Time to find a new Bota Dealer

[botalvr]

Hi Dave,
It's just a bit too much for me to sit back and let this guy tell everyone that dealer knows best, and that research on the internet (pardon the pun) takes a back seat to going to the dealership for a test "sit".
And I think that Kubota's dealer program needs correcting as well. What are the requirements? A commitment to buying a certain number of units? There can't be much else from what I can gather. I am not the only one with a less than professional dealer experience.
I am doing everything I can to take care of my BX2200 so it will be the last tractor I will have to buy, but if I ever do buy another, I doubt it will be an orange one.
I expected alot more from a tractor in this price range, and I expected more than smiling "I'll take your money" service at the dealership.
Kubota, are you listening? That's right, they're NOT!

 

[DUMBDOG]

Having used the resources on the net to decide which tractor to purchase, I feel that it is a very good thing. The dealer offered very little insight into what I would need.

Starting looking at 55hp NH/CASE. Ended up with a L4630GSTC.

Maybe it is the time of year that I purchase, but the NH dealer tried to sell me what he had on the lot, that happened six years ago, not again. The Case dealer would order what I wanted. Then he suggested the orange, think not so much as what I needed but he ended up making more money on it as no competing deals within a 100 mile range.

His knowlege of the models was limited in the sense of what particular features were standard or optional on the model that I was looking at.

It ended up being the order type of sale rather than the feature/benefit type. There were no tractors in the size range to sit or test drive.

If it were not for the internet, do not know if the proper tractor was purchased until it was to late. The information available on this forum also saved me a lot of money, even though I ended up paying more than the average that the comparable models as being shown here. However am satisfied that I made the best possible deal considering that the dealers up here have less volume than the more populated areas.

 

[VT_Kioti]

I think we've taken another trip off subject. Kevin's original post stated "his" dealer went into a state of rage if given information gleaned from TBN. That dealer seems to feel that the TBNer's don't know what they are talking about and are a bunch of liars. I think he is living in the stone ages. A prospective customer armed with good information can make the selling experience good for both the salesman and the customer. Nothing makes me want to leave more than a salesman talking down to me or treating me like I know nothing so "leave it to me to take care of you".
If I were a salesman, I would want to start the process at a point where we both understand the level of knowledge and we can discuss the details honestly with each other.
I know I have learned volumes here on TBN and both my tractor and I have benefited greatly from discussions here.
Given his statement that he needed to find another dealer, I would agree entirely with him. I am sure, even though my tractor is not a Kubota, that given the great Kubota dealers I have talked with, he can certainly do a lot better.

Al

 

[Bob_Skurka]

<font color="red">
I think we've taken another trip off subject. </font>


Careful there Al, I recently got my rear in a wringer for pointing this out on another thread /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif But I think you are correct in all your statements. Funny thing with sales people is that the BEST sales people ask a lot of questions, listen for the answers and then move on with recommendations based on product knowledge that both can mutually understand.

 

[VT_Kioti]

<font color="blue"> </font><font color="blue" class="small">( Funny thing with sales people is that the BEST sales people ask a lot of questions, listen for the answers and then move on with recommendations based on product knowledge that both can mutually understand. )</font> </font>

Very true Bob. And this usually ends with a customer who feels he was very fairly treated after the sale, and if he reads something on TBN that interests him, will ask his dealer about it and this in turn can generate a new sale. This has happened to me many times after reading posts here.
As a direct result of TBN, my tractor is far from a stock model and is very easy to operate. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

<font color="purple"> And now on to the work lights and then a backhoe dolly from Pineridge's design, and then maybe a grapple and then............................. </font>

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( <font color="red">
I think we've taken another trip off subject. </font>


Careful there Al, I recently got my rear in a wringer for pointing this out on another thread /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif But I think you are correct in all your statements. Funny thing with sales people is that the BEST sales people ask a lot of questions, listen for the answers and then move on with recommendations based on product knowledge that both can mutually understand.

