If you need warranty service, it's nice to have a dealer nearby. If you need repair work after the warranty expires, it's still nice to have a brand dealer near you, but not as necessary.
But if you think for a second that I'm going to give more of my hard-earned money to someone because they're "local", you're smoking something that came out of a lab. I've been screwed over many more times by the "local" boys than by anyone I've done business with over the phone or internet. If they can't compete, they can't compete, period. I bought my Dolmar from the local dealer because his prices are great. Yes, he's close for service, and has a stock of parts, but if his price was more than 20 dollars over what a saw would cost online, I'd probably shop somewhere else. We're teetering on the edge of a depression in this country, I see a need to spend my money wisely, instead of asking Uncle Dubya to print more.
And the whole "liability" issue is moot, Lowes obviously feels comfortable letting an 18-year-old idiot give "safety instructions" when they've most likely never run a chainsaw themselves. And my saw ran perfect out of the box, QA/QC should take care of any duds at the factory. So what's the argument for a local dealer again? Right. Husky and others need to pull their heads out and get with the program.
