New Stihl online policy

[Tom D]

You won't need to.

 

I'm serious BTW, you think its all about price… its not……...you can match the lowest price on the net, I'll still buy on line. We do our supermarket shop on line, and loads of other stuff…. Its just easier.

[Triassic]

Disgraceful....

[Big J]

"My time is so precious".

 

So is mine mate, and that's why I ain't doing your warranty at the drop of a hat!!

 

And he isn't asking you to.

 

Perhaps there is a gap in the market here. We seem to have established that the dealer network is hit and miss at best. Why not have a network of skilled servicing technicians rather than dealers that also service? My local experience of dealers has not been good - I took a friends MS261 to the local Stihl dealer, and it took them two months to replace the needle bearings in it. This included a 4 week Christmas holiday that they decided to take without telling me. The other dealer, which is a little better, is a 30 minute drive away (at best - traffic could easily make that 50min).

 

Leave the retail and bulk spare parts to the big online sellers and have local servicing techs. Alternatively, it costs £15 to get a chainsaw set to a dealer anywhere in the UK and then sent back to you. It would cost me considerably more than that in diesel for two trips to my local dealer. Why bother when you get attitude like this? You cannot expect to foster any customer loyalty with an 'I'm going to tell on you if you sell online' policy - it just seems petty.

[Triassic]

"My time is so precious".

 

So is mine mate, and that's why I ain't doing your warranty at the drop of a hat!!

Disgraceful....

[Stihl dealer in Scotland]

"I wouldn't have such a problem with this bloody policy if my local Stihl dealer was any cop, but they aren't . . ..I once tried ordering some full chisel chain and was told that the only type of chain available was semi chisel (although he didn't even know what that was called)."

 

This is totally unacceptable. This is the most basic of stuff. You need to know your Rapid Super from your Rapid Micro, or your BPX from your LPX

[Dean Lofthouse]

You are whinging about profit margins. I do not and never have bought anything based solely on price.

I may be able to save 20 quid driving round my local dealers getting a good price.

But I could earn £300 in a morning by shopping online that night and spending the time working

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Arbtalk mobile app

[Stihl dealer in Scotland]

"My local experience of dealers has not been good - I took a friends MS261 to the local Stihl dealer, and it took them two months to replace the needle bearings in it. This included a 4 week Christmas holiday that they decided to take without telling me. The other dealer, which is a little better, is a 30 minute drive away (at best - traffic could easily make that 50min). "

 

Again this is outrageous. Why would it take him 2 months?. Can you tell me why Big J?

[agg221]

Barrie, it's not often that I disagree with you, but I do over this one.

 

I honestly think it would be better if the whole concept of authorised dealerships for chainsaws was scrapped. It appears to be a mechanism of sale which is now obsolete but is being propped up by contorted efforts to preserve convention.

 

Think about it, what does an authorised dealer actually do (across the board)? Understand the products - no, keep all necessary spares - no, offer convenience - no, provide a rapid and efficient repair service - absolutely not (see earlier comments about warranty repairs going to the back of the queue, an attitude which I find disgraceful in a customer facing business btw).

 

The dealer does not, in reality, offer an advantage over a truly free market for chainsaws, brushcutters, hedge trimmers etc. As products, they are not exactly complicated. Think how many people buy them from B&Q each year and do not kill themselves or anyone else. There is a sensible way to operate them, and many home users may not follow this in full, but the accident statistics are surprisingly small.

 

So how would the world look if every business which wanted to could buy from the main manufacturer, but with a minimum annual order value for simplicity for the manufacturer (who is not trying to become the customer facing end) and the price included a portion which covered operation of a central repair facility. Machine fails under warranty, customer takes it, or posts it, back to vendor, who forwards to the central facility. This is how Dyson, Hotpoint and many other consumer end manufacturers work, often with items which cost the same or more.

 

I could then order at the lowest price I could find, online at my convenience, or go in person to a shop and do a deal, depending on what I felt like. In what way do I, the customer, lose by this?

 

Continuing to offer a repair service then becomes a straight commercial decision. If you can charge enough to make it worthwhile, do it. Otherwise, no obligations.

 

I think it is telling that, throughout this and every other related thread, the dealers defend protectionist policy but the customers don't like it. Ultimately, this suggests that the least protectionist supplier will be the one which is listening to its customers and is likely to be rewarded with market share.

 

Alec

[Sandworks]

You are whinging about profit margins. I do not and never have bought anything based solely on price.

I may be able to save 20 quid driving round my local dealers getting a good price.

But I could earn £300 in a morning by shopping online that night and spending the time working

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Arbtalk mobile app

Spot on Dean, as it stands i have 5 saws to "repair" that the dealers couldn't be bothered with or wanted too much to fix….. can't even walk in and buy a carb kit round here….. pathetic, i hold more spares than the dealers……ffs! ridiculous !

[Tilio-acerion]

 

I honestly think it would be better if the whole concept of authorised dealerships for chainsaws was scrapped. It appears to be a mechanism of sale which is now obsolete but is being propped up by contorted efforts to preserve convention.

 

Think about it, what does an authorised dealer actually do (across the board)? Understand the products - no, keep all necessary spares - no, offer convenience - no, provide a rapid and efficient repair service - absolutely not (see earlier comments about warranty repairs going to the back of the queue, an attitude which I find disgraceful in a customer facing business btw).

 

The dealer does not, in reality, offer an advantage over a truly free market for chainsaws, brushcutters, hedge trimmers etc. As products, they are not exactly complicated. Think how many people buy them from B&Q each year and do not kill themselves or anyone else. There is a sensible way to operate them, and many home users may not follow this in full, but the accident statistics are surprisingly small.

 

So how would the world look if every business which wanted to could buy from the main manufacturer, but with a minimum annual order value for simplicity for the manufacturer (who is not trying to become the customer facing end) and the price included a portion which covered operation of a central repair facility. Machine fails under warranty, customer takes it, or posts it, back to vendor, who forwards to the central facility. This is how Dyson, Hotpoint and many other consumer end manufacturers work, often with items which cost the same or more.

 

I could then order at the lowest price I could find, online at my convenience, or go in person to a shop and do a deal, depending on what I felt like. In what way do I, the customer, lose by this?

 

Continuing to offer a repair service then becomes a straight commercial decision. If you can charge enough to make it worthwhile, do it. Otherwise, no obligations.

 

I think it is telling that, throughout this and every other related thread, the dealers defend protectionist policy but the customers don't like it. Ultimately, this suggests that the least protectionist supplier will be the one which is listening to its customers and is likely to be rewarded with market share.

 

Alec

 

Well said that man:thumbup: