Quote:
Originally Posted by CubDieselFan
You are ready know how we feel about buying from HD and not a dealer so I will not give you a hard time about that.
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I thought of making a separate thread out of this matter, but I'm sure it would be a pretty quick conversation. So, might as well discuss it here for now...
I think I understand the benefits of purchasing from a dealer. And if it wasn't for my military discount at HD, I would have. But it seems to me that many people put a much higher value on those benefits than I would.
Let's see what I think those benefits are:
"
When you buy a mower from us, we'll make sure it's assembled correctly and we’ll take care of you when you bring it in for servicing".
Am I missing any other benefit which a dealer provides? (Seriously). If not, then:
Since HD also assembled it correctly (aside from the tire pressure), that particular benefit is a wash.
Thus, the primary benefit of purchasing from a dealer is the "
We'll take care of you" benefit. Still, as this is a highly intangible and uncertain benefit, it's really hard to put a monetary value on it.
So, what does it really mean for a dealer to take care of their customers?
- Preferential priority when bringing-in a mower for servicing? Yes.
- Discounts on parts? Perhaps.
- Servicing packages which only come with a purchase from them? Perhaps.
I may be overlooking another benefit. If I am, please let me know as I've never purchased a mower from a dealer. So, if I’m correct above, here's what I’m thinking:
- The warranty on my Cub Cadet is a manufacturer’s warranty, is it not? Thus, if I have an issue during the warranty period, then I should be able to bring the mower (that I purchased from Home Depot) to a local dealer for the warranty work. Or am I sorely mistaken?
I get that the dealer will frown upon it being a HD purchase, and as such, my mower will likely get put at the end of the line. They may prioritize taking time off for a shop picnic over servicing my mower. And they may order any needed parts on a low priority basis, etc, etc. I get all that. But still, the warranty work WILL get done, correct?
With my 10% discount on the $3,599 price, and factoring-in a 9.5% sales tax, I saved $395 by purchasing from Home Depot. For that savings, I can accept having my repair work by the local dealer pushed to the back of their priority list. Especially since I intend on doing all the regular maintenance myself.
The point of this post is to share how I see things, so that I can tap on your experience to help me understand what I may be overlooking! I mean, it’s not like a dealer will purposely do shoddy work just because it’s a Home Depot purchase, right? At least I hope not.
