Price Check Price variation between dealers

[Builder]

Builder,

"...there might be more "sympathy" for me..."

I do not desire sympathy. I expect the dealer to uphold his end of the contract. Nothing more or less.


It's not personal; its business.

Not always. The fact that the service manager basically divulged that he would have repainted my hood if I had paid "retail" tells me that dealers give better service and bend more rules for those who pay more.....you might get more "personal" attention if you pay more.

 

[flusher]

I often wonder what folks mean when they say that a dealer offers "good service" or "service after the sale".

Isn't service just another "product" for sale?

I did not buy a dealer, I bought a tractor.

I understand that dealers are in business to make a profit. There's nothing wrong with that; its a good thing.

There also nothing wrong with a buyer shopping for the absolute lowest bottom line price. If the dealer goes out of business tomorrow, that is no concern of mine. I did not buy a dealer, I bought a tractor. Yes, it is difficult for the dealer, and he has my sympathy, but it is one of the vagaries of capitalism.

I also find it to be less than intellectually credible to think that where a person lives dictates how much a dealer will charge. Does the distributor (Kubota, JD, NH) charge dealers different prices based upon the dealers location?

I bought a new Kubota B7510HST/LA302 FEL in May05 mainly based on its reputation for reliability. Didn't give too much thought to dealer service except to notice that he had a clean shop area.

Fast forward to Jan06--my dealer is out of business after 35 years selling Kubotas. Fortunately I have 3 Kubota dealers within 40 miles of my place if and when I need service.

 

[RFB]

Builder,

"...you might get more "personal" attention if you pay more."

I have learned not to count on mights or maybes.

The purpose of contracts is to eliminate guess work and specifically articulate the responsibilities of each party. That's what I prefer. If its not in writing, it did not happen, and does not exist.

 

[Builder]

Builder,

"...you might get more "personal" attention if you pay more."

I have learned not to count on mights or maybes.

The purpose of contracts is to eliminate guess work and specifically articulate the responsibilities of each party. That's what I prefer. If its not in writing, it did not happen, and does not exist.

I prefer that, too. I think I was just trying to add a log on the fire of the conversation going on here.

 

[George in Spokane]

Just to be clear, the tractor I was quoted on was the cheapest gear (FST?) model. I'm moving up from a 1956 Ferguson TO35 so anything is an improvement.

 

[EdC]

I think that after sale service has quite a bit to do with who I buy from. Probably because of my complete inexperience with all things tractor when I was buying.

The salesman at the Coeur D但lene John Deere dealership literally spent hours (not all at one time) going over the various costs and benefits of each of the models I was interested in. The dealer in Spokane not so much. To me that has value. That value make this dealer the first stop when I am looking for parts and accessories. Don't always buy there but always look there. In return I continue to get good advice and service.

 

[Hammy]

George in Spokane,

I bought mine from the dealer you are speaking of. Their service department is second to none.

When I bought my new tractor last August, I called the dealer in Coeur D' Alene and Colville. When I broke it down and compared apples to apples, they were all about the same (litterally).

I'm not saying our dealer is the cheapest but they are close, have a great reputation, and have stood behind what they sold to me. They even took back a bucket grapple that failed on me and then discounted a demo AnBo grapple they had in the yard. I had to make some phone calls to make it happen but it was taken care off. I also had a leaky cylinder on my Woods loader. They sent the service truck to my house, replace the cylinder with a new one, and did me up right. You won't go wrong buying from them.

I would still try and work out the best deal you can but I think they are fair.


Craig

 

[George in Spokane]

Craig,

Thanks for the recommendation. They've done some work on my Ferguson over the years and they seem straight up.

Do you know anything about other dealers in town? I was particularly wondering about the Mahindra and Branson dealer.

George

 

[Hammy]

I know they moved up from around Fairfield last summer. A couple of my neighbors have Branson's and really like them. I've talked to the dealer a few times and he seems like a nice guy. They seem to continue growing as well and look like they clear out a lot of tractors. Last summer I drove by one day and his lot was full then a few days later there was only one tractor left. I thought there must have been a trade show in town but actually he had sold them all faster then he could get them in.

