Dear Manual, The Verdict Is In

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THALL10326

The Champ
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If not for you ole boy I wouldn't mention this but beings you and me like to torment each other over who is No.1, who drinks the most beer, who has the prettiest socks, who forgot to flush the toilet, who left the water on, I have come to settle it once and for all.

Today at 4:30pm a man and his wife came in to buy a chainsaw. They had just bought 30 acres and they are going to thin out the woods. The man has made up his mind he wants a MS460. He claims they have some big wood to take down. The wife on the other hand is buying it for him. She has done all the research online and she really seemed to know more than him. At the rack I hand him the 460 to look at. She tells me she has studied up on the web about Stihl and Husqvarna. She knew the equal models as well. She says to me how does Husqvarna rate. I said they are a very good brand of saw. He is playing with the 460 and she is asking more questions about Husqvarna. I said in this area about the only place near by you can buy a Husqvarna is Sears or Lowes, there are no local dealers in Leesburg. The man goes what, they sell their saws at Sears and Lowes. I said yes they do. They inquired about Stihl and I said Stihl is dealer only. He tells his wife thats it, we're getting a Stihl, period. She goes I didn't realize that they sold their saws in Sears and Lowes and yes we're getting a Stihl. They spent $900.00 and away they went with their new 460 and odds and ends to go with it.

So there ya have it Manual, I told ya to quit bunching Husqvarna with those other lower brands. You wouldn't listen and now you see why its not good to do so. The jury today finds you quilty of bunching the good Husky brand with all those other less brands which cost Husky a sale today. You are hereby fined $5.00 court costs but Judge Thall is gonna suspend the fine only because Judge Thall gets the pleasure of saying I TOLD YOU SO....
 
Yup, even a blind squirrel can find a "nut" once in a while.:ices_rofl: :ices_rofl:


LOL, so true. The minute I said Sears and Lowes they both took a double take as if to say your kidding. My only regret is Manual wasn't there with me to witness the looks on they're faces. I'm positive they were seeing Craftsman and Husky sitting side by side and that did it. No biggie though, I'm sure many a Craftsman was sold today along with Husky but one wasn't because of it. Husky needs to get back to dealer only like they use to be..
 
Manual ain't going to like this!!!!!


Awwwwwwwwwwwwww but the truth will at last set him free. No more will he say you gotta count all those other brands with Husky to turn the numbers. Those other brands aren't good for Husky as was shown in front of the rack today.

(sides no doubt he and me will find something else to fuss about,hehe)






.
Awwwwwwwwwwwwww but the truth will at last set him free. No more will he say you gotta count all those other brands with Husky to turn the numbers. Those other brands aren't good for Husky as was shown in front of the rack today.

(sides no doubt he and me will find something else to fuss about,hehe)
 
Awwwwwwwwwwwwww but the truth will at last set him free. No more will he say you gotta count all those other brands with Husky to turn the numbers. Those other brands aren't good for Husky as was shown in front of the rack today.

(sides no doubt he and me will find something else to fuss about,hehe)




Hmmmmmm..................................................................




.
 
I haven't been around here long enough to know exactly what is going on between Thall and Manual, but I figure I may as well add my thoughts I have about Thall's example.

When I learned that Stihl was an exclusive dealer network, I had the opposite reaction than the couple buying the saw had. So, what was my thinking here? Well, I've been bit by another exclusive dealer network in the past. This was for an aircraft engine, a company called Jabiru, who makes an incredible jewel of an engine. Without getting into a long description, there was only three dealers in the US, and you litterally could only buy from the one person who's area they covered. Eventually, we came to not see eye-to-eye, and I wouldn't do service with him any further. The point I'm getting at is, being exclusive to the area, there is absolutely no incentive for the dealer to provide good service or competitive pricing. Either you go to him, or not use that engine . . . . .

Now Stihl is not nearly as much a problem as that, since there are enough dealers around that if you have trouble with one, you can go to another within reasonable distance, and they won't ask for your address before selling to you. But Stihl prices reflect non-competitive pricing. Short of Ebay, you pretty much got to go to the dealer and pay dearly for parts. (for example, price the Stihl bar mounted sharpener vs. the identical Granberg) I just paid $81 at a local Stihl dealer for a fuel filter, vent tube, and sprocket conversion kit. Kind of steep, but it is what it is.

