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NW MN | I'm just curious about what other John Deere dealers are charging for shop rates. My local dealer is up to as much as $210 per hour plus they add misc. shop parts which must be a % of the total bill. |
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Central ND | $200 here |
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SW Wisconsin | $130 @ Sloans Cuba City Wi |
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Royal City, WA | $225 plus mileage Central WA State |
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MN | The misc shop parts % of the bill is legalized stealing;) |
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Jeffersonville, OH | Wow, I really need to change my rates LOL
My Misc charges are a percentage of the total bill, up to $85 tops. Some bills it gets a little high compared to what we did, and I try to adjust it, but on a combine where we replace a lot of bearings and flanges, I don't, because it doesn't take many carriage bolts and flange nuts to add up to $85.
I think that's the biggest thing people notice between my style dealership, and a corporate store, I am flexible or at least understanding to the questions...corporate, it is what it is, and they can't even explain what that "IT" actually was.
Of course they sit at my counter and buy tillage parts and complain about the corporate stores, then go right back in there when it comes to buy something big. It's OK, plenty of business for everyone out here, I keep too busy as it is. Not sure how many more units I can handle until I get some guys trained up!
Chris
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| I really appreciate that your a dealer with some common sense when it comes to billing. Several years ago we had a tractor at a Cat dealer for transmission work, while it was there the six month old Cat batteries went bad and they asked if it was OK to replace them and I agreed. When we got the bill I saw that we were charged for two hours labor for the 20 minute job of changing the batteries. Their excuse was their software only allowed for a minimum of one hour per job and thus two batteries charged for two hours. They did lower the charge after I complained but they saw no problem charging customers for who knows how many hours of labor every week as long as they didn't get caught. |
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Jeffersonville, OH | Yeah, we don't flat rate per the book. If I have a guy who isn't as experienced, I bill what the job should take based on our past experience. If I have a new guy, it's not the customers job to pay for his training, it's mine.
Now, if a job has 9 broken bolts, and someone was already there, then you're getting billed time and materials...BUT, typically, I know going into the job what can be a bear, or what is simple, and can kind of warn the customer that "look, here's what I think it should take, but here's what I've seen in the past, so it could be between $X and $X, so be ready for the bigger number, but if it's less, I'll bill you less"
Not saying I'm right all the time, or don't miss something now and then, but I don't get too many billing complaints that I remember. Maybe my memory is failing me LOL
That being said, I'm $110/hr, and I need to come up a bit more, but I'll probably wait until after spring. I just went up in the last 18 months, and hate to make too many moves too soon, or I will start getting complaints. I'm also going to simplify my service call rates, and stop figuring travel time and mileage, and just bill an "In Shop rate" and a "Road Call Rate." Time will be figured from when we leave, until we get back, but if we split a service call, It will be when we leave your place. I split a lot of service call charges now when we get in the season, I don't like charging anyone a full trip if we came there from 20 minutes away, not 40.
All goes back to trying to be as fair as I can for the customer, and myself. I think most customers appreciate that, or at least consider it down the road. If you are a steady customer of ours, you likely don't pay a service call charge for every call anyway...that's my way of saying thank you, by just billing some labor instead of a mileage and a service call.
Chris |
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St. Joseph, Champaign County, IL | Not JD, but CaseIH. Local Birkey's is at $160/ hour according to what the lady said when dad was inquiring about them possibly doing a job. |
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| Shop I work at just increased rates, $165 for in shop, $175 for road calls. After hours is time and a half I believe. They no longer have a 'misc shop fee', everything gets billed to the job. |
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Mather, Manitoba | Shop supplies. 2% of the total bill |
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SC North Dakota | I think Chris should move to southern ND. |
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Oregon | And Oregon. |
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Jeffersonville, OH | Thank you,
My Brother and I have made the decision that we will not have a store without a Mayer in charge, and we are both set here at home for family reasons, so we're not moving LOL Had a manager take us for enough in the 90's we could have built a nice building free and clear, so we're all out on store managers.
The employee situation in the last few years has also galvanized that decision, so we'll buy more service trucks and do what we can from one location. Maybe in the future we'll add a service or parts location, but we think we can manage our business from a single larger store well enough for a while yet.
