A bit of a dealer/mechanic rant.

[TBS]

Recently a coworker had taken a few redmax trimmers and an echo srm 3800 to a local dealer for repair. The issues with the equipment were already known simple repairs but I'm to busy to do the work myself right now. The quote was over $800, the comment for the echo was it would be cheaper to replace it than repair it. How the f... is buying a comparable $6-700 echo brushcutter a better option than replacing a filter and fuel line. The redmaxs had the same issues. The echo came back missing the air filter and cover screws. This is the same dealer that talked my boss into buying an ms180 after they tried fixing the near new 017 we have was declared on the service tag dead even though it only needed a needle lever adjustment. I got the echo running in about ten minutes out in the field on the tailgate of my work truck. The redmaxs are also fixed.

 

[Acornhill]

Normal for these days. We live in a disposable society. Sell sell sell

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[Hydro74]

Ha yeah go figure right keeps my vision of one day being an honest go to guy shop even brighter, it really bites thinking how much people take advantage of other folks for a buck


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[adamrjones77]

That's a shame but it's rampant. Had a guy bring me some older JD "pro" grade equipment. String trimmer, backpack blower, hedge trimmer, and a chainsaw.

He told me the story about how the JD dealer said "the parts are obsolete and we don't have time to look up suitable replacements." Isn't that their job?

Anyway, poor guy had to pay $90 to get his stuff out of the green and yellow hawk. I got everything fixed and running like new for $240. That included OEM NOS parts that took less than a week to arrive.

I don't own a business but I can only assume the dealer makes more on sales than service. Not around here.

Damn shame...


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[Hydro74]

Dame shame is right


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[1Alpha1]

I consider myself very fortunate that I've never yet had to take any of my O P E into a shop to be repaired.

Must be doing something right.............

 

[TBS]

The saddest part is this was the best dealer/service center in my area for years who set our big saws up very nicely but since the old service tech left its fell off the map.

 

[TBS]

I consider myself very fortunate that I've never yet had to take any of my O P E into a shop to be repaired.

Must be doing something right.............

I wish my boss would let me take over the O P E repair and maintenance. I've fixed every piece of O P E we have minus the big diesel mowers.

This dealer has a huge clientele area covering 150 square miles.

 

[RandyinTN]

I think you should rethink about being to busy to repair your equipment. Sounds like you would be paying yourself a very high hourly wage and avoiding a lot of frustration if you just did it yourself.

 

[TBS]

I wish it were that simple. Im guy that does sewage pumping, lake boat operations, mowing, trash disposal, and other park services with a weekly staff of 1 or 2 people and 4 on weekends. 3 are seasonal and not allowed to run boats or the sewage truck, I always get reassigned to projects and have do catch up on those jobs. I wait for the higherups days off to do equipment repairs

 

[LonestarStihl]

Normal for these days. We live in a disposable society. Sell sell sell

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This right here x2

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Dunno, I'm pretty good about giving a "no ****" estimate.

Wrapped up a Mott mower yesterday. Old 70s unit that tossed a rod. Customer was thinking engine was junk, and expected to pay for a brand new engine.

I looked in the parts room, had a NOS rod. Cleaned up the crank, wham, bam, thank you na'am... all fixed. Total cost, about 1/2 of putting in a new engine, plus keeping the old, real hard to kill, built like a brick shithouse Briggs!

Excuse the typing, tiny keyboard and man sized fingers. Darn calluses keep making it pick the wrong ketter!

 

[Griffdog1]

I had a friend put me in touch with an 82 year old lady who still cuts all her own firewood. She has a couple of new Husqvarna's but wanted to get an opinion as to whether her old 61 was fixable. She had taken a complete saw into the dealer and a week later went back to receive a box of bits and a "sorry cant be fixed, cant get parts" story. They had pulled everything apart with no sense of a diagnostic process, including the carb that was in a box in bits. Anyway a couple of hours later and we are away. Iris will be heading back to the dealer today and giving them a look at the saw with a pretty prominent middle finger I reckon. She is a bit of a classic - told me that her 550xp is a nice saw, but it just "doesn't have the torque" of the old 61 for Aussie hardwood!!!

