lawnspecialties
10-07-2006, 04:08 PM
There seems to be a trend in American companies these days that has me (and many other consumers) very frustrated. In an effort to constantly keep the bottom line as strong as can be, companies appear to just push product through with what appears to be the "short term gain only, don't worry about long term" philosophy. More than ever, companies in the lawn care industry appear to have adopted this attitude.
Read through various posts here throughout lawnsite to justify my point.
1: New "computer designed decks" with fancy names that just frustrate the heck out of us. Clumping of grass and decks, strips of uncut grass, little or no vacuum, etc.
2: Fancy add-ons that just don't add up. Every now and then, a "latest and greatest" accessory is offered to the LCO public that just doesn't cut it (no pun intended). No matter how big the hype from dealers and distributors, if the product doesn't perform as "hyped up", what was a quick $200 sale can prevent a $10,000 repeat customer next time around.
3: Dependability. If I purchase a $10,000 mower, $500 blower, or $40,000 truck, the thing better perform like a top. When you purchase a $10,000 mower and at 67 hours, a critical drivetrain part fails and then again fails at 300 hours, you have to wonder. Then when it becomes known this drivetrain setup becomes pretty much a disaster for this brand, one has to wonder,"Did anyone really field test this thing?"
I could go on and on but really I'm just venting. USA's Ford and GM are going down like a sinking ship while Japan's Toyota is flying high. Are we so concerned with pleasing stockholders in the "here and now" that we'll sacrifice tomorrow for it?
Maybe I'm on my own here, but once again I'm 90% certain I'm switching brands next season all because of "silly" quality issues that MTD doesn't even have. Certainly, no product is perfect, but when commercial equipment is five times the cost of homeowner equipment, you expect the "basics" to be better, too.:confused:
Read through various posts here throughout lawnsite to justify my point.
1: New "computer designed decks" with fancy names that just frustrate the heck out of us. Clumping of grass and decks, strips of uncut grass, little or no vacuum, etc.
2: Fancy add-ons that just don't add up. Every now and then, a "latest and greatest" accessory is offered to the LCO public that just doesn't cut it (no pun intended). No matter how big the hype from dealers and distributors, if the product doesn't perform as "hyped up", what was a quick $200 sale can prevent a $10,000 repeat customer next time around.
3: Dependability. If I purchase a $10,000 mower, $500 blower, or $40,000 truck, the thing better perform like a top. When you purchase a $10,000 mower and at 67 hours, a critical drivetrain part fails and then again fails at 300 hours, you have to wonder. Then when it becomes known this drivetrain setup becomes pretty much a disaster for this brand, one has to wonder,"Did anyone really field test this thing?"
I could go on and on but really I'm just venting. USA's Ford and GM are going down like a sinking ship while Japan's Toyota is flying high. Are we so concerned with pleasing stockholders in the "here and now" that we'll sacrifice tomorrow for it?
Maybe I'm on my own here, but once again I'm 90% certain I'm switching brands next season all because of "silly" quality issues that MTD doesn't even have. Certainly, no product is perfect, but when commercial equipment is five times the cost of homeowner equipment, you expect the "basics" to be better, too.:confused: