c_mayer - 5/19/2024 15:41
twraska - 5/18/2024 09:39
Probably turned into an AGCO bash because they have historically screwed their customers over and over by having half hearted dealers, dealers who took on the brand to nearly keep competitors out and somehow jerking the dealerships from those actually trying to service the area.
With this said,,,, for the past 5 years or so, locally, we’ve actually kept the same dealers. But it’s still difficult for us to embrace an AGCO product knowing the pattern over my farming career and even more difficult to drive 90 miles north and 200 south to get to a servicing when there are other colors much closer.
Then you have their pricing and discounts. 25% discount, then basically nothing, then back to 25% after we make a decision, all within 3 months.
Lastly, the warranty and loaner program seems great on the surface. But when you ask where is the inventory to back it up and it falls apart.
So Deere and CNH haven't also screwed customers and dealer owners with their distribution policies? It is not exclusive to AGCO...and remember, that is a 2 way street, there are laws in most states that an OEM can't arbitrarily pull a dealer agreement, there typically has to be some reasoning or justification.
If the dealers aren't close enough, then it likely doesn't work to try and maintain a relationship with AGCO. Trust me, AGCO knows their dealer organization doesn't have the coverage the other major OEM's do, but you can't fix that overnight, again, there are laws involved in most cases. They know they have strong areas, and weak areas, or just flat bad dealers...but in some cases, as long as the dealer pays their bills, their hands are tied.
Again, tell me an OEM that hasn't had yo-yo discounts...AGCO has been pretty stable on programs for the past 5-10 years from what I know of the sales side...some products fluctuate, but unless they get a glut of certain products laying on dealer lots, the old "closeout days" have been gone for a long time.
The loaner and warranty deal would be a combination of a dealer issue and an AGCO supply issue...the dealer has to keep inventory, and AGCO has to supply it in a timely fashion...it's been rough since 2020 to maintain consistent inventory levels across the industry, so it has put pressure on the dealers to keep repairs moving.
Chris
Ohio Ag Equipment announcement???
