Purchased a nice chainsaw via internet like most of all my tools.

Saw had a brake problem with the chain and I called the local service center
for warranty work and they said come on down.
Once they found out I purchased it on the internet at the shop they refused
to work on it as a warranty job since I didnt buy it from them. They cited
low pay from Husky on warranty work and were not willing to do it if they
didnt make the sale.

I called Husqvarna about the problem and they told me that "I need to
understand the dealers perspective" and they have the right to refuse
service, even warranty work when they are an authorized dealer/repair
center.

Most likely it is a simple fix as far as adjusting the brake band on the
clutch but it seems the local dealers are fighting back and I am caught in
the middle.

Who cares about me, they all got my money and in the mean time I have
useless, expensive, orange boat anchor with Husqvarna written on the side.

Anyway be advised if your buying mail order chainsaws.

Rich

have you tried sending it back?


"Rich" wrote in message
om...
Purchased a nice chainsaw via internet like most of all my tools.

Saw had a brake problem with the chain and I called the local service
center
for warranty work and they said come on down.
Once they found out I purchased it on the internet at the shop they
refused
to work on it as a warranty job since I didnt buy it from them. They cited
low pay from Husky on warranty work and were not willing to do it if they
didnt make the sale.

I called Husqvarna about the problem and they told me that "I need to
understand the dealers perspective" and they have the right to refuse
service, even warranty work when they are an authorized dealer/repair
center.

Most likely it is a simple fix as far as adjusting the brake band on the
clutch but it seems the local dealers are fighting back and I am caught in
the middle.

Who cares about me, they all got my money and in the mean time I have
useless, expensive, orange boat anchor with Husqvarna written on the side.

Anyway be advised if your buying mail order chainsaws.

Rich

"Rich" wrote in message
Most likely it is a simple fix as far as adjusting the brake band on the
clutch but it seems the local dealers are fighting back and I am caught in
the middle.

Who cares about me, they all got my money and in the mean time I have
useless, expensive, orange boat anchor with Husqvarna written on the side.

Anyway be advised if your buying mail order chainsaws.

Rich

Not just chain saws, any tool. The local dealer has a lot on the line to
pay for his building, insurance, payroll, taxes to the same school district
you share, etc. You went elsewhere to save a few bucks and now you want the
local guy to help you out.

Mailorder is great for the guy that has no local source, but you just can't
beat the neighborhood dealer when it comes to service.
Ed

"Rich" wrote in message
om...
Purchased a nice chainsaw via internet like most of all my tools.

snip of chainsaw repair attempt

Anyway be advised if your buying mail order chainsaws.

Advised of what? Caveat emptor. I have three saws, two of which I bought
from eBay and one of which I bought from my local dealer. They're Stihl
saws, so they don't break like Husqvarnas do

Anyway, my dealer has no problem working on any of my saws, or selling me
parts, or supplies, but I sure don't expect him to do free repairs if I
didn't buy the saw there. Granted, none of them are still under warranty,
but if I wanted a new saw, I'd buy locally. The ones off of fleaBay were
both used.

Car dealers work the same way. I don't think they can flat out refuse to do
warranty repairs, but they can sure drag it out forever and get you to pay
for stuff you don't need in order to make up for it. In most cases, it's
actually up to the manufacturer to cover that stuff. If Husky is willing to
back up their dealers, then be prepared to pay to have your saw fixed.

Jon E

"Rich" wrote in message
Purchased a nice chainsaw via internet like most of all my tools.
snip

Sorry about your problems but it's a brake for crying out loud. A
couple peices of plastic, a screw and a couple pieces of metal. Fix it
yourself and get back to make woodchips. This is an easy fix. It takes
longer to complain about it than to fix it.
Dave in Fairfax
--
reply-to doesn't work
use:
daveldr at att dot net
American Association of Woodturners
http://www.woodturner.org
Capital Area Woodturners
http://www.capwoodturners.org/

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

"Rich" wrote in message

Most likely it is a simple fix as far as adjusting the brake band on the
clutch but it seems the local dealers are fighting back and I am caught in
the middle.

Who cares about me, they all got my money and in the mean time I have
useless, expensive, orange boat anchor with Husqvarna written on the side.

Anyway be advised if your buying mail order chainsaws.

Rich


Not just chain saws, any tool. The local dealer has a lot on the line to
pay for his building, insurance, payroll, taxes to the same school district
you share, etc. You went elsewhere to save a few bucks and now you want the
local guy to help you out.

Bull, he gets reimbursed by the dealer for his expenses. If its not
enough then he shouldn't advetize as being a warranty center for
Husqvarna. He has a choice too.

Grandpa wrote:

Bull, he gets reimbursed by the dealer for his expenses. If its not
enough then he shouldn't advetize as being a warranty center for
Husqvarna. He has a choice too.

Yes, and he is exercising his choice. Warranty re-imbursement is not always
enough to really cover profit and barely operating costs. IMO, the dealer is
returning the same gesture that the person asking for the repair gave him at
the time of purchase. The dealer is theer because his steady customer give
him enough business to make a profit. The guy that went elsewhere gave him
none and deserves little in return.
--
Ed

http://pages.cthome.net/edhome

Is it because the saw won't run? If so, you may have tripped the
brake. Pull back on it and see if it catches. I have owned 7 or 8
Husky's and swear by them. All the Stihls I ever owned shook to
pieces. Try Bailey's in Ca. and Tn. They will fix it but you wil have
to ship it to them. They are extremely fast though. They used to have
a real chainsaw wizard called Wimpy who was hell on wheels when it
came to chainsaws.