 

[Acornhill]

I had a friend put me in touch with an 82 year old lady who still cuts all her own firewood. She has a couple of new Husqvarna's but wanted to get an opinion as to whether her old 61 was fixable. She had taken a complete saw into the dealer and a week later went back to receive a box of bits and a "sorry cant be fixed, cant get parts" story. They had pulled everything apart with no sense of a diagnostic process, including the carb that was in a box in bits. Anyway a couple of hours later and we are away. Iris will be heading back to the dealer today and giving them a look at the saw with a pretty prominent middle finger I reckon. She is a bit of a classic - told me that her 550xp is a nice saw, but it just "doesn't have the torque" of the old 61 for Aussie hardwood!!!

View attachment 575703

Classic

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[Sepia]

Around here there are a lot of businesses that have a business plan that is basically - do $10000 worth of work/sales each year, and make $100000 doing it. The business owners with the biggest smile or nicest choice of words actually thrive on that business plan.

If you can't stick it to your customers and make them feel good about it, you will never be successful. If you try to be honest and fair in the services you offer, you will quickly find you are working twice as hard as the next guy, and making half as much money.

 

[marti384]

I am working on a 288 for my wife's co-worker right now. He had taken it to a reputable shop because it didn't run very well and was told the p/c were scored and it would be $500 for a new p/c. They gave it back to him with the muffler off still. It was missing the exhaust gasket when they gave it back. After looking at it and testing it, it failed a pressure and vac test and needed a crank seal. The cylinder looked great, there was a tiny bit of carbon streaks on one side of the piston, but nothing to catch a fingernail. It had great compression. I am pretty sure they just wanted to sell him a new saw, or give him a low ball trade in offer and re sell his 288, since it is in really good cosmetic shape. I still am not sure what makes everyone think this is a good shop he took it to.

 

[Chainsaw Jim]

I had a friend put me in touch with an 82 year old lady who still cuts all her own firewood. She has a couple of new Husqvarna's but wanted to get an opinion as to whether her old 61 was fixable. She had taken a complete saw into the dealer and a week later went back to receive a box of bits and a "sorry cant be fixed, cant get parts" story. They had pulled everything apart with no sense of a diagnostic process, including the carb that was in a box in bits. Anyway a couple of hours later and we are away. Iris will be heading back to the dealer today and giving them a look at the saw with a pretty prominent middle finger I reckon. She is a bit of a classic - told me that her 550xp is a nice saw, but it just "doesn't have the torque" of the old 61 for Aussie hardwood!!!"

I wouldn't normally out a dealer but this asswhole needs publicly shamed. This is the meanest thing I've ever heard about a dealer doing to a customer.
Worthless fawcker.

 

[Griffdog1]

Around here there are a lot of businesses that have a business plan that is basically - do $10000 worth of work/sales each year, and make $100000 doing it. The business owners with the biggest smile or nicest choice of words actually thrive on that business plan.

If you can't stick it to your customers and make them feel good about it, you will never be successful. If you try to be honest and fair in the services you offer, you will quickly find you are working twice as hard as the next guy, and making half as much money.

Really? This dealer lost a customer that went and brought two other saws from someone else. If you are telling me that an honest business that tries to do its best to meet the customers needs cant succeed then that's a pretty sad look out for the world.

 

[Sepia]

Really? This dealer lost a customer that went and brought two other saws from someone else. If you are telling me that an honest business that tries to do its best to meet the customers needs cant succeed then that's a pretty sad look out for the world.

Quote: "I still am not sure what makes everyone think this is a good shop he took it to."

I rest my case.

 

[HarleyT]

That is one of the main reasons I don't work on antique **** like that anymore, I have better things to do rather than waste hours on trying to fix stuff that should have been retired 20 years ago.

These evil dealers all share the same desire, that is, to make a living.

I got conned here lately into looking at an old 031 with ignition troubles, I am doing it out of curiosity, to see if there is an easy fix, and to share it here, but otherwise I would refuse.