Still not impressed with my Dealer

[sdk1968]

there are good dealers & bad dealers. it just is.

i researched out my dealer just as much as my tractor before purchasing & actually picked a dealer 20 mins away because they went out of their way for their customers vs the dealer 5 mins away who got to you whenever they felt like it.

you cant just go on the lowest price out there & hope for the best service. thats not how it works.

have now bought 3 tractors & had dozens of services done from that dealer & wouldnt hesitate to deal with them again.

to a good dealer, you are more than a customer/number. You become a representative of their dealership to others. GOOD dealers know this & live by it.

 

[GeoHorn]

I do GET it.... in fact, I’ve a story to tell myself:
I was chief pilot on a Hawker jet sitting in Mammoth/June-Lakes California and my boss wanted to video Yosemite from the air ...but he’d forgotten his video-camera charger and the battery was dead. We went to a local electronics-repair shop and tried to get the technician to rig up a “clip” (sorta like a clothes-line-pin/TV-ant-terminal scissors) so we could plug it into the airplane’s 120-volt electrical outlet for the flight. The technician said he was back-logged with work and couldn’t get to it for a week. My boss was standing right by my side and I saw his face fall.

( The task I was asking the tech to do was to merely make two small soldered joints on the clip. It was going to cost $2500 per hour just to run the airplane to make this photo-flight... and we only had the next two hours available for us to accomplish the bosses’ desire...sooo)...

I pulled out a $20-bill and threw it on the counter and said, “Would $20 get us to the front of the line?”
Without blinking the tech grabbed the $20 and soldered the two wires in about four-minutes and we were ON OUR WAY!

The $20 BRIBE I offered him did the trick!

The $5K BONUS the boss gave me the next week was his TIP to me.

 

[old and tired]

Tips work... most of my Craig's Lists "super buys" were because I offered an extra $10 above the asking price. Got a 5' rear blade and 5' spike aerator for $60 total, kid even helped me load it. He commented that he had hundreds of replies!!! (I gave him another $20 extra...)

There are times when a very loud voice also gets things done (with a little profanity thrown in too). Brand new F350, first day coming home late at night the shaft of the alternator snapped and took out the belts.

It happens and the dealer got the truck... gave me the run around for 4 days promising things he didn't deliver - Finally, I told the guy on the phone to put his manager on because what I was about to do to... he did not get paid enough for the abuse I was about to let loose...

Manager came on, I stated how I was being yanked around and that they should pull an alternator out of another new truck to get me going again...

He said they can't do that so I told him we are coming in late that night to get equipment out of that truck so we can continue to do our work. So that the night watchman knew we were coming.

Pulled into the lot and the manager meet us and was shaking our keys in the air and said that we were "Good to go..."

So, I thanked him... (I could still see smoke coming out of his ears from the fire that came spewing out of my mouth on that phone call...)

 

[Butch]

Butch, I agree 100%. My wife owned a business and a commerical building with rental offices. She was responsible for several things there, but she told me about the first time she gave the trash pick up guy a tip. He was reluctant to accept it. Apparently it was not a common occurrence! She told him how she appreciated his work, always on time, never complained, even picked up anything left outside the dumpster.

She never had any trouble with that service.... that is until it was sold to WM and then that would be chapter two, with a different outcome.

We live in the country and she also tips the mail man with a box of candy and a card at Christmas. People appreciate knowing others see the good in them.

Our mail lady and refuse people love lottery scratch offs during the holidays... our recycling guy won over 100 bucks on his this past Christmas...

 

[Lil Foot]

I have thought about giving our mail person a gift or tip, but we never have the same one for long enough to get to know them. We are apparently on a training route. The current guy has been here the longest (maybe 4 months) and has given us the best service of any we've had in the past. Fingers crossed that he stays.

 

[802Driver]

My issue with the dealer is from day 1. They had one unit in stock that looked like it had been sitting there for a long time. When they gave me the estimate on purchasing the tractor with the FEL, MMM and grapple with R4 tires. I thought that they knew something I did not. So, I accepted the offer but I told them I was paying for the grapple separately, not to include it in the loan. They claimed that tractor had to be ordered and it would take several weeks. They even told me that they had to "detail" the tractor before delivery.
Guess what I got. When the tractor showed up it had the grapple installed and R1 tires and it had rust in a bunch of areas, the plastic was faded and so on. I was disappointed but I took it thinking "its not a car". They gave me the invoice and the paper work and it did not have a word about R1 tires or otherwise nor anything about the standard nor extended warranty. Weeks later I had to call them to get my receipt for the grapple that I paid cash for.
About a month later I tried to get the throttle lever handle replaced since the sun had damaged it and the same with steering rod end boots. They told me they had no parts because they had been bought out by a large chain. Finally, months later, for the 50 hour service they got that corrected they charged almost $300 and I think all they did was transportation, the engine oil and filter plus the warranty work.
I am still trying to get the paperwork on the work they did to correct the leak to figure what they did. At least it was all free including the transportation.
So, it seems that it is a systemic problem, they are too laid back and the change in ownership has not improved a thing.

