Kutota parts prices outrageous

[ultrarunner]

I heard it directly from Kubota Corp in a telephone call I made...

It did surprise as in the auto business complaints are taken very seriously... BMW dealers have been known to drop a customer that complains... as anything less than 100% is a failure in terms of satisfaction...

In the medical field reimbursements for medicare can be affected based on survey results... so they are very important if you service Medicare patients.

Yet... Kubota Dealer was offering a deal on ew RTV900 and when I went in I was told I was not in their trade area... even though my Washington home is but my Driver's License is California... I was told to buy in California... but I was in Washington???

Kubota Corp said individual Dealers set their own policies and pricing...

Similar for Stihl sales and whether a dealer participates in promos...

 

[jaydee325]

That surprises me too. I have a close friend who owns a "big three" auto dealership and he has confided in me that he is a slave to the customer satisfaction surveys. This, as well as social media that can flame you rapidly if a single person feels slighted!

Do you think it is Kubota corporate that is pushing the regional sales requirements or is it the dealers in the region working together to protect local turf?

 

[ultrarunner]

I don't know.

Every time I try to draw a parallel between the tractor business and auto it proves difficult...

I grew up around the car business as a kid... a lot of tractor dealerships almost seem to have tractor sales as an afterthought... and around here when I was Kubota shopping there was not a single dealer in several counties and 10 million people live here...

 

[rScotty]

That surprises me too. I have a close friend who owns a "big three" auto dealership and he has confided in me that he is a slave to the customer satisfaction surveys. This, as well as social media that can flame you rapidly if a single person feels slighted!

Do you think it is Kubota corporate that is pushing the regional sales requirements or is it the dealers in the region working together to protect local turf?

Perhaps the attitude is regional. I say that because I simply haven't run into these problems with unconcerned & self-centered dealers.

Or, come to think of it.... perhaps I have, and responded by automatically taking my business elsewhere without the event really rising to a conscious level. I do tend to react that way; if the service is sloppy I just go elsewhere. So mine may not be the best opinion here.
rScotty

 

[muskieken]

Would just like to share . I buy Small things from my local dealer Because It helps keep him stay in business, Yes I know I can get them parts cheaper on line . The reason I choose Support my local dealer Is because there used to be 3 Honda Motorcycle shops In my area Now there's just one. Yes I'm only one person But I choose the support my local dealer for the simple reason is I don't want him to go out of business. HE not going to get rich off of my small purchase but That is the reason I chose to do it.

 

[rScotty]

...SNIP... a lot of tractor dealerships almost seem to have tractor sales as an afterthought... .[/QUOTE

In the Rocky Mountain area I'd say that the tractor dealerships are all about tractor sales. That is their primary interest.

Our local tractor parts departments tend to be an afterthought focused on a few fast-moving annual maintenance type parts. I can understand that, it takes decades to stock a proper parts department, and even so it's a questionable use of money when there are major parts warehouses a phone call away.
BTW, the best way to get a good parts department is to inherit one by buying it with a business. Bagged OEM parts would be lucky to be valued at ten cents on the dollar.

What I see as a larger problem is the service shop. The only shop with real mechanics locally is the commercial JD shop (the yellow JDs). And their prices are way steep.
None of the other tractor dealers has a service department that even has basic diagnostic tools - possibly because their mechanics don't know enough to use them. The service mechanics are pretty good at using hand tools to replace things, I'll give them that. ....even if they don't know why they are replacing something & tend to just continue doing that until the problem goes away. If it goes away....
rScotty