[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

Consider yourself lucky.

As you would probably know, the old Stihl dealer here was on High Street in the middle of town. They were quite a big dealer, very good service, carried parts, helpful. Going back 20+ years, they lost the Stihl distribution and changed to Echo.

The local John Deere dealer then took on Stihl...................and then the problems started. Initially, the Stihl side of the store was too small, and the workshop was shared with the John Deere, which is a very different set of skills dealing with a $500,000 tractor compared to a 2-stroke chainsaw. They later got their own store(s) and workshop.

In defense, the Stihl manager is very good at his job, knows the product back to front and will go out of his way to help commercial customers. But if you don't get him, you end up with one of the other staff members who are just there to sell new machines. Once you move beyond buying a new tool, its confusion city. Maybe I should ask for a job, show them how to do it?

No wonder these companies are loving the transition to battery electric, there is virtually no service and repairs other than consumables. "Yeah, nah, can't be repaired, just chuck it away and buy a new one."

The Wang Stihl / Deere store is only Ride On-Yard tractor size so quite knowledgeable with small engine stuff. The Stihl store in Benalla is similar.