When one of my neighbors bought his Branson from them, they let him demo one at his house. They delivered it to him and then delivered the 4720i few days later, which was a little bigger then they one he tried out (I think he demoed a 4220i). He ended up with the 4720i with a backhoe and really likes it.

I drive by that dealership daily and still stop in once in a while to look things over.

I was leaning towards a Branson (before they carried Mahindra) but my wife insisted on a Kubota so I didn't argue the fact.

Craig

 

[NuBota]

I agree with RFB in principle, but want to know where that wonderful place is that everyone lives up to their responsibilities.
Business IS Business and People ARE People - and since business is usually between two people, well you know.... A contract is as useless or meaningful as the people who signed it. You can gauge a business from the people that run it and by observing how the operation is run.
Just 'cause you have a contract and a price you like, doesn't mean you're not in for a world of pain after the sale. Sure, hold the last payment till they get it right - and have that unfinished addition sitting there for months while you're fighting it out because the contractor underbid and doesn't have the money to finish it. Or the 19.99 oil change where the teenager forgot to put the drain plug back in and now you have a seized engine. Or, god forbid, the doctor that sewed the sponge up in side during surgery cause the hospital is understaffed and the doc worked 48 hours straight.

My time and aggravation is also worth money to me - and I factor this in as well. Fighting to hold someones feet to the fire to deliver what they promised, or constantly shopping around for someone who will? In most cases it "cost" as much if not more than if I went with the premium vendor in the first place.

Take it a step further - if I'm running a business and have to depend on suppliers and distributors - I can't afford to be fighting over the service they are "supposed" to provide - if I get reliability from a premium source, then I use it - so my business doesn't suffer.

As I said, I agree with the principle, but the reality is that business is not just a signed piece of paper.

 

[Builder]

You really struck a nerve with me. Very well put.

I'm in the building business and I've never been the one to not show up and finish a job. Never really underbid one, either.

You know all the TV documentaries about "bad contractors"? You usually see them aired when there's little going on in the news world, when things are kinda slow. I wish just one, there could be a "bad customers" documentary. I've only had a few, but man, can they ruin your outlook on mankind.

Anyway, I've been trying for years to get into the customer base that has enough money to spend that you can do business without a lot of haggling and threats of having your price undercut.

Not there yet, but I'm trying!

 

[NuBota]

You really struck a nerve with me. Very well put.

I'm in the building business and I've never been the one to not show up and finish a job. Never really underbid one, either.

You know all the TV documentaries about "bad contractors"? You usually see them aired when there's little going on in the news world, when things are kinda slow. I wish just one, there could be a "bad customers" documentary. I've only had a few, but man, can they ruin your outlook on mankind.

Anyway, I've been trying for years to get into the customer base that has enough money to spend that you can do business without a lot of haggling and threats of having your price undercut.

Not there yet, but I'm trying!

So true - was in the service industry for years and ran my operation to ensure repeat business. And dealt with every adverse situation with the mentality that the "customer is always right". After 20 years I can still remember the handful of problem customers (out of thousands) that were never happy no matter what you did. But nowadays many customers feel their "right" is to get more than what they paid for- one reason I had to get out.

And I have spent years trying to BECOME that customer base - I always consider price, but the person or company I'm dealing with is just as important. And SUPRISE! The best company is also reasonably (not always lowest and almost never highest) priced - imagine that.....

 

[George in Spokane]

>I was leaning towards a Branson (before they carried Mahindra) but my wife insisted on a Kubota so I didn't argue the fact.

Craig, If my wife insisted on ANY tractor then my problems would be solved!

 

[Hammy]

Let me confess, my wife didn't actually "insist" on me getting a tractor. A matter of fact, she thought we didn't need one until this winter when I was able to dig our way out to civilization and pull her out of the ditch.

She just said that "if" I'm going to get a tractor, it will be a Kubota. I looked at all of them prior to getting one and I'm pleased my wife told me so.

Trust me, its a battle for everything I have. She never believes me when I tell her we need something like a tractor, or wood stove, or a generator, until we get snowed in, lose power for 5 days, and have no heat. Then they are no long just more toys that I want.

Good luck to ya.

Craig