It's your time to vent!

[LandFakers]

Originally Posted by zechstoker

You got that problem too, huh? The dealer we have an account with never has parts in stock, so when something needs to be replaced/repaired, I gotta wait at least a week.
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Your lucky at a week my friend... My dealer is about two weeks out on parts, then two weeks out on repairs. AND I can do NOTHING about it as they are the only eXmark dealer for a good hour.Oh, and they decide once my parts get here they don't bother to call me, I should just automatically know.And then they are pissy when they sit on parts for atleast a week because they close at 4, and im usually not even done mowing until 5. Atleast my Deere dealer does right by me

[zechstoker]

Originally Posted by LandFakers

Your lucky at a week my friend... My dealer is about two weeks out on parts, then two weeks out on repairs. AND I can do NOTHING about it as they are the only eXmark dealer for a good hour.Oh, and they decide once my parts get here they don't bother to call me, I should just automatically know.And then they are pissy when they sit on parts for atleast a week because they close at 4, and im usually not even done mowing until 5. Atleast my Deere dealer does right by me

Sounds all too familiar. Anymore though, if I need to replace one part that they'll more than likely have to order, I'll put in an order for a 2nd one to keep on hand as backup. Better to have spare parts laying around than downtime.
Posted via Mobile Device

[LandFakers]

Originally Posted by zechstoker

Sounds all too familiar. Anymore though, if I need to replace one part that they'll more than likely have to order, I'll put in an order for a 2nd one to keep on hand as backup. Better to have spare parts laying around than downtime.
Posted via Mobile Device

Exactly, Im no Brickman with extra machines laying around. The dealer knows this and takes advantage of us. If we treated customers like this we would have customers would we?!

[zechstoker]

Originally Posted by LandFakers

Exactly, Im no Brickman with extra machines laying around. The dealer knows this and takes advantage of us. If we treated customers like this we would have customers would we?!

I know what ya mean. It'd be nice if I had a complete spare set of machines ready at all times, but that's just not in the budget, so it's more like "do what ya gotta do".
Posted via Mobile Device

[GreenI.A.]

Most annoying for me is all the guys out I see operating illegally, not paying taxes, insurance, or other mandated fees. Advertising that they can do the same work as us for a fraction of our cost because they have less overhear (the overhead they illegally don't pay) then they use an inferior product guarantee to the customer it is the same as what all the other companies use. Most these guys go out of business due to their poor business skills, but by then they have already hurt the industry by driving down prices and lowering customers expectations of what can be successfully done.

[humble1]

Originally Posted by humble1

I love when I send a tech who is making 30 an hour at overtime rate out to treat a lawn and they say oh we are going to play outside today you will have to come back another day. After taking that a bunch of times I instituted a 35 out of route fee to come back, most people go ok you can treat it today. Prenotification in MA is knocking on the door.
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Pre notification is also calling them, but I dont like talking on the phone, too many customers to do that, plus if I fall behind schedule I need to call them and tell them I will be out a diff day...

[TristanPR]

Wow thanks for the feedback so far!

Keep 'em coming!

[herler]

Originally Posted by Toro 455

Why my concern? Because all of this comes out of the customer's maintenance budget. So when they want to trim the budget who do they come to? The biggest expense, me the mowing contractor. That plus I'm the only one left because everyone else has taken the money and run!
I am sick and tired of getting left holding the bag!

Amen my brother you done told my story they do that crap to me all the time, they go behind my back trying to save a dime and then it turns out like crap but most don't blame it on me... Not anymore, and one might think that would be good. But what they do instead is try and hide it and act like they know nothing about it, still I get left holding the bag, they just don't blame it on me but the game continues as if it is me against them, of course I understand they're embarrassed...
To a point...
Why didn't they call to ask?

Keep in mind it's not always the customers going out of their way, sometimes el cheapo hack drives door-to-door "looking" for work and offers to do something for them...
But then again, a simple phone call, why didn't they call me to ask?
Yes, I would have told them if that was a good deal or not.
But they think I'm in cahoots and I wouldn't tell them (and sometimes I won't but that's because they STILL are trying to play it off).

Crazy of it is, half the time it's not even such a good deal!
More than once has it happened that the customer paid MORE to get a hack job done, at times a LOT more!

It always costs X amount of money to do Y amount of work, plus materials, there's no getting around the basic costs.
And so if someone offers to do it for less, then somehow or another they are also GETTING less.

I find the failure to understand this simple concept irritating.