a big sarcastic thank you to stihl!

[PaulB84]

Im at my wits end with my local (48189) stihl dealers.

Thank you for having theiving incompetent short tempered idiots as techs and parts monkeys!

Thank you for becoming nothing more than a parts bin for me that I need to call with the actual part number in hand because your reps can't seem to figure out how to read a schematic!

Thank you for lying your collective butts off regarding which oil is best and how much to use!

Thank you for slapping up dealships wherever and whenever you can with no regard for the quality of the people wearing your name on their shirts!

Thank you for attempting to guard your shop manuals and IBLs with such secrecy that I knew there must be something there worth reading!

End sarcasm: mostly thank you thank you thank you for driving me into the arms of this fantastic website called Arboristsite, who your employees and techs attempt to discredit as knuckle dragging internet charlatans and know-it-alls.

Apologies to any members who work for stihl and actually know their ****, I'm sure somewhere there are some techs who actually know and care but I've yet to meet one.

Rant over. As my grandfather would have said, you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself.

You guys rock.

 

[Full Chisel]

I'm convinced that 95% of dealers are completely worthless.

 

[028 super]

where are the bad ones in Michigan?

 

[Cheesecutter]

Its not just Stihl, my closest Jonsered and Husky dealers ain't much better. Luckily I have a great dealer a few minutes from where I work.

 

[old-cat]

As bad as it seems, it's better than Sachs Dolmar and some others that don't have their parts available, no dealer even available.

 

[PaulB84]

The thing that supposedly makes stihl a great choice is its dealer network vs say husky or jonsered where you buy the unit from home depot or tractor supply. At this point I see no advantage whatsoever. At this point Ill learn on my own equipment or take a so called "shade tree mechanic" over a factory tech any day

 

[PaulB84]

where are the bad ones in Michigan?

Boullion, Bader, D&G, weingartz, four star and one other I can't remember have lost my business permemantly.

Bader is at least friendly but incompetent, the others have bad attitudes to go along with zero help

A new dealship down the road from me is in the process of opening. Its in a privately owned country hardware store that's been there forever in an agricultural area. I'm gonna go talk to the owner and attempt to get him on the right path. Prob a waste of my time and his but man I'd like to have a dealer I can trust nearby

 

[Guido Salvage]

If all the dealers in your area are horrible, why not become one and take advantage of the situation? I would much rather read a thread about doing rather than complaining...

 

[groundup]

My husky dealer has got to be the worse, rude and ignorant

 

[PaulB84]

If all the dealers in your area are horrible, why not become one and take advantage of the situation? I would much rather read a thread about doing rather than complaining...

I think you may have missed the point of this thread....

In retrospect, I'm actually thrilled that my local techs are so crappy they lit a fire under my butt to gain the knowledge for myself, which will benefit me for the rest of my life.

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/stihl-tech-job-offering.276799/

Started this after the aforementioned new dealer and I had a long conversation. I've since applied to other more lucrative jobs with great hours within my current field and secured a couple great interviews coming up soon, so if all goes well the timing isn't gonna work, but you never know what's coming down the pipe.

As guy with degrees and jobs in several fields, newly married and a new homeowner I have zero interest in opening a stihl dealership. I don't think that makes me a whiner.

 

[1Alpha1]

I'm a Stihl fan and I understand.

Every time I see the current Stihl commercial on tv, I have to chuckle a bit.

BTW.....I own a BMW motorcycle. I've dealt with BMW dealers, and there's a lot of similarities between them and Stihl.

 

[Greenthorn]

OP, you forgot to thank them for flippy caps!

 

[PaulB84]

I'm a Stihl fan and I understand.

Every time I see the current Stihl commercial on tv, I have to chuckle a bit.

BTW.....I own a BMW motorcycle. I've dealt with BMW dealers, and there's a lot of similarities between them and Stihl.

Try walking into a gun store uninformed....or better yet go if you know what you're talking about and sit quietly chuckling at the counter listening to some of the worst advice you'll ever hear.....

 

[1Alpha1]

If all the dealers in your area are horrible, why not become one and take advantage of the situation? I would much rather read a thread about doing rather than complaining...

Not everyone has the start-up capital or the inclination to start a business. Even if they did, who's to say that Stihl Inc. would allow another dealership in the area. It's also my understanding that profit margins are very tight as a Stihl dealer.

In this day and age, there's a lot more businesses that I would rather invest in, other than a lawn mower shop.

 

[1Alpha1]

Try walking into a gun store uninformed....or better yet go if you know what you're talking about and sit quietly chuckling at the counter listening to some of the worst advice you'll ever hear.....

Been there......and done that.

 

[Full Chisel]

My husky dealer has got to be the worse, rude and ignorant

They get offended real quick when your level of knowledge clearly exceeds theirs.

 

[1Alpha1]

When I need to order Stihl OEM parts, I go to my local ACE Hardware store. They are pretty knowledgeable, polite, and let you know they appreciate your business.

Before I have them order the part(s), I always ask to see the parts screen, to verify the part they are looking at, is the part I want.

 

[PaulB84]

When I need to order Stihl OEM parts, I go to my local ACE Hardware store. They are pretty knowledgeable, polite, and let you know they appreciate your business.

Before I have them order the part(s), I always ask to see the parts screen, to verify the part they are looking at, is the part I want.

Yup that's the vibe I get from the newly opened dealership in the local hardware store. They were great to deal with before they became a dealer I can only hope they keep that small town customer service going. Time will tell.

 

[SawTroll]

When I need to order Stihl OEM parts, I go to my local ACE Hardware store. They are pretty knowledgeable, polite, and let you know they appreciate your business.

Before I have them order the part(s), I always ask to see the parts screen, to verify the part they are looking at, is the part I want.

There are a lot of good dealers around - but they aren't everywhere, and people mostly notise and talk about the bad ones.

The quality of dealers and techs isn't always brand specific - but Stihls brand policy regarding IPLs, manuals and part supply is, and it sucks.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

knuckle dragging internet charlatans and know-it-alls.

That part is mostly true... haha!