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How long should a dealer take for repairs?

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#21 ·
coolluv said:
What did he learn? How has anyone changed his current situation? What is anything people post on here going to do to effect his relationship with his dealer? Another mindless thread.

By the way I especially like how helpful post #13 is.

Dave...
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You look like more of a moron with each post. Get your grammar under control before you write any invoices...mkay?
 
#22 ·
wnccutter said:
What are you...the thread police?

I thought it was a reasonable question...you never know what you will learn by asking a question.

:waving:
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I agree !!
 
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#23 ·
wnccutter said:
... The relationship with the dealer matters though. I try to do enough business with them so I get a little extra consideration. ...
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It seems to me this would be the main thing ... but the original question indicated that he spends about $ 2,000 a year with his dealer for routine things, not purchases of new equipment ... that's alot !! Therefore, the dealer obviously doesn't care that he has a good customer ... I say it's time for him to find another dealer.
 
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#24 ·
coolluv said:
What did he learn? How has anyone changed his current situation? What is anything people post on here going to do to effect his relationship with his dealer? Another mindless thread.

By the way I especially like how helpful post #13 is.

Dave...
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Mamma always said “if you aint got nuthin good to say don’t say anything at all”. :dizzy:

That being saidÂ… my local dealer runs about 1 to 2 weeks on service. This time of year itÂ’s dog eat dog. :hammerhead:
 
#27 ·
You guys ask what ever you want on Lawnsite. What might be a stupid question to one member may be helpful to another. If it's really out of line we have some great moderators to take care of it or move it to a more appropriate forum.

Knowing that some dealer take a long amount of time for repairs could help in deciding on backup equipment. Turnarounds are often lengthy in some area's such as rural.
 
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#28 ·
I found this to be a useful Q b/c my Tank is (has) been in the shop for 3 weeks now, with no end in sight. I was searching other threads to see how others have faired and came across this.

My problem may be as simple as replacing the gaskets on the carb or as bad as a new motor (my guess is reed valve)..dont know but with 23 hrs on it I am getting a little miffed. Seems Kawi gaskets are on backorder (!). My fear is they replace the gaskets and it still isnt fixed....might have to start the cycle again. I'll start to escalate it nicely in a few days if these gaskets dont hit and arent installed pronto so they can then find out if it is something else.
 
#30 ·
kaferhaus said:
He knows that if that mower isn't back in my poseesion (and repaired) in 2 days it will likley cost him a bunch of money in equipment sales. I had a problem with him once several years ago that cost him 24K in sales just a few weeks later.
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Ok, so you only use the dealer for warranty work. Warranty work is not the holy grail that the person that owns the equipment thinks it is. Most times you have to fight to get something covered, you have to bill the time at what the manufacturer thinks it takes because they have somebody in the factory do it on a new machine that's never been run with grass clogged up on the deck or the engine and area around it covered in oil and stuck on dirt, and then you have to file the paperwork and wait 3 or 4 weeks for a check or an account credit. 90% of dealers HATE to see something come in for warranty, and the other 10% aren't actually factory authorized, so they can't do it anyway.

Now, the second part. You say that dealer cost himself $24K in sales. So you mean to tell me that you went and spent $171,428 on equipment? Because at a nominal margin of 13-15% on a piece of new equipment sold at the "Suggested Commercial Sale Price", that is what it would take for him to have cost himself $24K. Now, if you're saying you went in a spent $24K, he only would have "made" $3,360. Dealers don't get the equipment for nothing, and they don't get to sit it on their showroom floor for 36 months at 0% interest either.
 
#31 ·
kaferhaus said:
We only use the dealer for warranty work (which has been rare with the Bobcats but wasnt' so rare with the Exmarks).

He knows that if that mower isn't back in my poseesion (and repaired) in 2 days it will likley cost him a bunch of money in equipment sales. I had a problem with him once several years ago that cost him 24K in sales just a few weeks later. I call when I'm on the way with a mower and a mechanic is usually waiting at the back door to unload it for me when I get there.

But competition is "stiff" here. At least a dozen dealers within a 20 mile radius and I spend a lot of money on equipment (almost none on anything else from a dealer though.)
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Wow. You must be a real player in the lawncutting game.
 
#33 ·
It varies depending on where you are at and of course the dealers are covered up in the Spring when everyone comes out of the woodwork with mower, ztr, trimmer, blower etc problems as the growing season starts. And of course these same mechanics that are overwhelmed with work in the Spring often have little to do in the Winter months so I'm thinking keeping a team of good mechanics is a difficult task, especially for the smaller dealer. You can't just hire a good mechanic and lay him off every Winter and expect him to be there in the Spring.

This is a rural area and it pays to have a back up of everything because the wait for repairs can run from a week to 2 months. My Exmark dealer sells large volumes but trying to get a repair or parts is a nightmare. Right now I am using two family owned businesses for my ZTR's and hand helds. They are not as big but they know you by name and are taking better care of me. I'm not sure if many of you know but often in rural area's ZTR's are often sold at tractor dealerships to feed mills with part time mechanics (not great places for service). Service is very important here.
 
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#34 ·
Take this for what it's worth. Someone of you will and the rest will just continue to cry.

This is how we run our shop, as do most.

Criteria...

1)Purchased the machine from us, PAY YOUR BILLS, pick up the machine when it's done (not ***** you need it ASAP and then it sits here for 2 weeks), and have a good personality and attitude....anything that doesn't involve ordering odd ball parts or major parts is usually turned around in 2-3 business days.

