mac guy gave up

[chris142]

Our mac guy finally threw in the towel. He was in business atleast 20 yrs. For the last 10 yrs atleast he didn't have much on the truck,would not order you anything you wanted and would not warranty anything. He told us to send warranties in to Mac. He would hand out the monthly flyers then told us that he can't get us anything in it!

Total bonehead imo. The SO and Matco guys seem to be doing well. Mac mans attatude did him in.

 

[zkling]

Sounds like a person that really doesn't want to be in business. His loss. It is amazing how little effort some folks actually put into their day job.

 

[bobcatdan]

Probably way behind in his payments and mac wouldn't sent him anything.

 

[MattPersman]

Yeah the Mac guy in our area doesn't come in our shop we have like 12 techs or so busy dealer next to 4 other dealers. I had to go across the street to the Lexus dealer to try to get him to warranty the stuff I need. He had to order it all and claims he will be in on Wednesday to warranty up. We'll see but I have no problem harassing this guy day after day till I get my stuff.

I had to harass the snap in guy in my area for a few weeks, bet he is glad he made the decision to stop by cause I bought an epic after about 3 weeks of him showing up lol.

 

[shockwave]

I had the same problem a couple of years ago with an older cornwell dealer truck was always empty and prepaid for a torque wrench and started dodging my calls and then ran into another cornwell dealer to set him straight dodgey and lazy dealers have no need being in this bussiness imo

 

[Unmarked Bill]

I don't know the particulars of the op's Mac dealer but he's not working for the same Mac he signed on with 20 years ago. There's been a lot of articles written about how Mac has been unfair with their dealers. Signing new dealers is much more incentivized than keeping the existing dealers in business, so it's been said that there's a policy of starving out the older dealers and signing new ones.

The Mac story is kinda sad.

 

[fordnut85]

I have to say, Mac dealers seem to come and go with the winds. Not sure if it's how the company treats them or gouging them out of their profits or what the deal is but none ever seem to stick around long.

 

[Armstrong1720]

I talked to a cornwell dealer that just went out. He said he had over $44,000 out and couldnt collect. He said after the guys would take out a loan then they would pack up and leave. With him holding the bill. Sad sad

 

[Jbullfrog]

Mac has done alot of bad things to their dealers through the years. They aren't treated like part of the company, but as customers. Tool trucks as a whole got screwed when credit cards came into the market. The idea of an open credit line with no security agreement is a thing of the past. You can't buy a car without decent credit, but you can buy a $10,000 dollar box for $50 a week no problem.

 

[SKAutomotive]

My credit isn't stellar, but I would never **** over my tool guy. I know he makes money hand over fist on me, but I wouldn't be able to flag half the hours I do without those tools having been originally fronted to me.

 

[CWP1616L]

It's been proven time and time again - if you want to sell more tools, keep a well stocked inventory. It even says that in one of my tool catalogs in the merchandizer section. I think it might be the Klein catalog.

 

[Glammers37]

Sounds like our area. We have not had a MAC tool rep for years. Our Snap off guy shows up maybe twice a month! Always has the same stuff on the truck, never anything new. It *****! You buy thousands of dollars worth of tools over the years, and then no support! The Matco guy shows up just like clockwork every tues morning. Always has new stuff to show, and has just about everything new on truck. I have been buying mostly Matco now for a few years. I have complained to snap off and Mac for years.

 

[shockwave]

I had the same problem a couple of years ago with an older cornwell dealer truck was always empty and prepaid for a torque wrench and started dodging my calls and then ran into another cornwell dealer to set him straight dodgey and lazy dealers have no need being in this bussiness imo

 

[Turbo_Prop]

I dont think this is the norm for all Mac dealers as mine is pretty good. Truck is stocked pretty well, warranties stuff real quick, stops at the shop like clockwork, even comes by my home shop if I call him. Seems to really like working for Mac. We also have pretty good dealers for Matco, Cornwell and Snap On in the area.

