This week saw the first SALTEX following a new disrupter to the national turf care show scene launching only a few weeks ago. 

As such, I was fascinated to discover just how the show would look and feel in its wake. Would there be obvious changes to the event itself in reaction to the young upstart? Would exhibitors be ruing the lack of outdoor exhibition space? And, crucially, would fewer punters walk through the NEC's doors having only recently attended a major show for their sector?

Well as it turned out, certainly one fewer punter made the trip. Namely, me. Unfortunately I began feeling unwell on Monday and on Tuesday I dug out a test from the back of the cupboard to confirm I was very Covid positive.

I don't know if any of our readers have experienced the joys of the latest variant, but it feels worse to me than when I had it back at Christmas 2021. I certainly wouldn't recommend. So the upshot is, I stayed away.

As you can see today though, the Service Dealer and TurfPro teams were out in force around the halls. They told me there was a palpably positive atmosphere, feeling busier than many had perhaps expected. You can see and read some more about it today here.

Honda statement

Thank you to all our dealer readers who contributed their voices to our piece about Honda in the Weekly Update last week. Reflecting the views of our readership is what the magazine prides itself on.

You may remember that we put some concerns to Honda that we had received from dealer reader, Peter Massey of Masseys, about the manufacturer's payment of warranty claims. Honda offered a short statement in return that read:

"We aren't able to comment on individual warranty claim cases, however, dealer satisfaction is extremely important to us and we are constantly reviewing our processes.

"With a view to improve our dealer communications, we have recently implemented a dedicated telephone line for our dealers to raise any queries about outstanding warranty claims. We welcome our networks' feedback and will continue to work with them on a partnership basis going forward."

This brief response, perhaps understandably, elicited plenty of strong feedback from our dealer readers who will have first-hand experience of the manufacturer's policies.

You can go back and read through all the below-the-line comments here, but some brief quotes, amongst many, that particularly stood out for me included:

• "The current Power Equipment management have a total disrespect for not only the smaller independent dealer but also their own staff members."
• "Rejection of valid claims is so frustrating!"
• "Their dealer Extranet is so unnecessarily complex & over complicated that they actually have their own webinar course for it."
• "Customer services promise the earth to customers, warranty department reject claims."
• "Honda owe us a fortune in unpaid warranty"
• "They treated us like idiots with little or no support and antiquated systems."

Also, commenting on the Service Dealer website, Keith Christian, wrote, "Warranty issues with suppliers are the most enduring point of dissatisfaction within the dealer network. Reduced labour rates, short job times and a lack of compensation for delivery and collection, along with increased administration costs, has been a bone of contention for over 100 years.

"It is time the suppliers and manufacturers who do not recognise the cost of warranty to their dealer network did something about it."

Strong words all round. So in the interest of balance, considering there wasn't one single comment defending Honda, I contacted the company again this week (from my home sick desk) pointing out to them the wealth of negative comments that their statement had received - and would they like to say anything in return.

I received the following:

"Thank you for the opportunity to respond however we have no further comment to add at this time."

Now of course, Honda are under absolutely zero obligation to say anything to our publication. However, one might have thought that they would want to address what appears to be some serious ill-feeling amongst people who are supposed be their partners?

And bear in mind, these comments aren't from teenagers throwing shade on TikTok over a One Direction video - these are thoughtful comments made by serious business owners, trying to conduct a professional relationship with a supplying manufacturer.

I suspect this could rumble on.