Dealer Dealer Pride and Prejudice...they may not support you!

[imajeepnut]

Please chime in on this topic whether you are a dealer or an end user who has experienced this very thing.

Barlow's has all my GA Kubota dealers beat by $2000 on a B3200 with FEL and BH w/thumb. My neighboring dealers dismiss their pricing and make excuses for the good deal. I asked some of the dealers around me if they would support my tractor from the service standpoint and I was surprised at what I was told!

One dealer said, "If you bring your tractor in today for service, and one of our customers brings his in tomorrow...we will put him in front of you and get to yours when we can." He said, "We will get to it, but only when it's convenient for us to do so." But when I asked him if he blamed me for saving the $2000 on the same tractor he said no and would probably do the same thing.....?

Brady Barlow is so honest, he verified what the GA dealer was saying. It seems dealers don't have to go out of their way to support your tractor if you didn't buy it from them. Kubota says, "We highly recommend you take your tractor back to the dealer from whence it came." That statement seems to clear Kubota from being a referee. But....if you press Kubota, they will call the dealer and ask them to perform the service/repairs that need to be done. But I'm sure it won't be carried out with much enthusiasim or attention to detail.

Again...Brady said he would much rather me be a happy Kubota owner and have a good relationship with my dealer, than for him to make a sale and cause me grief. His attitude speaks volumns and it doesn't go unnoticed. Kubota needs more dealers like him.

So here I am.... Save $2000 plus tax, or give it to the guy down the street so I can be assured he will repair my tractor if the axle breaks.... What would you do? Have any of you had to deal with this very issue of Dealer Pride and Prejudice?

I've been struggling with this for weeks now, and need to pull the trigger on this deal so I can get to work. I really would like to know how everyone feels.

Thanks for taking the time to help,

Jeff

 

[yubby]

I would purchase from the dealer that is $2k less and not give it a second thought. In the five years I have had my tractor I have had one fix that I used the dealer for. If not having your tractor for an additional day is worth $2,000 that would be the only consideration.

Don't fall for the scare tactic (fud) from the local dealer.

-y

 

[Ductape]

I agree with yubby. Buy your tractor from Barlow's and save the two grand. I'm sure you've been doing plenty of reading here, and are aware that the odds of you needing any major warranty work done during the warranty period are SLIM.

 

[Harvest Moon]

Hey, you're talking about a Kubota tractor right?

If you're not going to use it 10 hours a day, 5 days a week, you won't likely have many problems with it. If you take care of it and don't over abuse it, you'll not likely need the dealer for much. It could happen, it does happen, that things go wrong with Kubotas but I'd say most probably go through their warranty period without much more than a loose nut here and there. That's why I bought one.

I'm a little jaded by my crooked dealer. I get that dealers would say what you've been told, even do what you've been told, but I don't think it's necessary. They should do the best they can for all their customers, if you ask me. I've always understood it that they make more money on service than sales anyway.

So, after my warranty, I needed some work done, got my parts online and couldn't be held back from my local farmer. Over 40 years experience working on everything from industrial space heaters to large combines. Someone I can trust. Likely one quarter the price of the dealer, without the attitude. With spanner wrenches, not yard sale pipe wrenches like the dealers mechanic. Without the scams to get more money. I feel very fortunate to have access to that kind of help.

Regular service isn't warranty work, you could probably have that done by any local mechanic. I'm not a mechanic and I had no problems changing a few fluids and filters.

Thing is, any good mechanic can fix these things. You don't need to be Kubota certified, they are not that unique to the mechanical world. Shop at Barlow and if the local dealers don't want your business, don't give it to them.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

Save the $2000. In the past 5 years I've bought 8 Kubotas and only had 1 of them back to the dealer for repairs. The QA FEL on L3240 had gotten twisted and Barlows fixed it. If you have a Kubota you will need fluids and filters and maybe after warranty service. A local dealer should figure that out and try to get your dollars for that on going business. If they don't then they probably won't stay in business any way. Most tractor and car dealers have to have service departments to suppliment sales profit to stay in business. Those departments have to generate profit. For 1 or 2 hundred dollars I'd go local but not for much more than that.

 

[MarkV]

Go for the best price. My 98 B21 with 1400 hrs, never been to the shop, my 2006 L39 with 350 hrs, never been to the shop. Unless your doing commercial work would it be the end of the world if you had to wait a few extra days on a repair? Any Kubota dealer will do warranty repairs if needed and its understandable why they would put there customers first.

