Question for Stihl dealers re: Service

[husky46cc]

This question is for Stihl dealers who are also authorized service centers:
Do you service Stihl chainsaws, without hesitation, even if they were not bought from you?

Here's why I ask. My brother, sister,and I are going to buy my dad a Stihl. I called the Stihl dealer in his town (about 270 miles from here). I wanted to make sure that he had a 180, 210, or 211 in stock and that he would service it. I also pointedly asked if other Stihl dealers would service it, in case my brother borrowed it and needed it serviced in his hometown. This Stihl dealer bluntly told me that in his experience, Stihl dealers may SAY they service all saws, but in actual practice, it's not true. The first question they ask of a customer requesting service is "Where'd you buy this saw?" If the answer is "I bought it from xxx (a competitor)" , the dealer's first inclination is to say, "Well, take it back to them."

I really don't care if this is is the case. I just want to know the cold, hard truth so I can make informed decisions about buying a chainsaw. If I pay the extra premium for a Stihl, one of the things I'm happy to pay for is the service network that Stihl Corp. advertises. It's money well spent - if it's true. It's not well spent if I take the saw to another dealer for service and he tells me to take it back where I bought it.

 

[husky46cc]

This question is for Stihl dealers who are also authorized service centers:
Do you service Stihl chainsaws, without hesitation, even if they were not bought from you? A related question: Do you have any financial incentive, one way or the other, from Stihl Corp. on this subject?

Here's why I ask. My brother, sister,and I are going to buy my dad a Stihl. I called the Stihl dealer in his town (about 270 miles from here). I wanted to make sure that he had a 180, 210, or 211 in stock and that he would service it. He told me what he said was a not so pleasant secret. In his experience, Stihl dealers may SAY they service all saws, but in actual practice, it's not true. The first question they ask of a customer requesting service is "Where'd you buy this saw?" If the answer is "I bought it from xxx (a competitor)" , the dealer's first inclination is to say, "Well, take it back to them."

I really don't care if this is is the case. I just want to know the cold, hard truth so I can make informed decisions about buying a chainsaw. If I pay the extra premium for a Stihl, one of the things I'm happy to pay for is the service network that Stihl Corp. advertises. It's money well spent - if it's true. It's not well spent if I take the saw to another dealer for service and he tells me to take it back where I bought it.

 

[fredmc]

I've ran into that with stihl dealers here in pennsylvania. Won't service anything unless you bought it from them. Try to find a saw dealer that isn't in direct competition with a Lowes or Home depot, what I mean is: the backwoods saw dealers that have a good professional customer base are the ones to buy from because their panties aren't in a twist over Lowes or HD cutting into their sales.

 

[lcso10]

We service all Stihl hand held tools no matter where they were bought. It really does not matter to me. I have worked on units that have come from all over the USA.

 

[lcso10]

We service all Stihl hand held tools no matter where they were bought. It really does not matter to me. I have worked on units that have come from all over the USA.

 

[FATGUY]

Does not Stihl pay for the warranty work? If so, why would any dealer turn down work?

 

[THALL10326]

This question is for Stihl dealers who are also authorized service centers:
Do you service Stihl chainsaws, without hesitation, even if they were not bought from you? A related question: Do you have any financial incentive, one way or the other, from Stihl Corp. on this subject?

Here's why I ask. My brother, sister,and I are going to buy my dad a Stihl. I called the Stihl dealer in his town (about 270 miles from here). I wanted to make sure that he had a 180, 210, or 211 in stock and that he would service it. He told me what he said was a not so pleasant secret. In his experience, Stihl dealers may SAY they service all saws, but in actual practice, it's not true. The first question they ask of a customer requesting service is "Where'd you buy this saw?" If the answer is "I bought it from xxx (a competitor)" , the dealer's first inclination is to say, "Well, take it back to them."
I really don't care if this is is the case. I just want to know the cold, hard truth so I can make informed decisions about buying a chainsaw. If I pay the extra premium for a Stihl, one of the things I'm happy to pay for is the service network that Stihl Corp. advertises. It's money well spent - if it's true. It's not well spent if I take the saw to another dealer for service and he tells me to take it back where I bought it.

Interesting because it doesn't state so much whether he is one of those dealers that does what he says others do.

Round here if its a Stihl its welcome in the door, we don't care where it was bought. If its orange and white its alright.

 

[fredmc]

We service all Stihl hand held tools no matter where they were bought. It really does not matter to me. I have worked on units that have come from all over the USA.