 

[atwageman]

I don't buy a whole lot from the truck brands, but the trucks in my area seem to be financially sound......then again they aren't extending credit to mechanics either. It's pay cash, use your own credit card, or are approved for credit through the particular brand. NO personal credit schemes between the truck owner and mechanic.

A Snap On dealer I used know said it best.........I didn't get wealthy by having to waste time and fuel by chasing down some ******* for $25 a week until he gets his wrench set paid for.

 

[CWP1616L]

What gets me is these dealers that only stock ONE of everything:

"Don't you have it in stock? I thought you normally stocked that."

"I do, but I sold it to a guy an hour ago. I'll have it for you next week."

"I could've had it TODAY if you kept more than one in stock!"

 

[firebox40dash5]

Mac... is that the truck I always see driving around by a guy I'm pretty sure is using it for a painting business?

Between what I've seen of them, their website, and what I read in this thread, I have no clue a) how Mac is still around as anything but just another nameplate for Stanley and b) why people would buy Stanley tools for so much money with the distinct possibility of getting no support in the future.

 

[Skin]

There has been a lot of articles written about how Mac has been unfair with their dealers. Signing new dealers is much more incentivized than keeping the existing dealers in business, so it's been said that there's a policy of starving out the older dealers and signing new ones.

That isn't unique to Mac. Plenty of ex dealers of both Matco and Snap-On who have said the same. Snap-On is the one who got stuck in the public eye when they started to cut chunks out of existing dealer territory to start a new guy. Now I think you basically agree to that possibility when you join on.

Mac... is that the truck I always see driving around by a guy I'm pretty sure is using it for a painting business?

Between what I've seen of them, their website, and what I read in this thread, I have no clue a) how Mac is still around as anything but just another nameplate for Stanley and b) why people would buy Stanley tools for so much money with the distinct possibility of getting no support in the future.

I'm probably in the minority here but I like Stanley B&D. For such a massive company they're awfully consistent at producing high quality products and they seem to avoid using China where possible. Where their imported tools are concerned the vast majority come out of Taiwan. MAC also has some nice stuff and some of the nicest chrome in the industry (on their Domestic products as well) but I wish it was a little more independent instead of being essentially married with Facom and Proto.

 

[Conductor562]

I saw a Mac truck in my area today for the first time in.......well, a LONG time! Still have yet to ever see a Cornwell truck.

 

[billymade]

Sounds exactly like the Mac guy in my area; more interested in shooting the breeze with his mechanic "friends". I would ask him to order things; he never did, I assume as others have said... probably behind on his Mac account and wasn't able to get any tools. I kept asking about the things I needed ordered/warranted and he never did anything... go figure. The hey day of Mac tools in the pre-stanley era are definitely over... sad!

 

[Skin]

The hey day of Mac tools in the pre-stanley era are definitely over... sad!

People say this but Stanley has owned Mac essentially since their inception. Mac and Mac allied split in 79 spinning off Matco creating the two companies known today, Stanley then acquired the "new" Mac Tools immediately after in 1980. That's 33 years of ownership, not exactly a recent thing.

 

[Spudland_Dave]

.....but he's not working for the same Mac he signed on with 20 years ago.

Umm...its called change, and its happened and continues to happen in EVERY workplace in the USA. Who here can say where they work is EXACTLY the same as it was 5, 10, 15, 20+ years ago?

I'm probably in the minority here but I like Stanley B&D. For such a massive company they're awfully consistent at producing high quality products and they seem to avoid using China where possible. Where their imported tools are concerned the vast majority come out of Taiwan. MAC also has some nice stuff and some of the nicest chrome in the industry (on their Domestic products as well) but I wish it was a little more independent instead of being essentially married with Facom and Proto.

Same here..Love my MAC guy and the tools he carries on his truck. In terms of toolboxes, Mac all the way. I called snappy a couple weeks ago to warranty a socket, I wanted to get onto the Snappy truck to blow some money burning a hole in my pocket...was told by customer service there were 3 franchisee's and all 3 were termed out, so no truck in my area at this time. She was quick to send me a new socket so all is well...but my Mac guy got a few more bucks that week. To paint with a Broad brush...I'd say SnapOn is the one with a problem around here and my MAC Guy is busier then heck.

