OUR SINCERE APOLOGIES

[Samandothers]

I just read this entire thread and am saddened. I don't own a Kioti but am saddened because of the grief this has caused a good person and his family. Like many others on this board that I have not met there are some folks you just have a good feeling about. Rick is one of those. Best of luck with your other lines and business. It is Kioti's loss.

 

[dieselfreak]

As long as you are still in Business, the people will come out. After all, the dealer can make or break a product, and I am sure you will make many more people happy customers.

Is all your Kioti inventory bieng taken back by Kioti?

How has businees been?? Picking up yet??

df.

 

[JoelD]

Wow, not sure what else to say.

I've got a feeling this will be felt throughout Kioti.

When a dealer with the presence of Wallace bows out it shakes all of our confidence in our machines. At least mine.

Joel

 

[SARG]

A local distribution center / dealer for Dixie Chopper has just announced they will be a Kioti dealer as well.

Is Kioti changing the "geography" of their dealerships?

 

[wallace]

As long as you are still in Business, the people will come out. After all, the dealer can make or break a product, and I am sure you will make many more people happy customers.

Is all your Kioti inventory bieng taken back by Kioti?

How has businees been?? Picking up yet??

df.

With the nice weather we have had business is great, things are moving as if there was no recession...
Lawn and garden sales are crazy right now.
Compacts sale are still a little off but we are averaging 2 compacts a week and we are quoting out about 10-12 deals a week with most waiting on tax returns..
To tell ya the truth trailers sale are about the best I have ever seen them!

Our Kioti inventory was taken back this week, we kept a large percentage of our parts...remember what I told you guys, We will continue to help in any way we can!!

 

[mielkemanor]

There is no doubt that Wallace was a great asset to Kioti and their customers. If the reason for his termination was a on going financial problem with Kioti and his tractor inventory then Kioti can not be faulted for protecting their investment ?? Just a thought??

 

[Diamondpilot]

Well this changes things for me. I was really considering a Kioti because of the support I knew I could get from the Wallace clan.

Chris

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Only speculation here, but maybe Kioti has decided to go with Kioti exclusive dealers only and the Wallace's were not going to stop selling the other brands? Do any of you guys have other Kioti dealers that sell multiple makes of tractors? Remember what GM did.

If we only knew, I'm sure that many questions would be answered. Maybe in the future. :confused2:

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Well this changes things for me. I was really considering a Kioti because of the support I knew I could get from the Wallace clan.

Chris

Chris, are you adding or replacing? Mahindra and Massey are mighty fine machines also. :thumbsup:

 

[Tractor Shopper]

Up here in Canada my local Kioti dealership also carries Bobcat (same tractor different paint) and Husquvarna (biggest tractor a lawn tractor) so I don't doubt they won't allow want competing brands to their product.

From what I hear and have seen on TBN the Wallace's run a super dealership and they're customer service is impecable. They're the type of dealership that can power through a recession and Kioti will hurt by not having them as a dealer.

 

[bluechip]

Rick (and Mrs Tractor) have done a great job promoting KIOTI on this site and as a Kioti dealer and I am concerned to see those efforts directed toward the benefit of his other lines. Business decisions such as this are gut wrenching and I can certainly appreciate and understand Ricks decision. I am also concerned that KIOTI owners several states away feel their tractor has somehow lost value as a result of this and that some people in several states may be influenced not to buy a particular brand of tractor because of a change that takes place at one particular dealership in Pennsyvania. I guess what I want to say is that there are still a lot of good dealerships offering and supporting KIOTI tractors, many of us are here on TBN (albeit not to the high level of commitment that Rick and co have acchieved) and many many more who are not internet oriented. I'm sure most affected customers have access to dealer support much closer, but if I can be of any help to any KIOTI customer I'll certainly do what I can.

Rick has not made public the reason(s) for the parting ways with KIOTI and that does not surprise me because Rick is a class act. I expect in his single days, he was not the guy who would vindictively try to sully a girls reputation with gossip after a breakup.

Good news is, like Rick, our sales also are up sharply this year over last so maybe the worst of this economic storm is over.

 

[sodamo]

WOW, something of a shocker.

And I was just thinking I needed to order a filter package.

