I went into A&M last year to buy a John Deere Zero turn mower. I looked around and worked with a very knowledgeable salesman named Ralph. He steered me towards the Exmark Quest which was priced more competitively than the equivalent John Deere unit. I ended up adding some accessories and Stihl power tools and proceeding with the Exmark purchase knowing that I had a local dealer to take care of any issues.
Imagine my surprise when I walked into the dealer this spring to get some new blades to find out they had dropped the Exmark line completely and were now a John Deere only dealer. Now I no longer have a local dealer for parts and warranty service. I had to drive all over town to find a Toro shop that had compatible blades in stock.
I talked to the management of the dealer about possibly trading in my unit for an equivalent John Deere zero turn. They were unwilling to work with me and offered me half of what I paid for my Exmark with only 80 hours on it making my out of pocket expense too great to justify switching.
Long story short, I had all intentions of buying a John Deere from this dealer. The dealership salesperson persuaded me to buy an Exmark. The next year, the dealer no longer sells or services Exmark mowers. Dealer was unwilling to work with me to get me into a unit with local parts and service support. read more