Dealer Relationship Issues

[DaRube]

When I purchased my B7500HST last year, I skipped past the dealership 5 miles away and bought from a dealership an hour's drive away. By doing so, I saved over $2000.

But now I am experiencing the downside of not having the relationship with a dealer who is close at hand. I do call out to the place I bought from, but .... to avoid the trip charge, I have been letting them schedule me on a convenience basis ... such as combining their trip with some other service or delivery in my neck of the woods. For a current issue, however, it has been 3 weeks and they still haven't been able to schedule me.

When I did my 50 hr maint, I bought my supplies from the nearby dealership (I didn't feel like driving the hour each way, either). Also, when I had a flat tire, I brought that in to the local guy as well.

Needless to say, when the local guy looked up the serial number on my tire, it was obvious to him that I had bought elsewhere, and he asked me if the tractor had been bought from them. I dodged the question as best I could .... attempting to leave the impression that I had bought a young tractor second hand.

But now I am wondering if my best bet for the long term is to try to establish the relationship with the nearby dealership, come clean on having bought elsewhere, and just hoping for the best. But I have no idea what the consequences will be of "making the switch".

One thing is a given. I know I will FEEL better, just for getting honest.

Have any of you been down a similar path? How did it all play out for you?

 

[karmakanic]

I think most businessmen are pragmatic. What's done is done, and there's no upside for him to hold it against you now that you have the tractor. At this point, he just wants to get your service and parts business and maybe a future sale.

If I was asking you about where you bought the tractor, it would be more to evaluate my own marketing then to gather reasons to treat you poorly when you patronize my establishment. Frankly, if I was that dealer, I would be concerned if the low baller was undercutting me by 2k. It seems that each area of the country has a dealer like that, one who competes mostly on price. Often they are new dealers, who think they will increase demand by low balling their prices. They don't realize they are not increasing the overall demand, they're just cannablizing sales from their fellow dealers.

Still, there should not be 2k difference. I found when I was purchasing my Kubota there were a couple of dealers within trailering distance who were cheaper then the local one. And I discussed them with the local guy. He brought out the difference in service after the sale, and I believed him, but service after the sale has a price, and I'm not willing to pay 2k difference for it. After getting down and dirty with the local guy, there was only 600 dollars difference.

Not to rub salt in the wound, but I was shown the value of going with the local guy this weekend. I was at the dealer picking up some piddly odds and ends for the L35. There was a question about which hydaulic valve was fitted to the tractor for the top n' tilt. When the parts guy heard me mention I bought from them he went and got my sales file. Not only did it have each item purchased with model & serial numbers, there were also hand writtenn notes concerning every contact I had with them concerning the tractor. The few warranty concerns and the corrective action taken, my concern about slow leak down of the tilt cylinder (Kubota still thinks it's normal), even salesman's notes from when I inquired about moving up to a L48.

That to me was worth the 600 dollars.

 

[TBone]

All dealers operate differently so I can't tell you how yours will react when you level with him about buying elsewhere. I can only relay my experience.

I bought a new Massey Ferguson 231-S in 2000 after shopping around for the best price. It was mostly a trouble free tractor but did require a couple of warranty fixes.

The dealer I bought from was 3 hours away and would only pick it up when he was in the area (which was not very often). The dealer in my area (30 minutes away) at the time sold Massey Ferguson, New Holland and Kubota. It is owned by two brothers - one runs the sales end of the business and the other runs the service.

Well I finally got tired of the "We'll get by there one of these days" routine and went to my local dealer with head bowed and confessed my transgressions.

To my surprise, he told me to bring it in and they would get right on it! He did gently rub it in that they would pick it up free of charge if I had bought it from them.

Well the short of it is I was very impressed with their service and their attitude so when I traded the Massey (I never did like that tractor) I made a deal with them on a new Kubota M4900. True to their word, I had a very small problem with the Kubota and called them to ask about it. They were there the next day to pick it up, fixed it promptly and returned it to me free of charge.

I have never regretted my choice of tractors or my choice of dealers the second time around. I didn't even do a price comparison until after I made the deal because I had already made my mind up not to go the "cheap but distant dealer" route again. As it turned out I got a pretty good $$$$ deal too.

I told the guy I bought the Kubota from that the sale was a direct result of the way his brother had treated me in the service department and he seemed to appreciate it. I guess that's the reason they have been in business for 40 years.

Good luck with yours!

