Arranging for shipment from Texas to Virginia?

[sweettractors]

How much do dealers get reimbursed for per hour of labor while under warranty or straight labor,out of warranty? Around here, the majors are close to $120 per hour. They should be making plenty of money as a credit or a check wrote. I feel bad charging $30 for straight labor. I guess I am behind the times? Ken Sweet

 

[silverbeast]

hello? kubota? hi, i'm mister x and i just bought a new kubota and my local dealer refuses to work on it because i didn't buy it from him. does this mean i just spent $xx,xxx on something that is effectively a boat anchor, and your corporation will not help me resolve the problem?

i'm sure that call won't make it any farther than that.

As a matter of fact that is EXACTLY what you will hear. Ask me how i know.....

 

[dodge man]

O.K. I'll bite, how do you know?

 

[DavesTractor]

Brain,

In a nut shell, for most parts, that is how the tractor industry now works. It's not just tractors, it's also the motor sports industry like motorcycles, atv's and lawn care units.

McGee,

If this were a dealer only site, we would all chime in and talk about how warranty work pays very few hours labor, little or no parts mark-up, perhaps delays in payment, etc...but as a site for mostly end users, this sort of talk generally gets no traction.

What does get traction is, "no problem, we will take care of your tractor, and gladly". In the long run, it works and the alternatives do nothing but make you look bad in the eyes of the customer.

Just my observations.

 

[lostcause]

McGee,

If this were a dealer only site, we would all chime in and talk about how warranty work pays very few hours labor, little or no parts mark-up, perhaps delays in payment, etc...but as a site for mostly end users, this sort of talk generally gets no traction.

What does get traction is, "no problem, we will take care of your tractor, and gladly". In the long run, it works and the alternatives do nothing but make you look bad in the eyes of the customer.

Just my observations.

i can certainly respect that opinion, and while as a dealer warranty work can certainly have its issues - i just might have had a little first hand knowledge of how warranty claims work in the auto business myself - you have to see it from both sides, whether you like it or not. while you see if from the dealer perspective and the bulk of people here are end users, in the grand scheme of things, every one of us is in the end user position as a consumer at some time with some product. any time you have mail ordered something because it was easier or cheaper, there is probably a local dealer who could be complaining about the same problem on that type of forum. no matter how hard we try to do everything locally, it isn't possible or practical.

think of the small sporting goods shops in rural areas who have taken hits form mail order form cabelas or bass pro shops, it's the same thing on a smaller scale, but with 100x more frequency. auto dealers do it every day. they cut each others throats on deals all the time. sometimes you steal the sale and sometimes you don't sometimes the customer goes to the other dealer for warranty, sometimes they don't. in that industry it has become common and accepted, and my gut tells me that it is the same in the tractor business. i truly doubt that any dealer has made progress by denying service because they didn't make the sale. you don't have to like it, you just have to be progressive thinking enough to figure out how to make it work for you too.

 

[DavesTractor]

....i truly doubt that any dealer has made progress by denying service because they didn't make the sale. you don't have to like it, you just have to be progressive thinking enough to figure out how to make it work for you too.

You are 100% correct. There is no chance of winning a customer over or of making yourself the "goodguy" by denying service. And delaying service severely is denying service.

I do think there are significant advantages to buying local and developing a relationship with your dealer. Just a couple of weekends ago I was over at the shop on a Saturday evening doing paperwork, enjoying a little quiet to get caught up. A customer that bought a tractor from me called and I picked up. He had two hours of work remaining and about 2 hours of light left and it was to rain the next day. And his tractor would not start. He was local, so I jumped in my car and ran over and found that he had knocked off a neutral start switch wire when pushing brush. I fixed it quickly and at no charge and he was able to finish his work ahead of the rain. No big deal, it took me an hour and I was glad to help this valuable customer.

Would I have done this if he had bought out of state to save a couple hundred dollars and to evade sales tax? No, he would have waited until Monday sometime. Then he would have paid a minimal service charge since warranty does not cover either pickup/delivery or the time it takes for the dealer to get to the tractor. Then he would have waited for his field to dry out to finish his work. That is still very good service, but not over-the-top service. You build friendships with your customers and it makes doing business really enjoyable. That is old school, but still the best way to do business.

Now if a dealer thinks he can be 10%-20% higher than normal at pre-tax price just bcause he is charming or the only game in town, then he rightly needs the competition and I would not buy from him either. So while there is value in buying local, the local guy needs to be reasonable.

I think we have strayed off subject. The original topic is hauling a tractor.

 

[Morgan Kubota]

Couldn't have said it better myself Dave's. A dealer is crazy to refuse warranty work, but that doesnt mean all service is the same. Now im not saying to treat the "other store buyer" badly, not at all. But your own customer deserves to feel like he gets that VIP treatment. Dave your example is perfect, both customers are getting great service, but your customer can hold his head high and say "Thats why I bought from him."

 

[McGeesEquip]

I have nothing against people shopping around for the best price. By all means they should. But if an Individual decides....Hey, I can save some $$$ if I would just drive futher and get the unit from this other dealer, or I may have it shipped from another state. I will just get "Local Dealer" Joe to do my warranty work if I have any warranty problems.

If an Individual decides they are willing to drive the distance to save money, then they should also be willing to drive that same road for any possible warranty work. If Local Dealer Joe tells you I will fix your tractor no problem, but if you want it done under warranty then you need to take it back to the dealer you purchased it from. For most parts, Local Dealer Joe now is looked at as a "jerk". Local Joe Dealer had nothing to do with making that bed. That bed was made when that individual decided to make that long distance purchase.

