So I've been trying to work with my local JD Dealer, Billerica MA, now sometimes parts are okay, exhaust gaskets, $5 each or something for 4 of them, that's fine, but man, every now and again, on a few items I really get soaked, T102095, air intake hose, now I'll usually check with greenfarmparts for a cost comparison and I'm willing to even pay a little more to help support the locals but fook, so this part should be 55-65 bucks plus 10 shipping, in hand, well, dealer says 80, well, hmm, okay, I get the part and its 85 plus a 15 dollar shipping and handling fee, ***, I'm cooling off before I take my slip back down there, I'm pretty steamed, there wasn't any rush on the part and holy hell, its a rubber hose that'd fit in a normal shipping box or slap a label on it. Any good tips and tricks for dealing with dealerships? I really don't want to do battle every time. Should I just mention the online JD dealers prices?
Yep, take a screen photo of the online price and ask for their best one. And yes, you may have to do battle every time. I went through this with Case. On the other hand, my NH dealer always seems to knock a little off without asking. One thing we like to do before Christmas each year is to drop off those large cans of popcorn to all the places we buy from frequently. That includes the dealer's parts and service departments. Our business cards are taped to the lids of course. It's funny what some folks remember all year long.
Shipping and handling fees are the "new" income source.. marked up as much as 30% to the end user.. When I ship a pump out w/ 1000.00 insurance and 2 day delivery w/ tracking its 28.00 and some change.. I charged 30.00. THEN I REALISED.. Its my box, my tape, my packing material, and my time driving to the PO and standing in line with the derilicts who don't know how to mail a letter, let alone pack a box.. I guess its alittle different when dealing with a dealer.. they just hand the part over to you in the SAME BOX it was shipped to THEM in.. Telling them about an on-line dealer is a slippery slope.. Its all in the delivery.. sometimes its well received and you'll get a price match.?? and other times.. well.. you get to spend more time on your computer.. if you know what I mean.. Just last week I got an email with some questions about diagnosing a pump.. The symptoms where written out, the question was answered.. and an estimate was given, site unseen.. Then the follow up email came>> seeing a kit is only 30.00 and I can get a NEW PUMP for 650.00 on-line, I think I'll hold off.. I never responded.. but, you can feel what I'm thinking.. Lol
IMHO a dealer's quoted price for any part sold over their parts counter should ALWAYS include shipping in the price given to the customer right from the get-go. Let's face it they get parts shipped in every day from their nearest central parts distribution warehouse. So to charge shipping for a part that has to be transported to them on the same truck that brings their stock parts replenishment order is a bit rich for me. Doubly rich would be to charge shipping on a stock item that they were out of for whatever reason at the time the customer wanted it. The only exception I could think of to that scenario is for a part that has to be shipped by a non-standard method of shipping because the customer's need is urgent. In that case a charge for rapid shipment by the dealer using Fedex/DHL or similar might not be totally unreasonable. On my last job the dealer's price that we could see on our online parts systems to us as the customer was for parts delivered to our shop FFS ..... we didn't even have to go into town to pick them up.
Normally the customer should be given the option, pay for shipping or wait for the stock order. It depends on how far the dealer is from their stocking depot and IF the stocking depot has the part on the shelf, if it has to come from the factory or transfer from another depot it takes longer. The CAT dealer I worked at got a stock truck five days a week, BUT that truck was delivering parts order on average five days earlier. If you stock ordered a part and it had to be transferred from the factory to the stocking depot and then on to our store, it was three weeks.
Being that I live 60 miles from Fargo, where I get most of my heavy equipment parts, if I have to pay shipping for an item most of the dealers will send it right to my shop. I get it faster and don't have to drive any where.
That issue is not so much about price but integrity. Their word is no good. They promise to do something for X number of dollars and then they reneg. I really hate myself when I go ahead and buy the item instead of telling them where to shove it. I friend of mine hired a trucker to haul a machine for him. The price quoted was $300. Then the trucker demanded the $300 plus a "fuel surcharge". He paid him anyway because he figured he might need something hauled again. I would have at least said "that's not what we agreed on". The local Cat Rental Store quotes prices on short term rentals and when they deliver the machine they bring an invoice for me to sign, Almost every time the price on the invoice is higher than what they quoted. One time they said "it will be X dollars including delivery". Delivery did not include pick up. I wonder how many people they fool a month on that one. Sometimes I think it's my duty to point out that a person's word is no good and that I can't trust him.
Sometimes I get parts from a vendor who is real slippery with the phone quote vs delivered bill. But the phone quotes are so great I can't help myself. So I get the phone quote, transfer it to an official looking purchase order (I don't use POs ordinarily), fax it over to them, and then there is no question about what the thing will cost since they are creating the shipment based on the bottom line of the purchase order.
A good way of doing it IMHO - shaft 'em good and proper.....
Some great ideas, I like the PO method but boy, I'm going to still bring the bill up just to see where the extra shipping comes in, it was a standard order, said it was the local warehouse.
Deere stock order program is a three day delivery no freight charge. I'm a Deere dealer I never charge a handling fee for my customers . I do charge freight if it's a machine down order but it is the exact cost. As far as the online I have customers who use this but many order the incorrect part. There are many option codes most realize that calling or shooting a text to me or my parts guys is worth it, we use the Deere pricing but if you buy a big $ item my company usually doesn't charge suggested list price we give a $ break. Just because everything is expensive these days
Everyone must turn a profit if they plan to stay in business. From my experience as the business climate just gets tougher there are some that go to great lengths and even get greedy. Charging over list prices, adding freight surcharges, fuel surcharges even though fuel costs are down, administrative and environmental fees on a simple part is becoming standard operating practices. Yesterday I went to O'Reily auto parts and purchased A 48 1/8" x 1/2" Gates v-belt for my Delta table saw they tried to charge me $22.30 for a cash purchase. I quickly told their employee it was a credit card purchase on a commercial account. The price dropped to exactly $11.15 plus tax. WTH! Manufacturers have all got greedy with some increasing prices to make up for their continued poor business decisions. I have learned if you call to check price and availability of something and their first question is who is this for you had better look out if you don't know the game!
Back in the late 90's the CAT dealer I worked for got a LOT of parts business simply because we were one of the few dealers that adhered to CAT list on parts prices, and we were always willing to ship anywhere in the world CAT allowed us to. Some dealers I was told were bumping parts prices by 25% or more, especially in rather remote locales like Alaska, Hawaii, etc.
fast-st The price is the price... argue about it, haggle over it, but you have to buy it or not buy it. And you may want them to be willing to sell you something else, in the future... Presently, I buy everything locally, if possible, and pay extra. (My wife buys everything amazon prime, and argues over the phone, with people she'll never ever meet...)
Salesmen are salesmen. One has to consider the psychological profile of that personality type. I can't comprehend the notion that a salesman would avoid selling you something in the future because you haggled too much today. They love offers. It costs them absolutely nothing to say no. They would rather be insulted by a ridiculously lowball offer than to go through the day without a single offer. I would offer what I think they paid for it and smile.
That's true, I'll go a ways to support local businesses, I'm having a semi-local portable sawmill guy cut my lumber today and the local flooring mill will make it into pine floor boards. My sneakers are even made locally! But yeah, I'd rather have a friendly relationship with a local dealer, some of the online dealers cut a damned good price. I'll do some negotiating locally, maybe at least set up a cash account as the charge requirements are all bizarre with the signers on the account being liable for unpaid bills. Hopefully we can at least get an account and go from there.
Yes, I have had to learn this too. I know the part's guy at Komatsu and he knows the prices are sometimes ridiculous on their parts but he says there is nothing he can do about it. Not his call.
When I worked at Deere the rule was don't go below cost, if it's over a grand, ask. The CAT dealer it was regular customers just ask, outside our territory it's CAT suggested list, no exceptions. Most dealers I don't think anybody but the parts manager can offer a discount, if then.