TBone

 

[DaRube]

Well, guys, I did go to the local dealer to see how it would go. While he was very earnest about how they would certainly provide the best quality service possible, and how they are motivated in part by the possibility of my purchasing upgrades and accessories there, he also mentioned that they have a 2 week wait for service right now, and a higher labor rate than "up on the mountain". Althought nothing was said to this effect, I got the impression that since they are doing a great guns business both in service and sales at their high prices, there is no need for them to "go the extra mile", particularly for a renegade such as myself. ..... Oh, the rate to haul my tractor 5 miles would be $40 per trip.

So I called my original dealer back. The entire hold up really was about getting the tractor to where the service is, or getting the service to where the tractor is. So I started asking around about borrowing or renting a trailer. The dealer indicated that they would be happy to accomodate me WHENEVER I was able to make it there .... just by calling ahead. WOW!!

At first I couldn'f find a trailer, so I just drove on out and the owner (who also does some of the service himself) took the time to answer my questions, and gave me info on how to know whether I really had a problem (as a newbie, it is sometimes hard to tell) and some of the fixes I could do myself.

So I came home and was able to determine that I did need some work done. I located a trailer, and hauled my tractor out there. The owner himself did the service on my tractor ... and only billed me for a half hour (and a very generous half hour at that) .... at the extremely reasonable "mountain" rate.

I bought all the parts for my next service while I was there (as well as a service manual) .... and got a cap with their logo on it .... which I will proudly wear. They will receive first call on any accessory purchases that I make.

Bottom line .... anyone in the mid-Atlantic who is flexible enough to meet these folks half way ..... I highly recommend them. Ask for Frank Seldon at High View Sales, High View, West Virginia ...... and tell them that I sent you.

 

[r0GuE]

So essentially, you confirmed your first decision. You were'nt "being bad" for passing by your local dealer. The point is, if you're willing to put in the effort to go that far away, it says volumes about the dealer you are bypassing, who appearently is not willing to go the extra mile at all.
I know I'll never understand why a salesman would let a sale get away. Sure you want a buck, but 80 cents beats nothing.

 

[Buster57]

I agree with karmakanic.
I did not go to the closest Kubota dealer but rather went to the one who gave me the best deal. There was also a $2000 spread on my package.
The fact that the dealership lost the initial sale should mean nothing when it comes to loading shop time. Anyone who would not treat a money-paying customer respectfully is no one you want to do business with.
My dealer is 25 miles away and there are several other dealers that are closer, however, the owner lives about 2-3 miles from me. So does one of the technicians. They just drop stuff off on their way to or from work. They also have a mobile truck that can come out to my place and fix 99% of any thing I have broken.
This way the dealer is relatively remote but keeps all my business anyway.
Best of luck to you!

 

[soarkrebel]

I believe that the dealer you deal with means alot. i shopped alot before buying and visited several dealers from 2 miles to 100 miles. the big one 100 miles away i just didnt like from the beginning. yeah they said drive it and try it out but firm on price . wouldnt budge and said that was rock bottom. i ended up buying from there competitor 40 miles down the road . i got more for the same price as the big dealer wanted. they even showed me there prices on my disc and box blade and they made very little. but i will buy my parts and other things from them. i have only had three weeks and already have had to buy a tie rod boot, tie downs for trailering and an extra set of blades for my brush hog.
But one of the things i really liked was they forgot my owners manual when they delivered my cutter. the owner called himself (while we were unloading the cutter) and told me of it. he said his lady that does paperwork lives close to me and would be happy to bring it. she did.
i have no complaints with them and if anyone is interested and looking in the arkansas area . the dealer is timberline int. tractor in hot springs ar. i would recommend them to anyone they will treat you like you have been a customer for years.

 

[dcollie]

I purchased my BX22 from my local dealer. He had a fair price and appreciated the business. I ALWAYS believe in having a relationship locally, and it recently paid off for me.

I rented an overseeder attachment from them together with a Kubota L3010 Tractor (my tractor was not large enough to push the overseeder). The one-day rental was $ 375.00.

When I did my yard, the overseeder did not dig far enough into the turf in my opinion, and was at the maximum limit of the roller adjustment. Max. digging depth was 1/4" and they told me I should adjust for 1/2" to 3/4".

Upon returning the equipment, I told them I was displeased with the rental, and asked for my money back. They offered it graciously and I was so impressed with the lack of confrontation on their part, that instead I used that $ 375.00 as credit to buy an attachment they had on the lot.

Would they have done that had I walked in off the street? Who knows? But in my mind, the fact that I had bought the tractor from made a difference.

-Duane C.