Chris |
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. | Anyone left from the CB&C days? |
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Mendota illinois | Chris: I was a service manager of the dealership for 38 years and I like to think that I have the same attitude that you’ve got right now. I retired. I was so to speak forced in retirement because the bosses would not talk to me, because they didn’t like the way I did things. I treated customers the way I thought they should be treated. I believe you would be very good employer in my opinion, you and I both used common sense. I think the reason the bosses didn’t like me, I tended to help the customers too much. If I thought the customer could fix a simple thing, I told him how to do it. Well, I guess you’re not supposed to do that. The bosses quit talking to him for three weeks and I would not discuss problems in the shop. I decided it was time to walk out the door. I was only 62 at the time , I intended to work there another 10 years easily, my health is good yet. I’m 82 years old right now but anyway that’s in the past shortly after I left the dealership they accumulated I think a total of seven stores, and I know the bigger the stores get the poor the services get. I still remember what I call the good old days when you treated a customer with the most respect, you took care of his needs, and i did what had to be done to get it done.
I wish you the best recovery after your fire cause there’s not too many dealers like you left or on the country.
Good luck
Rich |
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Western illinois | That’s interesting. Our Birkeys was $174 more than a year ago. I’ve been afraid to ask lately. |
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Western illinois | It would sure be nice to deal with a single store guy like you again. I hope corporate leaves you alone. |
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| JTN - 3/4/2024 12:26
The misc shop parts % of the bill is legalized stealing;)
Agreed! It's a charge for something that, in most cases, doesn't exist.
It's another way of padding an account.
Edited by Bigshot 3/4/2024 18:28
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| c_mayer - 3/4/2024 13:30
Yeah, we don't flat rate per the book. If I have a guy who isn't as experienced, I bill what the job should take based on our past experience. If I have a new guy, it's not the customers job to pay for his training, it's mine.
Now, if a job has 9 broken bolts, and someone was already there, then you're getting billed time and materials...BUT, typically, I know going into the job what can be a bear, or what is simple, and can kind of warn the customer that "look, here's what I think it should take, but here's what I've seen in the past, so it could be between $X and $X, so be ready for the bigger number, but if it's less, I'll bill you less"
Not saying I'm right all the time, or don't miss something now and then, but I don't get too many billing complaints that I remember. Maybe my memory is failing me LOL
That being said, I'm $110/hr, and I need to come up a bit more, but I'll probably wait until after spring. I just went up in the last 18 months, and hate to make too many moves too soon, or I will start getting complaints. I'm also going to simplify my service call rates, and stop figuring travel time and mileage, and just bill an "In Shop rate" and a "Road Call Rate." Time will be figured from when we leave, until we get back, but if we split a service call, It will be when we leave your place. I split a lot of service call charges now when we get in the season, I don't like charging anyone a full trip if we came there from 20 minutes away, not 40.
All goes back to trying to be as fair as I can for the customer, and myself. I think most customers appreciate that, or at least consider it down the road. If you are a steady customer of ours, you likely don't pay a service call charge for every call anyway...that's my way of saying thank you, by just billing some labor instead of a mileage and a service call.
Chris
Sounds fair Chris!
Edited by Bigshot 3/4/2024 18:05
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Glasgow, Ky | Chris, the ag business in general is changing and not for the better. Dealerships are getting bigger and losing the personal touch many of us older folks remember. Many years ago you did business with the owner. The parts men and mechanics were long time employees and knew their stuff. They were your friends and loyalty went both ways.
I admire your sticking to the old school way of business. I have a feeling that many on here would be loyal customers were it not for the distance factor, me included. |
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Alton, Ia | And NW Iowa. |
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deep SW On. | barren - 3/4/2024 19:12
Chris, the ag business in general is changing and not for the better. Dealerships are getting bigger and losing the personal touch many of us older folks remember. Many years ago you did business with the owner. The parts men and mechanics were long time employees and knew their stuff. They were your friends and loyalty went both ways.
I admire your sticking to the old school way of business. I have a feeling that many on here would be loyal customers were it not for the distance factor, me included.
I miss the old 1 owner ,single shop. Could walk right into owners office,discuss anything. Then it went to a 2 store partnership...not so nice. Now its part of a 11 store chain. To me its same as going to costco or a big box store. Probably hardest on employees as many left with last consolidation
I have tried to live with " Just treat me/us fair ,that's all I ask"
Not many Mayer type dealerships left anyplace. |
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ND | JTN - 3/4/2024 00:26 The misc shop parts % of the bill is legalized stealing;)
The medical field has been doing that for years . |
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Central Texas | And definitely central Texas. |
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Jackson County, AL | Shop supplies for hooking up a computer and downloading software is actually stealing. Bolts are put on the bill. We're told it's for sealant, towels, brake cleaner, etc. |
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| Last time I was in a JD shop I was charged for hours they didn't work on a machine I didn't and never have owned. |
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| Last time I was in a JD shop I was charged for hours they didn't work on a machine I didn't and never have owned. |
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OR | Yeah and Oregon I won’t even look at agco robbins equipment is a liberal anti woman pos company. So yeah I hate agco all because of Robbins equipment |
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| I have my small independent for what I can't do, he is younger then I hope that he does not retire early! |
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South Dakota | c_mayer - 3/4/2024 13:30
Yeah, we don't flat rate per the book. If I have a guy who isn't as experienced, I bill what the job should take based on our past experience. If I have a new guy, it's not the customers job to pay for his training, it's mine.
