Constructive Feedback from Former Potential JD Customer

[AuburnAlum]

I would hope and assume that someone from JD Corporate pays attention to this site. There is plenty of good information here from true blue customers. Anyway to the point. I have been in the market for a CUT for a while now. As I am a novice to this all I have been patient and doing all my due diligence. Because of this my budget scope has expanded considerably. It is due to some great sales folks and especially the contributors to this site. In the process I have been very disappointed with my interaction with JD to the point JD is no longer part of my consideration.

I am a Salesman and I would say successful at what I do. Enough to have the extra money to spend on an item such as this. I have visited two JD dealers. One multiple times talking to different sales folks. One of the dealers was on a John Deere open house. When speaking with the sales folks I have explained clearly that I was completely new to tractors and what type of work I was expected to be doing. I also am in the market for a commercial walk behind mower ($5K-$7K range) With these dealer I was given the impression that they just did not give a crap about me and my business. Looking at all the $1M combines and other large tractors on the lots I felt as though these folks were their real customers and I was just a crumb. Also thinking ahead and if I had an issue that I would be even less than a crumb to them. I stated please feel free to email me (I rarely ever provide my email address) and/or call if they would like to continue the conversation. No calls, no email. The best attention I was handed was a brochure and a some guesstimates on costs. As a new customer you should engage and qualify. Build a relationship no matter how small they are.

So, sad to say JD has been eliminated from my search.

Overall as an American company (I know the engines are Yanmar) I wish the best for JD. I have heard second hand some of the other issues why the JD dealer may be acting this way but that is not pertinent to my search. I just hope that JD pays attention or they will continue to lose market share in the US and Globally.

 

[davesl708]

Bad dealers are scourge of the tractor industry. Too bad JD does make some good products.

 

[oosik]

When I was in the market for a new tractor, I had discussions with a dealer with that exact same attitude - not JD. I couldn't leave their establishment fast enough. I also wondered what would happen if I had bought one of their tractors and needed service. Its really a frightening thought.

 

[Ken]

I have also begin to look other areas of tractors instead of John Deere.
A look back at tractor in my life were Mid '40s Dad came home with a GP 2 cyl. steel lug tractor and worn equipment.
this was great improvement to the mules. except the moldboard plows were digging deeper than the mule plows. and tractor plow point would get under a large rock so we carried a sledge hammer to break rock and then used the mules to drag a slip box to carry the rock to edge of field .
This tractor with hammer mill sat by the road and farmers brought there corn to be milled into feed for the animals. very dependable tractor.
while in the military service Dad bought a Farmall H trading in the little GP also good tractor.
beginning my buying tractors had a JD "B" then bought a "40"
and maybe still would of kept it except neighbor borrowed to level his drive way buying a load of gravel and using box blade rolled over tractor taking his life. There after never could start to use with out thinking of my neighbor of 50 years.
Tried a Kubota L3600 just could not keep front end FWD from busting leaking or needing some type of repair.
Purchased a JD 5420 after a tornado took out 30 acres of trees and fencing. Also to continue keeping the 80 acres clear of weeds the package purchased included a MX6 bush hog. with out damaging the paint its gear box tossed the stump jumper mowing clover and Bermuda grass.
The dealer just ignored my request for help or getting parts to rebuild.
Then the tractor locked into 4 WHL drive due to a itty bitty metal slide plate inside the transmission.
Dealer knew exactly what was needed to repair so not uncommon problem but required separating engine from the transmission to repair. 2 men at then price of $85 per hour each could not say how many hours.

Getting a sour note to JD equipment. thinking of were unable to get the fuel gage to work until after warranty was out them only 70 buck to replace .
continuous error codes having to check in Manuel that left turn signal bulb open filament replacing bulb doesn't clear but shut off engine restart does.
Purchased a Bush hog Brand name cutter and since have used it until paint is about gone with never a problem.
JD still in 4 whl. drive and since never on high way getting close to 2000 hours
Told dealer have bought last JD tractor that was new. same for equipment.
ken

 

[SJay]

I started looking for a tractor in July of 2015. I was able to stop at dealers that carried almost all the big name tractors. I only had 2 offer a test drive - a Kubota dealer and a JD dealer. Salesman at the JD dealership was very helpful. I to was surprised at the response I got at most dealerships, I couldn't tell you how many I stopped at and no one ever came outside to talk to me. I was able to find a used Bobcat CT225 at my local Bobcat dealer, who delivered the tractor for a 4 day demo after which I purchased the tractor. Good luck on your search.

