Dealer For $32.00 my dealer lost a sale

[joes_427_vette]

Gator Boy; Where do you get off on FREE ? For what I paid for the 4110 I could have bought 6 Murrays ( and they would have come with all the parts ). We NEVER argued on price. He called with his " best deal " and I wrote the check. I would bet at least a grand if not more in profit. I don't want to GUESS the size of the metric fasteners. I paid and therefore they should appear. The dealers make no money on attachments, oil, filters, or replacement parts. If this is true he has a right to sit on the stacked pile of gold. This is my third John Deere lawn and garden tractor combined with numerous attachments. The world can do as it wishes. I will buy no more green from a company that cares less about customer relations. Ask Ford and Harley Davidson what they are doing to improve how customers view their products.

 

[orgt]

The dealers make no money on attachments, oil, filters, or replacement parts.

You're joking, right?

Just curious and BTW I agree 200% with everything else you said.

 

[machmeter62]

The John Deere dealer where I bought the 4110 would not throw in a fender handle like the literature shows. Also said he would give me a deal on the mid mounted mower they had in stock. Turns out it wouldn't fit and offered a new one at near list price. Found a new mower at another dealer and when I put it on it was missing 2 metric washers and fasteners. Didn't know what size so I asked for them to be shipped. Dealer and John Deere service stated they were not needed and not included. I guess I'm supposed to listen to the top shields rattle while I mow the lawn.
I replaced my big tractor with a New Holland TC 55 DA ordered five weeks ago. Would like to have had a green one but I like good dealer service and they did not meet my expectations.

I like JD Tractors, and think they make good products; but my feeling in general is, they think they are a "cut above," with the take it or leave it attiude? I've been left with this feeling more than once! I know there is some good old school dealers out there, and I'm still looking.

 

[Jstpssng]

Quote"But in the initial negoations I will tell you if you make any money of of me I have done a poor job neogating the cost. I am a shopper and I am loyal to one thing and that is the dollars spent. If X sell something and Y has the same thing, and i mean the same, cheaper then Y gets my business. Pure and simple. Some dealers try to make too much mark up. In a capatolistic society like we have supply and demand rules. If you have a demand you set the price. If you have no demand i set the price. Look at Ford 5 years ago they would of never thought of given you the deals they are now. But they can't sell vehicles. You can buy a Ford a very near cost today. I guess I am the reason why so many start-up companies go belly up. If they don't know how to negoiate then they shouldn't be in the business of selling."

I guess that's why I'd never make it in retail... come up to me with that statement and I'll tell you "don't waste my time."

That's also the reason why it's getting harder and harder to buy quality these days... too many people would rather pay $100 three times, than $200 once.

 

[matthew3120]

The John Deere dealer where I bought the 4110 would not throw in a fender handle like the literature shows. Also said he would give me a deal on the mid mounted mower they had in stock. Turns out it wouldn't fit and offered a new one at near list price. Found a new mower at another dealer and when I put it on it was missing 2 metric washers and fasteners. Didn't know what size so I asked for them to be shipped. Dealer and John Deere service stated they were not needed and not included. I guess I'm supposed to listen to the top shields rattle while I mow the lawn.
I replaced my big tractor with a New Holland TC 55 DA ordered five weeks ago. Would like to have had a green one but I like good dealer service and they did not meet my expectations.

First what dealer are you talking about?

 

[BobinIL]

I just finished with the purchase of a new JD CUT. I will tell you that most dealers (or Salesmen rather because the dealership may be good but you may have some inexperienced salesmen or salesmen with some bad attitudes) do not make much money on the small residential equipment. Therefore they are less motivated to move this type of equipment compared to the larger stuff. I had one situation where I drove 2 hours to look at a tractor, the salesman quoted me an excellent price over the phone, close to cost since they had been sitting on this tractor for over 9 months. I arrived at the dealership, found the guy I talked to on the phone sitting in his office, he took me out to the lot to the tractor and said "here it is" and walked away. He then proceded to load a lawnmower onto a trailer and then, get this, he left!! With me standing there after a two hour drive. I also have several friends that are still active farmers and when they start looking for a new piece of equipment the salesmen literally stalk him. He said the salesmen are at his house 2 to 3 times a week until he buys something.

 

[Woodbeef]

Maybe next time I go to a restaurant I'll ask if they will throw in a bowl of New England Clam chowder for FREE if I buy the Filet Mignon. If they say no, I'm walking out!

Huh? ........Care to explain how this pertains the the original post? Sure if the Tenderloin meal comes with soup,ok...........but if it don't,oh well pony up the cash.......

 

[Dargo]

Would I walk away from a deal over $32? Probably not - but, if I did, the problem was not the $32 - it was the attitude of the dealer.

