Local dealer beefs...

[DMF]

I have two beefs with my local dealers as far as implements/ customer service goes. First of all, I sent e-mails to two of my local dealers to get a price on a Herd seeder/spreader; I haven’t heard from either one of them yet. I sent one an e-mail months ago asking for a price on a 55 gallon 3-point sprayer; he replied telling me he would get back to me and he never did. (I ended up getting a used one from a friend). These places all have convenient hours that start after I get to work and end before I leave work. Of course, I could go there on a Saturday, but the weekends are my time to work on the farm…

Anyway, the other issue I have is how come these guys can sell implements all beat up as new? I mean, I realize they are new, but in storing and/or transporting them they get the paint chipped off them and they rust. These guys scoff if you even suggest they take something off the price; their argument being that they are going to get used/worn anyway. Well, sure the blade on a back blade I expect to get the paint worn off of it, but not the framework where it connects to the top link! I mean, it’s rusted when I buy it! How about supplying some Woods brand touch up paint at the very least? I mean, I don’t think these guys would be happy about buying a trailer hitch for their truck that was rusted before they ever put it on would they?

Anyone else feel this way or am I just too picky?

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I'm not going to make excuses for these guys, but I am going to attemt to see the other side, just for arguements sake.

Most of the dealers I know of are farm equipment 1st, home/consumer equipment 2nd. They have been for years. They have a mindset that evolved from dealing with farmers. Most farmers I know could care less about a scratch or two, or a little rust on something that's going to live outdoors, work in cow manure, and get dragged through the dirt for most of its life.

The other side of the coin? These dealers need to realize just who (or what market) they're now dealing with. Most home-owner/hobby farmers don't want beat up stuff.

As far as dealers not getting back to you on the sprayer. (Once again, I'm not "justifying" what they did or DIDN'T do) That would be a small ticket item to them. (in most cases) They can't (and don't want to) compete with the Tractor Supply's of the world. (55 gal. sprayer with pump around $650 at TSC and around $1200 at a good farm implement dealer) I'm sure he just wasn't that interested. (And if that was the case, he should have told you as much)

In my area, I see dealers handling the same brands, but one selling lawn and garden equipment, and the other selling farm equipment. I used to wonder why the old farm dealer didn't take on BOTH markets. Now I see why he didn't.

TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT WORLDS.

(But I know for a fact that SOME dealers shine in BOTH markets)

 

[JerryG]

<font color="blue"> TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT WORLDS. </font>
That entire post summed it up perfectly. That is also the reason why some of the older Ag dealerships are having a real hard time keeping up with the change of direction of the market. All of their sales use to be to real farmer that mostly had the mind set that Farmwithjunk spoke of above. Now with the growth of the compact tractor market these dealers are having to deal with hobby / weekend farmers. Like FWJ said “TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT WORLDS.”

 

[beenthere]

Beef all you want, and buy where you want. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

The others have summed it up real well, and the dealer who adapts will get the 'worm' so to speak.

As to the e-mail prices, I suspect that they figure you are just going to take the price and run to another dealer to get them to beat that price.
Try sending them an e-mail and tell them what YOU will pay for the item, and see if they will sell it that way. That lets you price the item for them. eh? You are going to decide anyway if their price is too high for what you will pay, so give a price on what you will pay.

 

[Glenn9643]

I don't know about the dealers where you are, but in this part of the country they're "old school", and aren't very computer literate for the most part. They learn enough to check parts, etc. but I wouldn't rely on email to get a price. In fact most of the dealers wouldn't even have a computer or web presence if it wasn't forced on them by the tractor manufacturers. They're used to face-to-face contact when selling I would think.

 

[DMF]

I'm not sure I buy it...
Farming is not what it once was around here and there are no TSC's around here (closest is over an hour away in CT). Out of the four dealers in the area, only the MF dealer keeps anything on his lot over 50 HP; I would say he is the only one who caters to any "real farmers" anymore. And as for being old school, the generation running that business now walks around the place with cordless headsets on so they can talk/answer the phone anywhere. The last thing I did buy from him was answered only after I sent him an e-mail..?

Also these places are stocking single bottom plows, 6' wide rakes & rear blades, etc. Not really what I consider "farming equipment". I understand your points and I'm sure they are somewhat valid in some cases. I understand that these implements are going to get banged up; I wouldn't complain if the discs on a harrow were scratched, but why does the rest of it have to be? You said these items spend their lives outside which is my point exactly: I'd like to have all the non-ground-contacting portions to have a coat of paint on them so they don't rust.
Real farmers (the ones I know anyway) don't have a lot of cash to throw around; seems to me they'd be the first to complain...
Just my $.02

 

[JerryG]

<font color="blue"> seems to me they'd be the first to complain... </font>
It would seem that way, but it isn't. It is amazing what some farmers do to their own equipment. What is really strange is when the very farmer that is a fanatic about servicing the tractor is the same one that beats the heck out of the three point and loader. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[sweettractors]

<font color="blue"> price on a Herd seeder/spreader </font>

What Model#?--Ken Sweet

 

[inveresk]

Maybe it's because I'm a newbie but I feel the same as DMF. My local dealer didn't reply to more than one email when I was seeking general advice and prices for tractors and implements. But when I had selected the machine I wanted (for which I'd been helped by a dealer some distance away), he wanted to give me a quote pdq. He actually came in cheapest, then tried to get me to upgrade by telling me the tractor I wanted, the orange 3130hst, had different wheel sizes and different gearing than the 3430hst and the 3130 wasn't man enough for the 723 FEL and bh90 backhoe. I checked the spec. and they're identical except for engine size and a couple hp.

