Please Boycott Dolmar OPE

[TonyM]

Wow, thanks computeruser. You convinced me. Oh, wait, that was already my position

I have had several other customers write, email, and phone CPS and/or Dolmar. Every bit helps, and I appreciate the time taken to do so.

I can hope, but would be surprised, that CPS would reinstate my dealership status, especially after the damage done to CPS and Dolmar from this thread.

I put in a call to CPS, and have not heard back. Upon the suggestion of an arboristsite member, I am looking into Efco as a potential brand to sell. I think the Efco line would sell better to weekend woodcutters than Dolmar, but probably fall a little short on the professional saws. I get many customers who cut firewood, and are looking for less expensive but yet durable saws. I have yet to here back from Tilton, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I may look further into Solo for the same reasons, and the Solo distributor is only 45 minutes from me. Last time I looked at the Solo line, the prices were not competitive IMHO, but maybe things have changed a little.

I would prefer to sell Dolmar, as I think they have a great product, but I need to have a product to fill my customer's demand.

 

[Chris J.]

Coputeruser, that noise you hear in the background is me cheering. Great letter! Not too attorneyish, and I mean that as a sincere compliment.

 

[ned coed]

tony, after that letter from computeruser i would expect dolmar might be just a little bit red faced about all this. you mentioned solo saws. i bought one second hand years ago, it was only a small one but i was so impressed with the performance of such a light weight that if someone round here had been selling them i,d of got another but could only find sthil so thats what i bought.perhaps you could be on to an even better future by promoting those great saws. regards, Ned.

 

[spike60]

My God!!!! 126 posts, nearly 10 pages, and nobody gets it yet. Tony was canceled by CPS, NOT Dolmar. The only entity that could have possibly intervened on Tony's behalf was DOLMAR, but instead of asking them for assistance, they were attacked with a boycott that has been enthusiastically supported by a few dimwits. And you guys wonder why they aren't coming to Tony's rescue? This strategy isn't working guys! The boycott was a bad idea last week and it's getting worse. Far from helping Tony, it is hurting him. Perhaps in other ways we have yet to see. Other venders are likely to view him as a "loose cannon" and hesitate to do business with him. CPS isn't returning his calls. He is still waiting to hear from Tilton concerning Efco. Who wants to chance being the target of the next bpycott? This was just a colossal blunder. You can't air out your dirty laundry in business like this and hope to get positive results.

The one positive that has come out of this thread is that Tony is well liked by his customers. They are eager to do business with him and he seems to be filling a void in his market. I'm glad he isn't giving up and I think that he will chart a course out of this mess.

Tony;
I don't know if this has gone past the point of no return or not, but you might be able to turn this around if you are able to stand up and do some damage control yourself. You should consider publicly calling off this boycott. Perhaps to mend the bridge with Dolmar, but also to reassure other venders that you are someone they want to do business with. You certainly need Dolmar on your side if you expect them to help you to get CPS to reconsider. Yeah, there's the pride thing, but you already have something going with Dolmar. Some parts in stock and customers saws to take care of.

If it doesn't work out with Dolmar, then go ahead with the other alternatives you are looking at. Either way, you have to put this behind you and move on.

Doors close and doors open.

 

[Steve128]

Name Calling

spike60,

I am not sure why you called people who support Tony "dimwits"; but do you think name calling helps your argument? So glad "nobody" but you gets it. Really, all the really good posters on this board and only you have the gifted insight. Must be a heavy burden to suffer.

Maybe you are right and some vendors are scared away by Tony's comments. Then again, maybe, just maybe they will see his ability to get loyal customer's and will be impressed with this trait.

Frankly, customers (read $$$) are the lifeblood of ANY company.

I do hope Dolmar does become aware of this situation. Until then, dimwits like me who were looking to buy saws made by Dolmar, as I contacted Tony regarding the 5100, will buy elsewhere. As I did a 359 Husky.

One small lost sale. I'm guess I am just one of those dimwits who didn't spend money on a Dolmar but wanted too.

 

[spike60]

Dimwits is I think applicable in this case because people who think they are helping him are giving him bad advice and encouraging a continuation of a bad idea that was hatched when emotions should have been given a chance to cool down.

I think that it's also obvious that I'm pulling for Tony in the sense that I think he's a good guy, and I'd like to see things work out in his favor.

It is very unlikely that Dolmar or any other company would cave in to this kind of bullying/blackmail nonsense. It's such an unprofessional approach it's almost comical.

It's a good thing that some of you guys weren't in the Kennedy administration or the Cuban missle crisis might have had a different ending.