On Thu, 22 Jan 2004 19:43:57 GMT, "Rich"
wrote:

Purchased a nice chainsaw via internet like most of all my tools.

Saw had a brake problem with the chain and I called the local service center
for warranty work and they said come on down.
Once they found out I purchased it on the internet at the shop they refused
to work on it as a warranty job since I didnt buy it from them. They cited
low pay from Husky on warranty work and were not willing to do it if they
didnt make the sale.

I called Husqvarna about the problem and they told me that "I need to
understand the dealers perspective" and they have the right to refuse
service, even warranty work when they are an authorized dealer/repair
center.

Most likely it is a simple fix as far as adjusting the brake band on the
clutch but it seems the local dealers are fighting back and I am caught in
the middle.

Who cares about me, they all got my money and in the mean time I have
useless, expensive, orange boat anchor with Husqvarna written on the side.

Anyway be advised if your buying mail order chainsaws.

Rich

In article ,
says...
Grandpa wrote:

Bull, he gets reimbursed by the dealer for his expenses. If its not
enough then he shouldn't advetize as being a warranty center for
Husqvarna. He has a choice too.

Yes, and he is exercising his choice. Warranty re-imbursement is not always
enough to really cover profit and barely operating costs. IMO, the dealer is
returning the same gesture that the person asking for the repair gave him at
the time of purchase. The dealer is theer because his steady customer give
him enough business to make a profit. The guy that went elsewhere gave him
none and deserves little in return.

Edwin,

You are wrong. In many cases, dealers who service items not purchased
at their store get reimbursed a higher rate. Ask any Toro or Ariens
dealer.

And, any dealer who would take on a service center role to lose money is
an idiot.
--
Regards,

Rick

(Remove the HIGH SPOTS for e-mail)

"Rich" wrote in message
om...
Purchased a nice chainsaw via internet like most of all my tools.


This the reason I buy nothing mail order or internet that I may expect
service on down the road. Disposable items sure, but not something I may
want dealer service from.
Next time you buy something, support the local dealer. You may be surprised
that it is less costly in the long run!
Greg

Rich

I saw this in two other groups. Are you just out to bash? Are you actually
reading the replies?


"Rich" wrote in message
om...
Purchased a nice chainsaw via internet like most of all my tools.

Saw had a brake problem with the chain and I called the local service
center
for warranty work and they said come on down.
Once they found out I purchased it on the internet at the shop they
refused
to work on it as a warranty job since I didnt buy it from them. They cited
low pay from Husky on warranty work and were not willing to do it if they
didnt make the sale.

I called Husqvarna about the problem and they told me that "I need to
understand the dealers perspective" and they have the right to refuse
service, even warranty work when they are an authorized dealer/repair
center.

Most likely it is a simple fix as far as adjusting the brake band on the
clutch but it seems the local dealers are fighting back and I am caught in
the middle.

Who cares about me, they all got my money and in the mean time I have
useless, expensive, orange boat anchor with Husqvarna written on the side.

Anyway be advised if your buying mail order chainsaws.

Rich

i dont blame the dealer its the mom and pops shops that are going out of
buisness because of ebay and the borgs. i recently stopped by my locale
archery shop and the owner was loading the last few boxes to close the shop
and go out of business. we talked for a couple of minutes and he explained
why. people would buy there bows and arrows at ebay.gander mt and the other
large sporting good borgs and bring there stuff to him for tuning and
adjustmnet cause the others could not do it. i have bought ALL my archery
stuff his shop. i did check prices and he was a little higher but i did not
care because of the service i got. after a while i did not even check prices
just went there and was treated fair and got excellent service.go buy your
saw or tools from the borgs but dont go to the locale guy for service or
repairs. its the same thing as taking your own eggs to the resaurant to have
them cooked.
"gfhshs" wrote in message
...
Rich

I saw this in two other groups. Are you just out to bash? Are you actually
reading the replies?


"Rich" wrote in message
om...
Purchased a nice chainsaw via internet like most of all my tools.

Saw had a brake problem with the chain and I called the local service
center
for warranty work and they said come on down.
Once they found out I purchased it on the internet at the shop they
refused
to work on it as a warranty job since I didnt buy it from them. They
cited
low pay from Husky on warranty work and were not willing to do it if
they
didnt make the sale.

I called Husqvarna about the problem and they told me that "I need to
understand the dealers perspective" and they have the right to refuse
service, even warranty work when they are an authorized dealer/repair
center.

Most likely it is a simple fix as far as adjusting the brake band on the
clutch but it seems the local dealers are fighting back and I am caught
in
the middle.

Who cares about me, they all got my money and in the mean time I have
useless, expensive, orange boat anchor with Husqvarna written on the
side.

Anyway be advised if your buying mail order chainsaws.

Rich

I saw this in two other groups. Are you just out to bash? Are you actually
reading the replies?


No I just post for fun and profit. hehe.

I am not bashing Husqvarna but I am posting to my 3 favorite groups. It
would be 4 groups but I dont think that alt.bread.recipes cares about 9hp
chainsaws.

If I was more aware of the dealer / mfgr situation I would of bought locally
on this purchase as this saw could require alot of service. I am using it to
mill lumber with an alaskan jig. But in the end I am glad I did not buy from
the dealer as he is really a jerk to deal with. I called the owner
personally and we had an amiable discussion but he still had the opinion
that I was just out to wreck his business by buying over the cursed
internet. I've since called other dealers and they are happy to look at it
or work on it warranty if it needs it. Only difference is I have to drive 20
miles instead of 2.

Personally I would rather have the dealer prove himself worthy of my future
business than lip service and still get bad service after buying at dealer
prices. That happened to me with John Deere.