Personaly the whole COO thing is a moot point to me. Sure when I grew up the rule of thumb was USA = High Quality and Imported was absoute Junk... Today that rule of thumb is absouletly false...nothing could be further from the truth. The USA Stuff has has to be cheapened via crappy materials and processes to stay price competitive and the import stuff is high precision, nicely finished....refer back to my first comment about change above...

So yeah, I love my Macsimizer handled Tawianeese screwdrivers....same for any of the MAC tools I own no matter where they came from.
Its funny because DeWalt gets a great rep here, even though its the same company...same with other brands. Milwaukee made the COO switch and nobody seems to care too much. Must be a tool truck thing.

 

[MechanicNamedJohn]

Umm...its called change, and its happened and continues to happen in EVERY workplace in the USA. Who here can say where they work is EXACTLY the same as it was 5, 10, 15, 20+ years ago?



Same here..Love my MAC guy and the tools he carries on his truck. In terms of toolboxes, Mac all the way. I called snappy a couple weeks ago to warranty a socket, I wanted to get onto the Snappy truck to blow some money burning a hole in my pocket...was told by customer service there were 3 franchisee's and all 3 were termed out, so no truck in my area at this time. She was quick to send me a new socket so all is well...but my Mac guy got a few more bucks that week. To paint with a Broad brush...I'd say SnapOn is the one with a problem around here and my MAC Guy is busier then heck.

Personaly the whole COO thing is a moot point to me. Sure when I grew up the rule of thumb was USA = High Quality and Imported was absoute Junk... Today that rule of thumb is absouletly false...nothing could be further from the truth. The USA Stuff has has to be cheapened via crappy materials and processes to stay price competitive and the import stuff is high precision, nicely finished....refer back to my first comment about change above...

So yeah, I love my Macsimizer handled Tawianeese screwdrivers....same for any of the MAC tools I own no matter where they came from.
Its funny because DeWalt gets a great rep here, even though its the same company...same with other brands. Milwaukee made the COO switch and nobody seems to care too much. Must be a tool truck thing.

Well said...

 

[SKAutomotive]

The good news is, for all of you who are like me, without a Mac guy, is just about all the exact same tools can be bought cheaper by buying the OEM brand. The same is becoming true for Cornwell, but not as much.

 

[David W]

A few months ago in the KC area, either MAC or Matco, (I get the two mixed up) were advertising dealer franchises on Craigslist. That ought to tell you something.

 

[FLRover]

A few months ago in the KC area, either MAC or Matco, (I get the two mixed up) were advertising dealer franchises on Craigslist. That ought to tell you something.

They do it here. Out of curiosity I sent them a email about a month ago. Still get emails from the regional sales manager telling me what a great opprutunity I'm missing. I just wanted to see what tool brand it was and it was Mac.

 

[Gotmayhem]

Kind of weird that the OP's dealer made it 20 years if he was truly such a bad business man. I wonder what changed halfway through his run. I think now more than ever it's just as much about the guy selling the tools as it is the tools themselves. I'm personally not a Matco fanatic, but my local Matco dealer is very impressive. His truck is always clean and stuffed with tools. The different sales items are perfectly lined up every week, it's near artwork how this guy presents his product. Add in the fact that he's polite, informed, and always willing to help and I'm more than willing to buy from him regardless of the brand.

I always wondered if Mac is having a harder time now because so little of their stuff is USA? Walking onto my local Mac truck it's getting hard to find anything with that label. At least Matco and Snap-on make it easy to distinguish with (most) of their non-usa stuff rebranded as Silver Eagle or Blue Point.

 

[atwageman]

I wonder if one day Snap On, Mac, Matco, and Cornwell will drop the truck sales method all together and sell strictly from the internet or some other means. The cost to maintain and fuel a truck is not cheap.

With everything figured in, I wonder what the profit margins are these days for the dealers out there trying to survive.