I am in business and I have customers I have to take care of. Perhaps that makes me notice good service and really respect that, and it also makes me notice poor service. I walked on a 42K deal because of the attitude of the salesperson and then the dealer when the dealer got involved. On a 42K purchase, none of the dealer prep was done properly, half of the plastic was still on from the manufacturer, the unit had not been cleaned and the tank was empty. The dealer tried to feed me the line that I got such a great deal that he couldn't afford to even clean it up or put fuel in the tank. So, as to not hurt the dealer further, I let him keep it. I put my checkbook back in my pocket and left.

It was then that the dealer and sales manager followed me out to my truck and told me that I wasn't going to be so stupid as to pass up the deal they made me over those issues. My thoughts are that if I get that sort of treatment when I'm buying, and before they have my money, I don't want to think how I'd be treated after they had my money. I walked and, amazingly enough, I found another dealer who was willing to take my cash. I don't do dealers with attitudes; never have, never will. I don't expect them to kiss my arse, but I do expect good service like I provide my own customers. Purchases for me are very non-emotional. It means nothing for me to walk. I've been to all the sales schools and seen all the sales games of how you "have the customer hooked" when you get him to take "mental ownership". Not me; sorry.

 

[JimParker]

Wow - interesting thread. As someone who is just about to buy a tractor, it's very relevant to me. I can see both sides of the "general case" issue, but I have to agree with the OP - in his particular case, the dealer should have found the needed washers and apologized for missing it on their pre-delivery inspection. The handle? I personally would have thrown it in and taken the hit on profitability, but that's a "your mileage may vary" comment.

I am curious, though... When I buy a new car, I have access to all sorts of information via Edmunds, Kelly Blue Book, etc. that can tell me pretty much exactly what the invoice price is on the vehicle and options I want. Armed with that information, it's amazing how many dealers will immediately tell you their bottom-line profit figure (at least in terms of $xxx above invoice - I recognize there are other potential profit opportunities for them). Most often, it's $500 over invoice, though on a couple of occasions, I've had them quote me "$250 over invoice, if we have the vehicle you want in stock." And on one occasion, I was perfectly happy to pay $1,000 over invoice for a particularly popular (and relatively low production) vehicle.

Here's where it gets interesting: I know exactly what their invoice cost should be, because I've got the Edmunds.com & KBB.com printouts in my pocket. (Tip - always configure the vehicle you want twice - once equipped as you want the car to be, and once with every option known to man, so you'll always know the cost for any "extras" on their "in stock" car.) If they lie to me, and inflate their invoice cost, I call them on it and walk away immediately -- assuming that they will lie about anything else just as easily. (One guy even had fake invoices printed up on "official-looking" paper, and tried to convince me they were legit - right up to the point where I suggested we call the distributer with the VIN and have the distributer confirm the invoice... Suddently it was "somebody must have made a mistake and mistyped the VIN on this "reprinted invoice"... I was so glad to leave that dealership!) I've closed the deal more than once in less than 5 minutes!

I would love to be able to buy my tractor the first way - with a reasonable expectation of what a "fair" price would be. I don't want to "exploit" the dealer (I want them to be there later on when I need something fixed), but I don't want to be exploited, either. I'm going to spend more on my CUT than I did for the truck that it used for daily transportation (and hauling the tractor)... I wish that I felt even half as confident that I'm getting a reasonably good deal on it...

Is there any service similar to Edmunds or Kelley Blue Book that shows the dealer cost for tractors and accessories?

 

[Dargo]

When I buy a new car, I have access to all sorts of information via Edmunds, Kelly Blue Book, etc. that can tell me pretty much exactly what the invoice price is on the vehicle and options I want.

Part of what my company does is to train sales managers at car dealerships how to sell cars. Believe it or not, I prefer it when the customer is well informed. For the most part, customers understand that the dealer has to make a profit on a vehicle. It's only the customers who come in with the invoice and want to offer $1000 under that are politely shown the door; only after it is explained to them why the dealer cannot reasonably be expected to sell vehicles at a loss. Besides, we try to explain to the customer that it is in their best interest for the dealership to be there for them in the future.

Some dealers still get all twisted out of shape about customers having relatively free, and accurate, access to their costs. (These dealers need to hire me ) For some reason, boat dealers, motorcycle dealers, and tractor dealers are in morbid fear that customers will some day be able to gain access to their cost. I say "so what!?". I agree with Jim; he expects a reasonable deal, but he doesnt' expect a dealer to lose money on a sale. Also Jim noted that some models will demand more profit than others. Most people understand that boats and motorcycles are very seasonal and, therefore, the dealer must make a higher percentage profit on their items. Tractors are similar in that most customers do not trade up to the new model every 3 years, so they need to make a bit higher percentage of profit. But, some people do actually trade tractors that often. Usually their dealers know that and give them a bit lower price; that is if they expect the repeat business from that customer.

The exception to this rule is Saturn vehicles. The dealers get full retail for their vehicles. If they discount them any, they will lose their franchise. Saturn and their dealers try to say that their sticker prices are already reduced. I'll give you a hint; if you actually believe that line, put a lug nut under your pillow and the 'car' tooth fairy will bring you a new car tonight.