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Buyer's Group
- Thread starter jmfox
- Start date
- Views: 10662
theoshin
Silver Member
this question is in no way inflammatory but here it goes. i am all for a good price - that is what our free market economy is built on; however, how do you all feel your local dealer is going to react when you call for a war. issue or for service? i get the feeling the bobcat dealers are pretty territorial and may make things difficult for non-local buyers. i would feel ok buying an attachment as they are less likely to break in the first year, but a new model tc with all its engineering would make me pretty nervous.
tough call.
ts
tough call.
ts
Most likely the same reason the closest dealer will not give you a fair price, will be the same reason they will do warranty work on a machine they did not sell. Warranty work is a source of income, or should be in a well run shop. Sure they can go to bat for you if the manufacturer is trying to deny a claim, but in the end the dealer will benefit as well. Frankly, I would not buy a toolcat at the convenient store price, so it is not a question of buying from the closest dealer as it is buying one at all. By purchasing a machine with or without their help, at least they, as the most convenient authorized warranty repair shop, will be able to make money on warranty repairs and attachments, which they otherwise would not.
jmf
jmf
panther1400
Bronze Member
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2006
- Messages
- 77
Exactly, thank you.
theoshin
Silver Member
that all makes sense. the reason i paid a bit more and went with the dealer 25 miles away was for the speed of service. i sold my tractor and depend on my machine to clean my driveway after snowfalls. they made it very clear to me that if i bought the tc from them my name would always be ahead of any non-local buyers for repair work. for example - they delivered my snowblower and the couplers were backwards. i did not have time to fix them. they came the next day (saturday) on a holiday and corrected the problem. the salesman even offered to drive down that day after work to fix it personally. i think that is why businesses are more dependent on their dealers than you would be. if that is not worth the extra money, then by all means find the best price. i just can't figure out how a dealer could sell the new tc and basically throw in a $5,000 attachement for no cost when compared to all other dealers. is there really that much markup on the tc?
thx,
ts
thx,
ts
To get back on the closest dealer's Christmas list, if they are as you describe them, you can always give them the money you saved by buying the same exact machine from another dealer. It may be a fact of life, but there is just something wrong about prioritizing warranty repairs based on the amount of profit made on the initial sale. If this is true, then warranty work becomes nothing more than prepaid services.
jmf
jmf
theoshin
Silver Member
i believe it is. any service company is going to treat repeat custumers better than non-customers. when i had a problem with our new toyota the owner of the dealership personally called me and went on a ride with me to let me show him my concerns. they bent over backwards to fix it as i and my family are repeat customers. i come from a family who has been involved with heavy road/airport construction/demolition for over 50 yrs (as owners with up to 350 employees) and the advice i received from both my father and grandfather was to pick the dealer with the best service. problem is that the local dealer may not want to deal on the price. 40g with a 5-6000 attachment thrown in does not leave much profit. i didn't want to be left with my pants down, so to speak, when it snows 12 inches and i need to get to work, so i picked the local, well respected bobcat dealer. i felt a good relationship was important even after the waran as construction equipment is bound to need repairs if used for work. i am not saying you should not pursue your goal of a better price, just stating it may make things more difficult with the local dealer. my advice would be to present your options to the local dealer and see what response you get. if they blow you off, then they are out of a sale.
another example - the local dealer is going to let me use their brushcat for a weekend to see how i like it at no cost. yes, i could have rented one, but they are going to deliver and pick it up too. obviously, they want me to buy a new one.
any idea what discount you could receive on attachments?
good luck,
ts
another example - the local dealer is going to let me use their brushcat for a weekend to see how i like it at no cost. yes, i could have rented one, but they are going to deliver and pick it up too. obviously, they want me to buy a new one.
any idea what discount you could receive on attachments?
good luck,
ts
It sounds like you're the lucky one to be happy with the girl next door. For me, I would have a problem with a dealer who considers warranty work as any other repair chargable to the owner, rather than a defect chargable to the manufacturer.
jmf
jmf
theoshin
Silver Member
i guess what i am trying to say is that in the real world, imho, it is going to be hard to find that "ideal" dealership who would treat you the same if you bought your equipment elsewhere or not.
ts
ts