 

[AuburnAlum]

I have also begin to look other areas of tractors instead of John Deere.
A look back at tractor in my life were Mid '40s Dad came home with a GP 2 cyl. steel lug tractor and worn equipment.
this was great improvement to the mules. except the moldboard plows were digging deeper than the mule plows. and tractor plow point would get under a large rock so we carried a sledge hammer to break rock and then used the mules to drag a slip box to carry the rock to edge of field .
This tractor with hammer mill sat by the road and farmers brought there corn to be milled into feed for the animals. very dependable tractor.
while in the military service Dad bought a Farmall H trading in the little GP also good tractor.
beginning my buying tractors had a JD "B" then bought a "40"
and maybe still would of kept it except neighbor borrowed to level his drive way buying a load of gravel and using box blade rolled over tractor taking his life. There after never could start to use with out thinking of my neighbor of 50 years.
Tried a Kubota L3600 just could not keep front end FWD from busting leaking or needing some type of repair.
Purchased a JD 5420 after a tornado took out 30 acres of trees and fencing. Also to continue keeping the 80 acres clear of weeds the package purchased included a MX6 bush hog. with out damaging the paint its gear box tossed the stump jumper mowing clover and Bermuda grass.
The dealer just ignored my request for help or getting parts to rebuild.
Then the tractor locked into 4 WHL drive due to a itty bitty metal slide plate inside the transmission.
Dealer knew exactly what was needed to repair so not uncommon problem but required separating engine from the transmission to repair. 2 men at then price of $85 per hour each could not say how many hours.

Getting a sour note to JD equipment. thinking of were unable to get the fuel gage to work until after warranty was out them only 70 buck to replace .
continuous error codes having to check in Manuel that left turn signal bulb open filament replacing bulb doesn't clear but shut off engine restart does.
Purchased a Bush hog Brand name cutter and since have used it until paint is about gone with never a problem.
JD still in 4 whl. drive and since never on high way getting close to 2000 hours
Told dealer have bought last JD tractor that was new. same for equipment.
ken

http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/cf-dafuq.gif

 

[Furu]

I think that there are sales folks that can make and break a dealership.

Deere did not do themselves any favors when they decided 5 or so years ago that they would only deal with large multi-store dealerships and not the small individual owned dealerships.
My Deere dealer was sold out to a big conglomerate and the results were not good. I still check in with the "new sales guy" that replaced the sales guy I bought my JD equipment from but there is not the sense that they are the local company, it is all about the corporate feel. They own all the dealerships in the west half of the state.

I did stop in at a JD dealer down in central Oregon years back and got the brush off like you. They were in Oregon farm country and were interested in the $1M+ deals not the little guy (50K-100K).

I was recently in the market for a high end compact track loader last year and the JD was in the running but the construction sales guy could not find time for me and his pricing was not competitive at all. They have a sales guy for each sub division of equipment types and the guy I had been dealing with for years was not the construction sales guy. I know that JD is proud of their brand but it was ridiculous the price I was quoted.

Back when there were many dealerships there was some competition. When JD Corporate decided they would only deal with the multi-store dealerships they limited competition within the brand thus the margins went up and there was no need to compete on price and then there became no need to compete on service. If you went with JD you went with them. A lot of folks have switched brands and it is sad as JD was the overall best but that is changing and not for the good. I was and still am to a large degree a JD type of guy but I recently spent 130K and there was no JD name on any of the equipment. Just calling it like it is.

 

[AuburnAlum]

I think that there are sales folks that can make and break a dealership.

Deere did not do themselves any favors when they decided 5 or so years ago that they would only deal with large multi-store dealerships and not the small individual owned dealerships.
My Deere dealer was sold out to a big conglomerate and the results were not good. I still check in with the "new sales guy" that replaced the sales guy I bought my JD equipment from but there is not the sense that they are the local company, it is all about the corporate feel. They own all the dealerships in the west half of the state.

I did stop in at a JD dealer down in central Oregon years back and got the brush off like you. They were in Oregon farm country and were interested in the $1M+ deals not the little guy (50K-100K).

I was recently in the market for a high end compact track loader last year and the JD was in the running but the construction sales guy could not find time for me and his pricing was not competitive at all. They have a sales guy for each sub division of equipment types and the guy I had been dealing with for years was not the construction sales guy. I know that JD is proud of their brand but it was ridiculous the price I was quoted.

