Dealer rant.

[Alleyyooper]

I sure am not to awful happy with dealer ships around here.

In this day of internet shopping they are the stupidest humans on earth on earth and that is even dumber than the dumbest blond. A few years ago I wanted a starter for my lawn tractor. I had the engine brand, model number and serial number happy with the fact I would come home with a new starter.

 

NOPE, I didn't have the series number so they couldn't help me, till I go that number. A 20 mile drive one way wasted with fuel over 2.50 a gallon back then. They had estimated the cost would be 124.00 when I had all the right numbers.

 

Back at home I do and internet search for a starter for my 17HP lawn tractor motor. I find several and got one from Tennessee for less than $100.00 including the shipping. It arrived 3 days later

 

Electric starter on my ATV stopped working I take it apart and it needs two little tiny brushes to get it to work again. Drive to the dealer and tell him I need a set of brushes for a 1994 400L serial number 83xxxxx17. He can't find them in the book or even my ATV so I say fine I'll go some place else when I am read for a new machine cause you people can't even find part for the stuff you sell, He sais wait I found it. 50.00 was the cost. I am not going to pay that for brushes I can buy some for a car and file them to fit for way less than that.

I go to the starter web site where I go the lawn tractor starter and bought the whole starter brand new for 37.00 including shipping and it arrived 3 days later USPS flat rate shipping.

 

 

 

Today I called a local dealer about a worm drive part to the chain oiler on my chain saw. He is having all kinds of problems finding it in his book and kept wanting to know other numbers so I pulled the one up on my lap top and read him the part number off. He said ya we can get it, I ask him how much and he says 20.00 and it will take 7 to 10 business days to get it.

I got the web site up and tell him to stuff it I will call it in and it is $9.93 including the shipping and will have it in 3 days USPS flat rate right to my mail box.

 

Jen u wine Husky part too.


   Al
 

[tbonekel]

So the real question is how many more times are you going to give the dealer a shot before you go to the internet first? I am one that likes to buy local and support the local economy, but if you believe in that, then you must accept the fact that you will pay higher prices.

[Les]

I believe that there will come the day where we do all our shopping online, except for hardware stores (when you are working on a home project, you need things ASAP).   The box stores and shopping malls will become ghost towns.  We had a huge Office Depot here and it bit the dust.....Staples will be next.  Can't wait for the day when I don't have to go grocery shopping....let them deliver to my door.  It is getting closer, the lower Hudson Valley already has grocery stores that deliver.

[Lburou]

The World of buying and selling is changing fast and the Internet is the vehicle of change.  This is just the beginning.  :-)

[Perry]

I'm a hold out for now. I like to see and touch stuff before I buy if I can.

[Alleyyooper]

I also am a local supporter type but to pay double the price is crazy stupid of me. Those were all different dealers too. They claim they have to pay taxes on property, so do the unline warehouse people. they claim they have to pay workers, so do the warehouse people to pack and ship the stuff. I just don't see the difference.
I buy a credit card I have to load money on because scares me to death some one steals the information on a regular card and maxes it out.

   Al

[lazy shooter]

Like Perry, I'm a hold-out.  I live in Small Town USA and know all of my local merchants, and I like to help them.  In turn, they are very responsive to my needs, and again, like Perry, I enjoy seeing what I purchase before it arrives at my home. 

Lee is correct in saying shopping is being changed by the internet.  I recently heard one of my high school classmates say that she does her Christmas shopping on-line.  Like me, she would be in her late seventies.  If we old coots are internet shoppers, I hate to think how readily the youngsters take to internet shopping.

I readily agree that taking the wrong part home or not being able to find it locally is frustrating. 

[kingd]

I also am a local supporter type but to pay double the price is crazy stupid of me. Those were all different dealers too. They claim they have to pay taxes on property, so do the unline warehouse people. they claim they have to pay workers, so do the warehouse people to pack and ship the stuff. I just don't see the difference.
I buy a credit card I have to load money on because scares me to death some one steals the information on a regular card and maxes it out.

   Al

 I too want to support the local guy but I agree, Paying twice as much and alot of the times they have to order it,and it takes longer to get than me getting it online with free shipping is nuts.
 Right now for example,I'm looking at a hedge trimmer online for $170 with free shipping and no tax or I can buy it locally for $249 plus tax.
 And they have to order it

 I do have a credit card that is used just for online with a low credit limit just in case of issues,and if something happens,one phone call and it goes away.

