longbowch
ArboristSite Guru
I just left Farm & Fleet and they are now a Stihl dealer. The lady said put the display up today.
That's the way it was here too.Not in WI, they only stock Huskies and Echoes! I live across the street from the Regional Distributor and his wife is their Accountant. They haven't heard anything about Stihls, the only dealer is 3 miles away from them! Big Conflict!
Dave6390 in WI
There are no Japanese knockoff Stihls.I wonder if they'll be priced the same or if they are Japanese knockoffs? It would be interesting to see how this plays out!
Dave6390 in WI
I love it when new Stihl dealers open shops near other Stihl dealers. It straightens em up and makes them a bit more honest.
CAL Ranch is our regional Farm store. They were a Husqvarna retailer for a number of years until almost two years ago. That's when they made the switch to Stihl. They have no service department locally. They have one store in the SLC Metro area that supposedly has a service department. Bear in mind that this chain of stores covers Utah, Idaho, and I believe Wyoming with one service department. I have an independent Stihl Dealer 10 miles away that has lost some sales to CAL Ranch yet he gets stuck doing the warranty work on saws that left the box store without proper set up, and sometimes the wrong bar, or chain.
I also know the Regional Stihl rep, and he fought tooth and nail against Stihl putting there product into a store that isn't OPE exclusively, and now he is "stuck babysitting a bunch of people who don't have a clue".
I'd love to do warranty work on saws as long as Stihl pays me my shop rate, which they do if you meet certain criteria. There is hardly a thing in their repair tables I, or my techs, can't currently beat, so I'd make money at that deal. It also gives you an opportunity to win over the customer. Do I agree with Stihl allowing them in stores with no service department...no way !!, but I'd be making lemonade out of lemons if one was close to me.
I am aware of that. I am silver qualified myself, and so are two of my guys. However, there have been several reports that some of these regional chains have no service department. Bronze/Icademy is what my sales people go through. I'm pretty sure told me I needed to have one guy through Silver training within 6 months.Stihl won't allow you to be a dealer unless you have a certified Stihl i-academy technician on site. I believe bronze level is the requirement.
I am aware of that. I am silver qualified myself, and so are two of my guys. However, there have been several reports that some of these regional chains have no service department. Bronze/Icademy is what my sales people go through. I'm pretty sure told me I needed to have one guy through Silver training within 6 months.
This is a Blaines.In the Minnesota area, we have 4 'Farm & Fleet' chains:
Mill's Fleet Farm (35 stores)
Blaine's Farm and Fleet (37 stores)
Runnings Farm and Fleet (37 stores)
L&M Fleet Supply (8 stores)
I have seen STIHL saws at Runnings and L&M stores.
Philbert
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