MarkV

 

[argeaux]

Can I ask what you were quoted? I have been pricing the exact same setup with the addition of a MMM. And I haven't gone to any local dealers yet, but I anticipate that I'll be in the exact same situation as you.

Is there any source of reviews or feedback on various dealers? I'd like to know what kind of reputation the dealers in my area have before I even go down and try to work a deal.

So here I am.... Save $2000 plus tax, or give it to the guy down the street so I can be assured he will repair my tractor if the axle breaks.... What would you do? Have any of you had to deal with this very issue of Dealer Pride and Prejudice?

This really bothers me. I think a dealer that has that attitude and is so cavalier about it up front is the kind of dealer that would just as easily take advantage of customers who purchased from him. To me, it's not about the money as much as the integrity of the shop. If I felt the shop was good, I'd consider splitting the difference, but the premise makes me uneasy.

I've run into this problem in my area with other repair shops. I am picking up a boat this morning I dropped off at a competing dealer when I finally got fed up with the guy I'd been dealing with for 2+ years who has been treating me like a second class citizen even though I had paid him almost $4000. My tolerance for these shenanigans is wearing thin and I certainly don't want to have to deal with that when I get a tractor. If the local tractor dealers are the same way, I'd drive 100 miles out of my way to find a better-quality dealer if I need repairs.

 

[NSBound]

I would purchase from the dealer that is $2k less and not give it a second thought.

I agree with this 100%. I work for a major import auto manufacturer and I see and hear dealers comment on issues like this from time to time. It seems they get their noses out of joint when a local resident goes out of "their market" to save money. But what you are saving ($2,000) is a significant amount that nobody, I think, would fault you for doing. What dealers often forget is that for cars anyway, they make much more profit long-term from the service and maintenance work, plus any warranty work that may be required, than on the one-time profit from the new vehicle sale. Plus, a happy service customer makes for a long-term relationship, and if the customer is happy with that, then they will be a lot more likely to buy perhaps a bit more "automatically" from them the next time, or at least give them the initial consideration. I even try to put myself in the position of the dealer, and sure, if all else is equal and I am given the choice to provide immediate and full support to MY customer, as opposed to a customer who made their purchase elsewhere, I would certainly give the more immediate and full support to MY customer. But seldom is all else equal, and I think I would do my best to make that other dealer's customer MY customer by offering good and prompt service.

 

[Bird]

if all else is equal and I am given the choice to provide immediate and full support to MY customer, as opposed to a customer who made their purchase elsewhere, I would certainly give the more immediate and full support to MY customer

And it seems to me that everyone would expect that to be the case. The other dealers are willing to do the warranty work, but naturally, they'll give preference to those who bought from them. And I would expect the same to be true no matter what the product is; tractor, car, boat, airplane, computer, or anything else.

 

[jambx]

I am in CT and I sat down with my three local dealers before I made my purchase - I also took a trip to meet with Brady. Many things were a factor for me to purchase my B2920 and ZD21 out of state;

1) I wanted to feel good about the dealer I was doing buiness with. I am not trying to say that NE Dealers are not the most friendly but all came off as a salesman trying to make a sale - I was just another guy walking in the door.

2) Fair Price - Although I realize that "stuff" in general just costs more in NE than most other parts of the country I was not please on how much more the NE dealers were asking for the same package when I compared to Barlows quote. I have heard there is not much margin on tractors - well I have 5 quotes that range from 5% ~12% higher.

3) Post Sales Support - I have had two Kubotas to date - although I am a nut and wash (and yes sometimes wax) my tractors I do use them as tractors. I have not (knock on wood) had any problems that requiered warrenty work for either so I suspect my B2920 will be the same. I buy Kubota because of reliability and value and if anything major does go wrong my local dealer must fix it - period. While I may wait a little longer if they want to play that game they are bound by a contract with Kubota to work on my Kubota and I will not be shy if I get a the major run around.

I too agree - $2K is a lot of money and would be a factor for me but more than that was the dealer. When I first engaged with Brady over the phone he was informative, genuenly interested in my application, offering some great insight and did not push in any way shape or form. I must have called him a dozen times prior to meeting him. He is a stand up guy and I will be doing more buiness with him in the future.