JD Lawn Tractors (was Re: [AT] Cockshut, Oliver, Coop etc.

[Mike Sloane]

I can understand the dealers' reasoning behind selling both lines, but 
there will be problems related to dealing with unhappy customers who end 
up being unhappy with machines that don't represent the JD quality they 
thought they were getting. And those unhappy customers are not going to 
want to hear the story about the two different product lines. As I 
mentioned, JD's reputation for quality products is going to suffer from 
this strategy - it may improve the short term bottom line, but I don't 
believe it will be good for the company's long term health.

Mike

Dan Folske wrote:
> Some of the dealers in this part of the country also sell the cheaper line.
> Dan
> 
>> Before we get too bound up in this, the problem is that Dean, Walt and 
>> Guy are all correct! There are two John Deere lawn tractor product 
>> lines. One is made by JD and sold through JD dealers, and the other is 
>> made by MTD, painted green, and sold through mass market chains like 
>> Lowes and Home Depot. It is a serious problem for John Deere dealers, 
>> as the cheap machines give the whole company a bad reputation. I don't 
>> pretend to understand JD management's strategy, but I don't think the 
>> long run results will be beneficial.

> 

-- 
Mike Sloane
Allamuchy NJ
mikesloane at verizon.net
Website: <www.geocities.com/mikesloane>
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The most certain test by which we can judge whether a country is really
free is the amount of security enjoyed by minorities. -Lord Acton (John
Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton), historian (1834-1902)


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