A dealer contacted me this week with an issue that they have been facing in their business recently.
I thought it was worth raising it here to see if other lawn and garden dealers have been coming up against a similar problem - and if so, I thought it could be useful for others to share their thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
Ben from Midlands Grounds Machinery in Solihull told me they have been facing problems regarding the many varieties of Chinese-made machines purchased by customers either online or in the sheds, when they arrive at their workshop.
Ben said, "We occasionally get the odd Qualcast branded (now Spear & Jackson or similar) brought in by customers who want them fixed. However we have to sometimes deny them the option as there are no parts readily available - unless the customer is willing to buy them out of their own money.
"We can only help with the bare minimum on these machines with elements such as engines (if say a Briggs and Stratton is engine fitted), pull cords or the odd universal cable (if they fit).
"What frustrates me," continued Ben, "is that the main parts suppliers for these machines never offer a trade set-up for ordering parts - only a general public purchasing system. This can be expensive if we bought them, as we would have to buy them with VAT added on. We would then of course have to cover this price, passing on the cost to the customer.
"As you can imagine, this can sometimes upset potential customers who will have spent their money on a new machine that has only lasted a maximum of between 1 to 3 years. To be then told it is going to be expensive and they will need to buy a new mower already doesn't go down too well!
"I know some of these mowers are not usually the best in the world, but you wouldn't see a budget car manufacturer launch a product and not make parts accessible to trade customers who want to help other customers.
"If we as machinery dealers were aware of who the manufacturers were who made these machines and what the equivalent mower brands were that some dealerships sell, we could help the customers. Or if we could get these manufactures to talk to the big trade parts suppliers to facilitate parts to trade customers nationwide rather than denying trade customers, we'd be in a much healthier position."
So what do our readers think? Is this a scenario you recognise? What do you find yourselves doing when you are in a similar position?
And what do you think can be done to rectify the situation? What could make your lives easier regarding the parts availability for these Chinese-built machines?
Please leave a comment below this article. We'll collect together a selection to publish in the next edition of Service Dealer magazine.