I wish this was everyone's mindset. I also wish i was in your backyard. |
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South Dakota | They don't even show the rates anymore. |
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sw corner ia. | like all other aspects of any business today, greed is driving everything
recently I was at a parts counter in a big name ag. store, and was asking for help in sourcing a replacement part, guy at counter began to look through many pages on his monitor till (at 5 oclock straight up) he said "well, can't help you bud". probably won't forget that. |
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Southern PA | I'm not sure what our local JD dealer rates are, we don't use them for anything except warranty work, haven't used them for any other repairs for years.
We do almost all of our own work, except for specialized repairs that require special training and/or tools, or diagnostic work that requires Service advisor.
We are very fortunate to have several local independent repair fellows that spent a good number of years working for Deere dealers before going on their own. Some specialize in combine/SPFH repairs, others more on the tractor and implement side. Several have Service advisor, a couple of them don't.
The best local independent fellow which we have used for diagnostic work a time or two in the last several years charges $75 an hour for service calls. I'm not sure what their in-house rates are.
They never have a shortage of work it seems! |
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ND | jdpower17 - 3/3/2024 23:45 I'm just curious about what other John Deere dealers are charging for shop rates. My local dealer is up to as much as $210 per hour plus they add misc. shop parts which must be a % of the total bill.
Must be True North, only dealer up there, here it is $200 for the road techs and $185 for the house pups to the west of you. |
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Jeffersonville, OH | Yes, we would get along well.
Fire recovery is coming along decent enough, waiting on permits and zoning approval to get started tearing down the building. Builders actually found it costs only $2000 more to buy a whole new building, than it is to repair the old one...so, don't have to worry about painting beams and getting the smell out, just replace it!
Hopefully back in by fall, we'll see.
Chris |
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Jeffersonville, OH | Yeah, I remember those days...and am thankful I still have some of that here. If I can get an employee to 5 years, I can usually keep them. I have some guys over 30 years with us, one working on 41, and quite a few getting close to 20...but my young guys all look different every few years.
We're getting there
Chris |
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Jeffersonville, OH | As long as we perform, I think we're fine. We have standards by which we are judged, and our market share is the only place we fall behind a bit. We sit in the middle of a 90 store Deere dealer, and a 18 store CIH dealer...so, we do OK, but maybe not what they want. As long as we improve some when we can, they can't pull our dealership...maybe in years, but I think we're fine.
Some dealers like us are getting awfully nervous because they listen to what AGCO says about their goals and expectations, but if you read between the lines and listen to what they mean and not what they say literally, you understand that they have to keep most of us, or they'd have nothing left...
Chris |
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| And are then charged individually for sealant, grease, towels etc. |
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| I can't understand how a dealer can send out an invoice for service and not disclose the rate. All of the big brand dealers that I do business with send bills that way. If it's going to cost $200/hour I'd at least like to know I'm being charged $200/hour. |
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| Today I learned that computers aren't shop supplies..... |
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Jackson County, AL | It's not a consumable shop supply. Main gripe I think most have is when did everything get to be a surcharge rather than covered in the hourly rate? Fuel surcharge, mileage surcharge, supplies surcharge, and more are added on while the hourly goes up as well. It seems in today's world companies feel they need to justify every operating expense by charging the customer for it. This is a relatively new practice, first seen here after Katrina when fuel went up and fuel surcharges followed. Get this point in your head real good-fuel went down and the surcharge never went away! The basic motive is the ability to charge, not the need. To add insult to injury farming is one of very few industries where none of these practices can be used in selling a commodity. All expenses have to be managed with sales, however meager they might be. It's greed or optics. Greed if they just want more income streams and optics if they want to keep advertised rates as low as possible. Question is, how many more complaints have they gotten over the surcharges vs. an hourly increase? Let's just make it automatic but we'll adjust it if they complain, which we have. We had two pieces that just needed software calibrated and got two fuel, mileage, and supply charges on. As soon as we brought it up they said it's standard but we'll take it off since it was one trip and computer only. They know what they're doing and it's obvious, yet they cry poor mouth when sales go down because of crop prices and say they're increasing rates because expenses went up. It's a slap in the face. |
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John Deere shop rates