For that I'll take the discount online, if all I have is thieves and liars
to deal with then I'll take the lowest price, just like at the car dealer.
hehe.

Rich

PS( My Lowes Poulon 49cc 20 inch saw is kicking butt. I've cut down about 19
palm trees, 1 oak and 1 hackberry plus other trimming jobs etc and I am
amazed it works so well. I did not expect much out of it so I guess I am
happy with whatever I get!)

Rick Chamberlain wrote:
In article ,
says...
Warranty re-imbursement is
not always enough to really cover profit and barely operating costs.


Edwin,

You are wrong. In many cases, dealers who service items not purchased
at their store get reimbursed a higher rate. Ask any Toro or Ariens
dealer.

And, any dealer who would take on a service center role to lose money
is an idiot.
Rick

(Remove the HIGH SPOTS for e-mail)

In many cases, but not all as I stated. I don't know the particulars of
Husky but some companies are terrible, others are good.

--
Ed

http://pages.cthome.net/edhome

"Jon Endres, PE" t writes:

"Rich" wrote in message
om...
Purchased a nice chainsaw via internet like most of all my tools.

snip of chainsaw repair attempt

Anyway be advised if your buying mail order chainsaws.

Advised of what? Caveat emptor. I have three saws, two of which I bought
from eBay and one of which I bought from my local dealer. They're Stihl
saws, so they don't break like Husqvarnas do

Even the Stihl saws require service from time to time. I had one once,
and every year when i tried to fire it up it didn't work... No matter
how i pulled on the starter line it would not start, so i took it to
the dealer, he took it into his magic hands, pulled once and voila! it
ran...

--
Dr. Juergen Hannappel http://lisa2.physik.uni-bonn.de/~hannappe
Phone: +49 228 73 2447 FAX ... 7869
Physikalisches Institut der Uni Bonn Nussallee 12, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
CERN: Phone: +412276 76461 Fax: ..77930 Bat. 892-R-A13 CH-1211 Geneve 23

Juergen Hannappel responds:

Even the Stihl saws require service from time to time. I had one once,
and every year when i tried to fire it up it didn't work... No matter
how i pulled on the starter line it would not start, so i took it to
the dealer, he took it into his magic hands, pulled once and voila! it
ran...

I had a couple Stihl saws once. My impression of them was that they'd run the
day before I needed them and the day after, but almost never on the actual
cutting day. Switched off to a Homelite, XL12 IIRC, and went on about my
business. Of course, this was 30+ years ago, Homelite is no longer Homelite,
and Stihl probably has improved.

Charlie Self
"Character is much easier kept than recovered." Thomas Paine

http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/m.../business.html

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in
m:

Grandpa wrote:

Bull, he gets reimbursed by the dealer for his expenses. If its not
enough then he shouldn't advetize as being a warranty center for
Husqvarna. He has a choice too.

Yes, and he is exercising his choice. Warranty re-imbursement is not
always enough to really cover profit and barely operating costs. IMO,
the dealer is returning the same gesture that the person asking for
the repair gave him at the time of purchase. The dealer is theer
because his steady customer give him enough business to make a profit.
The guy that went elsewhere gave him none and deserves little in
return.

It's this sort of myopic thinking that will run that guy out of business.
First off there is probably a dealer agreement in place and he probably has
agreed to provide warranty service for the product whether he sold it or
not. But that isn't even really the point. If he had taken the time to
repair the product and provided good service he might have won over a
customer. That customer might think twice before making his NEXT purchase
via mail order, and he might even mention his pleasant experience to a few
other people who might be potential customers. Instead he turned this guy
away, with an attitude to boot and thereby insured that he had NO chance of
ever selling this person anything and in addition he is all but guaranteed
to relate this story to anyone who will listen. That hardly seems like a
good business decision to me.

"Jon Endres, PE" t
wrote in :


"Rich" wrote in message
om...
Purchased a nice chainsaw via internet like most of all my tools.

snip of chainsaw repair attempt

Anyway be advised if your buying mail order chainsaws.

Advised of what? Caveat emptor. I have three saws, two of which I
bought from eBay and one of which I bought from my local dealer.
They're Stihl saws, so they don't break like Husqvarnas do

Anyway, my dealer has no problem working on any of my saws, or selling
me parts, or supplies, but I sure don't expect him to do free repairs
if I didn't buy the saw there. Granted, none of them are still under
warranty, but if I wanted a new saw, I'd buy locally. The ones off of
fleaBay were both used.

Car dealers work the same way. I don't think they can flat out refuse
to do warranty repairs, but they can sure drag it out forever and get


They could but they won't. The profit centers in a new car dealership are
service and used cars. Higher end imports excluded, most new car dealers
lose money on their new car sales operation or at best break even. They
maintain those operations as that is what drives the service, body shop
and parts (as well as used cars) operations. Further the manufacturers
would NEVER knowlingly tolerate that sort of thing as there is simply too
much competition to lose a good customer to a competitor over
unnecisarilly poor service.

you to pay for stuff you don't need in order to make up for it. In

The billable rate is exactly the same whether they sold the car or not.
There is nothing to make up.

most cases, it's actually up to the manufacturer to cover that stuff.
If Husky is willing to back up their dealers, then be prepared to pay
to have your saw fixed.

Jon E

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

Grandpa wrote:

Bull, he gets reimbursed by the dealer for his expenses. If its not
enough then he shouldn't advetize as being a warranty center for
Husqvarna. He has a choice too.


Yes, and he is exercising his choice. Warranty re-imbursement is not always
enough to really cover profit and barely operating costs.