After thinking about it overnight I came to the conclusion that with the poor, front end service and misleading information on the upgrade issue, I couldn't trust him with the business. I emailed him and told him so and gave the order to the outfit who helped me assess my needs and who replied to my emails timeously.

Maybe some of these guys are old school but if they fail to provide what clients expect in terms of front end service, and if they don't adapt by doing business using email and ecommerce, they're going to go to the wall. I'm not asking them to jump through hoops, just do business in the same way as the rest of us do.

 

[DMF]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="blue"> price on a Herd seeder/spreader </font>

What Model#?--Ken Sweet )</font>

I asked for a price on their model M-96 and the 750. My zip is 01507.

 

[DMF]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'm not asking them to jump through hoops, just do business in the same way as the rest of us do. )</font>

Exactly!

 

[ultrarunner]

I did most of my tractor research on the net. I had decided on Kubota or John Deere. I could Never get a price from Deere...I was told that it was harvest time and they were much too busy to quote tractors. My 2 cents

 

[HammerFour]

I know some dealers think that a quote given to me verbally or via phone or email might just get taken somewhere else and used to get a better price....but if they don't give me a quote at all, they have NO chance of me buying something.

I have run into this at car dealerships, the sales manager is summoned and says "Go shop around and come back and we will give you some numbers that beat anyone else." To which I respond that if I walk out the door without some numbers from them I certainly won't waste my time coming back at all.

As far as the rust and scratches...that just comes with buying implements. They get dinged up a bit in transit, they get sunfaded sitting outside.....that bothered me at first, but now I am used to it I suppose. But if I was buying an expensive tractor and/or implements, it better look new...haha.

 

[unreconstructed]

I tried to deal with a local dealer for a JD5203 and the saleman quoted retail and wouldn't come down saying "this is what we get for it". This dealer is in West Texas cotton farming country and although he sells lawn mowers etc, the row crop tractors, cotton strippers etc are his forte. I have a place in the edge of the Texas hill country and the dealer there was 3500 bucks cheaper that the one in West Texas and was glad to get the business. The dealer in West Texas didn't care less if he sold a CUT.

The hill country and pure farming country are two different markets. Also, I wouldn't be surprised that since some farmers operate on revolving lines of credit, maybe the lowest price isn't that important to them. This would certainly affect a dealer's attitude in dealing with low margin goods and their buyers whom often will be "city" folk.

I haven't tried the local dealer with email, but the parts department here is very helpful-- but at full retail I would think.

Just my two cents worth.

 

[1bush2hog]

It was much the same with the dealers in area I purchased. I doubted they even knew how to use email. I achieved greater results with a few phone calls when purchasing my tractor.

BTW - I had the same lack of response from some of the so-called 'internet dealers' that are out there, so don't feel too bad. That was even harder for me to understand.

It is also very difficult to have your tractor serviced over the net /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[sweettractors]

<font color="blue"> I asked for a price on their model M-96 and the 750. My zip is 01507. </font>

The M-96 would cost $464 delivered via UPS. We dont stock the 750, however, I do have the F160 for $720 delivered by truck freight to a 18 wheeler accessable business with offloading dock in that zip code--Ken Sweet

 

[drm]

It all depends on the location and the market. I am 40 miles out side of Pittsburgh in the middle of a viable farming area. The guy that plants our land (and an additional 500 acres) actually is a full time farmer. Not many of them around here anymore. It is hard to make a living at it in this area. Many have day jobs to supplement their farms.

Anyway, most of the dealers are old school with little or no computer experience. The local JD dealers (three of them) are the opposite dealing mostly in lawn tractors. When I was looking for a 30+ hp CUT no one had them in stock. If you buy one we can get it in a couple of weeks is what was recited many times. One dealer tried to talk me into a JD2210 to take care of my 11+ acres, not. They were all three computer literate but they did not care what I needed they just wanted to sell me a Deere.

The other dealers were all old school doing business primarily with the local farmers. I bought from one of them although he deals towards the smaller side. The nicest group of people I have bought from, period. The salesman (and mechanic after the sale) spent hours with me before and after I purchased to make sure I got what I needed and not too much and so that I knew how to operate the equipment and attachments. They knew their equipment and did not have to constantly "look it up" on the computer. When I needed a brush hog for minor maintenance they steered me to another dealer with a cheaper brand since I did not need a top of the line HD that they carried.

When I was looking and pricing, all was done with a handshake. But, when dealing with these kinds of shops I did it in person with few phone calls and no e-mail. This is the way they do business.

It all depends on the area, the shop people and the people who "pay their bills".

...Derek