 

[spacemule]

My God!!!! 126 posts, nearly 10 pages, and nobody gets it yet. Tony was canceled by CPS, NOT Dolmar. The only entity that could have possibly intervened on Tony's behalf was DOLMAR, but instead of asking them for assistance, they were attacked with a boycott that has been enthusiastically supported by a few dimwits. And you guys wonder why they aren't coming to Tony's rescue? This strategy isn't working guys! The boycott was a bad idea last week and it's getting worse. Far from helping Tony, it is hurting him.

I've held the same opinion, but felt it better to stay out of it--hard to reason with emotional people. Sedanman, Blueridge, and a few others have voiced similar, reasonable opinions as yours spike.

 

[pinus]

Sad story in all the aspects, especially for TonyM. It seems that the real reason for dealership cancellation is hided under some another "stone".
Anyway, if I was in such situation and wanted to continue with saws selling I`d going with Makita, and took its electric power tools into shop too. May be that is quite utopic in yours case
I have seen Stihl and Dolmar saws-trimmers lines sold in parallel in the same shop, not Makita and Dolmar

 

[TonyM]

I do not know how I can make it any clearer. I have already stated that I thought the boycott was maybe not the best idea. As far as Dolmar or CPS, I do not need them, my customers do. They are not doing me any favors by "Allowing" me to be a dealer. I guess I should not publicly have called for a boycott, but I do feel I publicly should have shared this unethical and unthankful treatment by CPS. All I know is I have loyal customers looking to buy a saw here and there, and it would be nice to have a line to offer.

 

[sedanman]

Tony, now would be a good time to ask the administators to lock this thread and let it die, or ask for it to be deleted.

 

[blackjack]

Why lock a thread?, I'm a grown man with enough curiosity and intelligence to be able to read differing points of view about this situation and make my own mind up about Dolmar, CPS, and Tony. I've gleaned a peek under the tent of manufacturers, distributors and dealership which I hadn't had before this discussion. Isn't this the point of forums?

 

[hydro2]

Tony, now would be a good time to ask the administators to lock this thread and let it die, or ask for it to be deleted.

I been just reading and watching, I am not sure why he would want the moderators to lock the thread. I think that it is important for consumers to know what position Dolmar has taken concerning its dealers. How Dolmar treats its dealers has a direct correlation on how it will treat its customers. I don't know anything about Tony, but obviously he is well liked as a dealer and a shop. We don’t have any Dolmar shops around my area, but you can be sure I would not buy one now if we were to get a shop. Good business sense for Dolmar would be to try to negotiate a deal with Tony and permit him to continue to sell saws and parts. Dolmar must not be too concerned about the saws Tony has already sold and the customers wanting parts for those saws.

 

[cuttinscott]

Let me clear things up a little... I have been selling and servicing Dolmar saws and related items since 1979.. Hey you know what that was even before Dolmar had a USA importer.. So I was one of the first dealers in The good ole USA. At that time who heard of Sachs-Dolmar?????? NO ONE had. So as far as Tony M. saying he is pioneering a product to his market he is not he may be refreshing a market that once did exist.. Yes I have been through a few distributors through the years but I am still here selling and servicing Dolmar product to my customers.. Do I exist alone by saw sales and service NO WAY.. We also sell commercial mowers, and landscape equip., Also full line of firewood splitters and processors. Any of the lines I carry with the exception of Exmark we started from scratch. When no one even knew or heard of our lines. Our dealership is at the point now that it doesn't really matter what line we sell because our customers appreciate the service and support we give. Back to This topic.. Our first year with Sachs-Dolmar we did well over $20k in sales out of our basement part time. 4 years later we became full time with a rented storefront on main street and worked out of there for 15 years. Then in early 2002 the building we were renting was sold out from under us and we had to make major decisions on our future. Well we took the plunge got a piece of property put up a new steel building and signed a huge bank note.. Here we sit now almost 4 years later, and grossing well over a million in sales last year saying how did we survive out of the house or even out of main street rented facility. Our business has more than doubled and still climbing since we fully committed our selves into being in business. Any improvements we now make to our facility only help strengthen our commitment to our customers which makes more sales etc. I wish Tony could have succeeded like we did in 79' we had hard times as well as good times but we are still here. But todays economy does not let you start small with no commitment you have to show suppliers and customers you are committed to each. As far as CPS they did not sign Tony as a dealer he was signed by the previous distributor. Who was not as fussy on their requirements. I wish Tony and CPS could resolve this but I know it will prob not happen unless Tony does 2 things OPEN FULL TIME, AND STOCK HEAVIER INVENTORIES. This reminds me of another guy on this forum who wanted to take EFCO as a line but did not want to floorplan or meet stocking requirments so he said no thanks to Tilton Equip. BTW could someone tell me any saw distributor that has less requirments thad CPS asked of Tony. I would also like to thank all my past distributors who helped me suceed with this line 1st year bootlegged from Canada,then Niemeyer Corp. from Pa.,then DD TERRELL in Maine, then RD Faulkner in Maine, Then Dan Hudon sales in NY which is where i met Spike60 who was my rep. Then back to RD Faulkner, Then to Kimbers in central NY and NOW WITH API From Castleton NY (1 hr and 10 min drive if needed) - a sister company to CPS which has made dealing with Dolmar product easier and more organised than it ever has been. So this is my 2 cents.
SCOTT

