Buying Advice Bruno’s Powersports?

[AxleHub]

I'm a little amazed at the assumptions tractor buyers seem to have at times. YES, if you're a farmer with big equipment, or if you're an industrial user where your business vitally depends on big equipment - a close-in dealer or service center is vital.

But for scut or small or mid frame compact owners - reliability is important. And when some talk about "a family owned operation" - they often don't clarify what that means so most think of a small operation. I personally bought from a dealer 115 miles from me for my GC 1715. I live near a fair sized metro area of 90K or so population - yet I bought from a dealer in a metro population of less than 7K. I bought from a very very family business owned and operated by 3 brothers - yet they have several hundred employees. And the business has been in the family for over 100 years.

Are they very capable in service work? They should be - they have 3 dozen working in the parts/repair/service area. How about pricing and selection? Exceptional in both categories - because they have a tradition of continuing customers and ever adding new customers too. Limited in sizes handled? Nope - they have residential equipment and they have utility sized.

Do I expect my "family owned" operation to be in business the next 10 years? Absolutely. Meanwhile - several other dealer operations much much closer to me selling my brand choice - are in business today - but I have no clue if they will be 5 or 10 years from now - if the Dad in each passes away.

My point is - distance to a dealer is much more important if you are running "vital equipment" that is used in your business and "tomorrow is too late" - but how many of us need that.

Now I "get it" that some need a spot to hang out at - or to "drop by and chat". I get it you're constantly needing parts and breaking things and fail to inventory any. But many of the items I've needed in the last 3 years I can get at any number of local farm supply super stores or a NAPA etc.. So I inventory a few items when they go on sale at my dealer - and I drive over to see the dealer two or three times a year for seminars and great sale specials and new products.

So lets say my dependable unit breaks down and its something I can't handle and the dealer needs to. They would pick up my unit when they are on another run or I can trailer it in and they can drop it off when done.

My point continues to be - "a close dealer" for many of us - is much less important than getting a good dealer with a long likelihood of existing as a good dealer a decade from now.

JMHO

 

[LightningCamaroGuy]

Here is a video explaining how tractor warranties work and what makes the different from road vehicle warranties. It's 20 minutes long but if you skip ahead to about the 3 minute mark he goes into it.

The Basics: Understanding Tractor Warranty - YouTube

Personally I've asked dealers about buying a tractor out of state and having them cover the warranty on it. The basic response that I've gotten on at least 2 occasions is that they'd end up covering it, but that they'd be pretty unhappy about it, and that it would be done at their leisure and for sure after they're done with any other warranty work for their customers that bought from them regardless whether you were next in line or not.

I'm not saying to pass up a deal that saves thousands of dollars just that if you do end up needing to get some warranty work done that you likely have a much easier and more enjoy experience getting it covered by a dealer that you bought the tractor from

 

[Rock Crawler]

The assumption that a small CUT owner like myself is not in a time critical situation is wrong. I have multiple companies showing up randomly from about 7am to 6 or 7pm, 6 days a week. If my little B2650 goes down, I'm going in big trouble in a day. I absolutely would need to rent a machine while mine was out of service. So to me and the people coming here, it's pretty **** important that the material keeps being moved in real time so that work can continue.

 

[rngrrymd]

Okay, that sounds better. Your main issue is a local that buys somewhere else to save a few bucks, then expects you to give them top notch service.

I can understand that argument.

A really good dealer would give top notch pricing on the tractor and top notch service as well. The dealer an hour down the road or in another state is usually getting the same cost as the local dealer. It is possible that high volume dealers are getting more back end rebate money because they are purchasing more and if they apply it to discounting the tractor they will be able to sell for less than the smaller dealers. If you're a smaller dealer and have a slight price disadvantage then you have to be creative - offer discounted labor on a first service, discount on first implement purchase, etc. Whatever you need to do to keep your local customers from buying elsewhere. Dealers need every customer they can coming to them for service, parts and accessories. Nowadays a lot of people have no issue taking their tractor an hour away for service as well if they like the dealer down the road better.

Bottom line: The internet is not going away. The bigger dealer is not going away. Dealers who are not creative and lose tractor sales will eventually go out of business, lose the tractor line or be forced to sell to the larger dealer by the tractor line (either you sell or we take away the line leaving small dealer between rock and hard place). Any dealer who tells a potential customer if the customer does not buy the tractor from them they will punish them when they bring the tractor in for service is doomed to fail.

 

[AxleHub]

rock crawler,

would you guess that's why I posted

My point is - distance to a dealer is much more important if you are running "vital equipment" that is used in your business and "tomorrow is too late" - but how many of us need that. ?

 

[4570Man]

The local Kubota dealer has a large amount of used stuff. I think any good customer could swing a replacement while theirs is being fixed.

 

[Diggin It]

I would think any dealer (or business in general) would welcome any customer, no matter where they purchase their machine. A big part of things is follow on service, parts and accessories. For many, THAT is where they make their money over time.

 

[Bremse]

Re: Bruno痴 Powersports?

I would think any dealer (or business in general) would welcome any customer, no matter where they purchase their machine. A big part of things is follow on service, parts and accessories. For many, THAT is where they make their money over time.

Yes. Give a potential customer a great experience even if it is for low paid warranty work on a machine bought elsewhere and they will likely be back later on for better paid maintenance and out of warranty repairs. There is no point in refusing to service a machine bought somewhere else. After all, what is a customer supposed to do who moved and decided to take his equipment along rather than selling and repurchasing from the now-local dealer? Or one who bought used? Or one whose original dealership closed? There are certainly benefits to buying local but I would not deal with any dealership with an attitude about servicing equipment purchases used or from other dealers. Also, the franchise agreements between manufacturer and dealer usually require uniform warranty acceptance.

 

[edgarrian]

Re: Bruno痴 Powersports?

We built a house about 25 minutes from our old home. We went from living in brownsburg in a subdivision to country living where the closest town is crawfordsville. Now when i take my stihl chainsaw, leaf blower, or weed eater to crawfordsville for work b/c that town is closer as opposed to going back to brownsburg where i purchased and was turned down by the crawfordsville store b/c of that. You can bet there would be some words. And if that were to happen that new dealer that i drove to b/c its much closer than my previous dealer wouldn't get a penny from me ever.

I typically by from the local dealers and not the big box stores for those pieces mentioned above. Simply b/c i like to deal. I don't buy any extended warranties as thats a huge ripoff. Im willing to carry on a good relationship with my dealers.

We've had people come back to us for their work to be done because another dealer wouldn't touch it. I guess when you own the business you can pick and choose who's tractors you want to work on, but if it was sold by your dealership, you are obligated to service what you sell unless you run a shady operation or have a poor relationship with the customer.

Buy a Husqvarna from Lowe's and cart it around town to the dealers and see who will honor the warranty. Not many will put up with that headache. (Btw, service advantage offered by Lowe's is a joke and rip off.)

Here in SC, any business reserves the right to deny service to anybody for any reason, but who would leave money in the street like that?

Often times like what was mentioned above, you will be put on the back burner until Juvember or Marchtober.

Our customers are #1 on our priority list. Point blank. Take it where you bought it.

Done arguing.

 

[thepumpguysc]

Lol.. "Okra"...Lol
They just don't get us Jimmy.. Lol