Founded in 2008. The Landscape Juice Network (LJN) is the largest and fastest growing professional landscaping and horticultural association in the United Kingdom.
LJN's professional business forum is unrivalled and open to anyone within within the UK landscape industry
LJN's Business Objectives Group (BOG) is for any Pro serious about building their business.
For the researching visitor there's a wealth of landscaping ideas, garden design ideas, lawn advice tips and advice about garden maintenance.
Replies
What's 10% in the great scheme of things? Build up a relationship with the local dealer and it will save you many £££'s over the years.
Besides if you purchase from a dealer and encounter machine breakdown most of the good ones will loan you a machine or at worst get you back up and running quickly. Can't put a price on that.
No and would suggest the saving is not sufficient to negate potential problems.
Often drop shipped (ie you have to build up) and thus not PDI'd or oil'd up. Revs may not have been set and cables adjusted.
If any warranty issues you will be expected to return to base.
If you need such kit for your job, it is vital to build a relationship with a good dealer who will respond to your requests for help when something (which it will) breaks.
There is no incentive for a dealer to help you when you've cut him out of the loop.
For smaller, simpler (..and more disposable) items then perhaps yes.
Just my 2 cents worth.
cheers for the replys guys, general consensus is would be a bad idea, think i will just stick to local dealer
john doonan said:
indeed colin, did have my own reservations about it ive always used local dealers up til now thats why i asked on here before going ahead and buying anything
The discussion migrated to what most people had found generally from experience of a bricks & mortar dealers vs online stores.
Ultimately you have to make a decision about what's important to your business and how well you would be served by 'that' choice.
For me, I'd never buy a large, expensive piece of kit mail order.
Gary Smith said:
No one has slagged off mail order companies. They have their place and particularly useful if you don't have a local dealer.
The point all of us was making is that a good local dealer / repair shop is essential in this game when we are all heavily dependant on machinery.
We all moan about STIHL and their online selling policy but other manufactures are also going the same route, some are trying to stop online selling completely whilst others have adopted a policy of returning the equipment back to the supplier if making warranty claims.
Being a one man band I by my kit from where ever I feel I get the best price..I buy quality gear that to date hasn't let me down.....a local dealer won't put me to the top of the list if my mower broke down....!?..he may for you larger outfits where you are regular with them but after my purchase I don't think there will be too much loyalty if after 5 years I take it back for a fix and don't get the red carpet treatment ? If something were to break I'd fix it myself...over the yaers I've kept my old kit as spare so have the what if it breaks ooooh I need a dealer bit covered..plus I wouldn't want to stomache the hourly rate they would charge to fix it...
I use various local dealers for odds and sods..if they were to match an online price cool but to be honest most as soon as I mention it pull a very sour face !
So whatever works for you lot is fine but for me so far so good
Vive la difference an all that ;-)
Mark
Mad4mowers is the online business of my local dealer Broadfield Mowers, Sheffield. I bought a husqvarna brushcutter from the site, and then collected it from broadfield mowers, where they set it up for me, and tested it. Not sure why they decided to trade online under a different name.
-
1
-
2
-
3
of 3 Next