Hustler Mowers Being Sold at Lowes and Home Depot

[Kiss4aFrog]

And as a dealer you have a commercial or very well heeled residential customer base you are used to dealing with and now joe average comes in with his cheap husky and wants repairs NOW. You didn't make the $$$ on the sale. He is going back to a box store for his blades, belts and only comes to you when he has to or to try to get it free under warranty, this is a customer you want ??

There was one dealer, not sure the brand that charged a residential customer a "registration" fee ($30??) before he'd perform warranty work since he hadn't bought the machine from him. That was a hotly discussed topic. The owner of the machine complained to the manufacturer and was told the manufacturer didn't have control over the dealers as they were independent owners.

The way Ariens came out with SnoTec as a less expensive entry consumer model so should Husky. Nothing wrong with going for a wider market and having a wider spread of price points but you want to make sure to differentiate your premium product. Toro has residential and commercial they just didn't separate the brand. In today's market I think it makes more sense to put a separate name in there for the entry level stuff but to still make a good product to protect your name. Toro didn't but they evolved in a different era and they've managed to keep both the residential and commercial quality respectable.

 

[davbell22602]

And as a dealer you have a commercial or very well heeled residential customer base you are used to dealing with and now joe average comes in with his cheap husky and wants repairs NOW. You didn't make the $$$ on the sale. He is going back to a box store for his blades, belts and only comes to you when he has to or to try to get it free under warranty, this is a customer you want ??

There was one dealer, not sure the brand that charged a residential customer a "registration" fee ($30??) before he'd perform warranty work since he hadn't bought the machine from him. That was a hotly discussed topic. The owner of the machine complained to the manufacturer and was told the manufacturer didn't have control over the dealers as they were independent owners.

The way Ariens came out with SnoTec as a less expensive entry consumer model so should Husky. Nothing wrong with going for a wider market and having a wider spread of price points but you want to make sure to differentiate your premium product. Toro has residential and commercial they just didn't separate the brand. In today's market I think it makes more sense to put a separate name in there for the entry level stuff but to still make a good product to protect your name. Toro didn't but they evolved in a different era and they've managed to keep both the residential and commercial quality respectable.

I can sell Troy Built equipment as a dealer through one of my distributors but refuse to cause Lowes sells them. Plus I dont know what models Lowes sells in my area.

 

[MRCo.]

I just signed with Hustler....my first mowers arrive tomorrow. I'm not pleased. I see the whole moving units makes the company money, but wh not use the Big Dog models? They are aimed lower anyway. It makes no difference to Excel, they build both so they make either way. I'm trying to promote Hustler as a quality rig from Raptor up in a market that isn't familiar with the brand and I feel like that immediately undermines what I'm doing. And HD AND Lowes? Both? How the hell did they swing that? They don't like to share brands.

 

[LoCo86]

I just signed with Hustler....my first mowers arrive tomorrow. I'm not pleased. I see the whole moving units makes the company money, but wh not use the Big Dog models?

Because Hustler is a more prominent brand. I mean would you rather own a Ford Taurus or a BMW 1 series?

 

[MRCo.]

I just signed with Hustler....my first mowers arrive tomorrow. I'm not pleased. I see the whole moving units makes the company money, but wh not use the Big Dog models?

Because Hustler is a more prominent brand. I mean would you rather own a Ford Taurus or a BMW 1 series?

You seriously think the big box buyer knows that? They all think a Husqy 455 is a full commercial chainsaw...

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

Because Hustler is a more prominent brand. I mean would you rather own a Ford Taurus or a BMW 1 series?

Depends on who is making the payments, paying the insurance and having to do the repairs. :tongue:

What we are talking about is same brand different name. More like do you want to go to the Dealer and buy a Mercury Sable or go to Home Depot and get the less expensive Ford Taurus. With Ariens they go with SnoTek by Ariens so they tie the Ariens name in there but you know it's a Sno Tek and not a full blow more expensive orange Ariens.

I do think the "average" guy does do some research before he drops the $$$ on a new machine and word of mouth makes a difference too. The trick is where does he go for that info and what info does he find. Like above with the chainsaw, he's seen husqy and people talking about then being professional grade and thinks the expensive saw is professional. Expensive at the box store that is. He likely didn't see the $1,000 plus saws as that isn't what he was researching. There is so much marketing hype out there it's hard to cut through it as every manufacturer wants to call their cheapest crap the best they can, it's marketing. I'm sure Hustler is going to try and market the stuff at the box store as being professional grade or close to it.

