Kubota Dealer

[Gary Fowler]

I waited about 3 weeks before they could get to mine. They were busy & while I don't know if it applied to me, if I was a dealer I would give priority to people who make their living with their equipment over a home owner's toy.

I don't think that would be fair to any consumer who also needs their tractors. I would be thoroughly pissed at a dealer who did that to me. While homeowners don't usually make money with their machines, they are just as entitled to have them worked on as the next guy.

As an example, how would you feel if you went into a restaurant and the waitress ignored you for an hour or so while she served the lunch crowd of working folks? Same principal as dealer who ignores your tractor.

 

[brain55]

A week isn't that long. When I worked for dealers you could just about count on any repair other than the simplest, being a week or more. I usually tried to at least make a diagnosis in the first couple of days so I could get parts coming. A shop with no backlog, is a shop you don't want working on your equipment, there's probably a reason they don't have a lot of customers.

It wasn't unusual for me to have 5 tractors apart at a time, in various stages of repair. In a perfect world tractors would be diagnosed and repaired in the order received, all the parts would be on the shelf waiting, and no repair would take longer than expected or have problems going back together. It is a constant juggling match in any shop.

I could go on and on about the logistics of a dealer shop and trying to balance assembling new tractors for delivery, keeping the sales department happy, keeping different volume customers with different levels of loyalty happy, getting warranty work done in a timely fashion while also making sure you'll get paid something close to what you would if it were a cash job, and dealing with mechanics with varying rates of skill and desire.

Brian

 

[k0ua]

A week isn't that long. When I worked for dealers you could just about count on any repair other than the simplest, being a week or more. I usually tried to at least make a diagnosis in the first couple of days so I could get parts coming. A shop with no backlog, is a shop you don't want working on your equipment, there's probably a reason they don't have a lot of customers.

It wasn't unusual for me to have 5 tractors apart at a time, in various stages of repair. In a perfect world tractors would be diagnosed and repaired in the order received, all the parts would be on the shelf waiting, and no repair would take longer than expected or have problems going back together. It is a constant juggling match in any shop.

I could go on and on about the logistics of a dealer shop and trying to balance assembling new tractors for delivery, keeping the sales department happy, keeping different volume customers with different levels of loyalty happy, getting warranty work done in a timely fashion while also making sure you'll get paid something close to what you would if it were a cash job, and dealing with mechanics with varying rates of skill and desire.

Brian

Everything he said^^

While I have never worked in a machinery repair shop, I have worked (when I was much younger) in several TV/appliance repair shops. And everything he said applied the them as well. Many things to consider and juggle all at the same time. A week?.. more like 2 or 3 weeks sometimes.

You say your tractor is more important than someones TV?...Yeah sure, tell that to an irate TV football fan, or even a housewife watching her favorite soap opera. Keep in mind that back in the 70's there were not a lot of other entertainment outlets. And stupid manufactures often even built the stereo in with the TV, so you could not even listen to music if your TV was in the shop.

 

[Oiltech]

I drove by today, they haven't touched it yet, it's sitting same place I parked it and not a wrench has been put on it yet. I will call tomorrow

 

[aginn]

k0ua, would that make you an old coot? Or would that be old Kioti?
I am just a young Kub'ota of 60.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

A week isn't that long. When I worked for dealers you could just about count on any repair other than the simplest, being a week or more. I usually tried to at least make a diagnosis in the first couple of days so I could get parts coming. A shop with no backlog, is a shop you don't want working on your equipment, there's probably a reason they don't have a lot of customers.

It wasn't unusual for me to have 5 tractors apart at a time, in various stages of repair. In a perfect world tractors would be diagnosed and repaired in the order received, all the parts would be on the shelf waiting, and no repair would take longer than expected or have problems going back together. It is a constant juggling match in any shop.

I could go on and on about the logistics of a dealer shop and trying to balance assembling new tractors for delivery, keeping the sales department happy, keeping different volume customers with different levels of loyalty happy, getting warranty work done in a timely fashion while also making sure you'll get paid something close to what you would if it were a cash job, and dealing with mechanics with varying rates of skill and desire.

Brian

Very good answer. A slight add to this. For example, Barlows has 2 or 3 highly skilled and experienced mechanics and one young about a year experienced mechanic. The new guy needs to earn his wages and needs to learn the be a highly skilled and experienced mechanic but "scut" work and simple service also needs to be done. Should the highly skilled, higher paid, longer years working guy do simple oil/fluid and filter changes as well as do the tire installs? Usually not. So, one customer brings a machine in for simple service and the next day it's done. Happens to be neighbor to guy waiting 3 weeks (his needs some parts that aren't on hand) that doesn't know why his isn't fixed yet. Car dealers usually have a customer service person to keep customers informed as to why their vehicle isn't ready yet or when it will be ready.
Doesn't it really, really irritate you to go to a Dr and see patients coming and going and your still waiting!!!!!:stirthepot:60 people waiting in a government office and people coming and going and your still waiting. I can answer that one Different employees do different addresses, different services and slower employees. Some people are doing a full application and others are just bring back documentation or just checking in, not mentioning our former Parole Officer.

 

[RaydaKub]

Very good answer.

A very good add at that. Most of our car dealer garages here now have separate service lanes or even buildings for easy stuff like oil changes. That helps cut down on the rubber neckers that get ticked off for waiting longer.

 

[k0ua]

k0ua, would that make you an old coot? Or would that be old Kioti?
I am just a young Kub'ota of 60.

Just an ole dog of some stripe!.. I am 60 also.

 

[2458n]

Now you really do not want the guy just starting out to rebuild your injection pump. Very smart people on here. Think what your going to say when you call,some equally amazing stuff happens to your tractor if your on Santa's bad list.

 

[skyhook]

I drove by today, they haven't touched it yet, it's sitting same place I parked it and not a wrench has been put on it yet. I will call tomorrow

Don't you just hate it when that happens, why didn't you stop in and see what was up.
Bring out the baseball bat from behind the seat.