If it is a newer machine under warranty, or you are a regular, loyal customer, I dont' mind pulling a tech off a job for a quick fix, however, expect to pay for it....... some guys think 'cause it took 10 minutes, they can pull away without a bill and don't understand why they should be billed a minimum labor charge. REALLY? At that point, you really don't understand what I just did for you and I'll never do it again. Paying a half hour labor to not have to leave the machine for 2-3 days isn't a fair deal when I just pulled a guy off a job that another guy has waited 3 days for?

2) Machine wasn't purchased here, bad with payments, leave machine here after it's finished for days on end, complain about price, jump from one dealer to another, and most importantly, a really crappy attitude and personality..... usually 2-3 days at a minimum because I may not have parts for that brand because we arent' a dealer, or I have other criteria 1 customers that I will put ahead of you.

The bribes sometime work, however if you are a good customer, it's not necessary, although appreciated.

This is the stuff that annoys dealers...

1)Tell them you needs something ASAP, and then it's done and sits there and we have to call you numberous times. Telling you right off the bat, there will never be a rush repair for you again.

2)Bounce a check

3)Show up with a piece of equipment you bought from another dealer complaining about the equipment and that dealer's service and attitude. So we take care of you to try and win over your business only to have you show up down the road with the same scenario. Guess what happens then....haha.

4)Drop something off and call 3 times a day asking if it's done....tying everyone up on the phone.

5) Employ a crew that is careless and destructive and then have the nerve to accuse the dealer of selling you junk or not knowing how to fix the machines because they keep breaking. They aren't breaking, they are GETTING BROKEN, by your guys.
 
#35 ·
Undertand the criteria, as it is pretty much the same thing with motorcycle shops.

That said, it is a little frustrating for you to have laid down a sizable chunk of change for such a mower and have issues such as burning oil at just 23 hrs. I understand I didnt buy it from this paticular Cub dealer, not by choice but because I wasnt living here at the time. This dealer will be (and has been my source for oil, filters, mulch kit and hydro change service) and will be for the future. It's a little frustrating to see your $5k machine down so early and one of the first Q's from the dealer is, "Did you buy it here?"

Since dealers presumably make most of their money off of parts and service wouldnt that come into play as well? Luckily, my local Yammi shop knows I have my major work done there and buy my supplies there as well so they take care of me when I need it even though that bike was purchased elsewhere.

Just sayin'
 
#36 ·
Since dealers presumably make most of their money off of parts and service wouldnt that come into play as well? Luckily, my local Yammi shop knows I have my major work done there and buy my supplies there as well so they take care of me when I need it even though that bike was purchased elsewhere.
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They don't have to fall into all of the characteristics of the criteria. I have some really good customers that have a particular brand of z's they have been running and don't want to change. I don't sell them so they buy them elsewhere. However, they bring them to me for service and repairs because they don't like the service dept at the dealer they get them. They also buy all their other equipment and hand held stuff from me. And that's fine. However, they do understand that I am not a dealer and i don't have any of those product specific parts on my shelves, which means 2 things...

1) I have to order the parts through that dealer, so he in turn is going to pay more for them
2) He will not get the equipment turned around as quick because I don't have the parts because I'm not a dealer.

I mean, i'm not going to punish that customer because he was dealing with someone else first and likes the product and don't want to change. However, he's not gonna come by expecting me to drop everything and fix his machine because it's new and it's broken and he's pissed off because I didn't sell it to him in the first place. Kinda common sense?
 
#37 ·
The criteria above makes perfect sense. It is nearly impossible to buy all your equipment from one place and have it all serviced there etc.

We brought in the brands that our 2 biggest contractors like, it helps that these brands are some of the best on the market.

I put an emphasis on the residential end of service because that is where most of the $$$ comes from.

A considerate LCO that actually takes care of their equipment, pays their bill and picks their "emergency" equipment up ASAP will get the best service a dealer can provide. Under no circumstance should an LCO bring a piece of equipment to a dealer if their bill is past due, this is the most insulting thing possible. Like when a client "needs" their yard done for a party and they are 45 days past due...if they don't have a check in hand, they are spitting in your face.

You'll get more flies with honey than vinegar. Create a standing relationship with a good dealer, if you can't do that anywhere close...then have a mechanic on staff even if it's yourself.
 
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#39 ·
But a Cub dealer is a Cub dealer.
I bought the machine elsewhere becuse thats where I lived at the time. I have since moved and this place has been my source for supplies and maint. I just havent been here long enough to establsh a relationship. The to hear "Did you buy it here" after it has taken 3 weeks to get a carb gasket is frustrating.

Having been in SVC for 15 yrs honey I certainly understand that a positive attitude goes a lot further...I have by no means been an a**hole, just getting increasingly frustrated at the down time.
 
#40 ·
I think a backed-up dealer would be better off turning away business than pissing people off. I worked on golf courses with in-house mechanics and was used to broken machines being fixed within a day or two; I had no idea what a typical wait time for a dealer was. When my mower at home broke, I was cutting my yard with a string trimmer for more than a month while the dealer kept giving me evasive answers about how many machines were in line ahead of me and how much longer my repair would take. After having to mow my yard with a string trimmer about four times, I was livid and did my best to trash the guy's reputation online. All he had to do was be upfront about the wait time when I dropped the machine off; I probably would have decided to replace the machine instead of fixing it and saved us both a good deal of aggravation.
 
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