Thats bogus! The dealer contracted with the Mfgr to provide a service
for the Mfgrs product to the public, not with the buyer and where he
preferred to buy that Mfgrs product. I seriously doubt you'll find in
any contract a clause that states you will only receive warranty service
for items you bought there. Few if any Mfgrs are dumb enough to allow
this because it alienates the public.

So if you have a brand new car for instance and you are travelling cross
country and the engine takes a dump, then you would have no problems
paying for a new one or having the car towed or shipped half way across
the US at your expense for warranty work at the original dealer? I
think not!

IMO, the dealer is
returning the same gesture that the person asking for the repair gave him at
the time of purchase. The dealer is theer because his steady customer give
him enough business to make a profit. The guy that went elsewhere gave him
none and deserves little in return.

Greg O wrote:

"Rich" wrote in message
om...

Purchased a nice chainsaw via internet like most of all my tools.

This the reason I buy nothing mail order or internet that I may expect
service on down the road. Disposable items sure, but not something I may
want dealer service from.
Next time you buy something, support the local dealer. You may be surprised
that it is less costly in the long run!

Certainly a good ideal, however when I for example bought my Rancher 55
last year, the local dealer wanted $429, I got it thru Lowes for $269, a
$160 difference. I don't mind paying a 'little' more to support local
businesses, and often do, but when you're looking at a price difference
like mine its a whole new ballgame. I've no idea why the originator of
this thread bought where he did but perhaps he was faced with a
situation like mine. Either way the dealer is getting reimbursed by the
Mfgr so he's not doing it for free.

Secret Squirrel wrote:

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in
m:


Grandpa wrote:

Bull, he gets reimbursed by the dealer for his expenses. If its not
enough then he shouldn't advetize as being a warranty center for
Husqvarna. He has a choice too.

Yes, and he is exercising his choice. Warranty re-imbursement is not
always enough to really cover profit and barely operating costs. IMO,
the dealer is returning the same gesture that the person asking for
the repair gave him at the time of purchase. The dealer is theer
because his steady customer give him enough business to make a profit.
The guy that went elsewhere gave him none and deserves little in
return.


It's this sort of myopic thinking that will run that guy out of business.
First off there is probably a dealer agreement in place and he probably has
agreed to provide warranty service for the product whether he sold it or
not. But that isn't even really the point. If he had taken the time to
repair the product and provided good service he might have won over a
customer. That customer might think twice before making his NEXT purchase
via mail order, and he might even mention his pleasant experience to a few
other people who might be potential customers. Instead he turned this guy
away, with an attitude to boot and thereby insured that he had NO chance of
ever selling this person anything and in addition he is all but guaranteed
to relate this story to anyone who will listen. That hardly seems like a
good business decision to me.

Secret Squirrel wrote:

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in
m:


Grandpa wrote:

Bull, he gets reimbursed by the dealer for his expenses. If its not
enough then he shouldn't advetize as being a warranty center for
Husqvarna. He has a choice too.

Yes, and he is exercising his choice. Warranty re-imbursement is not
always enough to really cover profit and barely operating costs. IMO,
the dealer is returning the same gesture that the person asking for
the repair gave him at the time of purchase. The dealer is theer
because his steady customer give him enough business to make a profit.
The guy that went elsewhere gave him none and deserves little in
return.


It's this sort of myopic thinking that will run that guy out of business.
First off there is probably a dealer agreement in place and he probably has
agreed to provide warranty service for the product whether he sold it or
not. But that isn't even really the point. If he had taken the time to
repair the product and provided good service he might have won over a
customer. That customer might think twice before making his NEXT purchase
via mail order, and he might even mention his pleasant experience to a few
other people who might be potential customers. Instead he turned this guy
away, with an attitude to boot and thereby insured that he had NO chance of
ever selling this person anything and in addition he is all but guaranteed
to relate this story to anyone who will listen. That hardly seems like a
good business decision to me.

Exactly, very well said! My local dealer has definately turned me off
and if my saw needs work after the warranty period had expired I'll go
someplace else.

"Rich" wrote in message . com...
I saw this in two other groups. Are you just out to bash? Are you actually
reading the replies?


No I just post for fun and profit. hehe.

I am not bashing Husqvarna but I am posting to my 3 favorite groups. It
would be 4 groups but I dont think that alt.bread.recipes cares about 9hp
chainsaws.

If I was more aware of the dealer / mfgr situation I would of bought locally
on this purchase as this saw could require alot of service. I am using it to
mill lumber with an alaskan jig. But in the end I am glad I did not buy from
the dealer as he is really a jerk to deal with. I called the owner
personally and we had an amiable discussion but he still had the opinion
that I was just out to wreck his business by buying over the cursed
internet. I've since called other dealers and they are happy to look at it
or work on it warranty if it needs it. Only difference is I have to drive 20
miles instead of 2.

Personally I would rather have the dealer prove himself worthy of my future
business than lip service and still get bad service after buying at dealer
prices. That happened to me with John Deere.

For that I'll take the discount online, if all I have is thieves and liars
to deal with then I'll take the lowest price, just like at the car dealer.
hehe.

Rich

PS( My Lowes Poulon 49cc 20 inch saw is kicking butt. I've cut down about 19
palm trees, 1 oak and 1 hackberry plus other trimming jobs etc and I am
amazed it works so well. I did not expect much out of it so I guess I am
happy with whatever I get!)