[pistolpete]

What gets me is the stupidity of our canadian post office.  They have the complete infrastructure to deliver packages anywhere in the country and yet, they are incurring losses and whining about how people just don't send letters any more.  If their management was on the ball in even the tiniest way, their business would be booming.

[lazy shooter]

@PistolPete:

In the lower 48 the US Mail delivers junk mail (advertisements) at ridiculously low rates.  Consequently, my mail box is steadily filled with advertisements, and occasionally, I get some business or personal mail.  Our Postal Dept. is also going broke, and they continue to raise prices and cut their services, but the junk mail must be delivered.  Rant over.

[efmesch]

The internet "killed" the post office by eliminating mail deliveries---the internet will "resuscitate" the post office by package deliveries of internet shopping.

[Alleyyooper]

Only way I ship is USPS flat rate mostly and when I buy products off the internet I request USPS shipping when I have to pay over Fed X and UPS. I have been known to tell a Company to for get the order rather than pay more for UPS shipping.
Flat rate most boxes I use are free, they deliver them to my house and pick up the package at my house and normal the customer gets the package in 3 days at the latest.

I think my daughter buys every thing off the internet except her grocery's. She does 99% of her backing type activity on the internet too.

   Al

[tbonekel]

USPS is just another subsidized entity that needs to be privatized. A few years ago, they were building brand new post offices in these little tiny towns which already had descent little offices. Inefficiency at it's best. It is surely an interesting world out there in regards to shopping for what is needed. I guess that physical browsing will always be around when you really don't know what you want, but I wonder how many will do that, not purchase anything, but wait till they get home and get it on line. With better smart phones, you can do that now while out and browsing but that is something that I don't enjoy doing at this point. My phone is not smart enough. Probably the user.

[efmesch]

When I do my internet shopping, I "feel" the merchandise by reading all the important information I can get, researching models, prices and reading the evaluations posted by those who have already purchased the item and can give proper advice.
If I go into the store to investigate the merchandise and decide to buy it, I feel a certain moral obligation to purchase from the place that has given me the service I received.  There are a lot of grey areas  here, but as a general principle, I feel it improper to "milk" the store for its services and then go somewhere else to close the deal.

[Lburou]

.....I feel it improper to "milk" the store for its services and then go somewhere else to close the deal.

I feel the same way Ef and I can't think of the last time I did that.  Problem is, that in recent years, the quality of staff demonstrating a product does not provide as much information as you get searching online.  I'm an analytical personality, so, many times it is frustrating to deal with an incompetent sales person.

[Lburou]

@PistolPete:

In the lower 48 the US Mail delivers junk mail (advertisements) at ridiculously low rates.  Consequently, my mail box is steadily filled with advertisements, and occasionally, I get some business or personal mail.  Our Postal Dept. is also going broke, and they continue to raise prices and cut their services, but the junk mail must be delivered.  Rant over.

Its been many years Lazy, but when I broached the subject about bulk mail postage, the postman told me that bulk mail paid most of the expenses of the postal service.....We can thank the rigidity of USPS leadership for UPS, DHL and FedEx.

[Alleyyooper]

My phone is plain stupid, it rings letting me know some one is really calling me to talk. It will dial up a number I punch in so I can talk to some one too and that is all it does, well the blue tooth so when I am deep in a hive inspection I can just push a button in the ear piece and talk to some one.

Funny I am trying to buy a Electric fence charger for so many acres of coverage. You can read all kinds of details on line about one but NOT A SINGLE  one will compare joules and say .05 joules is better than .10 joule yet just about every one list the joules.

Ask people and they pretty much say to buy the most expensive one you can afford cause they don't have a clue like me how to compare them.


   Al

[LadyyTay]

Heck, it's retail, too.  I went online to Walmart.com to find a pet spray I wanted and found it for $6.91.  In store, it said.  Went to the Walmart in town and they wanted $9.97 for the same can!  I told them about the price online at their own website and had to fight tooth and nail to get them to match the price!  Luckily, I'm stubborn and they finally did it, but you'd think they'd automatically match their own prices!

[kingd]

 Our Target has a sign saying they will not match internet prices, not even their own.,

[Perry]

Our Target has a sign saying they will not match internet prices, not even their own.,