 

[TimberPig]

Tony, now would be a good time to ask the administators to lock this thread and let it die, or ask for it to be deleted.

I think a better plan would be to change the title of the thread. Something that more accurately conveys the true meaning of the thread, to discuss how TonyM feels he has been unfairly treated by CPS, rather than asking for a boycott of Dolmar. Boycotting the product when your beef is with their distributor isn't a particularly fruitful endeavour, and I don't really believe that was the original intent of the thread. The intent as I read it was to try and discuss how unfairly Tony had been treated by CPS, and to possibly rally some sort of compromise that would see him reinstated.

I for one have a hard time boycotting a product because of the actions of its distributors, when the product is worthy of your support. The dealer and the product mean more to the customer than the distributor ever could, but the distributor in this case is hurting the customer by pulling the dealership of a dealer who is committed to his customers, serving them well. Somewhere in here there has to be some room for at least an explanation by CPS as to why they simply cancelled Tony without any explanation or forewarning. A simple explanation from them, perhaps some discussion, and I am sure some kind of agreement could have been reached. Sadly, it appears they don't even feel their actions are worthy of the courtesy of explaining their reasoning and offering a chance to meet their expectations.

For myself, it really is quite immaterial, as the lack of a servicing dealer where I live, and the decision to not offer a wrap handle for those of us in the western side of the continent, pretty much prevents serious consideration of Dolmar for my next saw purchase.

 

[spike60]

I don't think that we can expect either CPS or Dolmar to join us here in the Salem witch trials.

These matters need to be resolved by the parties involved, assuming that they are all mature enough to do so. They are NEVER resolved in a public forum such as this, where all of the posters can pretend that they are part of the inqusition.

As I've tried to point out to Tony, there are certain rules of conduct that need to be followed if you expect to resolve issues such as this. A public call for a boycott, against the wrong party no less, was, is, and will continue to be, the wrong strategy.

To make matters worse, in Tony's last post, instead of coming up with something positive, he states that he doesn't need either CPS or Dolmar. He says that MAYBE he was wrong to call for a boycott. Now that's a nice way to bury the hatchet, isn't it?

I hate to do this but it needs to be said........

Not to demean Tony's attempts to get his business going, but who needs him? What vendor needs a part time shop, that is selling oh, about 16 saws a YEAR? Half of them mail order; meaning that he is pumping a whopping 8 saws per year, about ONE SAW every month and a half into his loyal local customer base. How will Dolmar ever be able to withstand such a financial loss? Those numbers, combined with this boycott stunt, will certainly not make Tony's shop very attractive to other suppliers.

Doesn't anybody see that this is far more damaging to Tony than it is to Dolmar? Apparently not his lawyer friend, whose letter was typical of his profession: loaded with words; lacking of substance.

Just imagine that you are the sales manager for another saw company. You are reading this thread and seeing all of the mud that is being thrown at Dolmar. You know the situation and Tony's numbers. Then you get a call that he wants to sell YOUR brand. Gonna run right down there and sign him up?

Sedanman;
You think that this thread should be deleted? That would be the greatest blow to entertainment since CBS cancelled the Ed Sullivan Show.

 

[TimberPig]

I don't think that we can expect either CPS or Dolmar to join us here in the Salem witch trials.

These matters need to be resolved by the parties involved, assuming that they are all mature enough to do so. They are NEVER resolved in a public forum such as this, where all of the posters can pretend that they are part of the inqusition.

No they will never do that because it would open them up far too much to attacks. There is no reason for them or any need for them to explain their reasoning here, but I feel they they should have told Tony in advance what was happening, and have given him a chance, rather than just dropping him, and letting him find out when he went to order parts. I still think they owe him a chance to make it a go. If they want a bigger commitment from him, and he can't do it, then so be it. But to drop him without explanation or even a chance to make his case, without any explanation is a poor business practice and reflects poorly on both CPS and Dolmar. Unfortunately for Tony, the chance was never given, no explanation was provided, and likely, nothing will ever come from it besides the bitter taste left from their conduct and this thread.

