New Stihl Policy

[Big J]

As a Stihl user in Scotland, it has been my experience that my two local dealers are either very expensive, completely (and I mean utterly, totally and laughably) useless, or both.

 

I used to give them a chance to at least try to come within £50 of the price offered online, but no effort was made, so I ordered online.

 

The fact of the matter is that it is more convenient and cheaper to use online retailers. I order the saw online, it arrives next day without my time or money on fuel being expended. If I have a warranty issue, I send it back, again using less money than driving to my dealer. Once out of warranty, I'd use someone like Spudulike for major repairs or do other maintenance myself.

 

The age of protectionism and actual shops charging a premium is over. Retailers (and indeed manufacturers) need to wake up that the world is only a click away.

 

I will not purchase another Stihl machine until this new and misguided policy is reversed.

 

Jonathan

[Matthew Arnold]

We phoned our main Stihl dealer the other day to order a box of 5.2mm, 4.8mm and 4mm files (all in seperate boxes of course) and a new polycut head with a pack of heads. They told us they couldnt do it over the phone so we had to do it face to face. Just as well the dealer is on the same estate as our yard or it would have been a major PITA. It has caused our "Procurement hub" in the council a massive headache as they could phone up and order a spool of 3mm nylon cord but now they have to drive to each Stihl dealer locally to get the best price thanks to the stupid policy brought in.

[felixthelogchopper]

Care to be more specific about the name of your company?

 

Shy?

[MattyF]

I went in my local dealer ordered parts and paid for them for my main climbing saw , two weeks later they turn up in the mail... Kind of annoying when I used to be able to order on line and spares would arrive in days not weeks.

[daddyola50]

i agree with you fully , just spent a week up fortwilliam and as far as ullapool . for you guts where you work and live stihls policy does not work very well at all . they will lose customers to husky and others

[Si Stevenson]

Whist reading this thread I happened to glance at the Stihl advert at the top of the page....

 

"Whatever you face,

Stihl has the edge"

 

If that "edge" is unhappy punters with poor service from over priced dealerships, well they certainly have the edge!!

Edited July 20, 2013 by Si Stevenson

[castanea]

The policy makes it a nightmare to promptly maintain Stihl saws and avoid downtime.

 

We have been staying away on jobs in the past where parts have failed mid afternoon and we were able with a single phone call to order the part and have it arrive to our location next morning. Job could continue without having to have the downtime of us needing to sideline the saw, locate the nearest stihl dealer and drive there to have them order a part and then have to return to collect it when it arrived a few days later.

 

The reason the large online retailers are soo successful is because they turn over so much business they are able to hold significantly larger amounts of stock. Thus when you need a part you can order it there and then and have it delivered to you next day. I want that service to remain available. Husqvarna policy allows me easy and quick access to parts which means saws can be maintained quickly without the business losing money. Stihl policy requires me to take time out my day, restricts me to the pricing of my local dealer and creates the expense of having to dedicate man hours to travelling to order and subsequently collect parts, which costs the business money. The difference in performance between the two brands of saw is not significant enough for this not to be the deciding factor in which equipment I purchase for my business.

[Stihl dealer in Scotland]

Well, I hope I have cleared a few things up tonight. I accept that as a dealer what I had to say is not everybody's cup of tea.

 

I can only reiterate that Stihl has YOUR interests at heart whether you are a domestic or professional user. If you are not happy with the service call them. 01276 20202.

 

I will not post anymore on this subject due to the time it takes to reply to everybody. I will however be delighted to look in to the problems and troubleshooting bit of the forum and help as much as I can.

 

Cheers.

[Steve Bullman]

Crikey, I dread to think whats going to happen when/if husqvarna adopt the same policy!

[felixthelogchopper]

Crikey, I dread to think whats going to happen when/if husqvarna adopt the same policy!

 

TCD and Dolmar will be quids in?