. He called me a month later, right as I was trailering my newly purchased tractor home.

 

[Doc_Bob]

Am I missing something here? Maybe I should go in with a few hundred dollar bills stuck in my hat brim - just to get their attention. These dealers are all in the Albany, NY area.

Is this the norm among tractor dealers?

I sent requests just as you did to 6 dealers. They all got my emails. I had to bug them to get them to reply. It took almost one month to get all of them to reply. It was painful. My letter (email) was clear, easy to read. But that did not help. I told them I wanted a package deal, was ready to pay cash, etc. Everyone of them, when I called, had the email and asked if I wanted a package price and how was I going to pay? Sheesh!

I finally bought a used TN70A. A few months later, the dealer all wanted to know what I wanted to do. Months later. My impression is that the dealers live in a time warp. 2006 and I felt like I was dealing with guys who were still in the 60's.

Enjoy the journey
Bob