I'm not bashing Stihl. Just like jabiru, I know Stihl makes one heck of a great product. But I don't think exclusive dealer networks are in the best interest of the consumer, but I'm sure that I'm biased after seeing the ugly side of what can come from them. Anyhow, that was my reaction and why I chose to go with husky on new purchases.
 
I haven't been around here long enough to know exactly what is going on between Thall and Manual, but I figure I may as well add my thoughts I have about Thall's example.

When I learned that Stihl was an exclusive dealer network, I had the opposite reaction than the couple buying the saw had. So, what was my thinking here? Well, I've been bit by another exclusive dealer network in the past. This was for an aircraft engine, a company called Jabiru, who makes an incredible jewel of an engine. Without getting into a long description, there was only three dealers in the US, and you litterally could only buy from the one person who's area they covered. Eventually, we came to not see eye-to-eye, and I wouldn't do service with him any further. The point I'm getting at is, being exclusive to the area, there is absolutely no incentive for the dealer to provide good service or competitive pricing. Either you go to him, or not use that engine . . . . .

Now Stihl is not nearly as much a problem as that, since there are enough dealers around that if you have trouble with one, you can go to another within reasonable distance, and they won't ask for your address before selling to you. But Stihl prices reflect non-competitive pricing. Short of Ebay, you pretty much got to go to the dealer and pay dearly for parts. (for example, price the Stihl bar mounted sharpener vs. the identical Granberg) I just paid $81 at a local Stihl dealer for a fuel filter, vent tube, and sprocket conversion kit. Kind of steep, but it is what it is.

I'm not bashing Stihl. Just like jabiru, I know Stihl makes one heck of a great product. But I don't think exclusive dealer networks are in the best interest of the consumer, but I'm sure that I'm biased after seeing the ugly side of what can come from them. Anyhow, that was my reaction and why I chose to go with husky on new purchases.


Theres nothing going on between Manual and me, its all jibber jabber and fun. We fuss back and forth all the time, all fun. As for your thoughts on dealer networks you may be right but the couple's reaction was quite amuzing to say the least. I'm sure everyone has heard the old saying, your sometimes judged on the company you keep. These folks positively did not like the idea of Husky sitting in Sears and Lowes and I can only assume because of the Craftmans and Poulans they sit with.

Price wise is not a issue with Stihl. Those that buy them do so at their own free will. The thing about Stihl prices is they're uniform across the board. Dealer prices are usually right on par with each other. That can't be said for Husky, the prices vary so much depending on where you buy them there seems to be no set price. I understand thats being looked into by Husky and if so good for them.
 
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adding to thall's pricing part..


I don't think understand about Stihls dealer "network".. what makes it "exclusive" any more or less than Husky's, Dolmar's, etc..??

1) As best I can tell, all oem saw parts are comparable (expensive). You won't get a great deal on Husky parts any more than Stihl. Stihl dealers have a very good margin in parts, and nobody tells them what price to sell at. Shop around... all the Stihl dealers are independant - and most are not "exclusive" either.

2) You could also have simply bought aftermarket parts... your sprocket and fuel filter is made by several companies.
 
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Ya knows what Manuals gonna do to you when he finds dis thread dont'ca
6.gif
 
Ya gotta be chittin me......ya are gonna drive dat ole boy and Woodie ta
5.gif


LOLOL, ya aint right boy. However it they gets a bottle of moonshine shoot I'll sit right wit em and booze along. I may be drinking Flogers but who cares, we'll still have a good ole time. Saws are just tools, friends are to pick on and play, thats why we all get along good.....
 
I haven't been around here long enough to know exactly what is going on between Thall and Manual, but I figure I may as well add my thoughts I have about Thall's example.