David

 

[JoelD]

I am not aware of a kioti dealership anywhere near the size and scope of ricks within 200 miles of my home

I called rick and discussed my purchase with him and I bought a used machine

I've purchased all my parts from Rick and always had the perception he'd be there to help me in some sort of way if something catestrophic were ever to happen


I can't imagine getting that feeling back

funny the variuos tough to measure attributes associated with a large/well respectEd dealer drops a product line

it realy does have a trickle down effect

sad day
Joel

 

[rogue]

Rick (and Mrs Tractor) have done a great job promoting KIOTI on this site and as a Kioti dealer and I am concerned to see those efforts directed toward the benefit of his other lines. Business decisions such as this are gut wrenching and I can certainly appreciate and understand Ricks decision. I am also concerned that KIOTI owners several states away feel their tractor has somehow lost value as a result of this and that some people in several states may be influenced not to buy a particular brand of tractor because of a change that takes place at one particular dealership in Pennsyvania. I guess what I want to say is that there are still a lot of good dealerships offering and supporting KIOTI tractors, many of us are here on TBN (albeit not to the high level of commitment that Rick and co have acchieved) and many many more who are not internet oriented. I'm sure most affected customers have access to dealer support much closer, but if I can be of any help to any KIOTI customer I'll certainly do what I can.

Rick has not made public the reason(s) for the parting ways with KIOTI and that does not surprise me because Rick is a class act. I expect in his single days, he was not the guy who would vindictively try to sully a girls reputation with gossip after a breakup.

Good news is, like Rick, our sales also are up sharply this year over last so maybe the worst of this economic storm is over.

Bluechip,

My local dealer made me lose confidence in the Kioti name the first and only time I walked in the dealership. The only reason I considered purchasing a Kioti after that experience was because of Rick and how he stood by Kioti. He bleeds orange and he will tell you this himself. For Kioti to pull the plug on such a honest down to earth guy and his family only makes me confident that the Kioti name has lost value . If Kioti will do this to Rick what will they do to you?

Rogue

 

[Diamondpilot]

Maybe adding something in the 45 to 50 HP range. There is now way I could get rid of the Ford 861 or Jinma.

Chris

 

[Oleozz]

Bluechip,

My local dealer made me lose confidence in the Kioti name the first and only time I walked in the dealership. The only reason I considered purchasing a Kioti after that experience was because of Rick and how he stood by Kioti. He bleeds orange and he will tell you this himself. For Kioti to pull the plug on such a honest down to earth guy and his family only makes me confident that the Kioti name has lost value . If Kioti will do this to Rick what will they do to you?

Rogue

At this point we're not sure who the plug puller was, Wallace or Kioti,:confused2:

 

[carpenter383]

So Rick, will you still be doing any warranty work?
I haven't had any probs with my Kioti yet, but are kioti dealers in general obligated to do warranty work even if the tractor was purchased elsewhere? Can they refuse the work "we only work on the tractors WE sell"?

 

[mx5guy]

Dealers can drop a product line, for more commission from a different vendor, better warranty money ect, Manufacturers don't like dealers who carry multy vendors and sell to far from home, and maybe Kioti feared he would not sell as may Kioti痴 as they would like, so better to have some one who they can control better with less competition on same lot. So either side could be the culprit, and probably ultimatly about $$$ in one form or an other. I do hope Rick does well and I sure with his drive to help he will.

 

[Josh61513]

It's unfortunate to hear of Wallace tractor & Kioti's dissolvement. It's clear from Rick's support on TBN and the number of happy customers that his dealership is of top caliber. Making ALL of your customers HAPPY customers is no easy task! Some of us are pretty unreasonable at times:laughing:

That said, to those who are concerned about the future of your Kioti tractors-keep in mind that your tractor is just as well built today as it was last week, before Wallace & Kioti severed their relationship. There are other high caliber dealers out there who are happy to support your past and future Kioti products. It's only to our advantage on TBN to support these quality dealerships and share our positive experiences.

My dealer is Michigan Iron & Equipment located in central Michigan. The owner (Bob) and his son (Tony) are both degreed engineers who are extremely familiar with the Kioti lineup of tractors. Bob's wife Denise is as friendly on the phone as you will find anywhere. They also build custom attachments for fair prices. They go above and beyond the sale to make sure you are happy with your purchase. On more than one occasion they have loaded up their truck and made the one-hour trip (each way) to my home to address an issue or just concern about my tractor after I made a call. They were once in my garage working until 9:00pm so that my plans to use my tractor the following weekend weren't impacted!

So long as Michigan Iron & Equipment and the other quality Kioti dealers are still out there I don't plan to baby my tractor!

 

[300UGUY]

I had been looking at Kioti tractor's, and recently got a qoute from Michigan Iron for a 40DKSE tractor. If Kioti is getting rid of such a high profile dealer, maybe I should buy something else. If I am buying an expensive machine, I want to see stability from the manufacturer. I don't want to end up with an orphan.