I agree with Rich's perspective above. The internet and the Borg's
are the biggest reason why the local dealer should extend every
courtesy possible. Within reason of course. While noone can deny
that there are those that will go for the lowest price everytime, a
certain number of people will return to the service oriented dealer.
This guy just guaranteed he will make no profit from Rich. And, as
someone else pointed out, if this guy lost money on warranty work, he
wouldn't do it. If they do, they're stupid. I would venture to
guess, the profit just wasn't big enough for the guy. Which is one of
the reasons we have the Borg's. The big retail profit centers may be
monopolistic in nature, but one thing they do NOT have a monopoly
on...is greed. This is, of course, just my opinion.

Spaz

SpazMaTaz wrote:
"Rich" wrote in message . com...

I saw this in two other groups. Are you just out to bash? Are you actually
reading the replies?


No I just post for fun and profit. hehe.

I am not bashing Husqvarna but I am posting to my 3 favorite groups. It
would be 4 groups but I dont think that alt.bread.recipes cares about 9hp
chainsaws.

If I was more aware of the dealer / mfgr situation I would of bought locally
on this purchase as this saw could require alot of service. I am using it to
mill lumber with an alaskan jig. But in the end I am glad I did not buy from
the dealer as he is really a jerk to deal with. I called the owner
personally and we had an amiable discussion but he still had the opinion
that I was just out to wreck his business by buying over the cursed
internet. I've since called other dealers and they are happy to look at it
or work on it warranty if it needs it. Only difference is I have to drive 20
miles instead of 2.

Personally I would rather have the dealer prove himself worthy of my future
business than lip service and still get bad service after buying at dealer
prices. That happened to me with John Deere.

For that I'll take the discount online, if all I have is thieves and liars
to deal with then I'll take the lowest price, just like at the car dealer.
hehe.

Rich

PS( My Lowes Poulon 49cc 20 inch saw is kicking butt. I've cut down about 19
palm trees, 1 oak and 1 hackberry plus other trimming jobs etc and I am
amazed it works so well. I did not expect much out of it so I guess I am
happy with whatever I get!)


I agree with Rich's perspective above. The internet and the Borg's
are the biggest reason why the local dealer should extend every
courtesy possible. Within reason of course. While noone can deny
that there are those that will go for the lowest price everytime, a
certain number of people will return to the service oriented dealer.
This guy just guaranteed he will make no profit from Rich. And, as
someone else pointed out, if this guy lost money on warranty work, he
wouldn't do it. If they do, they're stupid. I would venture to
guess, the profit just wasn't big enough for the guy. Which is one of
the reasons we have the Borg's. The big retail profit centers may be
monopolistic in nature, but one thing they do NOT have a monopoly
on...is greed. This is, of course, just my opinion.

I agree. I like to support the local guy. I really
do. But what do you do when you consistently get
reamed by him. I went down to the local Ace to get a
30 amp 2 pole breaker. The breaker is behind a locked
glass and is blister packed. It's $26. I go to Home
Depot, 4 miles away, the breaker is open in a bin, I
can look at it, and it's $8. Where the fsk are you
going to buy your breaker?

I live in a somewhat upscale college community. The
local equipment rental place charges a hefty daily charge
including Sunday on everything. If I drive 5 miles to
the largely ag community down the road, the shop of
the very same rental chain charges 30% less and gives
Sunday free if the equipment is returned by 8AM monday.
Where would you rent?

Both the Ace store and the rental shop seem to be
quite busy so I assume their business model works for
them. It sure doesn't for me.

"Jim Stewart" wrote in message
...
SpazMaTaz wrote:
"Rich" wrote in message
. com...

snip---

I agree. I like to support the local guy. I really
do. But what do you do when you consistently get
reamed by him. I went down to the local Ace to get a
30 amp 2 pole breaker. The breaker is behind a locked
glass and is blister packed. It's $26. I go to Home
Depot, 4 miles away, the breaker is open in a bin, I
can look at it, and it's $8. Where the fsk are you
going to buy your breaker?

I live in a somewhat upscale college community. The
local equipment rental place charges a hefty daily charge
including Sunday on everything. If I drive 5 miles to
the largely ag community down the road, the shop of
the very same rental chain charges 30% less and gives
Sunday free if the equipment is returned by 8AM monday.
Where would you rent?

Both the Ace store and the rental shop seem to be
quite busy so I assume their business model works for
them. It sure doesn't for me.

I needed a brush hog. Local dealer wanted $800 for a 40" model, a perfect
fit for my small Kubota. A 100 mile drive yielded a brush hog for $500,
and no sales tax. Difference? 2" narrower, otherwise the same hog. No
big deal, especially when I saved $300, plus 7.7% sales tax on the $800
price. No sales tax paid on the $500 purchase.

Some folks see every sale as a retirement plan, so I can't get too excited
about supporting them. I purchased common seals from the local dude
because I was in a bind. $12 each for $6 seals. His screw the consumer
prices are outrageous, always well above market value. It's clear that
some folks do little to earn your patronage. I've tried to be a faithful
customer, but I can't afford to be. I now shop everywhere except for his
store.

Harold

Harold & Susan Vordos wrote:

"Jim Stewart" wrote in message
...

SpazMaTaz wrote:

"Rich" wrote in message

. com...

snip---

I agree. I like to support the local guy. I really
do. But what do you do when you consistently get
reamed by him. I went down to the local Ace to get a
30 amp 2 pole breaker. The breaker is behind a locked
glass and is blister packed. It's $26. I go to Home
Depot, 4 miles away, the breaker is open in a bin, I
can look at it, and it's $8. Where the fsk are you
going to buy your breaker?

I live in a somewhat upscale college community. The
local equipment rental place charges a hefty daily charge
including Sunday on everything. If I drive 5 miles to
the largely ag community down the road, the shop of
the very same rental chain charges 30% less and gives
Sunday free if the equipment is returned by 8AM monday.
Where would you rent?

