Dealer Kioti Dealers Not Interested

[eepete]

I am far more careful picking a dealer than a tractor. Had problems with a local dealer, so now I've got a different color. I buy all my implements from the dealer if he has what I want. I don't mind spending an extra 5% or so to do this, though typically is more like a few percent. The dealer is 15 miles away, so it's easy to go there and check stuff out. He services my other color tractor, and does a good job. He answers my emails within a day. If I get a price on something and don't get it, I tell him why. The parts department people know me, knows what I have and set up an account for me without my filling in any paperwork.

So the dealer makes enough money to stay in business, meet my needs, and knows he's my 1st call for anything. In return he is responsive and gives me his best price the 1st time so I don't have to waste time calling around, shopping, and qualifying other dealers.

In much the same way the people are willing to pay a bit more for quality equipment , I'm willing to pay a bit more for a quality dealer. If you want to be respected as a customer, you must also respect your dealer.

Pete

 

[Gittyup]

Okay now all of you stop and think. You are the dealer. You get an email asking for information and "rough pricing" on a product. You have been in business for many years, and HISTORY is all you have to go on. How many of these email inquiries have turned into sales? The real number would probably be less than 1%. Then you have a person who has been "shopping" your dealership, and then this type of thing happens.......



Lets say the local dealer spent ten hours for you to "test drive" kick tires, get specs, talk incessantly about the tractors, etc.. You then go and buy from an out of town dealer. All of you be honest....most of you never have the intent of purchasing from any of the dealers you contact by phone or email.....you are simply trying to get any "club" you can to beat the dealer you have decided to buy from, down on his price. I can hear the conversation now....well I have been quoted a price of $XXXXXX dollars from another dealer. So you have wasted a local dealers time and energy.

My only wish is this....that I see many many more posts on this forum about how some of you got a great deal on your tractor from some dealer four hours away from you.....Now your local dealer will not service or repair your tractor. For any local dealer who has been treated in this shabby fashion....I hope they just grin and smile at you when you need service and or repair, and then break it off in each one of you with the bill. Oh yes and remember, once you leave your "good buy" tractor with them to repair....they own it until you pay the bill.

Your implication (or acusation) is completely wrong, and is therefore downright insulting. I had every intention of buying from the local guy. I tried very hard to work with him. The fact is, he just wouldn't even come close. The difference was close to $2000! If he'd even gotten close, say under the $1k mark, I would have bought from him. I never exposed the bid I got from Wallace. So I didn't beat him over the head with it. And his time investment in me was less that 2 hours, mainly because he wouldn't budge at all on price and clearly sent the message that talking about it further was a waste of time. I'm all for supporting the local guy.... to a point. But, I'm not going to layout an extra $2K to do so. I'll tow it 4 hours to get it serviced if I have to before I'd just give away that much money. I'd still be way ahead.

Any REPUTABLE dealer will service your tractor even if you didn't buy from them, and bill you fairly. As for my local dealer, I think he'd treat me fairly if I needed to have him service it. I understand what he thinks he has to get for a tractor and I expect the same from him regarding my money. BTW, I pay my bills. So, my tractor will always belong to ME.

 

[Dirtnut]

Hoover tractor in Mifflinburg Pa. is closer to you they are a 5 paws Kioti dealer.I dont know if this is one you are talking about but i bet if you go and check them out you will be very impressed.You know the old saying (DONT JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER).

 

[bp fick]

No one would(should) support a local dealer if he doesn't support both the sale and the after-sale service and support. There is no free lunch.

But... if you have a solid, fair and honest local guy, you bet. Support him indeed.

Also, agree with an earlier poster that said, in essence, if a dealer puts up an email contact on his website, then he ought to support it. There is no crime in having a website that simply states that phone calls or coming in person is the way this dealership prefers to do business. As in all business affairs, putting up an "unmanned" email is often a thoughtless act which merely leads to misunderstandings.

