Stihl 661 cm for milling

[Ported and piped]

Here it is

 

[DonnerParty]

By the sounds of things, Stihl NZ is bleeding customers as a result of not just the 661 issues but the lack of effective post-sale support. Farked if I'd gamble my work performance/revenue on getting a good 661. At least you know the 390 is proven.

Dealer support is more important than brand. If I had a great Husqvarna or Echo dealer instead of the great Stihl dealer I have, I'd be running one of those brands. Sounds like Stihl needs to be made aware of this issue. I'm still curious if you've contacted them directly, Steve.

 

[Ported and piped]

The stihl dealer here is really good for me to go to a good husky dealer it and hour and a half drive with sucks cause the stihl deal is 20 mins and the husky dealer that's right beside them is a hole bunch of incompetent people that should not sell things at all they won't even sell you the parts you need unless they do the work and at 100$ hr no thanks and I hate people fixing my stuff unless it is really major and I don't have the time .

 

[Ported and piped]

But I guess there are bad apples every were they should be monatered on how they treat people or deal with things like supporting there product that they sell after the fact I used to be brand loyal till the husky dealer pissed in my cornflakes

 

[steve easy]

I haven't gone to stihl directly. Told the dealer how pissed off I was and they said they would pass it on to head office, didn't hear anything so took my money to husky.

 

[KiwiBro]

I haven't gone to stihl directly. Told the dealer how pissed off I was and they said they would pass it on to head office, didn't hear anything so took my money to husky.

<rant>
There is something about many businesses (not all, but too many you and I seem to encounter anyway) here in NZ where that sort of customer service BS and plain disrespect is considered acceptable. It is never, ever acceptable to hang a customer to twist in the breeze like that. Stihl NZ will spend hundreds of thousands on marketing and still not undo the damage one justifiably pissed off customer can do. They probably won't pull their heads out of their backsides until it is way too late.

It would be interesting not only the percentage breakdown of revenue they generate from homeowners and pros (I'm assuming the latter is small by comparison), but just how long they can maintain their credibility amongst the homeowners if they don't treat pro customers with respect (hopefully not long).

There are Stihl dealers reading these pages. They have the serial number now. Perhaps they too are pissed off at how this reflects on the brand they have invested a heap of money to carry. Perhaps they could take it up with their head offices and PM you some outcome or at least reach out to offer to help.

I had the same thing with a tractor dealer here in NZ a few years ago. NZ was as farking useless as the POS tractor they sold me but a USA distributor with a heap of sway (probably sells more than the entire NZ market), sincerely frustrated with how I was being treated stepped in, completely out of the blue, to help from his end resulting in a remarkable and very welcome turnaround in how I was being treated here in NZ.

Similarly, a [good] NZ sawmil manufacturer has stepped in to help with with an absolute POS sawmill sold by another manufacturer with an attitude even worse than the crap they sold me. Yeah, I know you know who I'm talking about (I'll get you those pics of the repaired mill soon mate - I think you'll be impressed). The point is, when a third party has to step in because they are dumbfounded by how poorly they see someone else in the industry or selling the same brand is treating a customer, whilst very welcome, it highlights just how farked up the original seller has been and how little that seller deserves to prosper.

</rant>

 

[steve easy]

I'd like to know how many saws are running perfectly after a years work. Seems stupid that the proven 660 is shelved in favour of a saw that just isn't performing. Its got to be costing them money, not to mention reputation. I've talked to a lot of guys locally who are just not impressed and are jumping ship just like I have. I wouldn't have considered husky pre 661 if a 660 had been on the shelf I would have bought it and still been a happy stihl customer.
I'm hanging out to see how the beam works for you bro, I'm sure I'll want one for my pos too. Been far too long since I milled anything, been making do with looking on here at what others are milling.

 

[Ported and piped]

So is stihl going to do anything at all

 

[steve easy]

They wore the repairs, new coil etc about $1200. The shop lent me their demo saw while it was been repaired. They didn't do anything about the flogged out grommets on top cover. I learnt today that they are on their 4th generation coil. After all this it still wasn't right, told the shop I wasn't happy on two different occasions the last time just before Christmas, all they could say was we will pass it on to their head office but you could buy another one and i'm sure you'll be happy. I'm not holding my breath on stihl doing anything, I feel used over the whole drama. I started replacing my 090's last year with 880's the plan on one a year that's probably going to change to 3120's, not that I'm unhappy with the 880 its awesome but don't see why I should keep supporting stihl when they don't care about me.

 

[DonnerParty]

I would contact Stihl directly. I wouldn't be surprised if your dealer hasn't done any real work to get your issue resolved. Go to the top.

 

[steve easy]

Double checked with dealer today to see if my frustrations with this problematic 661 were being passed on to stihl hq and yes they are. Owner got straight on phone to chase them up and said he's sending it back to hq for them to try and diagnose why its still a pos, sent me away with the shops demo saw with instructions to thrash it to try and get it to play up. He's off to a conference with some of the stihl bigwigs and said the problems that these faulty 661's are causing will be a hot topic.

 

[Ported and piped]

Well hope it all gets worked out for you cause that situation sucks big time and it is time they do some thing for you better than they have

 

[steve easy]

He encouraged me to write to HQ and complain, over 50% of these saws are playing up one ran for two days and quit. Didn't blame me for going to husky, he worry's how they are going to get customers who have jumped ship back again.