Back when there were many dealerships there was some competition. When JD Corporate decided they would only deal with the multi-store dealerships they limited competition within the brand thus the margins went up and there was no need to compete on price and then there became no need to compete on service. If you went with JD you went with them. A lot of folks have switched brands and it is sad as JD was the overall best but that is changing and not for the good. I was and still am to a large degree a JD type of guy but I recently spent 130K and there was no JD name on any of the equipment. Just calling it like it is.

Good points. The local dealer I wanted to deal with I know was bought up by a larger JD chain. From what I was told second hand is that he was forced into selling his dealership because he could not push as much metal as JD desired. Unfortunately he still is working there running the business but clearly there is no passion. Another point too is that I went to another dealer from a different group and they had the same attitude.

Perhaps it is intentional. Perhaps JD sees the competition from Kubota, Kioti, Mahindra, MF. Perhaps they are quietly exiting these market segments and focusing on the professional/corporate farms etc. From my layman's view right now the competition does seem to care more than JD.

 

[DFB]

My original experience back when I settled in with a tractor dealer was learning exactly what was their major focus...was it only larger AG equipment and did they already represent an established farming community or was it CUTS and their associated attachments or even landscaping equipment for a more suburban type environment.

Hard for me to really expect a one size fits all business model or one dealer's sales staff to successfully market their entire line of products from the smallest line trimmer to the largest combine. Though I did purchase my CUT thru a large AG equipment dealer at the time (they gave the best price) and I do remember the salesman did say to me "You like all that new fangled stuff don't ya" when I expressed my desire for HST after him trying to steer me towards gear. Sadly they are gone now, been absorbed by the big dealer conglomeration.

There were 3 JD dealers in a 20 mile radius of where I once lived, the smallest tractor the AG oriented dealer had on the lot was the largest model of CUT, one had the entire CUT line, plus some landscaping equipment, and no large farm machinery and the 3rd was all landscaping and lawn grooming equipment. Mowers, saws, trimmers, etc and not a CUT tractor on site larger than maybe 25HP.

The closest green CUT dealer to me now also markets so much other stuff like larger construction equipment/rentals, snowmobiles, ATV's and UTV's along with trailers. Interestingly they do the different sections of the store as separate sales areas and counter staff.

I looked a lot of tractors brands at the time and more than several business and their represented lines have disappeared from my local radar over the years now, AGCO, MF, CASE, NH, Cub Cadet, Branson, and Challenger just to name a few.

Deere, Kubota, Kioti, and Mahindra are all still well represented in my in my general buying area

And I am really glad to see Yanmar tractors back in the game

 

[jgayman]

I to was surprised at the response I got at most dealerships, I couldn't tell you how many I stopped at and no one ever came outside to talk to me.

This seems to be a catch-22 whether it is cars, trucks or tractors. When you want to just stop in and browse the lot the salesman are typically all over you. Then on other visits when you WANT to speak to a salesman there are none to be found.

If I had to take my pick, I would actually prefer that no one comes out and bugs me. When I'm at the point where I'm ready to talk about options and pricing I will go inside and let them know.

 

[SARG]

I have always had a negative opinion of John Deere dealerships. They are much like the BMW or Cadillac auto places. They have a certain clientele that they cater to and if you don't appear to have bags of expendable cash they simply don't want to waste their time talking with you.

I suspect that's why I have two blue machines.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I would hope and assume that someone from JD Corporate pays attention to this site. There is plenty of good information here from true blue customers. Anyway to the point. I have been in the market for a CUT for a while now. As I am a novice to this all I have been patient and doing all my due diligence. Because of this my budget scope has expanded considerably. It is due to some great sales folks and especially the contributors to this site. In the process I have been very disappointed with my interaction with JD to the point JD is no longer part of my consideration.

I am a Salesman and I would say successful at what I do. Enough to have the extra money to spend on an item such as this. I have visited two JD dealers. One multiple times talking to different sales folks. One of the dealers was on a John Deere open house. When speaking with the sales folks I have explained clearly that I was completely new to tractors and what type of work I was expected to be doing. I also am in the market for a commercial walk behind mower ($5K-$7K range) With these dealer I was given the impression that they just did not give a crap about me and my business. Looking at all the $1M combines and other large tractors on the lots I felt as though these folks were their real customers and I was just a crumb. Also thinking ahead and if I had an issue that I would be even less than a crumb to them. I stated please feel free to email me (I rarely ever provide my email address) and/or call if they would like to continue the conversation. No calls, no email. The best attention I was handed was a brochure and a some guesstimates on costs. As a new customer you should engage and qualify. Build a relationship no matter how small they are.

So, sad to say JD has been eliminated from my search.