That is disappointing to hear, sounds like your dealership doesn’t have very high standards, more interested in moving stock out the door than building a relationship with customers.
At times I don’t have a problem with accepting older stock as long as they know that you know it shows in how it presents appearance wise. They totally mis-lead you by leaving you believe you were getting an “ordered” tractor. If there was no intention on their behalf to offer an incentive to accept the older stock, I would have given the tractor back and demanded a new “ordered” one.
I accepted an “older stock” Farm King rear blade when I purchased the LX tractor I have now, after looking at the partially faded paint and a few minor rust spots on the rear blade, I made it known that I would buy it, but at a discount. They agreed to 45% off. A little different for a tractor though, even a discount, I doubt I would have kept it. Just my opinion.

 

[xrocketengineer]

Well, the tractor was delivered Monday, I did not even see the driver. He just dropped off the tractor on my driveway and left. I still have not received any kind of paperwork on what was done. I had called them the previous week and they told me that they had the new parts and they were being installed at the shop.
The quick connect looks like somebody removed the excess oil but I can not tell by looking if anything is new.

 

[whitetiger]

My bx2200 had transmission issues - my dealer here in Illinois had it for 4 months and brought it back and forth 3 different times for leaks - it is going in again for leaks from transmission - didnt know all techs at kubota were on drugs - that seems to explain it all

Sounds like you need to locate a different dealer.
I know a few Kubota techs personal, not one of them is on drugs, so you might want to edit your post.

 

[Henro]

Sounds like you need to locate a different dealer.
I know a few Kubota techs personal, not one of them is on drugs, so you might want to edit your post.

This thing about drugs may be overblown, and I am pretty sure not too crazy with respect to tractor dealers. But naturally there will be some cases everywhere, perhaps more in the cities. Don't know.

But we had what I thought was a funny experience related to drugs recently. Previously we had learned the term "recreational drugs" a few years ago during a hospital visit.

Last week my wife woke up with chest pain. Decided to go to the ER to be on the safe side, even though with the virus situation we have been limiting contact as much as possible.

The doctor comes in, while the wife is using the rest room, and asks me something. I can't understand what he is saying. He repeats something several times, through his mask, I finally say "Throat pain?"

He pulls his mask off and says in a loud voice "COCAINE!"

I about fell on the floor laughing...Grandma a cocaine user? I told him that is a word that is not part of our vocabulary.

She was fine. But I guess we live in a different world...

 

[D2Cat]

Whitetiger, some folks (usually fairly new) come on and express their prejudices as though all people live in their world. He doesn't recognize his own foolishness. He tongue in cheek comment about is dog could do better, but then takes it back to the same place he's complaining about. And I'm sure he expects a different outcome.

The folks who have been any amount of time (at least a week or more) appreciate the information you provide here. Let those who complain remain ignorant!

 

[Henro]

SORRY D2CAT - GUESS THE TRUTH HURTS - THOUGHT THIS FORUM WAS ABOUT KUBOTA - ME BAD

Actually, this forum is pretty much about being polite and helpful.

The tone of your post offends me personally...

 

[whitetiger]

I know some personally also : dealers are far and in between - 50 - 100 miles here in illinois
It does not take 4 months and 4 tries to fix a leak on a bx2200 - my german shepard could do better than
that - sorry if you took it personally - it might have been a joke - I was just agreeing with what another individual wrote - sorry I got your panties in a wad

I just happen to be a Kubota tech, and I am not nor have I ever been on drugs.
You also have a lot of growing to do to "get my panties in a wad".

 

[thirdroc17]

Good dealers and bad, that's the truth. While the closest dealer, which is the one I've always used has done a couple things right, they've done several wrong. I should have drove the extra 30 miles to another. Any future business I will, just hope the drive is worth it.

I've never tipped the mail person, criminals in the neighborhood would go through our mail after it was in the mailbox. We had to get a post office box, so don't have a mail person anymore. Can't tip what you don't have.