Both the Ace store and the rental shop seem to be
quite busy so I assume their business model works for
them. It sure doesn't for me.


I needed a brush hog. Local dealer wanted $800 for a 40" model, a perfect
fit for my small Kubota. A 100 mile drive yielded a brush hog for $500,
and no sales tax. Difference? 2" narrower, otherwise the same hog. No
big deal, especially when I saved $300, plus 7.7% sales tax on the $800
price. No sales tax paid on the $500 purchase.

Some folks see every sale as a retirement plan, so I can't get too excited
about supporting them. I purchased common seals from the local dude
because I was in a bind. $12 each for $6 seals. His screw the consumer
prices are outrageous, always well above market value. It's clear that
some folks do little to earn your patronage. I've tried to be a faithful
customer, but I can't afford to be. I now shop everywhere except for his
store.

I have my own business and I've been in business for
about 7 years. My wife and I make a comfortable living
at it, we have some control over our destiny and we
get to *mostly* make our own rules. The three main
rules are 1) build something that works and doesn't
hurt someone. 2) tell the truth to customers, vendors
and each other. 3) price our products so that we can
make a comfortable living. I've learned that this gets
us the most consistent revenue stream and generally
keeps our customers from switching to another company
that may introduce a product with a slightly lower price.
I've tried setting a higher initial price and dropping
it later to try to get market share. It doesn't work.
The damage has already been done. On the other side of
it, I've turned down a couple of big customers because
I couldn't make a comfortable living meeting their
terms. The ability to say no is just as big of a
negotiating tool as the ability to say yes.

"Harold & Susan Vordos" wrote in message
I needed a brush hog. Local dealer wanted $800 for a 40" model, a
perfect
fit for my small Kubota. A 100 mile drive yielded a brush hog for $500,
and no sales tax. Difference? 2" narrower, otherwise the same hog.

We can all find exceptions. It pays to be a smart consumer and do some
homework. I can also give exceptions the other way around. I needed a
refrigerator part for the ice maker. Big store wanted $60 for the part,
Internet was $55, local guy was $40 not for the part but for a hole new
unit.
Ed

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
...

"Harold & Susan Vordos" wrote in message
I needed a brush hog. Local dealer wanted $800 for a 40" model, a
perfect
fit for my small Kubota. A 100 mile drive yielded a brush hog for
$500,
and no sales tax. Difference? 2" narrower, otherwise the same hog.

We can all find exceptions. It pays to be a smart consumer and do some
homework. I can also give exceptions the other way around. I needed a
refrigerator part for the ice maker. Big store wanted $60 for the part,
Internet was $55, local guy was $40 not for the part but for a hole new
unit.
Ed

Yep! The key to this whole scenario is to shop. Often I've been
pleasantly surprised to find the best deal at the least likely place. and
that includes the guy you'd swear would not compete.

When you live on SS, you don't toss your money around like it's from a
bottomless well. Our lifestyle is a humble one, but we live as
comfortably as we choose, and do it on minimum money by not being wasteful
or stupid in how we use what we have. In order to do that, we have learned
to shop before we buy. It always pays benefits.

Harold

You will, of course, pay the appropriate tax on your out-of state purchase,
though?

I know I always do....

I could use a brush hog too, but first the hydraulics for the front blade.
Dragging snow is tougher than pushing it.

"Harold & Susan Vordos" wrote in message
...

I needed a brush hog. Local dealer wanted $800 for a 40" model, a
perfect
fit for my small Kubota. A 100 mile drive yielded a brush hog for $500,
and no sales tax. Difference? 2" narrower, otherwise the same hog. No
big deal, especially when I saved $300, plus 7.7% sales tax on the $800
price. No sales tax paid on the $500 purchase.

"Chuck" wrote in message
...
snip-----------

.. Then, in the last go-'round, when
prices dropped back down 20-cents or so, his stayed high.
Consequently, I stopped buying my gas there. Then, one day I stopped
and asked, with all due respect, why their price had previously
reflected that of the same brand station in the next town, but this
time had stayed high? His reply? "Go down there and buy your gas."

Done deal, and for ever. Any time I find a business that has that kind of
attitude, I not only don't patronize them, but I make sure that others
understand their attitude. There's nothing like negative advertising to
sink a business, and it's the cheapest and easiest advertising a person can
get, with plenty to go around. All it takes is a go-to-hell attitude
displayed to the consumer like the example above.

So, guess who _doesn't_ get my 3-5 fillups a week now?

Small wonder! g

Interestingly, a local hardware store recently learned how to sharpen their
pencil. A few years back I needed some damp proofing for the foundation
of the shop. They wanted double the price asked at Home Depot. The 50
mile drive one way was worth the trip because we needed a few pails. Of
late, however, they seem in tune with more reasonable pricing and we've been
spending our money with them. Smart business people don't rely on
screwing the consumer if they want to be in business tomorrow. All too
many of them chase business away that way. For the most part, they're now
getting a wakeup call in our community. HD is going to open a local store,
and Wal-Mart has one of the largest stores in the western US near us.
There's considerable bitching, but it's going to get things on an even keel
here. In the end, more of the local dollars will remain here, instead of
going to other communities where prices are reasonable.

Harold

"Harold & Susan Vordos" wrote in message
...

"Chuck" wrote in message
...
snip-----------

. Then, in the last go-'round, when
prices dropped back down 20-cents or so, his stayed high.
Consequently, I stopped buying my gas there. Then, one day I stopped
and asked, with all due respect, why their price had previously
reflected that of the same brand station in the next town, but this
time had stayed high? His reply? "Go down there and buy your gas."

