i think i've upset my local stihl dealer

[gensetsteve]

If I didn't service or repair pumps for people' that were bought from else where I'd sit at home three days a week.

 

But do you repair them under warranty for half your normal hourly rate. No problem service and repair on stuff bought elsewhere.

[GardenKit]

That's a fair point and I agree, but in the long run if you fix a saw that you didn't sell but it was still under warrenty you'd instantly build of trust with that customer and it's opened to door to future custom and he'll give you a good review to his other arb/forestry mates. Obviously I'm speaking as a customer and I have no idea how to run a shop/dealership I also try my best to make my saws last (it's an expensive affair to replace haha) so I have limited dealings with warrenty. But saying that the crank seal on my 560xp has went and it's leaking oil so I might find out about warrenty sooner than I would want.

TBH, most of my customer base is domestic, and its these people who tend to take the p**s.

 

Most domestic users are good as gold but some are trouble.

 

They buy online, or in shed stores, and would never dream of coming to a specialist shop. They probably only have one or two machines anyway.

 

So they buy cheap and then expect me to do warranty repairs, but they are often out of luck. Its doubtful they would ever become loyal customers. They are just the sort who chuck it away and buy new cheap junk again.

 

The irony is that most of the stuff they buy is pretty well guaranteed to go wrong, whereas the kit I sell is pretty well certain not to.

[eggsarascal]

But do you repair them under warranty for half your normal hourly rate. No problem service and repair on stuff bought elsewhere.

 

No I don't Steve. What I do, do, is watch what older, wiser, wealthy men do:biggrin:

 

A mate of mine as got a good workshop for pump repairs. Is attitude is, if someone walks in with a quick fix pump, get one of the lads to give it a quick look, if it is a 15/20 minute job, get it done, get payed and they might, just might come back.......Many do, he's been in business (and a good one) for near on 40 years.

[CJM]

TBH, most of my customer base is domestic, and its these people who tend to take the p**s.

 

Most domestic users are good as gold but some are trouble.

 

They buy online, or in shed stores, and would never dream of coming to a specialist shop. They probably only have one or two machines anyway.

 

So they buy cheap and then expect me to do warranty repairs, but they are often out of luck. Its doubtful they would ever become loyal customers. They are just the sort who chuck it away and buy new cheap junk again.

 

The irony is that most of the stuff they buy is pretty well guaranteed to go wrong, whereas the kit I sell is pretty well certain not to.

 

 

Yeah that makes sense I know the kind........, I suppose you could help depending on the circumstances I.E a professional in desperate need of fuel tank replacement for a 201t because his has failed or am I not getting it and being to soft haha

[GardenKit]

Yeah that makes sense I know the kind........, I suppose you could help depending on the circumstances I.E a professional in desperate need of fuel tank replacement for a 201t because his has failed or am I not getting it and being to soft haha

Yeah, of course there are always exceptions. I can usually tell within the first few minutes with the customer whether I want to help him. Some are decent folk who knew no better than to buy from wherever they did.

 

Some of these have taken them back to the shedstore and got their money back, then come into me to buy a proper machine.

[CJM]

Yeah, of course there are always exceptions. I can usually tell within the first few minutes with the customer whether I want to help him. Some are decent folk who knew no better than to buy from wherever they did.

Some of these have taken them back to the shedstore and got their money back, then come into me to buy a proper machine.

 

Maybe sthil should set up some kind of network for warrenty. If a saw was bought from gustharts but needed repair work at your place you could do the warrenty work and bill gustharts and likwise if one of your saws were taken to gusthearts.

It would make everything fair in long run

[gensetsteve]

Maybe sthil should set up some kind of network for warrenty. If a saw was bought from gustharts but needed repair work at your place you could do the warrenty work and bill gustharts and likwise if one of your saws were taken to gusthearts.

It would make everything fair in long run

 

Or the manufacturers could pay the going rate then there would not be a problem.

[GardenKit]

Or the manufacturers could pay the going rate then there would not be a problem.

Quite so.

 

Or they could make the stuff better, so that it does not need warranty work.

 

I sell a lot of Tanaka kit but doubt I do one warranty claim a year.

[ArthurBottlesworth]

In motor trade sales and servicing are very seperate within the businesses

 

So each is aiming to maximise sales ......

 

This means when customer brings warranty claim in the servicing department are keen to grab it ........regardless of where the car was bought

 

Doesn't seem to happen in arb as businesses generally smaller .........

 

Opportunity for someone to set up arb equipment repair franchise?

 

If local agent loses his sales to internet, and repairs to local repairer, whats left?

[Kevin Petley]

The main problem I have with internet sales / postage repairs is invariably a machine will be returned for repair due to -

 

1 - The wrong machine was sold intially

 

2 - The machine is being used or maintained incorrectly.

 

Both reasons create problems which may not always be identified via a telephone or post.

 

The vast majority of people on this forum will be time served, experienced and knowledgable operators, unfortunately that is not the case with everyone.

 

It makes my blood boil when customers return machines to us that are unsafe to use due to a lack of knowledge or advise, or the machine is quite obvioulsy unsuitable for the customers needs. OK there are always exceptions but generally this is due to poor after sales and poor installation.

 

I personally have refused (twice out of 1000's) over the years to sell machines to customers that I felt were not safe users. And that is not the most comfortable conversation to hold, but we all have to sleep at night.

 

I suppose it's an ethical issue with me that does not quite sit right and I am uncomfortable having to get involved with, where do you draw the line?

 

Should supermarkets be allowed to sell chainsaws?

 

Keep the faith!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!