Overall as an American company (I know the engines are Yanmar) I wish the best for JD. I have heard second hand some of the other issues why the JD dealer may be acting this way but that is not pertinent to my search. I just hope that JD pays attention or they will continue to lose market share in the US and Globally.

I understand your frustration. I have been in sales too. But when I'm searching for something like this, the last thing I do is let a salesman "sell" me. I make up my mind by doing research on product and price and then I go in forewarned and forearmed. Maybe if I had a small question as to which type of tyne would he recommend on local soils. I prefer NOT to be swarmed by some ________ type of salesman. They only matter at the day of the sell and maybe some help with warranty, what matters truly with the dealer is whether they'll be there 13 years from now to give you support and parts. My dealer has been in business for decades. Many of the cheaper brands have not lasted the 13 years since I've bought mine.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

I would hope and assume that someone from JD Corporate pays attention to this site. There is plenty of good information here from true blue customers. Anyway to the point. I have been in the market for a CUT for a while now. As I am a novice to this all I have been patient and doing all my due diligence. Because of this my budget scope has expanded considerably. It is due to some great sales folks and especially the contributors to this site. In the process I have been very disappointed with my interaction with JD to the point JD is no longer part of my consideration.

I am a Salesman and I would say successful at what I do. Enough to have the extra money to spend on an item such as this. I have visited two JD dealers. One multiple times talking to different sales folks. One of the dealers was on a John Deere open house. When speaking with the sales folks I have explained clearly that I was completely new to tractors and what type of work I was expected to be doing. I also am in the market for a commercial walk behind mower ($5K-$7K range) With these dealer I was given the impression that they just did not give a crap about me and my business. Looking at all the $1M combines and other large tractors on the lots I felt as though these folks were their real customers and I was just a crumb. Also thinking ahead and if I had an issue that I would be even less than a crumb to them. I stated please feel free to email me (I rarely ever provide my email address) and/or call if they would like to continue the conversation. No calls, no email. The best attention I was handed was a brochure and a some guesstimates on costs. As a new customer you should engage and qualify. Build a relationship no matter how small they are.

So, sad to say JD has been eliminated from my search.

Overall as an American company (I know the engines are Yanmar) I wish the best for JD. I have heard second hand some of the other issues why the JD dealer may be acting this way but that is not pertinent to my search. I just hope that JD pays attention or they will continue to lose market share in the US and Globally.

I wrote up a rant about the lack of professionalism in tractor sales in 2014.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...s/316129-lack-professionalism-sales-rant.html

 

[AuburnAlum]

I wrote up a rant about the lack of professionalism in tractor sales in 2014.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...s/316129-lack-professionalism-sales-rant.html

Great post and thread. I read all six pages of it and agree with your points. One point another posted stated that a salesman should not have to concern themselves with lower dollar sales. My quota has been well into the millions sometimes tens of millions during my career. Worked for Apple selling B2B back before it was popular and the iPod just had come out. Some of my sales to this day are less than $1K. Some sales take years to develop. I am a salesperson who advises and educates but never push. I would like to say my customers trust me because I care no matter what the size and willing to advise.

I don't expect sales folks at dealers to jump out to meet me. With all my experiences thus far I have had to ask to speak with someone which is just fine. Right now the salesman and dealer winning the race is answering my question on all my questions on the functions. The leading dealer is able to ask the question: "Why would I want to spend $5K more for L4701 and a L4060? What do I get for that extra spend?" And the leading dealer/salesman is able to articulate and answer, the JD dealer answered (JD products of course) "Well, for an extra $5K you get a whole lot of bells and whistles."..and hands me a brochure. Really?

 

[jenkinsph]

I understand your frustration. I have been in sales too. But when I'm searching for something like this, the last thing I do is let a salesman "sell" me. I make up my mind by doing research on product and price and then I go in forewarned and forearmed. Maybe if I had a small question as to which type of tyne would he recommend on local soils. I prefer NOT to be swarmed by some ________ type of salesman. They only matter at the day of the sell and maybe some help with warranty, what matters truly with the dealer is whether they'll be there 13 years from now to give you support and parts. My dealer has been in business for decades. Many of the cheaper brands have not lasted the 13 years since I've bought mine.

I do my own research and decision making, list the options and line items I want. When I go in I am looking for the best price for said equipment. Both of the dealerships I have used have been in business for many years. Both have been fair to me and pleasant to deal with. Some sales people are good and others need improvement to put it mildly. For the most part Deere can't be held responsible for the individual salesman at any dealership. That goes for all brands too.