Other individuals see this as well, this would be an opportunity for Local Dealer Joe to develop a loyal relationship with this customer.

If Local Dealer Joe had 10 other individuals in his local distance that went else where for a better deal, but they all feel Local Joe should be doing the warranty work, how would Local Joe stay in business.

Local Joe is now faced with all 10 of those locals seeing him as their warranty service center. Local Dealer Joe will not be getting any paying income from these locals until their warranty is up. Out of these 10 local individuals, how many of them will still have their tractors when the warranty expires? How many of them will have defaulted on their loans and lost their tractors? How many of them will have sold their tractors before the warranty expires? How many of them will have moved? How many will have been killed or passed away? How many of them will have losts their tractors due to divorce? How many of them will be allowing other individuals to use their tractors? How many of them will still have their tractors when the warranty expairs and will still be around Local Dealer Joe?

If an individual is willing to drive the distance to save more money on his purchase, then they should be justs as more willing to drive it again for any possible warranty work.

I get calls, and emails about how much will it costs to ship a tractor to so and so place. First thing I do is get on the McCormick web site and see if there are already local dealers around them. If it is, then I will not fool with it.

 

[TripleR]

I have nothing against people shopping around for the best price. By all means they should. But if an Individual decides....Hey, I can save some $$$ if I would just drive futher and get the unit from this other dealer, or I may have it shipped from another state. I will just get "Local Dealer" Joe to do my warranty work if I have any warranty problems.

If an Individual decides they are willing to drive the distance to save money, then they should also be willing to drive that same road for any possible warranty work. If Local Dealer Joe tells you I will fix your tractor no problem, but if you want it done under warranty then you need to take it back to the dealer you purchased it from. For most parts, Local Dealer Joe now is looked at as a "jerk". Local Joe Dealer had nothing to do with making that bed. That bed was made when that individual decided to make that long distance purchase.

Other individuals see this as well, this would be an opportunity for Local Dealer Joe to develop a loyal relationship with this customer.

If Local Dealer Joe had 10 other individuals in his local distance that went else where for a better deal, but they all feel Local Joe should be doing the warranty work, how would Local Joe stay in business.

Local Joe is now faced with all 10 of those locals seeing him as their warranty service center. Local Dealer Joe will not be getting any paying income from these locals until their warranty is up. Out of these 10 local individuals, how many of them will still have their tractors when the warranty expires? How many of them will have defaulted on their loans and lost their tractors? How many of them will have sold their tractors before the warranty expires? How many of them will have moved? How many will have been killed or passed away? How many of them will have losts their tractors due to divorce? How many of them will be allowing other individuals to use their tractors? How many of them will still have their tractors when the warranty expairs and will still be around Local Dealer Joe?

If an individual is willing to drive the distance to save more money on his purchase, then they should be justs as more willing to drive it again for any possible warranty work.

I get calls, and emails about how much will it costs to ship a tractor to so and so place. First thing I do is get on the McCormick web site and see if there are already local dealers around them. If it is, then I will not fool with it.

Thankfully this is not the attitude of the majority of dealers with which I have dealt or I would never do business with them again.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

I have nothing against people shopping around for the best price. By all means they should. But if an Individual decides....Hey, I can save some $$$ if I would just drive futher and get the unit from this other dealer, or I may have it shipped from another state. I will just get "Local Dealer" Joe to do my warranty work if I have any warranty problems.

If an Individual decides they are willing to drive the distance to save money, then they should also be willing to drive that same road for any possible warranty work. If Local Dealer Joe tells you I will fix your tractor no problem, but if you want it done under warranty then you need to take it back to the dealer you purchased it from. For most parts, Local Dealer Joe now is looked at as a "jerk". Local Joe Dealer had nothing to do with making that bed. That bed was made when that individual decided to make that long distance purchase.

Other individuals see this as well, this would be an opportunity for Local Dealer Joe to develop a loyal relationship with this customer.

If Local Dealer Joe had 10 other individuals in his local distance that went else where for a better deal, but they all feel Local Joe should be doing the warranty work, how would Local Joe stay in business.

Local Joe is now faced with all 10 of those locals seeing him as their warranty service center. Local Dealer Joe will not be getting any paying income from these locals until their warranty is up. Out of these 10 local individuals, how many of them will still have their tractors when the warranty expires? How many of them will have defaulted on their loans and lost their tractors? How many of them will have sold their tractors before the warranty expires? How many of them will have moved? How many will have been killed or passed away? How many of them will have losts their tractors due to divorce? How many of them will be allowing other individuals to use their tractors? How many of them will still have their tractors when the warranty expairs and will still be around Local Dealer Joe?

If an individual is willing to drive the distance to save more money on his purchase, then they should be justs as more willing to drive it again for any possible warranty work.

I get calls, and emails about how much will it costs to ship a tractor to so and so place. First thing I do is get on the McCormick web site and see if there are already local dealers around them. If it is, then I will not fool with it.

While everything that you have said may be true, one thing for sure, Local Dealer Joe has 10 people that he will never have as his customers. If Local Dealer Joe is always busy then I guess that he may get away with your logic, if not he might want to consider some other way to make a living. When things are booming, this attitude may fly, but when things slow waaay down, Local Dealer Joe is going to be looking for work.

Just my opinion, I am not a tractor or car dealer, but I have been in business for myself for 35+ years and still plugging along.