Farewell from TractorSmart !

[kubotaman68]

for how long ? at these lower margins and what kind of help will they attract for techs at bargain prices and will anyone be happy with subpar service because its cheaper? doubtful

 

[RFB]

kubotaman68,

My perception is not one of "hatitude". What I see is disappointment that a reputable dealership with a good pricing structure and cogent information might be closing its doors.

If you search my posts, you will see pejorative declamation towards a few dealers (not named), and praise towards another named dealer. Discriminating buyers spending fair sums try to get the best deal possible; that is the reality of the marketplace. Brick and mortar may be faced with finding a new niche (which might include better service at more competitive prices) or falling by the wayside as the net drives the market.

By choice, I live in a very rural area where there are zero "stores". Driving 3 hours round trip to buy a part is a major factor in my purchasing decision. Time and fuel are costs. Companies such as the instant one have become the defacto dealership for a significant perecentage of shoppers. Hearing of the possible demise of a good one is a disappointment.

RFB

 

[varmint]

Just stumbled onto the thread, and yah, it's a bummer that something good, something that worked nicely, just like it's supposed to, is changing. I have ordered stuff from Ronnie, like so many others, and each time I actually enjoyed the experience- quick, cheap, and like I said, the process worked! Since I don't have a local dealer, life will be a little more difficult. Too bad. Hope he can stay around, doing what he does well!

 

[cheesehead]

Reasonable prices are always welcome, and there is no question that Ronnie has matched that need. However, the need that he has really filled is knowledge and respect for my time. Ronnie is "open" 24 hours a day, which matches my work schedule of the bill paying job of 6 AM to 6:30 PM Monday through Friday and my weekend tasks where I should be using my tractor and not waiting in line at a shop between 8 AM and noon on Saturday. Ronnie has also proven the capability to get me the right parts even though he didn't sell me the tractor and has never met me. The dealer who sold me the tractor in person can't seem to get that right. In other words, why would I be motivated to pay a premium in cost and time to use a dealer that has demonstrated incompetence and a distain for customer service? This is my personal experience and have the option of using a dealer that doesn't care, drive an additional hour each way to a better dealer (I admit that these exist), or hope that Ronnie (and others like him) stays in business. I'm sure IBM asked themselves the same questions you are asking when they couldn't figure out why Dell couldn't be crushed like a grape.