Dealer One less Internet ignorant dealer

[CT_Tree_Guy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( They come in with a shopping list. All he has to do is give them a price and answer a few questions. )</font>

That about sums up my previous tirade. I asked four dealers one question - "What's your best price for a 5030HST with 853 loader, R4's, ATI HD bucket w/cutting edge, Kubota quick-attach and a block heater?" Again, in very large part to all of the people right here.

That said, I'd like to take this opportunity to apologize to Neil for the implication in that post that dealers are about as useful as my clutch. Where else would I go to test-drive the various tractors that I was considering (before I decided on the 5030), much less buy one, or take my tractor for service if something breaks, than to a dealer? If I worked my brain as much as I work my keyboard, I wouldn't find myself apologizing so much.

I do feel a great loyalty to this group, and maybe rushed a little too hastily to its defense. I still do think that's there's a wealth of good, practical information to be had here - and that sure includes all of the great advice and help that Neil has given all these years. I appreciate it very much, and don't take it for granted. Just one example, the great thread on box blades, in which Neil devoted a great deal of time and effort taking several pictures of almost every box blade under the sun, with a detailed review of each one. Great stuff, and a great service to us all. Thank you Neil, for that and all that you've done for everyone here, and I hope you accept my apologies.

John D.

 

[BOTAMAN]

Kubota used to send out surveys automatically, but they implemented a new program this year, now the dealer gets a notice that there are surveys ready to be sent out, the dealer must go to the dealer web site and verify the names & addresses before the surveys are mailed.

 

[jcollins]

I think most dealers do not participate because in this industry most dealers are not tech savy at all. In this industry I think I saw where the average age of the dealer owner was in thier mid 60's and the average employee was in thier 50's. As a new crop of employees and owners begin to come on board I think you will see more and more dealer participation. Our owner is 37 and our sales force age average would be in the early 30's to guess at it. Because of that the salesmen all have computers on thier desks and use them when they get home. I have been to many dealers while traveling where sales people do not have access to computers during thier working ours and don't want them. The industry is slowly forcing dealers to change that with different programs to help sell equipment. I have forwarded several post to friends I have made at Kubota thru the years and they were happy to see them. Kubota Pricing On Kubota.com to name one. I know of several other dealers that have done the same. I have been contacted by someone at Kubota and NH about some of the posts I have placed so I can assure you that from time to time these MFG's monitor the site. We participate because I ran a search of the word Houston on the searches to see how many there were and becasue of the hight number of responses we felt we should keep an eye on things to make sure valid info was being posted. But due to a 3 year old and a 1 year old it is getting more difficult to log on every night and run thru the posts. But I still do from time to time. Hope that answered some of your questions.

 

[cheesehead]

Thank you for taking the time and showing the interest in TBN. I made another trip to my dealer yesterday armed with facts from this forum and it's causing them to get a little paranoid as a "tractor rookie" is beginning to question their "veteran" advice. If more stores would follow your lead they would find a higher level of customer satisfaction and probably increase sales as they'd know the salient product facts.

 

[CT_Tree_Guy]

<font color="blue"> I made another trip to my dealer yesterday armed with facts from this forum </font>

Chuck:

I notice you didn't say "armed with a bunch of wild speculation that might or might not have any validity".

While it is very difficult to determine that anything in this world is a 100% bona fide indisputable proven fact (after all, the Big Bang, evolution and gravity remain theories), there comes a point, for me anyway, when something has been shown to me to be so well documented and logical that I incorporate it into my frame of reference as something that I hold to be true, and will therefore base my actions on.

The process of determining for ourselves what we consider to be "facts" reminds me of a famous court case involving pornography, in which the judge made the comment, "I might not be able to define pornography, but I think I know it when I see it".

But what I have to remember is that just because something has been proven to me beyond a reasonable doubt, to the point that I incorporate it into my belief system, that doesn't mean that I'm right, and that I can stop listening to new evidence with an open mind. That's what the scientific method is all about.

That leads me to a quote that I've been thinking of using as my signature: "The most important thing is that we keep asking questions." - Albert Einstein.

(After writing all this, I do know one thing - my brain hurts - and THAT'S a fact!) /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[cheesehead]

The word "fact" was specifically used as the people that have been helping me with my purchase offered not only opinions from their usage, but they drove be to research my purchase more thoroughly by going to the websites of manufacturers and to make an educated purchase. In this case I was buying a box blade, and my dealer didn't know what a scarifer bar was until I showed him in a picture. I didn't know what one was until TBN made me undetrstand it's use and importance. One of the implement series I was seriously considering from my TBN reading was Woods. My dealer happens to be the only Woods dealer within 40 miles of me, but he never mentioned a Woods product. So I asked him and he brushed it off as saying they "don't sell much of that" and "it would be more expensive." I left buying nothing from them but also knowing that it was the right choice. I could have easily gone in there without any knowledge (the third level of progression after data and information) and bought a product that I'd be unhappy with. Instead I'll now be willing to go that 40 miles just to have the right tool for the job and have somebody I can trust sell it to me.

 

[CT_Tree_Guy]

Chuck:

Great story about the Woods box blade - almost unbelievable that your dealer didn't know about scarifiers. IF ONLY he had read Neil's in-depth report on box blades, where I was introduced to them for the first time.

I hope it didn't seem that my previous post was anything but 100% supportive of you, and the information (heck, I'm going to go ahead and call them facts) that you have obtained on TBN and elsewhere. I am completely on your side.

Here's another example of dealer ignorance. My local dealer, the one from whom I would have bought my tractor except he was $3,000 higher than Salem (NY) Farm Supply ($28,000 vs. $24,950), does not carry, and will not order for me, Kubota Super UDT. Neither do they carry, nor will they order for me, UDT. They wanted me to buy Amalie All-trac, the only hydro oil they carry. "It's just as good as Super UDT. It's all we ever sell, and it works just fine. You don't need Super UDT." I had to drive 25 miles to a competitor to get my Super UDT.

The "facts" that Super UDT is a true synthetic, contains no paraffin, has vastly superior flow rates (especially in winter), can withstand higher operating temps, and has been scientifically shown to be superior to UDT in almost every way imaginable are clearly lost on them. I think I'll listen to SkyPup and all others here whose words have the "ring of truth" to them, (and scientific "jargon" to validate them), thank you very much.

I do love this place.

 

[LeRoi]

You're I&#8217 killing me. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Leroy

 

[JimMorrissey]

So none of "us" know what we're talking about with our own machines? It takes a dealer to know there's a real problem? If that's not a classic reponse from a dealer type I don't know what is.