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Box store John Deere mowers

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2010-08-10          172979

Yesterday I needed some replacment furnace vents, so off to Lowes. Lowes have the neat little electric scooter carts that I use to get around there, Memards have common wheelchairs so I don't go there much.
The scooter I got was a bit slow, didn't quite keep up with the rotation of the earth. The kind little lady at the info desk said the furnace things were WAAAAAY at the back, almost in another time zone.
Anyhow along my slow tour of Lowes I passed the John Deere mowers so I stopped to let the little scooter catch it's breath bit, and have a look. Now it really is understandable why people will buy them. There were three riders and one stick steer, the riders were from, I might be off a bit but I think from 1399. to 21something and the stick steer was 2700. Ok, they sure look genuine Deere, and I doubt that a Deere dealer can come close on money, we are here, we need a mower, the Deere dealer is twenty miles away, why not.
Frank.


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Box store John Deere mowers

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auerbach
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 2168 West of Toronto
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2010-08-10          172982

No personal experience but will paraphrase two comments (in different threads) from a site for lawn-care companies.

"Don't survey us about early problems because even the cheapies work fine in the first year."

"Those mass-market Deeres? Fine if you plan on junking it after a couple years. Makes you wonder about the quality of the professional models -- if they can't get it right for the home user."

....

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Box store John Deere mowers

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2010-08-10          172983

Auer;
Your second quote about the "Mass Market Deeres" still keeps me wondering why Deere would have other than my "roudabout advertising gimmick theory", would put their logo on them.
Frank. ....

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greg_g
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1816 Western Kentucky
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2010-08-10          172992

I was leery about the branding on BB store yard & garden stuff, so I ponied up for a proper x500 from a real JD dealer. In discussing this box store phenomenon, he said JD was really taking a hit because of the bad rep the cheap green and yellow stuff was giving them. Starting this year, all JDs sold in the BB stores will be assembled and checked out by a local JD dealer. After that, warranties will be honored by JD, rather than the BB store.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's the story I got from the guy that sold me the new x500

//greg// ....

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Box store John Deere mowers

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2010-08-10          172998

One of the JD reps told us that it was JD themselves that got the turf care industry started calling them "Lawn Deeres" in the hopes that it would accomplish two things;

1. Keep people from coming up with an even more derogatory term for them that would then spill over onto the Ag/Construction/Commercial Turf sectors.

2. Keep it in the industry's mind that if you want a professional grade green machine you have to visit a JD store.

He told us that JD studied the idea extensively before jumping into the idea, they still felt the image wouldn't suffer because the people they cared about the most, the 'pro's' wouldn't care because they wouldn't buy one, and the consumers would just throw it away after a few years and buy a new one anyways, just like they do with cars & trucks.

Bottom line, just like all the t-shirts, hats, belt buckles, etc., etc., etc., you can buy with the JD logo on it, they're making a buck every time one sells.


Best of luck. ....

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kthompson
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 5275 South Carolina
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2010-08-11          173015

I do a fair amount of business with Lowes and was not aware they did any service support for anything. They may accept it back but as to service it thought all that was done by the Manufacture service contracts. Which to me means you have no idea who is doing it. Buying such as lawn mower from the BB stores goes so much against one of the often stated here and other places first consideration in buying a tractor...the dealership.

My wife and I were in Lowes the other night to buy part for kitchen faucet that came from there I know soon be 11 years ago. Nope they don't have that part but bring in the old you and they can match it up. Really? So show me the parts for my brand I can pick it out. Sorry we don't have parts for that brand. They still sell the brand. 100% Sure, looked on their web site just now.

As to Brand bashing I will certainly take Lowes over HD.

Think this fits here: had a brother in law who worked for our County with the trash recycling department at one time. He collected a fair supply mostly of push lawn mowers and trimmers people were throwing away for they had the simplest problem and who ever they bought it from had no service.


....

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2010-08-11          173018

Quote:
Originally Posted by greg_g | view 172992
[QUOTE=greg_g;172992] Starting this year, all JDs sold in the BB stores will be assembled and checked out by a local JD dealer. After that, warranties will be honored by JD, rather than the BB store.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's the story I got from the guy that sold me the new x500//greg// [/QUOTE]

I just noticed that part Greg, and to say I'm highly skeptical would be an understatement.

Why would JD warranty something they didn't build or sell?

Their only involvement other than approving the design, graphics, etc., is to collect a royalty from the manufacturer.

That's why JD dealers don't carry the same mowers as the BB stores do, they come from a different company.


Best of luck. ....

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Box store John Deere mowers

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hardwood
Join Date: Dec 2002
Posts: 3583 iowa
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2010-08-11          173027

KT; We are a terrible society of throw it awayers. It just stands to reason that any box store is not going to pay what it would take for an inhouse repair person when they can buy a new one off the boat for less than the parts cost.
This is wrong, wrong, wrong, where do we put the next landfill, how many more garbage trucks do we need. I try not to be an exteremest wack job,. but we are kinda going to HXXX in a handbasket if we refuse to figure out how to build things on this side of the pond that first aren't completely made of "Space Age Plastic", and can be repaired when they break down.
Wouldn't it be nice to have the corner hardware store back where they fixed toasters, irons, radios, etc.

My unpaid speech for the day, not even the Green Party paid me.
Frank. ....

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