I think my John Deere dealer is becoming "lazy"

[firemech]

Don't know much about the tractor dealership thing but as a marina owner thet has been in business for almost 45 years (who happens to use Kubota Tractors) I can tell you it's getting tough. To coin a phrase of a fellow marina owner" it used to be hundreds of dealers sold ten to twenty units,,,,,,,, now ten to twenty dealers sell hundreds of units" If you own a seadoo in this area two years ago there were six dealerswithin 30 miles; now you need to drive at least 100 miles to get it serviced. As a dealer if you won't commit to 2 millon in inventory a year take the sign down,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, they all did. How many little "mom and pop" anything do you you see doing well in your community? Walmart, Target, Harbour Freight etc are the new norm

 

[jd670]

I'll stand up for my JD dealer. Everytime I go in, the parts lady behind the counter says hi and calls me by my first name. The brothers that own it always talk to me and answer any questions I have, even if they been asked a thousand times before. I've noticed no difference in treatment from a person wanting a riding mower or a 6R series tractor. They treat everyone the same. They had to merge with other dealers and even change their name. I think that the people at these dealerships that are giving you guys a hard way are just mad that times are a changin and just don't like it.

 

[PMA]

I am not saying all JD dealers are bad. Just the one that is near my house. The one I buy parts from are nice guys. Never bought any equipment from them tho.

Sent from my iPhone using TractorByNet

 

[jd670]

I understand. Trust me, I've been to a few that make you wonder how they stay in business.

 

[fieldman12]

In Deere's defense they have a full line of equipment which most other tractor manufactures do not have. Deere's biggest competitor in Ag is Case IH with Agco and New Holland following. I think Deere needs at least one salesman for each line of equipment they have. Example would be tillage,harvest,Construction,Spraying,Planting,Lawn and garden up to Compact tractor,hay, Utility tractor through 4wd tractor,and Stihl Equipment. I think this would help with no customers being felt left behind. I know Deere does try to some what have certain salesman that specialize in certain areas already such as one man that knows the Stihl line. The small equipment tractor manufactures don't offer all the different types of equipment Deere and Case IH has and because of that I think to an extent they should have more time to push small tractor and small attachment sales. The Deere dealer I bought my tractor from took good care of me. Granted I do know the owner there and I am sure that helped in my favor but I have got parts there before and never had any issues and I know the parts men did not have any idea I know one of the owners. Now the other Deere dealer which is the Mega dealer has always been nice to me but it just seems like it takes them awhile to get parts now but I notice this at all the Deere dealers now. So here is what I noticed when calling roughly 10 dealers when looking for tractor quotes. Except for the dealer I bought my tractor at all of them where some what slow to get a price quote. What I mean by that was four hours to two days to get a price. The next thing I noticed with dealing with my local dealer and Mega dealer is it seems to take longer to get parts now than it did years ago. This issue may not be related to dealer and more in general to Deere parts warehouse or the delivery company. My third gripe is I don't think Deere's quality is as good as it once was. I think if they work on these three things Deere would be great to deal with. I also do not think Deere should do away with there small dealerships. It's obvious these dealers have lasted a long time so why root them out. I doubt very seriously Deere on purpose is wanting to drive away any customers no matter how big or small the customer is. I just think they need to get back to there roots and stick with what worked before. Granted I am sure some things have to change to stay competitive with all the other manufactures out there. Something I see every day dealing with the general public is allot of people out there looking to buy go to dealers and waste there time knowing good and well they cannot afford a piece of equipment. This happens allot and I think at times the salesman just not at Deere tend to neglect some people that are actually serious about buying that can afford it.

 

[pclausen]

I'll stand up for my dealer as well. They have been great to work with. Just last week, they fixed a leaking seal on a cylinder on my Valby grapple. Valby only warranty the parts, not the labor. Dealer didn't charge me a dime for the labor, although I know they must have had at least 1.5 hours in it.

They always call and/or email me when parts I ordered arrive, or when something they are fixing for me is ready to be picked up.

Heck, they even sold me a 1981 Ford compact tractor at their cost just last week, which was a steal at $2800 with only 380 hours on it. 4x4 no less.

They have given me loaner tractors in the past while I was waiting for my tractor to come in. They recently replaced the cab on my M tractor, and gave me a $2500 credit since there were some things I was not completely satisfied with (I'm very picky).

Everybody is always very nice and talkative any time I stop by. And I'm a very small customer of theirs in the grand scheme of things.

 

[J F]

Nice to hear the other side.

 

[JDTank]

I have noticed that those spending over a million dollars get treated like royalty. If a large farmer walks in looking for something so small as a t-shirt for his kid, 5 people are crowding him making sure he has everything he needs. I always feel like saying "if just one of you could get your nose out of his ###, my shoes need shining over here"

When I purchased my X740, it seemed to me that the salesman had the attitude of "I don't really care about this low dollar sale, but I guess I will make it because I have to"

Around my area, John Deere bends over backwards for the municipalities. They don't question prices, they just phone and say I want 10 zero-turns. They can pencil in any numbers and it will be signed by a city employee and paid for by the tax payers.

If I was a salesman, I could agree that I would get fed up with selling nothing but D series riding mowers all month, but I would never show it. Some months will be good, some will be bad. Sometimes you will sell a $300,000 row crop tractor, and other times you might only sell D series riding mowers worth next to nothing. The key to being a good, career salesman is treating your customers the same and with honesty, regardless of how much they want to spend. Salesman should never assume that you will always be a "lowly consumer" You might become a farmer in 5 years time, and need that $300,000 row crop yourself, who knows where life will take you. I know for myself, I always remember exactly who gave me good customer service, and they are the first people I go back to when I am in need of something.

 

[aczlan]

Around my area, John Deere bends over backwards for the municipalities. They don't question prices, they just phone and say I want 10 zero-turns. They can pencil in any numbers and it will be signed by a city employee and paid for by the tax payers.

In NY, municipalities buy from a state negotiated price-list, so that is all they have to do and they are getting a great deal.

Aaron Z

 

[GreenWannabe]

In my area, several local JD dealers combined to form a single company a few years ago. The deal they made was that each owner of the origianl companies got stock in the new company, but for the most part continued to manage their own stores (unless they wanted out). My local store still has the same people running it, and all treat me very well. My "tractor" is an LX176 riding mower, and I have bought parts, whole goods accessories, and service. They always treat me well, cheerfully give me quotes on something I want, give me advice on working on it myself, and generally give me the same consideration as the guy wanting half a dozen new cotton pickers. I can only say good things about Tri-Green Equipment in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee.