The problem has been solved, and anyone here who works selling saws can learn from my story.
I went to the nearby Stihl place. They were very nice, and they assured me they could turn small repair and maintenance problems around in a week or so, barring the need for hard-to-find parts.
On the other hand...
1. There were three guys there, and none of them knew much about chainsaws. They were not very familiar with the Stihl line. I had to Google and confirm stuff they said. One of them said I needed to visit when the "two-stroke guy" was there.
2. I'm pretty sure they represented a non-M-tronic model as an M-tronic saw. I don't think they knew it.
3. I asked what they could do regarding price, and they said "nothing." Stihl sets the price, and you pay it. Over $900.
4. I mentioned Echo, and they said they wouldn't let an Echo product come through the door. So much for getting my old saw worked on.
5. They're a Husqvarna dealer, but they don't sell Husqvarna saws.
In the parking lot, I looked up the next-nearest Husqvarna dealer, and I drove over. Same kind of place. Tractors, saws, zero-turns, and so on. There was one guy there, in a dirty shirt. He worked on machinery, himself.
1. He knew everything about Husqvarna saws as well as Echos. He used to work in an Echo shop. I asked him all sorts of stuff about the 562XP on the wall, and he knew all about it. He knew all the known issues. He knew the best way to cope with the ethanol crisis. He told me stuff no one else had, and I have researched for years.
2. He said he could fix Echo products. No problem. He also does Jonsered, of course. He had a Husqvarna 435 there, which is just like my ailing Jonsered. He can fix my bogging Echo trimmer.
3. I asked about the price, and he gave me a 15% discount which wasn't officially supposed to kick in until later in the month. I asked about the warranty, and he said Husqvarna would add three years if I bought their gas.
4. He told me about the yearly stuff the new saw would need and about what it would cost.
When he told me about the discount, I was sold. He said I only needed to spend $28 on the gas, so I jumped on it. He registered me with Husqvarna. He took the saw, filled it, and checked it out.
I'm going to bring my sick tools in and get them fixed. Then I'll have three gas saws and one cordless, so it's not likely I'll end up with no saws that work.
When I left the store, I felt like I was high on heroin. The stress left my body completely. The misery of dealing with this saw with no help for 7 years was over. I can deal with the two trees I have to help move this week, and I can expect to have working saws from now on. I finally have a repair place.
This story shows how to sell saws, both for your own store and for the one your competitors run. The guys at the first saw did as much to sell me this saw as the guy who got the money. They tried, but I don't think they're all that good at sales.
I may be able to deduct this expense because I rent out my pasture. Sure hope so. I plan to start running every small engine I have, every Thursday, from now on. Once everything is working, I'm going to keep it going without a lot of down time.
That's the end of my tale of struggle and frustration.