 

[sedanman]

I been just reading and watching, I am not sure why he would want the moderators to lock the thread. I think that it is important for consumers to know what position Dolmar has taken concerning its dealers. How Dolmar treats its dealers has a direct correlation on how it will treat its customers. I don't know anything about Tony, but obviously he is well liked as a dealer and a shop. We don’t have any Dolmar shops around my area, but you can be sure I would not buy one now if we were to get a shop. Good business sense for Dolmar would be to try to negotiate a deal with Tony and permit him to continue to sell saws and parts. Dolmar must not be too concerned about the saws Tony has already sold and the customers wanting parts for those saws.

Hydro, YOU ARE NOT GETTING THE POINT, DOLMAR HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS! NOTHING AT ALL. If you were a distributor, how would you feel about sending a paid representative to a remote dealer that places orders for saws one at a time?, and the dealer in question is not even open during normal business hours? Would it not be a better use of your resources to deal with people ordering by the pallet?, or at least carrying more of the line than just saws?

 

[Elmore]

...I wish Tony and CPS could resolve this but I know it will prob not happen unless Tony does 2 things OPEN FULL TIME, AND STOCK HEAVIER INVENTORIES...

Hydro, YOU ARE NOT GETTING THE POINT, DOLMAR HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS! NOTHING AT ALL. If you were a distributor, how would you feel about sending a paid representative to a remote dealer that places orders for saws one at a time?...Would it not be a better use of your resources to deal with people ordering by the pallet?, or at least carrying more of the line than just saws?

Here is what I posted on 2-10-06 : "Yesterday I went down to the closest Dolmar dealer to me...the bicycle shop. I asked them about a 5100 and looked around. They still only had a ps-34 and a 401 in stock and a Husky saw but they said they could order me anything and have it within 2 days. I want to look at and feel the saw. Really I would prefer to crank it up and operate it."

This is Dolmar's most recent...latest dealer in this area. The one who is apparently getting preference over a small dealer (a real saw shop) already in this town. For months they have only had these two small Dolmar saws. Months ago they told me they were getting many more but I think they were talkin' out their neck.
The distributer is SEDCO. In my oppinion Makita/Dolmar is not managing their distributors properly. This is a problem for customers, dealers and therefore Dolmar. Makita/Dolmar has got a lot to do with these type situations. They need to control their distributors and be sure that there is consistancy in the marketing of Dolmar products. This situation down here sucks.
__________________

 

[clearance]

Ultimately, I feel that Dolmar is responsible, like when the Exxon Valdez went up on the rocks, did the investigators go looking for the engineers mate, or the deckhands? Where is the captian? It is like the problem with the ISA, they let any one get certified, good guy or drooling retard, thusly bringing shame and loss of respect on them as a whole. A responsible company that cares about image will try to make sure issues like this never arise, they will keep it in house by controlling distributors closely. Maybe Dolmar knows nothing about this and had nothing to do with the hard feelings that have occurred, maybe they do, either way it is negligence or indifference, both not good for the bottom line.

 

[hydro2]

Hydro, YOU ARE NOT GETTING THE POINT, DOLMAR HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS! NOTHING AT ALL. If you were a distributor, how would you feel about sending a paid representative to a remote dealer that places orders for saws one at a time?, and the dealer in question is not even open during normal business hours? Would it not be a better use of your resources to deal with people ordering by the pallet?, or at least carrying more of the line than just saws?

It does concern Dolmar, because they are ultimately the supplier. Yes they may ship to a distributor, but I would think that they make policy and have input of who sells and who does not. Why would a customer rep. have to go to a remote area to deliver saws? Are they not brought by UPS and the like? It may be easier for Dolmar to sell pallets to their dealers, but this is not about what is easiest for Dolmar, it is about the how satisfied the consumer is in the end. A satisfied consumer leads to more happy customers. As a customer I would much rather deal with a saw shop that sells only saws and not leaf blowers, weed eaters, snow blowers and the like. I want someone who knows saws and saws only. They are going to be interested in my business, because saws are their business. If I wanted a box store service, I would buy a Poulan or Homolite. Maybe that is Dolmar's intended target and if so, then I suppose my train of thought is wrong. I love businesses that are open “after hours” because I work and “after hours” hours allow me to get there. If the store closes at 5:00 I can’t get there.