There’s a whole lotta speculation going on in this thread, but to get a better insight into this new Husky move, some statistics could clarify. Those not being available, I just like to speculate like the rest of you folks and throw in some comments.
While Husqvarna being no longer under control of Elux, they may have their hands finally free to take their faith into their own hands. From their side, I think it is a wise decision to take the dealers route, especially for their Husqvarna line of products, which have the full range for pro and consumer use. I am not sure at this point if Mc Cullogh, Partner and Jonsered, etc. remain under Elux weather Husky.
Personally, I believe a chainsaw is not fit for sale by the internet. Statistics would help but I estimate the big volumes (unit wise) to be in the consumer product line (80 %) for homeowners and farmers, 18 % in the pro-market and 2 % in the chainsaw noobs market (Ben, AS members, heck why not me, etc ).
Both homeowners and pro’s need a dealer to get their saws running decently and service it. Internet could help sell a few % more, but the risk of claims is high and hence still calls the need for a dealer. Even with lurking around here for 2 years and 25 old saws in the shed, I still would hesitate big-time to buy a new saw over the net for a few dollars less (guarantee issues).
That accepted, I can understand that Husky wants to focus on dealers in the future (that's were the sales are).
As to the dealer reputation, I can only judge for my area, and calling them all crooks would be unfair. As for as competence in concerned, there is clearly room for improvement, but their knowledge will be far enough to serve 80% of the consumer products which they carry only anyway. One Husky dealer lately needed approx.1 hour to identify the carb kit reference number for a standard Walbro carb …
22 % gross margin is nothing to go bragging about. It is quite low compared to other industries, and it requires a lot of sales to make a decent living imo. That leaves little room for giving pure margins away for Mr Special customer, and should only be justified in special cases (loyal customers, weaker times, etc
Being a dealer, I would not be afraid of internet sales too much, provided I can charge decently for warranty or service work I need to perform on that equipment if required. Otherwise, I would tell the manufacturer to get stuffed. He can’t get it all.
The problem I have seen with dealers is that they will try to take advantage of you when buying spare parts. For ex. I needed a new coil recently for my 028 super. One dealer asked 92 €, another one 70 € and finally bought it over the net at 36 €, delivered to my door. I belong to the 2 % customer segment, so Stihl won’t care less probably, but it left me with a bad dealer taste.
So, I can understand Ben’s position, as well as the dealer's position you defended here in this thread.
Looking at it from the customer’s side, it works well for me if the dealer will give me good service and not try to rip me off when I need him most. I will use the net only if I have to.