When I learned that Stihl was an exclusive dealer network, I had the opposite reaction than the couple buying the saw had. So, what was my thinking here? Well, I've been bit by another exclusive dealer network in the past. This was for an aircraft engine, a company called Jabiru, who makes an incredible jewel of an engine. Without getting into a long description, there was only three dealers in the US, and you litterally could only buy from the one person who's area they covered. Eventually, we came to not see eye-to-eye, and I wouldn't do service with him any further. The point I'm getting at is, being exclusive to the area, there is absolutely no incentive for the dealer to provide good service or competitive pricing. Either you go to him, or not use that engine . . . . .

Now Stihl is not nearly as much a problem as that, since there are enough dealers around that if you have trouble with one, you can go to another within reasonable distance, and they won't ask for your address before selling to you. But Stihl prices reflect non-competitive pricing. Short of Ebay, you pretty much got to go to the dealer and pay dearly for parts. (for example, price the Stihl bar mounted sharpener vs. the identical Granberg) I just paid $81 at a local Stihl dealer for a fuel filter, vent tube, and sprocket conversion kit. Kind of steep, but it is what it is.

I'm not bashing Stihl. Just like jabiru, I know Stihl makes one heck of a great product. But I don't think exclusive dealer networks are in the best interest of the consumer, but I'm sure that I'm biased after seeing the ugly side of what can come from them. Anyhow, that was my reaction and why I chose to go with husky on new purchases.


Rod, you make a rather bizarre comparison here. How can you compare chain saws and aircraft engines? More silly is that you are comparing an aircraft engine brand with 3 dealers to Stihl with 8000 dealers. What's exclusive about 8000 independent dealers?

How long ago was your aircraft engine experience? Are you going to carry this grudge around for the rest of your life?

And how is it in the interest of the consumer for products to be sold by retailers who offer no service and have no parts?
 
Manual ain't going to like this!!!!!







.
Yupper.......Manual will be at da local watering hole at 2am.......Then guess what? Yup.....it has happened to the best of us
18-1.gif
:hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange: :hmm3grin2orange:
 
Here we go again...
Thall starts another thread.
What doyawanna bet ???
1000 posts ???
2500 posts ???

:hmm3grin2orange:

:cheers:
 
Rod, you make a rather bizarre comparison here. How can you compare chain saws and aircraft engines? More silly is that you are comparing an aircraft engine brand with 3 dealers to Stihl with 8000 dealers. What's exclusive about 8000 independent dealers?

How long ago was your aircraft engine experience? Are you going to carry this grudge around for the rest of your life?

And how is it in the interest of the consumer for products to be sold by retailers who offer no service and have no parts?

Yes, I totally know the difference between the two, as mentioned in my previous post, third paragraph. But it is a comparable example. I don't see it as a grudge, just an experience that left me with a "once bitten, twice shy" mentality. I learned from that, rather than forgetting about it, and repeating past mistakes.

Please keep in mind, since forums don't translate one's attitude well, that I totally see where you're coming from. At the risk of you thinking I'm bashing, it's not my intent. I'm just trying to convey some views. (something I rather do face to face to avoid any misinterpretation)

Continuing. . . . For example, from a consumer's viewpoint, would you argue that, if there was a store selling Stihl equipment, and another place across town also selling the same equipment, that this wouldn't be an incentive for each place to try and be competitive and provide the best sales and service, verses a case where there isn't any competition within 25+ miles?

I realize Stihl prices from place to place are about the same, and even though it looks like price fixing, I know they are not. Also, I can understand the high costs associated with maintaining a large volume of equipment and parts, along with other overhead costs of maintaining a storefront and/or shop. I understand you're buying service with that part purchase, but what if I just want a part and no service? I know. That sounds pretty pompous, but is it so unreasonable to be able to go to an online retailer who has low overhead to provide a part at a competitive price? Sure, this isn't in the current dealers best interest, but the Stihl dealers got an excellent customer following, and I doubt that'd change much.

Again, because it's so easy to read somebody wrong on a forum, I want to reiterate that I'm not against Stihl. I know it's risky when talking about Stihl in any manner other than positive here. I'm just trying to convey some of my thinking as to how I came to a decision to buy or not buy a product. I should also note, that just because there are Huskys sold at Sears and Lowes, doesn't mean I'd buy one from there. I guess my point is I'd much rather buy from a dealer who's under pressure from such competition, to provide the best possible prices and service.
 

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