Done deal, and for ever. Any time I find a business that has that kind
of
attitude, I not only don't patronize them, but I make sure that others
understand their attitude. There's nothing like negative advertising
to
sink a business, and it's the cheapest and easiest advertising a person
can
get, with plenty to go around. All it takes is a go-to-hell attitude
displayed to the consumer like the example above.

Mother in law owns the small town (500) paper. Town grocery decided it
wasn't worth advertising in the paper for $300 for the month. Mom stopped
buying food there. Any guesses on how much a family with 6 kids spends at
the grocery?

Joel. phx

"George" wrote in message
...
You will, of course, pay the appropriate tax on your out-of state
purchase,
though?

I know I always do....

Oh, yeah! I'm always the first guy in line on Monday morning. I consider
it an honor to be paying taxes in a state that is near the highest one in
the nation in taxation and can't find enough reasons or ways to get them
even higher. That isn't preventing them from trying, though.

I could use a brush hog too, but first the hydraulics for the front blade.
Dragging snow is tougher than pushing it.

Good luck with that project. The best scenario is to live where there's
no snow. Notice I don't practice what I preach? g

Harold

"Here's an idea" wrote in message
...
snip---

Mother in law owns the small town (500) paper. Town grocery decided it
wasn't worth advertising in the paper for $300 for the month. Mom stopped
buying food there. Any guesses on how much a family with 6 kids spends at
the grocery?

Joel. phx

Talk about biting the hand the feeds you!

Harold

On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 12:27:43 -0800, "Harold & Susan Vordos"
wrote:


I agree. I like to support the local guy. I really
do. But what do you do when you consistently get
reamed by him.

Hmmm, I'm asking myself the same question as I look at fuel prices.
Our biggest local dealer, who used to be a mom & pop of long-standing
in the community, was purchased by "city people," a couple of years
ago, (literally, NYC "investors") and now refuses to deliver anything
less than 150 gal. at a pop, and at nearly $1.60/gal this is a bit
much for *many* people in this tiny burg to cough up at a time (myself
included, sometimes). Their excuse is, "With everybody only buying
100 gallons at a time, we can't keep up with the deliveries." Huh??
A competitor will gladly deliver of theirs will gladly deliver less.

A survey of local kerosene prices (at the pump) yields $1.95/gal for
the "local guy" and $1.63/gal for the town 11 miles away (further
south, that is). I've been asking myself for several years now, since
our local grocery chain started charging "screw you" prices year
'round, rather than just in the summer, "When did the local, small
business model become &$#@* the Locals?"

Some folks see every sale as a retirement plan, so I can't get too excited
about supporting them.

Amen! Another local fuel dealer, this one a gas station, (also owned
by a transplanted city dude, oddly enough..hmmm, notice a trend?) was
on the gas roller coaster recently, but keeping prices apace with the
larger community down the road. Then, in the last go-'round, when
prices dropped back down 20-cents or so, his stayed high.
Consequently, I stopped buying my gas there. Then, one day I stopped
and asked, with all due respect, why their price had previously
reflected that of the same brand station in the next town, but this
time had stayed high? His reply? "Go down there and buy your gas."
So, guess who _doesn't_ get my 3-5 fillups a week now?


--
Chuck *#:^)
chaz3913(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
Anti-spam sig: please remove "NO SPAM" from e-mail address to reply.


September 11, 2001 - Never Forget


-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =-----

I learned that lesson from a former employee years ago. He told of working
for an old guy who sent him out for some item to purchase. When the guy
returned with his purchase and showed the old guy the price, the guy asked
him what the other two prices were.. Employee said "HUH?" That has always
stuck with me, and getting at least 3 prices for anything over around $50 is
now what I do.

RJ

"Harold & Susan Vordos" wrote in message
...

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
...

"Harold & Susan Vordos" wrote in message
I needed a brush hog. Local dealer wanted $800 for a 40" model, a
perfect
fit for my small Kubota. A 100 mile drive yielded a brush hog for
$500,
and no sales tax. Difference? 2" narrower, otherwise the same hog.

We can all find exceptions. It pays to be a smart consumer and do some
homework. I can also give exceptions the other way around. I needed a
refrigerator part for the ice maker. Big store wanted $60 for the part,
Internet was $55, local guy was $40 not for the part but for a hole new
unit.
Ed

Yep! The key to this whole scenario is to shop. Often I've been
pleasantly surprised to find the best deal at the least likely place. and
that includes the guy you'd swear would not compete.

When you live on SS, you don't toss your money around like it's from a
bottomless well. Our lifestyle is a humble one, but we live as
comfortably as we choose, and do it on minimum money by not being wasteful
or stupid in how we use what we have. In order to do that, we have
learned
to shop before we buy. It always pays benefits.

Harold

On Sat, 24 Jan 2004 00:13:09 GMT, (Chuck)
wrote:

On Fri, 23 Jan 2004 12:27:43 -0800, "Harold & Susan Vordos"
wrote:

Amen! Another local fuel dealer, this one a gas station, (also owned
by a transplanted city dude, oddly enough..hmmm, notice a trend?) was
on the gas roller coaster recently, but keeping prices apace with the
larger community down the road. Then, in the last go-'round, when
prices dropped back down 20-cents or so, his stayed high.
Consequently, I stopped buying my gas there. Then, one day I stopped
and asked, with all due respect, why their price had previously
reflected that of the same brand station in the next town, but this
time had stayed high? His reply? "Go down there and buy your gas."
So, guess who _doesn't_ get my 3-5 fillups a week now?