What if someone shows up with a poulan from Lowes? Do you fix it or refuse to because of where it came from?

 

[spacemule]

What if someone shows up with a poulan from Lowes? Do you fix it or refuse to because of where it came from?

It wouldn't make economic sense for any shop to work on a Poulan. After all, the entire unit is only worth about two hours of shop labor when new. That doesn't include any parts cost or having to run the parts down. No customer is going to pay diagnostic and service costs on a $100 saw.

 

[Fish]

What if someone shows up with a poulan from Lowes? Do you fix it or refuse to because of where it came from?

I think the real question is about warranty, I think is what he is intimating by the word "service".

 

[Erick]

I think the real question is about warranty, I think is what he is intimating by the word "service".

Wow ....... word of the day Fish????

 

[howellhandmade]

When I brought a saw in to my Stihl dealer's service dept. today I spoke to someone new to me, and the first question was not "What's the problem?" but "Where did you buy it?" I don't have any complaints about my dealer, he's treated me very well, but judging from the positive response I got to the answer "I bought it here" I can sort of imagine what my experience would have been had I bought it somewhere else. I don't understand why a dealer wouldn't look at a saw bought elsewhere but presented for warranty work or service as an opportunity to win a new customer, but perhaps there are so many customers out there that a dealer can afford to turn new ones away.

Jack

 

[SteveH]

My Stihl dealer [small shop] will service any chainsaw of any brand. If it looks like junk, sometimes, he told me, he'll beg off, knowing that the owner will never be happy. But a decent saw, he'll work on it. [By decent I mean not some Wildthing or something. He won't touch the "throw-aways"]

 

[Erick]

All dealers are free to choose what they will and will not work on...if this guy is not willing to work on a brand he sells and services just because you didn't buy it from him I'd say you wont have to worry about him working on anything before to long.

When I brought a saw in to my Stihl dealer's service dept. today I spoke to someone new to me, and the first question was not "What's the problem?" but "Where did you buy it?" I don't have any complaints about my dealer, he's treated me very well, but judging from the positive response I got to the answer "I bought it here" I can sort of imagine what my experience would have been had I bought it somewhere else. I don't understand why a dealer wouldn't look at a saw bought elsewhere but presented for warranty work or service as an opportunity to win a new customer, but perhaps there are so many customers out there that a dealer can afford to turn new ones away.

Jack

If you bring a saw into my shop you will be asked the same question.

Reason????

Any saw shop worth a squirt of piss will take care of their customers first, if you bought it here you will be moved straight to the head of the line for service..... simple as that.

If you bought a brand we sell and service from another dealer.... you're next in line.

If you bought a brand we don't sell (obviously not from us) but we can get parts for... you're next.

If you bought a "throwaway" saw at the department store and bring it to us for service.... tune-ups, bars, chains, and sprockets only, if it needs anything more than that I'm gonna tell you to throw it away.



EDIT: Thought I better clarify....... I have been known to put the odd fuel line, primer bulb, or carb kit in a wild thingy/rump ranger when work is slow but space nailed it pretty well..... nobody wants to put $75.00 in a worn out $100.00 saw. It just doesn't make good business since to keep parts or work on these "throwaways".

 

[pickwood]

Id find another dealer- the good ones dont care where you bought it. With that being said- I stick with my dealer. And lately it seems dealers are closing or losing their brands- my dealer lost the Husky line because they didnt want to sell the lawn mower line- they chose to sell Toro mowers. The Husky line went down the street to the JD dealer who sells Stihl- in the show room they have no Husky mowers, 6 sawa, 0 trimmers- 40 JD mowers, 1200 trimmers, and 60 saws. I dont know what Husky is thinking,but, they are not going to sell anything at the JD dealer. JD closed two JD dealers in the Asheville area too. And we have no Husky dealers in our county- but there is one about 40 miles away in another county.

 

[kevlar]

We welcome all saws except chinese knock offs that goes for all other equipment as well dirt bikes,quads whatever!

 

[howellhandmade]

SNIP

If you bring a saw into my shop you will be asked the same question.

Reason????

Any saw shop worth a squirt of piss will take care of their customers first, if you bought it here you will be moved straight to the head of the line for service..... simple as that.

If you bought a brand we sell and service from another dealer.... you're next in line.

If you bought a brand we don't sell (obviously not from us) but we can get parts for... you're next.

SNIP

Good point, that's perfectly reasonable. I was projecting from how I heard the question today back to the earlier post where a fellow brought a saw in to a shop and was told to take it back to where he bought it. That's probably unfair, it's quite possible that if I'd bought it somewhere else I would have been told courteously that they'd be happy to work on the saw but that they were backed up three weeks on repair work, so let's understand that before we go into the spiel about what's wrong.

