This is what I didn't understand for so long when I was growing up. I used to think my dad was a cheapskate and all he wanted was something with a lower price or "cheaper". After he and I went into business together that's when I began to understand the concept of "better value" versus being cheaper. It's not an easy concept to explain and it takes some practice to fully grasp it.
However, as I pointed out in a previous post, there is always some trade off to get the better value. Companies that give better value have a different business model and lower overhead costs from those that don't. As Jeff has mentioned several times on here the labor rates are different between the manufacturers. Then you have to factor in advertising costs, customer service/call center costs, the real estate requirements set forth by the manufacturer which adds to the costs, R&D costs, parts supply chain costs etc. In order to compete they have cut the fat off somewhere and that usually means not playing the business game in the same way. Kioti in particular cut the fat off by not advertising, not offering manufacturer customer service, not having as strict real estate requirements and from what I have been told not having as speedy of a parts supply network in place.
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