 

[Ric]

Honda, Toro, and Echo all have equipment at Home Depot. That doesn't mean they can't have a good reputation.

Ask yourself a question, Why doe you visit Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, Kmart or Target instead of say JC Pennys, Sears knowing that what they sell are seconds or low quality stuff at best. I think everyone knows theses stores don't sell quality, the sell quantity that's how they do business and the public just eats it up because the can save a few bucks at that moment when in reality it cost them more in the long run. The reason Hustler and others use HD & lowes is to sell there low end residential mowers like the Raptor to the public because they can't sell them at the dealers, I mean really when you walk into a dealer and you start looking at a ZTR like Super Z or an X1 your saying wow, so what are the chances your going to walk out the door with the Raptor??????? That's why they want them in department stores. What will happen to the Raptor will be the same as Cub Cadet's line of cheap ZTR along with some others the mowers will go away and will no longer be made because the company lost there butt on them.

You think that Echo doesn't hurt there reputation selling at HD? I have two dealers within nine miles of me and the one I deal with when you walk in the front door what do you see, three and a half full walls of Stihl Chains saws, pole saws, Trimmers, edgers, hedge trimmers and blowers everything Stihl, where's the Echo stuff, it's in the back room where nobody goes and why because he can't sell the stuff because anyone who wants the Echo stuff goes to HD even though he sells if for the same price. So tell me about hurting themselves or there Reputation, What type of Reputation do they get when a guy walks into a dealer with a Echo Trimmer to get warranty work done and they tell he has to have a sales receipt and warranty card before they'll work on it and he has neither and the sales person tells him take it back to HD where he purchased it.

 

[LoCo86]

Ask yourself a question, Why doe you visit Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, Kmart or Target instead of say JC Pennys, Sears knowing that what they sell are seconds or low quality stuff at best. I think everyone knows theses stores don't sell quality, the sell quantity that's how they do business and the public just eats it up because the can save a few bucks at that moment when in reality it cost them more in the long run. The reason Hustler and others use HD & lowes is to sell there low end residential mowers like the Raptor to the public because they can't sell them at the dealers, I mean really when you walk into a dealer and you start looking at a ZTR like Super Z or an X1 your saying wow, so what are the chances your going to walk out the door with the Raptor??????? That's why they want them in department stores. What will happen to the Raptor will be the same as Cub Cadet's line of cheap ZTR along with some others the mowers will go away and will no longer be made because the company lost there butt on them. You think that Echo doesn't hurt there reputation selling at HD? I have two dealers within nine miles of me and the one I deal with when you walk in the front door what do you see, three and a half full walls of Stihl Chains saws, pole saws, Trimmers, edgers, hedge trimmers and blowers everything Stihl, where's the Echo stuff, it's in the back room where nobody goes and why because he can't sell the stuff because anyone who wants the Echo stuff goes to HD even though he sells if for the same price. So tell me about hurting themselves or there Reputation, What type of Reputation do they get when a gut walks into a dealer with a Echo Trimmer to get warranty work done and they tell he has to have a sales receipt and warranty card before they'll work on it and he has neither and the sales person tells him take it back to HD where he purchased it.

If you do buy your equipment at Lowes or Home Depot why then would you take it to a dealer instead of bringing it back to where you bought it and returning or exchanging it. When I first started I had a Poulan hand held blower that I had for almost a year and took it back and exchanged it for a new one with no questions asked.

 

[exotion]

If you do buy your equipment at Lowes or Home Depot why then would you take it to a dealer instead of bringing it back to where you bought it and returning or exchanging it. When I first started I had a Poulan hand held blower that I had for almost a year and took it back and exchanged it for a new one with no questions asked.

How? Did you have the recipt or box?

 

[LoCo86]

How? Did you have the recipt or box?

Yes I had the receipt no box. I exchanged it for another took it home tried to start it, of course it wouldn't so I had to take it back and exchanged it for another and it worked just fine. I ended up giving it to my Papaw when I up graded to a Stihl backpack blower.