New Stihl online policy

[Johny Walker]

Maybe I can clear things up here.

 

The new policy yet to be announced by Stihl will state that ANY machine with an exposed blade will NOT be allowed for sale on the net. So this is chainsaws, hedge cutters ect , even strimmers that are CAPABLE of taking a blade!!

 

Until this is published dealers are supposed to adhere to the previous policy. I have been notified of a few dealers flouting this, so I have been phoning that dealer posing as a customer, if I find out they are willing to despatch i have reported those dealers to Stihl. If they persist then they will have their dealership taken away from them.

 

Lets leave the online products to B&Q shall we?

 

Stihl dealer in Scotland is online now Report Post

 

sounds like sour grapes to me.every body has the right to shop were they choose,just like you choose were you shop !!!!

[adowning7]

If a dealer has time to ring up other dealers pretending to be joe public and report them to Stihl surely they have far too much time on their hands which could be better spent on other things? Or maybe it's a Scottish thing

[2stroke-ady]

So how do we not know that discrunted dealers are not just phoning stihl and making it all up to get online dealers loose there stihl dealership.

Can't understand the warranty issues , go to back of queue, not doing it as you didn't buy it with me.... Money is money at the end of the day.

 

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Arbtalk mobile app

 

If stihl is anything like husky warranty it isn't really a money maker. You don't make any money on the spares used and filling in warranty claims all takes up time. As a guy who works for husky said "its more about looking after your customer". So if people keep buying elsewhere and expecting you to sort out the problems it does rub you up the wrong way believe me!

[Tom D]

Sorry Tom, that philosophy may well work for you and some others, but it will be the demise of the dealer network as we know it.

Which is fine for some of you.

But others will miss the local dealer.

 

This fairy tale puts it in perspective.

 

In the good old days local people bought from local suppliers and were very happy to do so. The customer was loyal to the dealer and the dealer was loyal to the customer. Everyone was happy.

 

The manufacturer gave the dealer a discount from the RRP he had set and intended the dealer to retain as much profit as possible to fund his business, support the product with spares and to adequately train his staff.

 

But then the internet came along and a handful of greedy dealers started to tempt the local mans loyal customers away with offers of greater and greater discounts, and started to sell saws further and further away. These greedy dealers were so greedy they began to fight amongst themselves and stole business not only from the local man but also from each other. They were giving away so much discount that they were retaining very little profit, so they gave even more discount in order to steal even more business to make up the shortfall.

 

The customers who bought from the greedy dealer were happy with the price they had paid, but still wanted the benefit of their local dealer for service and parts, but by this time his volume of sales had dropped so much that it was no longer viable to commit money to that brand so his stock levels fell. Being a clever businessman this small dealer knew better than to try to compete on price. All he had ever wanted to do was serve his loyal customers, but to do his old volume of business at reduced profit would have been stupid, and he had no wish to increase his volume and dilute his service by joining the clan of greedy dealers. After all, he wanted nothing more than to serve his local, loyal customers, a large percentage of whom had now become disloyal.

The local dealer was not allowed to complain about lack of support from his local customers, but it seems that it was now common practice for the disloyal customers to slag the dealer off. So the dealer adapted his business as he had been advised by the disloyal customers, but instead of selling the original product at ridiculously low margins he started to sell other products on which he could make a reasonable profit (they do exist).

 

This left the manufacturer with a dilemma. he had to something to support the local dealers before they all moved to more profitable lines so he introduced policies to restrict the distance selling, but these policies were heavily criticised by the disloyal customers who by now had not only turned against he local dealer but also against the manufacturer and moaned publicly about how unfairly they were being treated.

 

Meanwhile however, the many customers who had remained loyal to the local dealer, and to the product, were the ones who really suffered. They had always known that the best deal was not the cheapest one.

 

I don't really but that, a 660 is the same kit wether i but it from gustharts, jonsies, honeys or wherever. if it breaks I'll ring up and ask for the parts to be sent out, then fit them myself. occasionally I'll drop something at the local dealer if i'm passing.

 

I could tell a story of the poor tree surgeon who spent a fortune on training, AA approved status, PPe and then lost work to guys who didn't bother with any of those things.

 

Or the guy who still mashes his brash down in the back of a transit with a bow saw, and looses work to a guy who has a chainsaw and a chipper…

[Ian Leach]

Where's my violin

 

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[MattyF]

Listen to Ian and Tom !! Most of us shop on line for convenience!!! it saves us hours off the day and my time is money and to be honest I don't have time to chat bollox get mugged off on prices and then wait two weeks for what I want only then to drive back wasting more fuel and time weeks later to pick it up.. Online all the way for me ,but I won't be buying any stihl gear any way after the performance of the gear I've brought in the last 5 years and the arrogance of there people I have dealt with to get it right.

 

 

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[GardenKit]

If stihl is anything like husky warranty it isn't really a money maker. You don't make any money on the spares used and filling in warranty claims all takes up time. As a guy who works for husky said "its more about looking after your customer". So if people keep buying elsewhere and expecting you to sort out the problems it does rub you up the wrong way believe me!

i second that Ady.

 

And warranty work is always in respect of some sort of failure, which in the customers eyes is a big negative factor.

 

So if I were to take on a problem such as the oil pump in a recent post, which ends up in the saw going to Stihl for 12 weeks, it would be me that was the baddy in the eyes of the customer. I would never recover even a fraction of my cost under warranty. The original seller would get off scot free.

 

So for that reason I never take on on warranty on machines that I have not sold, except for customers who have bought elsewhere prior to moving into my area.

[Triassic]

It's sad it's come to this .... if I were the boss of Stihl i'd be kicking some ass on Tuesday. This has the makings of a PR nightmare, what with customers slagging the brand off and dealers letting tales on each other just to gain market share.

 

Very poor show.........!

 

And one final thought ....... if I were a dealer and Stihl was my main source of income I'd be looking to diversify, just in case !!

Edited April 20, 2014 by Triassic

[GardenKit]

 

I could tell a story of the poor tree surgeon who spent a fortune on training, AA approved status, PPe and then lost work to guys who didn't bother with any of those things.

 

Or the guy who still mashes his brash down in the back of a transit with a bow saw, and looses work to a guy who has a chainsaw and a chipper…

 

And I would agree with you totally, but I would not suggest that you moved with the times and lowered your standards and prices to theirs.

[Stihl dealer in Scotland]

"Can't understand the warranty issues , go to back of queue, not doing it as you didn't buy it with me.... Money is money at the end of the day."

 

Well for a start Stihl only pay you the time it takes to fit the part. They do not take in to consideration fault finding, cleaning or stripping the machine in the first place. Also the labour rate paid is usually below that of the dealers labour rate.