Dealer Kioti 5 Paw Dealer Status - What does it mean (nothing)?

[Geotech]

I am doing my due diligence on tractors and dealers and have identified Kioti as an attractive offer. There is a dealer near my property who seems decent and has realistic and decent Google reviews and BBB reviews/complaints/resolutions. They are decent to talk with also. However, Kioti does not list them as a "5 Paw" dealer. There is another dealer farther away than I would like to deal with that is a 5 Paw dealer, but they have 6 Google reviews for a grand total of 1.7 stars. This gets me to wonder how the 5 Paw rating is determined and if it is something I should even care about. I know these internet reviews are not the end-all be-all, but it is information that is available to evaluate.

Soooo - I call Kioti to ask them what this all means. They give me the generic stuff about 5 Paw status means the dealer has demonstrated excellence in sales, customer service, etc, etc. I asked how they determine these qualities (i.e. customer surveys or something else). The person on the phone says they cannot share that information. I ask what good is the rating if there is no way to know how it is determined. They reply that I should just use the closest dealer. I ask what is the point of the 5 Paw rating if I should only use the closest dealer?

Anybody here know how Kioti determines a 5 Paw dealer rating?

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have no idea, but likely it is based on sales volume. If they sell a lot of Kioti tractors, then they get a high rating from Kioti. If they didn't do customer surveys, then it has no value in determining customer service or after sale satisfaction.

I would just base my dealer on personal observation and dealing for the best price.

 

[LMychajluk]

Can't really answer that question, but just this morning I filled out the survey Kioti sent me asking about my purchase experience. Most of the questions were about the delivery process and the dealer (knowledge, showroom, etc...).

 

[k0ua]

I also think it has more to do with volume than anything. All the big dealers are 5 paw. Perhaps the surveys figure in to it. Of rating on some googled site, might not be very accurate either.

 

[Geotech]

Interesting. It seems illogical that they would not want anybody to know how they determine preferred status. What are they afraid is going to happen if the "wrong" people find out? What is to hide? I am not a business neophyte and understand why certain things need to be held close to the vest. But I cannot see the benefit of keeping this information a secret. It's not like I am requesting individual scores from dealers or even the scoring threshold. Perhaps it is just individual employees without competence to understand what can and cannot be discussed.

Now if it is based mostly on volume, then I can see why they wouldn't want to share that. High volume sales is certainly a benefit to them, but not necessarily the buyer.

 

[k0ua]

Each year KIOTI dealers are evaluated against stringent qualifications in regards to service, sales, operations and parts. Dealers who meet or exceed these qualifications are named 5-Paw Dealers and earn the ability to display KIOTI’s exclusive 5-Paw logo at their dealership. The program was developed to ensure that KIOTI Tractor Customers receive a top quality buying experience and premier service when purchasing a KIOTI tractor or UTV.

So it appears from their statement that the service department plays a role as well as sales volume and their parts stock. I suppose complaints against their operations department also. As to how these category's are weighed I don't know. There is also a "premier" 5 paw classification which a small percentage of the 5 dealers qualify for. What exactly that means, I don't know.

 

[RickB]

You will find that 5 paw dealers do not sell a line of tractors competitive with Kioti.

 

[TractorNH]

You will find that 5 paw dealers do not sell a line of tractors competitive with Kioti.

Nope, that isn't it either. I just looked up a dealer in MA that sells Kioti and Mahindra and they are listed on the Kioti site as a 5 paw.

 

[CMV]

No idea, but I have yet to hear anything from Kioti after purchase of mine - delivery was mid-May this year. No survey, no "welcome to the family" postcard, nothing. Not that I care or have any negative feedback at all about my purchase experience, dealer, or product. But I kinda suspect it isn't customer survey driven.

 

[rngrrymd]

Here are several possibilities to get the classification:

1. Sales Volume - # 1 way to get special classification from any manufacturer of any product
2. Agree to maintain a certain amount of inventory and/or keep at least one of each model in stock (ck, dk, nx, rx etc)
3. Agree to keep a certain level of parts inventory in stock
4. Agree to keep a certain amount of techs in service dept and/or maintain a certain level of training/certification of techs

These are the major possibilities. Surveys, etc are nice but I doubt those will disqualify a dealer from "5 paw" status hence you are seeing lower Google reviews on the bigger dealer and yet they are still "5 paw" because of sales, etc. If the local dealer is competitive on price (whether better up front or he'll match a better price from the larger dealer) and seems like a competent dealer with good parts/accessory availability and decent service guys then go that route. My local NH dealer couldn't/wouldn't be competitive on price (same tractor with more options installed was $2500 less at Case dealer) so I went with a Case model from a dealer farther away. The local NH dealer has good parts department so I may go there for parts still but any accessories I need I'll go to the Case dealer as he stocks way way more.