)</font>

That is a good point, my point of view is only from a dealership that treats your right, provides ample seat time and that kinda stuff. If you only have local dealers who rip you around and give the high preasure car dealer style salespitch than the internet maybe the best resource you have. I'd like to think thats not the case for most people.

 

[Bird]

dannydan, I think you misread Messick's post. I agree that a dealer who gets mad when someone mentions the Internet has a serious problem, but you notice that Neil (Messick) participates on the Internet himself and he only said to "keep an open mind". He talked of folks who only shop on the Internet without visiting a dealer, talking to a dealer, etc. I happen to agree with him. I shop on the Internet quite a bit myself, bought my pickup and my minivan after finding them on the Internet, but I didn't buy either one until I went to see and drive them in person. Most of us on this forum try to give accurate information, but who do you know that doesn't make a mistake sometime? And then you have to sort out opinions from objective fact. So I think all Messick was saying is that if you take everything you read on the Internet as fact, you may make some mistakes.

 

[Junkman]

One must also realize that Neil Messick is the Internet sales representative of the company that he works for. Since it is a family operation and I assume that he grew up in the business, he has seen both sides of this debate. What I don't understand is how he gets around the Kubota directive that prohibits internet sales and sells tractors in other states. (Tractor Sales / Computer Support, Central PA, NJ, DE, MD, NY, VA,CT,MA) Nor do I understand why Kubota doesn't like internet sales. The internet is here to stay and like it or not, the dealers are going to either learn to do business this way, or they are going to go out of business. I believe that it is the old fashioned dealers that are putting the pressure on Kubota to go after those dealers that do internet sales to try to stifle the competition from them. Personally, I always try to purchase locally, but the local Kubota dealer doesn't carry Kubota filters or oil since he is also a NAPA dealer. The other dealer that is local to me does carry Kubota filters and oil, but sells them at a considerably higher price than I can purchase from www.tractorsmart.com . I have also tried to order other parts from them, but they won't order any part unless you stop in and pay for it first and then have to wait a week before it arrives in their parts department to pick it up. If I call www.tractorsmart.com, I have the parts a few days later, they are less expensive, and they are delivered directly to me from Kubota. Tractorsmart sells at Kubota suggested retail, and the local dealer sells parts at list plus 10% more. I assume that if tractorsmart can have the parts drop shipped to me, then the local dealer can also, but he refused to do so. He insists that I come there to pick them up. This is a waste of time and gas. I always recommend supporting your local dealer, but the local dealers have to realize that the customer is a better educated customer as a result of the internet, and that if they are to survive in this new environment, they are also need to become more enlightened to the internet and become more customer oriented. If it were not for the internet, do you believe that Kubota sales to homeowners would be what it is today? I doubt that the BX would be the success that it is if it were not for the internet espousing its virtues.

 

[scott_in_ny]

i guess i am lucky.....my kubota dealer is right next door to the gin mill i stop off in for happy hour. then when my wife sees my truck at the bar i tell her i was at the kubota dealer.i guess i have it made.

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( What I don't understand is how he gets around the Kubota directive that prohibits internet sales and sells tractors in other states. (Tractor Sales / Computer Support, Central PA, NJ, DE, MD, NY, VA,CT,MA) )</font>

FYI, the Kubota stance on this not that you can't deal with customers over the internet. Its that you need to be able to sell, pre-deliver, deliver, and service any tractor that you sell. Our business has a very large foot print and we are in these states reguarlarly. While we sell lots of compact tractors, we also do lot of business in large speciality AG equipment and sprayers that small dealers can't sell because they do not have the staff to service them. This brings us into the area's listed very often, so we are able to meet whats required of us.

The issues is not Kubota, or anyone else for that matter, not liking internet sales. They have encouraged me in some of my other endavors off this website because they realize that more and more people rely on it. The goal is primarily to ensure that their customers have a local dealership to work though because manufacturers themelves are not setup to handel requests directly from customers.