Jack

 

[Paul001]

This question is for Stihl dealers who are also authorized service centers:
Do you service Stihl chainsaws, without hesitation, even if they were not bought from you?

Here's why I ask. My brother, sister,and I are going to buy my dad a Stihl. I called the Stihl dealer in his town (about 270 miles from here). I wanted to make sure that he had a 180, 210, or 211 in stock and that he would service it. I also pointedly asked if other Stihl dealers would service it, in case my brother borrowed it and needed it serviced in his hometown. This Stihl dealer bluntly told me that in his experience, Stihl dealers may SAY they service all saws, but in actual practice, it's not true. The first question they ask of a customer requesting service is "Where'd you buy this saw?" If the answer is "I bought it from xxx (a competitor)" , the dealer's first inclination is to say, "Well, take it back to them."

I really don't care if this is is the case. I just want to know the cold, hard truth so I can make informed decisions about buying a chainsaw. If I pay the extra premium for a Stihl, one of the things I'm happy to pay for is the service network that Stihl Corp. advertises. It's money well spent - if it's true. It's not well spent if I take the saw to another dealer for service and he tells me to take it back where I bought it.

Any Saw shop that will not service the brand of saw they sell, regardless of where the saw was originally purchased, doesn't deserve your monies in the first place.

Hell yes I work on saws sold by other dealers. No there is no incentive from Stihl to or not to work on a saw...it's what keeps my friggen doors open, I guess that's incentive enough.

 

[Fish]

In many cases, the would ask where you bought it to see if they had any
history in their system as to purchase date, previous work, etc..

And yes, If the saw was bought there, it would get a bump up on the priorty
list, and this time of year, that is a big plus.

That Husky dealer I worked at in Bardstown was fun to look up a history on
a unit, because it usually was a long trail of ineptitude.....

Probably why he went out of business...

He was a Scag dealer too, had a mower come in with a pissed off customer,
looked up the history, and our shop had put on 3 batteries and two voltage
regulators, and it still was killing batteries. Took me 5 minutes to diagnose.....

 

[Messenger]

STIHL Dealers & Shop work.

It wouldn't make economic sense for any shop to work on a Poulan. After all, the entire unit is only worth about two hours of shop labor when new. That doesn't include any parts cost or having to run the parts down. No customer is going to pay diagnostic and service costs on a $100 saw.

We are STIHL Franchised Dealers. We NEVER discriminate on where someone bought a saw.
Why ??????????????????????????????????
We're in business for Service work! Big part of the Dealership!
Don't care where they bought it. They get treated nicely like everyone else.

Personally, I would walk quickly out the door of a Dealer that had the attitude of only working on what he sold. VERY limited thinking...
He might be out of business before long as well....

*************************

We work on ALL BRANDS.
Chain Saw Tune-Up includes pretty much everything, including removing the starter and clutch covers and steam-cleaning / power washing all.
We don't give back dirty saws. Dirt is probably the #1 overall enemy of saws,
assuming it's got proper Fuel/Oil mix in it.
Carburator rebuilding IS included in the Tune-Up. $49.95 + parts.
On a MS660 or an old Craftsman/Roper -- doesn't matter.
Bring on all the Poulans, old or otherwise--no problem at all. We probably fixed/serviced 400-450 "Poulans/Wild-Things/cheap Homelites" last year
We fix a LOT of 605/610 MAC's -- can't kill them.

Throwaways -- We work on all of them. The cheapest you can buy is about
$125. including tax. We can do a Full Tune & Service for half of that.Why do we send them away when we are in Freaking business to fix saws??
Answer = We don't!
And, the customer owns it now! Do not underestimate this point. It's HIS saw.
As a general rule, they are usually only parts saws when the P&C is toast.

One of our best Tech's recently said about saws, "they're all the same, but
they're all different". True enough.

We also stock about a jillion carb kits for everything.
And, keep about 100 parts saws on hand. [that's a big deal]
About the only saws we have to order parts for are STIHL's!

In closing, it's amazing to me why many dealers are closed minded about working on "other" saws, or ones they did not sell. It's what they're in business for.
The Poulan customer's needs and cash are exactly the same as the STIHL customer's.
We treat them all the same -- Happy to help!
And, we do keep in mind, that the happy Wild-Thing customer may very well be a STIHL owner in the future.
Good investment it seems.
Regards.