a big sarcastic thank you to stihl!

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PaulB84

PaulB84

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One more reason to buy a husqvarna. ...don't think I've ever had to go to the dealer for anything other than more saw chain....

Lol uh i didn't realize huskys were made out of adamantium, mithril and unobtanium.

Try buying a used saw thats been run lean or straight gassed see how well you get to know your local dealer then......

For the record I have no complaints about how my stihl products perform.
 
1Alpha1

1Alpha1

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Depends on who wants to know, and why.
What's wrong with being a lawn mower shop? Most dealers are that. Dealers can't survive on chain saws alone unless you're in heavy logging country. But even then, you need serious inventory of all the logging related accessories and gear. There's more money in that than the saws.

Dealers don't need to know anything about cutting a tree. They just need to know their products and how to service them. That's why we're behind the counter, and you're in the tree. If you want expert service, more than likely it's the shop that focuses on 1 or 2 lines that's going to have it (1 mower line, 1 handheld line). Having multiple lines of the same product is just redundant and becomes more difficult to give proper service, generally.


I expect the dealer to know more about what they are selling than I do. I expect them to know how to correctly identify a part or part number, and order it correctly the 1st time. I expect them to have the most commonly needed parts in stock. Should I really need to have to order an air filter or a fuel filter?

I expect them to have new models of OPE in stock. Not just a catalog with a picture of one. If you are a dedicated dealer, I expect you to have more models in stock than the hardware store down the street. And, you should be able to match their prices. I'm tired of hearing dedicated Stihl dealers tell me that if they discount their prices, they could lose their product line. The box stores sell Stihl and they can deviate from MSRP.
 
james archibald

james archibald

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Sault Ste. Marie, ON
I wasn't referring to them being invincible. I was talking about finding pretty well any part OEM or aftermarket online. With no super secret stihl BS to contend with. I stay away from any dealership as much as I can wether it's a saw, sled, atv or truck :)

Lol uh i didn't realize huskys were made out of adamantium, mithril and unobtanium.

Try buying a used saw thats been run lean or straight gassed see how well you get to know your local dealer then......

For the record I have no complaints about how my stihl products perform.
 
PaulB84

PaulB84

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Joined
Mar 10, 2015
Messages
119
Location
Michigan
I wasn't referring to them being invincible. I was talking about finding pretty well any part OEM or aftermarket online. With no super secret stihl BS to contend with. I stay away from any dealership as much as I can wether it's a saw, sled, atv or truck :)

Ahh my mistake... That makes more sense!
 
XSKIER

XSKIER

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S.E. MI
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

I've yet to see a decent "Large" Dealer. Small Outdoor Power Equipment shops are the best.
Sun Valley still open?
How about Marsh? Grand Blanc aint too bad.
Sloan's is the best though.
 
KenJax Tree

KenJax Tree

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Over there
Nice that you think so poorly of us Stihl techs. Way to cast a poor light over us that you don't know that leads people to believe that we're all uneducated and disrespectful. If you have an issue call corporate or the distributor. Until you've been to every dealership and dealt with every distributor you shouldn't say "Stihl is lying" or "Stihl are theives". More so you should say "I've had a $hit experience with locals". But how do you expect that to change until you've notified more than a sales rep? Sales representatives sell to the dealer's they don't get paid to memorize part numbers or even repair equipment. They are trained to understand the functionality of equipment and provide a bridge between warehouse and the shelves. If you've never run a dealership you could never begin to understand the stress involved with it. The stupid little phone numbers with customer service wouldn't appease you as they employ English speaking American citizens to help you. Can't expect change until you promote change.
Apparently you didn't read the end of his post:innocent:
 
KenJax Tree

KenJax Tree

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Messages
11,593
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Over there
I've yet to see a decent "Large" Dealer. Small Outdoor Power Equipment shops are the best.
Sun Valley still open?
How about Marsh? Grand Blanc aint too bad.
Sloan's is the best though.
Big dealers like Weingartz care more about their landscaping equipment, thats where they're big money is.
 
PaulB84

PaulB84

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Joined
Mar 10, 2015
Messages
119
Location
Michigan
I've yet to see a decent "Large" Dealer. Small Outdoor Power Equipment shops are the best.
Sun Valley still open?
How about Marsh? Grand Blanc aint too bad.
Sloan's is the best though.
Sun valley is closed, new dealer in the area is Wards Do It Best hardware on m36. They've always been a great hardware store for me w much more knowledge and specialized stuff than the big box stores
 
PaulB84

PaulB84

ArboristSite Operative
Joined
Mar 10, 2015
Messages
119
Location
Michigan
Big dealers like Weingartz care more about their landscaping equipment, that where they're big money is.

This was my experience at boullion. Who cares about my $20 part when they're trying to sell $20k Kubotas.....

These were also the guys who tried to sell me a cutting head for the ht131/101 one individual part at a time. They have the cutting head on the floor attached to a kombi extension.....

My gut says incompetent over dishonest but I'll never know
 
SS Sniper

SS Sniper

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1,048
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Massachusetts
Around here we're pretty fortunate to have some good dealers, but there are some sub-standard ones too.
I find that the ones who know what they're doing actually have, or still do cut wood. They're the ones that actually give you decent deals and help you out as much as they can... and because of that we go to those shops more even though there's closer ones
 
olyman
Joined
Jul 29, 2006
Messages
26,895
Location
iowa
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...
maybe,, as like in stihls case..you have to have a bunch of upfront money,,for what they require you to have...something like 15,000 worth of inventory.........................
 

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