 

[Oleozz]

Hoover tractor in Mifflinburg Pa. is closer to you they are a 5 paws Kioti dealer.I dont know if this is one you are talking about but i bet if you go and check them out you will be very impressed.You know the old saying (DONT JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER).

I agree, the folks at Hoovers are friendly and accomodating BUT, at least when I purchased my 45, there was a big price difference between there and where I bought my tractor. That was back in 06 so things might have changed since then.

 

[Dirtnut]

I agree, the folks at Hoovers are friendly and accomodating BUT, at least when I purchased my 45, there was a big price difference between there and where I bought my tractor. That was back in 06 so things might have changed since then.

Well things might have changed when i bought mine in 2002 they were one of the few dealers i could find and had the 2nd best price.Since then i have seen dealers come and go around the area.When i purchase my next tractor soon CK30/35 HST,TLB i will still shop around for the best price and dealer support in Pa./NY even if they do not respond to e-mail.The (in person) attitude is most important to me.Most attitudes of other color tractors and even car dealerships around here is if you dont like the price then go some where else.So that is what i did & never looked back love my Kioti. The (in person) communication should be #1 for pricing & seeing first hand what dealer support might look like(IMO)The other dealer i talked to on the phone had a little better price and was much closer to me. But when i went to check the place out he didnt even have a tractor on the lot,no mechanic or parts supply.So in short an email or phone call is not a fair judge of dealers in the searching mode, however it does become very important during and especially after a sale.(IMO)Then it becomes dealer support.

 

[Dodgeram]

I'll bet that one of the two dealerships starts witha "G" and is located in Bedford.
I sent an e-mail to that dealer requesting a price and, after two weeks, had to call.
He eventually gave me a price over the phone.
I also sent Rick the same e-mail and received a reply with-in 4 hours. Rick was a little higher, but I liked his attitude and went with him.
Even though I now have a dealer 12 miles away in Frederick (Ceresville), I will stick with Rick for my parts and questions.
Can you guess that I'm a Rick and Amy fan

Tom

 

[Dirtnut]

And again this is why i think the email/call is not that important in the search. If Rick would not have emailed you back you would have the same attitude towards him & look at what you would have missed with his great support.I will be checking him out on my next purchase.I will not judge him by an email/call he didnt make during my search.I guess in this day and age we ,(me included) have become lazy & want everything done with a click.When in reallity we know we dont know what we are truely getting till we see it in person,such as ebay/craigslist it is hard to determine what you are getting by email/call.We all hold our breath hoping it is good when it is arrives in person to really be able to judge it.As i posted before i am very glad i didnt make my decision based on the phone call with the price he gave me i thought he was the greatest dealer ever until i got there, boy was i disappointed what a wasted phone call.

 

[Dirtnut]

I think i remember some post that were negative way back when i was looking to buy my tractor about some dealer/s down your way. Without talking to them personally i really know nothing about them.Even if they didnt get back to me i would still be to curiuos & have to check them out.This way i would know & not always be wondering if i missed out on a good dealer.Would hate to see any (good dealer)trashed because of not responding to emails/calls in a search mode.I want to see where my money is going.

 

[CurlyDave]

How many of these email inquiries have turned into sales? The real number would probably be less than 1%.

Having been in sales, both industrial and retail (as a sideline), I can tell you that the rarest of all things is a potential customer. While any good salesman knows that some customers have more potential than others, he also knows that anyone who is interested enough to send an email has risen to the level of a much better prospect than the average "man in the street".

Unless the dealership is inundated with customers so that there is just no time for anyone to answer an email, following up on enough 1% chances will sooner or later lead to a sale.

Even if they don't want to spend the effort to even roughly price out a configuration, an email that says company policy forbids giving prices over the phone or internet, but we have very competitive pricing and would welcome you to visit our showroom, would at least let the customer know that someone was alive and breathing at the dealership.