In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

The Death of DOLMAR

Discussion in 'Chainsaws and Power Equipment' started by Hatchetdancer, Jan 18, 2022.

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  1. HoneyFuzz

    HoneyFuzz

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    I'm gonna look into those...thanks !
     
    HoneyFuzz, Mar 23, 2022
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  2. Eggshooterist

    Eggshooterist

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    Amazon has them. I purchased one from car quest once as well.
     
    Eggshooterist, Mar 23, 2022
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  3. Swanman

    Swanman

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    Same deal up here. Murdoch’s ranch and home sells Stihl. Homeowner through 500i and 661. They have a guy that can fuel a saw and maybe riches the mixture if it is adjustable. They sell chains premade. They ship the saws somewhere else for service. There are 4 other Stihl dealers nearby that all have at least one saw tech around. In my opinion Murdoch’s is just another box store.
     
    Swanman, Mar 23, 2022
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  4. HoneyFuzz

    HoneyFuzz

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    Sounds like maybe Stihl is working in a grey area of there own policy .
    Nothing ever stays the same it seems !
     
    HoneyFuzz, Mar 23, 2022
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  5. HoneyFuzz

    HoneyFuzz

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    Seems like a grey area of the definition of "service technician " or "service facility" . I hate this if it's true. I'm not a Stihl guy by any means ...but always tipped my hat to them for keeping there dealer/service stuff tight. Like around here..it was a little Amish shop ....and a big family yard and garden shop that handled Stihl.
    Then the Amish shop got dropped. .Now the local Kubota dealership carries them. The ace hardware up the road did for a short time...but that didn't work out.
    Me personally...I see no problem buying Echo or Husqvarna at a big box store or online.. cuz I'm gonna get it home and do a once over on it..and tune it right. Not everyone is gonna do that unfortunately. My 562xp was a gift from my wife..that came from the internet. I took it to the local dealer for a carb issue. He was happy to work on it. He said that a person can buy them cheaper alot of times online...and that he makes more money on fixing them anyhow.
    Ok....that might be it for my rambling today !
     
    HoneyFuzz, Mar 23, 2022
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  6. HoneyFuzz

    HoneyFuzz

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    Edit to above post..I never thought I'd be old enough to start having old timer stories....about how things were different when I was younger :rofl: :lol:
     
    HoneyFuzz, Mar 23, 2022
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  7. MasterMech

    MasterMech The Mechanical Moderator

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    I don't understand this mentality.

    You make diddly squat on new whole goods (especially entry-level consumer stuff) compared to service labor and replacement parts. Let the box-stores fight over a razor-thin margin on a one-time sale. It's what they do best after all. When Deere started selling at Sears (Sabres were sold in Sears stores for a bit), HD, and Lowes, it was the best thing ever for us as a servicing dealer. They pushed out more volume in a couple weekends than we would have all year. We got paid to do pre-delivery inspections (You betcha our name was stickered on every machine!), we got all the warranty $$$ (you get paid to wrench on the machines and the OEM buys the parts), each warranty service was a new customer contact that normally wouldn't have come looking for us, and in addition to selling a bunch of parts and maintenance on these units, we converted a fair portion of these customers to premium units like the LT/LX/GT series and later on, the X300/X500 series. Unfortunately, much of the conversion comes from the fallout of folks just walking into a store, waving their credit card at a machine with the most HP and deck width their budget would support. Of course, store staff was trained to take money and move metal. IF the customer got to talk to anyone in-store, that conversation went like this:

    "Hi, I'd like to buy a mower, I have a fairly large property, about 4 acres to mow."

    "Nice! 4 acres is a lot, this L130 has 23 HP and a 48" deck. It's the biggest mower we have in stock right now."

    "Great! I'd also like a 17 cart, a bagger, and a snowplow attachment. Can you deliver it tomorrow?" :doh::picard:

    More often than not however, Joe homeowner stops in on the way home after work, gives the line-up a glance, tears off the tag for the model they've selected, and heads for the register.

    Then they're wondering why it's falling apart and needs a transmission 3-4 years in. It's a delicate conversation to have with a customer who's just been informed his/her 4 year old machine will cost more to repair than replace with another not-green box store model. :hair:
     
    Last edited: Mar 23, 2022
    MasterMech, Mar 23, 2022
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  8. Camber

    Camber

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    I can understand that having lived in SC for years before returning home. Traveling is easy there. Small state, huge population equals lots of options to get service work done. I wouldn't let it get you flustered. It would take experience living up here to understand how this would affect a business in rural Montana.:cheers:
     
    Camber, Mar 23, 2022
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  9. MasterMech

    MasterMech The Mechanical Moderator

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    I guess I don't understand the problem. I grew up rural (but not in MT), I've lived suburban. And I've never worked on OPE (for a living anyways) in SC. ;)

    If I'm the only shop for many miles, how much competitor-sold service work is coming in the door? I just don't see why someone would turn down many dollars in service work just because they didn't make pocket change selling the unit new. If there was a big-box store in the next biggest dot on the map pumping out low-margin equipment, that was driving people in my door looking for parts/service, how is that an unwelcome thing? If the goal is to build loyalty among the limited local population, telling them to scram because they bought the saw somewhere else sure doesn't seem like a great strategy either. If they bought it from another dealer, they aren't in your shop because they had a fantastic experience there and just want to try you out. It's likely because they heard you can help.
     
    MasterMech, Mar 25, 2022
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  10. Camber

    Camber

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    Yes. That's ok though. It doesn't really apply to you at all. I'd probably have to explain it in a phone call.
     
    Camber, Mar 25, 2022
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  11. Ohio

    Ohio

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    Looks like a lot of the online retailers are sold out of the 7900...

    Screenshot_2023-01-04-19-32-16.png

    Screenshot_2023-01-04-19-37-13.png
     
    Ohio, Jan 4, 2023
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  12. Horkn

    Horkn

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    Horkn, Jan 5, 2023
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  13. T.Jeff Veal

    T.Jeff Veal

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    T.Jeff Veal, Jan 5, 2023
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  14. Ohio

    Ohio

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    I was looking for 7900 but I found this one in the front yard and I'm going to keep it.

    0105231341_Film2-1.jpg
     
    Ohio, Jan 5, 2023
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  15. T.Jeff Veal

    T.Jeff Veal

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    How lucky can you get. Wonder where it came from? Our local dealer had a couple a few months ago.
     
    T.Jeff Veal, Jan 5, 2023
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  16. RCBS

    RCBS

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    Not to worry...the ccp is probably already arranging to buy the tooling. There will be purple Dolkitas in the future. That said, I basically stole a 7900 on cyber monday. Not letting this legend escape me. Now to find a way to scoop a 395 before it gets dodo'ed by Hoosky. Big spend for me knowing I make zero dollars with my saws, but I want one.
     
    RCBS, Jan 6, 2023
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  17. Horkn

    Horkn

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    Did it have any tags or a collar on it? Does it respond to any particular name better than others?

    Good Boy!:thumbs:
     
    Horkn, Jan 7, 2023
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  18. Ohio

    Ohio

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    No tag, but responds when called bubba.
     
    Ohio, Jan 7, 2023
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  19. RCBS

    RCBS

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    If you are in the market for a Makita, best get your hands on. Privied to remaining stock levels at Makita this morning. Still some 7900s though no heated handles...looks like 163 total between PRZ1 & PRZ2. 10 total 7300s with heat, 26 total all together. Plenty of 6100s, about 40 5600s. 4 total 50cc with heat. 150 or so of the others. Over 1000 4300s left.
     
    RCBS, Jan 24, 2023
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