No excuse for bad attitude, but gas prices are an odd case. Assume a
station buys 3,000 gallons at a time (pretty typical). They sell it at
a price that is usually 1-5 cents above their invoice (plus all the
taxes). If the price of gas goes up 3 cents and they were selling at 2
cents over cost they have to dig into profit from other sales to cover
the increase, but they can recoup that as they sell the new load. The
problem comes when the price starts to drop. If the station across the
street buys a new load that is 6 cents cheaper and cuts their retail
price while you still have 2,000 gallons in the tanks you are pretty
much up the proverbial creek sans paddle. If you price match the guy
across the street you lose money on every gallon you sell. If you
don't it takes forever to empty your tank and refill with cheaper gas.
Most stations split the difference.

Most of the c-store gas stations actually sell their gas at almost no
profit because they make the money on beer and cigs. The low gas price
is just to get you in the door. Stations that sell gas and do
mechanical work can also keep their prices lower. The ones that only
sell gas usually have the highest prices because they have to make
enough profit to run the business, and that will depend on volume and
the local competition.

Tim Douglass

http://www.DouglassClan.com

In article ,
Here's an idea wrote:

"Harold & Susan Vordos" wrote in message
...

"Chuck" wrote in message
...
snip-----------

. Then, in the last go-'round, when
prices dropped back down 20-cents or so, his stayed high.
Consequently, I stopped buying my gas there. Then, one day I stopped
and asked, with all due respect, why their price had previously
reflected that of the same brand station in the next town, but this
time had stayed high? His reply? "Go down there and buy your gas."

Done deal, and for ever. Any time I find a business that has that kind
of
attitude, I not only don't patronize them, but I make sure that others
understand their attitude. There's nothing like negative advertising
to
sink a business, and it's the cheapest and easiest advertising a person
can
get, with plenty to go around. All it takes is a go-to-hell attitude
displayed to the consumer like the example above.

Mother in law owns the small town (500) paper. Town grocery decided it
wasn't worth advertising in the paper for $300 for the month. Mom stopped
buying food there. Any guesses on how much a family with 6 kids spends at
the grocery?

If they shop efficiently, in the $250-300/month range. However, grocery
stores are a _low_ margin operation. 4% gross profit is a "healthy" store.
that $300 of revenues means maybe $10-12 gross profits.

Then, there's the _other_ side of the story. The town I grew up in was
considerably bigger -- metro area circa 250,000 -- but it was a one-
newspaper town. Just after the Korean conflict, the paper raised it's
ad rates significantly. The local owner of three grocery stores went
in to 'talk about it'. The paper said, in almost so many words, "If you
don't like our rates, advertise in another newspaper". He pulled _all_
his newspaper advertising. Eliminated 'advertising' as a line-item in
his budget. *REDUCED* his shelf prices by the amount of the expense
reduction. Sent a one-time mailing to every household in town, announcing
why he wouldn't be running any more newspaper ads, what he'd done with
his prices, and asking people to patronize his stores. 15 years later,
he had 10 stores in town, and the _smallest_ of his stores did twice
the volume of the next-largest store in town.

Since that time, they've run a newspaper ad precisely _once_. And _never_
done any radio or TV advertising. The one occasion was to mark the opening
of a new "showplace" store -- lots of exotic vegetables, etc. And more than
twice the square footage of any prior store.

They bought one full-page ad, and the newspaper ran a THREE PAGE (three _full_
pages, including the entire front page of the 'family' section) "feature"
story about the new store. (Yes, the newspaper management was _drooling_
at the thought that they might start behaving like a 'regular' grocery
again -- picking up several full pages of ads every week.)

They're a _strange_ operation. They don't advertise -- that one newspaper
ad was the *only* piece of paid-for advertising they've done in more than
FIFTY YEARS now. They don't even hang sale signs in the windows. Or
have sale flyers in the store. Their prices are generally stable/predictable,
and -- except for 'loss-leader' sale items at other stores -- usually lower
than at the competition. Combined with superior customer-service (would you
believe that they _still_ have the 'bag boys' take groceries to your car
and load 'em for you?), it's a _very_ successful model.

Robert Bonomi writes:

ombined with superior customer-service (would you
believe that they _still_ have the 'bag boys' take groceries to your car
and load 'em for you?), it's a _very_ successful model.

Not at all unusual in small Southern towns, but unusual in larger towns and
cities.

Charlie Self
"Character is much easier kept than recovered." Thomas Paine

http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/m.../business.html

In article ,
Charlie Self wrote:
...
I had a couple Stihl saws once. My impression of them was that they'd run the
day before I needed them and the day after, but almost never on the actual
cutting day. Switched off to a Homelite, XL12 IIRC, and went on about my
business. Of course, this was 30+ years ago, Homelite is no longer Homelite,
and Stihl probably has improved.

I had a Homelite which needed to be serviced every time I wanted to
use it. So I replaced it with a Stihl over 5 years ago and it has been
very reliable.
--
--henry schaffer
hes _AT_ ncsu _DOT_ edu

Charlie Self wrote:
Switched off to a Homelite,
XL12 IIRC, and went on about my business. Of course, this was 30+
years ago, Homelite is no longer Homelite, and Stihl probably has
improved.


Good decision 30 years ago but not 5 years ago. I bought a Homelite and
after a couple of years of frustration I tosed it into the woods as far as I
could. Never regretted doing it.

It ended up at the home of a small enngine repairman/rebuilder. He tossed
it also as it was not worth rebuilding. I'm talking only a few hour run
time.
Ed

http://pages.cthome.net/edhome