 

[AuburnAlum]

For the most part Deere can't be held responsible for the individual salesman at any dealership. That goes for all brands too.

I completely disagree. JD should feel and be responsible for the individual salesman. Because of multiple bad salesmen they have lost my sale and lost it for good. How much does that equate to them in the long run? How many cases like mine as this happened? All Salesmen should be on commission. This is a guarantee they have ownership of the sales.

jenkinsph you clearly have experience with tractors and all functions. Especially on JD. Since Christmas there have been 20 new members added to this site. Some novices like myself, some with experience with JD or other brands. ALL of them are potential JD customers. All perhaps looking for that new or next tractor. If JD does not care about the salesperson that meets them when they come through door of the dealership they have completely screwed themselves on the chance to make would you say at a least thousands? Hundreds of thousands of dollars on them?

After doing some more research it is clear JD is all about volume and there are no more 'small' dealerships. All the dealerships are parts of larger organizations that are by no means small with a single location. This is not the case with Kubota or the other brands. JD has much more control and historically has seemed to force itself upon the dealer and should do something about it. Start to care about its customer the first time they walk through the door of any JD dealership.

 

[Spindifferent]

I sure hope that JD is listening.

For what it is worth, I've had great JD sales service from both a huge AG dealer and a smaller non-AG dealer. I'm a small-fry in a big green sea of monster tractors, but I've felt valued none-the-less by my local dealers.

My product purchase strategy typically doesn't depend on a sales person offering their advice; I just need them to print the invoice and take my money after I've done all of the necessary product research.

That said, your local dealer pre-purchase experience may be an indicator of their post-sales attitude. While JD makes great products (like Apple), post-sales service is a really important consideration in any large purchase/investment.

In my opinion, post-sales service and support is much more important than the pre-sales experience. As you evaluate other tractor brands, keep the service aspect in mind.

Good luck on your tractor journey!

 

[oosik]

Hmmm--- I wonder. Does JD really not understand the role of a "qualified" salesperson. I doubt it. Does JD really not want the business from smaller buyers - I doubt that also. However, their push to become "large corporate" while other brands remain "family loyal" seems to have a damaging effect on the overall product. I think large & fast has had a very negative effect on several other brands also.

This is a very good reason to devote more time to research of the dealership, its customer loyalty, its continuing service; along with the color of tractor you anticipate buying.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Most all of the JD faithful were very upset at the "consolidation" forcing dealers to own multiple locations.

There were many posts on it back a few years ago.

To each their own. I'd rather do my homework on places like this great website than hear a salesman trying to tell me what I want to hear. I want to make my own decision.

Some would want to hear arguments as to why a company's tractors are better, some don't want to hear bashing.

 

[jenkinsph]

I completely disagree. JD should feel and be responsible for the individual salesman. Because of multiple bad salesmen they have lost my sale and lost it for good. How much does that equate to them in the long run? How many cases like mine as this happened? All Salesmen should be on commission. This is a guarantee they have ownership of the sales.

jenkinsph you clearly have experience with tractors and all functions. Especially on JD. Since Christmas there have been 20 new members added to this site. Some novices like myself, some with experience with JD or other brands. ALL of them are potential JD customers. All perhaps looking for that new or next tractor. If JD does not care about the salesperson that meets them when they come through door of the dealership they have completely screwed themselves on the chance to make would you say at a least thousands? Hundreds of thousands of dollars on them?

After doing some more research it is clear JD is all about volume and there are no more 'small' dealerships. All the dealerships are parts of larger organizations that are by no means small with a single location. This is not the case with Kubota or the other brands. JD has much more control and historically has seemed to force itself upon the dealer and should do something about it. Start to care about its customer the first time they walk through the door of any JD dealership.

You can hold the employer responsible for his employees in most cases but not the product supplier. You can hold Deere responsible for the structuring of the large mega dealerships, that is their doing/manipulating. You should send a letter to the dealership owner voicing your opinion of his employees.

As a small business owner for most of my life I can say that I am responsible to the customers not the suppliers of products where my employees are concerned. Your issue is the dealer and their employees and it would not matter which brand you look at. Whether buying a new auto, truck, tractor or tv set the manufacturer is not the blame for the employee's lack of salesmanship.

I have all Ford trucks and Deere tractors because these two brands have the best dealerships in my locale. If Chevy or Dodge, Kubota, Kioti, New Holland were well represented with good dealerships I might have different equipment. There is no doubt in my mind that all of these brands are competitive and make good equipment. Blind brand loyalty is for suckers imo.