“Buy the dealer, not the machine” is outdated

[fried1765]

Yep. My localish Kubota dealer has changed hands twice and location once since I bought my tractor from them in 2012.

That is PRECISELY the issue with the "buy the dealer" philosophy!

 

[fried1765]

When I bought my tractor there were two Kubota dealers near me and one JD just a little farther away. Anytime I called the kubota dealer for parts they took 3-4 days to get back to me and had to
Order the parts. Both dealerships were very small and only had one parts guy. The JD dealer answered my request right then on the phone, often had the parts in stock and if not could get them in 2-3 days. Usually before Kubota even got around to calling me back. So when I needed a used tractor I made the choice to buy JD. I drove 12hrs to another dealer that had what I wanted. I do all my own repairs but get the parts from my local JD dealer. I go thru a few sets of filters,mower blades and various parts every summer. They always have the normal consumables in stock and parts not in stock are 2-3 days.
My neighbor has a Kubota zero turn and loves it and has never had it back for repairs. But only mows every 2-3 weeks.
Both make good units but everything breaks eventually and for me parts supply is an important consideration.

Obtaining tractor parts promptly is usually not a problem in the USA, because both FedEx and UPS service the entire country, and have very competitive rates.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have mentioned it before here. An experience I had in the 80s when my Step Father bought a Dodge 600. Salesman was the nicest guy you would ever want to meet. My step dad had some issue and approached the man, when he went to pick up the vehicle. The man was with potential customers and I will never forget the rude and consescending way the man reffered my stepfather to the SERVICE department. Who knows. Maybe the guy was just having a bad day.

 

[RSR]

See part of the problem is on your Amazon example, Amazon often provides way better customer service then these local mom and pop places. I order something wrong, they'll send someone to my house to pick it up. It comes in damaged, they ship me a new one before I send it back, or if I give them a specific part that sell to fix the problem, they just send it to me. I want the price on some other product I don't usually buy, its right there, upfront, with all my discounts I negotiate if I'm using Amazon Business. Like literally everything is at my fingertips that I could want out of a retailer for the types of products Amazon sells.

When you try to get customer service out of the mom and pop shops, even the ones that are really good and try hard, the owner clearly isn't thrilled when you're doing things that are cutting into the profit, such as returning items or claiming warranty on something that the manufacturer isn't going to reimburse the store for. And I get it: I own a small business and I'm not thrilled when I'm doing warranty work for free with my customers, especially when I view some of the items as very minor and nitpicking, instead of doing things that make me money. But the automated systems and disconnect between the financial impact between the person you're dealing with makes it easier to provide better, less emotional customer service. As a stupid example, if someone buys an oil filter on Amazon and the box comes in damaged and they want a new one, you know Amazon will just ship them a new one and pick up the old one. You do that at a dealer, they're gonna look and be like "the oil filter is fine".

In other words, a big part of the reason of Amazon and the internet giants success is precisely because they typically provide better customer service at a lower price then the competition. Yes, there's specific situations where they are worse... but typically, my experience is they're way better, on average. Even product support, one of the entire purposes of this forum is to help people get support on the equipment they're buying. If these places really had great product support at a low price, there'd be no reason for this forum to exist, and realistically, this forum and others like it provide way better support for my equipment then any dealer I've dealt with. For free no less.

You're right that for 98% (?) of customers, customer support is better through Amazon. I don't disagree with that at all.

But, customer support/service that can't be offered by Amazon does offer some value as well. As an example, I'm an avid cyclist. You can buy a bike on amazon, and itnwill work fine for most people. But, for someone that is serious, wants to get into racing, etc., a shop that can help with fit, etc. is indispensable. They are also critical for having obscure parts on hand, providing repairs if needed, etc.

However, I view bicycle stores much like tractor dealers. They are useful and provide a much needed service, but it is to a small, and ever shrinking number of customers. For someone that just wants a bike to get from point a to b (the vast majority of customers) a local bike store is really not needed. Hence, the continuing disappearance of bicycle stores.

Similarly, "service" from a dealer is likely only needed for a very small percentage of buyers (big ag, etc.)

In summary, I think there is a need for good service that stretches beyond what Amazon or other the like can offer. But, the reality is the percentage of the population that needs, or even wants, that type of service is declining such that it's an unsustainable business model.

 

[fried1765]

I have mentioned it before here. An experience I had in the 80s when my Step Father bought a Dodge 600. Salesman was the nicest guy you would ever want to meet. My step dad had some issue and approached the man, when he went to pick up the vehicle. The man was with potential customers and I will never forget the rude and consescending way the man reffered my stepfather to the SERVICE department. Who knows. Maybe the guy was just having a bad day.

Perhaps the salesman attitude was actually all about the D600 itself.
I owned a D600 once.
It was a POS !!!!

 

[Industrial Toys]

Mits 2.6 or 2.2? They got the 2.6 which never gave them trouble but what an ugly running little engine. SAD days in US auto manufacturing.

Funny, my Mom claimed it was on it's last legs, because it would chug, shake, and rattle, making it's way out the ramp of her underground parking. I sold it to a customers wife,. who drove it for years without trouble! Figures!

 

[Hay Dude]

You mean this kind of D600?

 

[Hay Dude]

I always lay the cards on the table and am totally honest. Explain to a local dealer exactly what my options and dilemas are. This usually works out well. No one is upset or feels offended. Sometimes it's just a matter of them asking the question, if I can do something for you, are you going to sign a deal "right now". You have to be prepared for that, otherwise it's just more game playing.

Funny you mention that. Most of the time I (and most educated buyers) know what a great deal is on what they are buying, especially if it is a new piece. I usually make MY offer TO the salesman rather than them make an offer to me. He will lean back in his chair and go “whoaahaha....I got to make something here!!! Gotta keep the lights on, ya know” ..that sorta thing.
Then he goes to the owner and the owners usually oks it.

The 2 I deal with are kind of beyond all the posturing and negotiating. We have a little fun with it, make the deal and I like knowing the future service will be excellent with the sale.

 

[fried1765]

You mean this kind of D600?

Yup same animal ...... but with a dirt dump body.

 

[Hay Dude]

Yeah....they was some real terds....