 

[xrocketengineer]

Don't get me wrong I don't think that everything that my dealer has done is with bad intentions. When I was going to buy the tractor they insisted that I needed to have ballast because of the FEL. I was going to get the wheel weights from the beginning but they convinced me that filling the tires with water (no freezing here) was a better solution since it was basically free and that the plastic/concrete weights would disintegrate if I hit anything with them. The parts guy seem to be the only one who has his act together. You go to the parts counter, he looks you up in the computer and gets you what you need for your tractor.
My issue is that they as an organization, now large with several dealerships around the state, seem to have piss poor communications with the customer. The tractor would have looked a lot better if they had told me up front that I was getting the fair price they gave me because it was the demo unit I had seen and not "the ordered and detailed" that I was supposed to get.
When you call for service and explain the problem and re-explain the problem to the driver picking the tractor up, somehow they fix something else (that needed fixing anyway) but the original issue was not addressed. Since any warranty work seems to come back with no paperwork, you have no clue what was done. When you call the shop to find out what was done they seem to give you the quickest answer that they come up with.
It seems that they could do lot better with a little bit of effort.

 

[GeoHorn]

Bingo! Best case in point..... Had a 27' pontoon with a 90 HP merc. The coil went out two days before the 4th of July. I had a butt load of family coming to visit and the "river" was going to be my babysitter. Took the boat to the shop.... service manager said could not get to it for four weeks.
I told the service manager I understood .... however can I suggest something? Told him I was willing to more than pay for the tech's overtime and seeing as how it was almost a holiday I'd sweet'n the pot even more...... a cah tip if I could have it back by Saturday. This was on a Wednesday.... Friday morning got a call at my office... the boat motor was done and ready for pick up. Got charged by the shop flat rate plus parts. The cash tip went to the manager and lead tech as they worked in the shop after hours (11:30 PM) to get it done.... tips can make the world spin more smoothly.

Yep…and Somebody ELSE’s job got put onto the back-burner. (which is just fine with me as long as that somebody else was in “no hurry”.
But when I was the Service Mgr at a Honda dealership and someone showed up with a rush-job and I could put it in-front of another that was not time-sensitive…. I simply did it without “extra” compensation… and made sure the customer so-favored KNEW I’d done him a favor…. in the hope that next time he needed service, parts, or a new machine… MY dealership was where he came for it.

This conversation reminds me of the time I called for reservations for a corporate retreat in Mexico. I’d arranged for 20 hotel rooms and rec’d Confirmation Numbers for them.…all with the approval of the Boss. But when we arrived…the clerks “could not find” any such reservations…NOR would they recognize the Confirmation Numbers.
Finally, it was whispered to me that sometimes it’s necessary to “grease the machinery” in Mexico.
Two Hundred Dollars paid to the clerk INSTANTLY found our rooms.

This conversation simply tells me that America is becoming just like the rest of the underworld…and I‘m pizzed off that Americans are so cheap and low-down they won’t do their jobs with integrity, skill, and courtesy.

@ SledDog: Employers do not “pay WELL” because of the “law”. They pay FIRST of all because of the agreement between employer and employee. To not pay the amount agreed upon would be ”theft of services”. But to pay WELL….. is what I wrote about my former employment.

I do ”Tip” for service beyond that expected… but I WILL NOT “Bribe” for ordinary service.

 

[top gnome]

I keep reading about these dealer problems around here, and it makes me very grateful to have found a good dealer who really tries to take care of his customers. Looks like I got really lucky.

So far nova intl has been great. I am reading horror stories on this site about tractors being delivered with all kinds of issues. My tractor was low on udt after the tech removed the backhoe for me. it was on the stick but low and my dealer had a tech drive 1 1/2 hours one way to add the fluid and he left the other 4 1/2 liters. I think I gave him a dozen eggs after reading this I wish I would have tipped more next time I will.

 

[top gnome]

I have thought about giving our mail person a gift or tip, but we never have the same one for long enough to get to know them. We are apparently on a training route. The current guy has been here the longest (maybe 4 months) and has given us the best service of any we've had in the past. Fingers crossed that he stays.

We try to tip all the delivery drivers and the garbage pickup people those jobs suck and the pay is not that great and now with the covid some of those drivers are working 7 days a week. fed ex guy delivers on Sunday. loads his truck on Saturday for a couple of hours. I was a replacement driver for CP rural route for a while nobody is getting rich in that job.

 

[Bmyers]

All this talk about tipping and I was just reading an article on Fox News and apparently those that tip are supporting slavery.

Nikole Hannah-Jones goes off on tipping as a 'legacy of slavery,' deletes tweet | Fox News

 

[GreensvilleJay]

since I have ad blocking, fox is blocking my reading their site, so... they mustn't think their news is , well, news worthy.
not too sure HOW tipping for great service is /was supporting slavery, though if it means giving someone more than what they're worth...dang... that'd include every politician, CEO , and ....(fill in the blank )...

 

[GeoHorn]

I don’t do Faux News either for similar reasons…but I’ll venture that some jobs pay so lowly that workers must rely on “tips” to make ends meet…and that may resemble a form of “slavery”.