 

[Gotmayhem]

I wonder if one day Snap On, Mac, Matco, and Cornwell will drop the truck sales method all together and sell strictly from the internet or some other means. The cost to maintain and fuel a truck is not cheap.

With everything figured in, I wonder what the profit margins are these days for the dealers out there trying to survive.

I certainly hope that doesn't happen. A huge reason that anyone buys these tools is because of the trucks. It makes warranty easy and you can actually see and hold these expensive tools prior to buying. You can also make deals and agreements with the dealers that wouldn't be possible otherwise, not to mention trade-ins.

 

[atwageman]

I certainly hope that doesn't happen. A huge reason that anyone buys these tools is because of the trucks. It makes warranty easy and you can actually see and hold these expensive tools prior to buying. You can also make deals and agreements with the dealers that wouldn't be possible otherwise, not to mention trade-ins.

I agree with with what your saying. It's just that more and more I here about issues folks are having trying to warranty tools, piss poor stocked trucks and so on.

I think the economy the last few years has compounded a lot of these issues. With that said I believe I would be kicking someone's *** if I had to wait more than say 2 weeks for a warranty on a common tool like a ratchet or wrench.

 

[SKAutomotive]

Kind of weird that the OP's dealer made it 20 years if he was truly such a bad business man. I wonder what changed halfway through his run. I think now more than ever it's just as much about the guy selling the tools as it is the tools themselves. I'm personally not a Matco fanatic, but my local Matco dealer is very impressive. His truck is always clean and stuffed with tools. The different sales items are perfectly lined up every week, it's near artwork how this guy presents his product. Add in the fact that he's polite, informed, and always willing to help and I'm more than willing to buy from him regardless of the brand.

I always wondered if Mac is having a harder time now because so little of their stuff is USA? Walking onto my local Mac truck it's getting hard to find anything with that label. At least Matco and Snap-on make it easy to distinguish with (most) of their non-usa stuff rebranded as Silver Eagle or Blue Point.

It's directly related to the technicians who buy them, as our average salaries go down, the amount and brand of tools we buys changes. It's a chain effect.

 

[tyndall]

A huge reason that anyone buys these tools is because of the trucks. It makes warranty easy...

Easy is when you have to wait a week (or more) for the truck to come, only to be told it will take a week (or more) for a repair/replacement? I guess that works if you want to buy doubles of everything you really need so you have a spare while you wait.

I think I prefer saving my money and doing it the hard way of stopping at my local industrial tool store on the way home from work and getting an over the counter exchange.

 

[Gotmayhem]

Easy is when you have to wait a week (or more) for the truck to come, only to be told it will take a week (or more) for a repair/replacement? I guess that works if you want to buy doubles of everything you really need so you have a spare while you wait.

I think I prefer saving my money and doing it the hard way of stopping at my local industrial tool store on the way home from work and getting an over the counter exchange.

Ok, like it's been said to exhaustion now, everyone is going to have a different experience with their dealers. Some have stocked trucks and will often be able to warranty on the spot. It's really easy to tell when you've got a dealer that keeps a big inventory and those that do not. If you see a certain dealer does not then you can choose to not buy from them if you feel warranty will be difficult down the road.

In the same way not everyone has a big tool store down the road either. The nearest Grainger to me, the only store around that carries anything better than Craftsman, is nearly an hour away. Driving two hours back and forth is not a sensible or easy way of replacing a broken socket. I get it, you don't like truck tools. That's OK. But not everyone's situation is the same.

 

[Diesel_Tech_1989]

I have a great Mac dealer at the shop I work at. Super guy, always there and will warranty anything any time. The only problem is most of their tools are junk these days. If you break an older Mac tool that has lasted 20 years it gets replaced with its Mac branded Chinese counterpart that will only last a week. 2 at the most. Needless to say I have very few Mac tools left and will not be buying any more but I will go on the truck and eat the candy. Its sad because he is a younger dealer and has only been selling for a few years. Its gotta be hard to sell tools when the company is trashing their name by replacing with outsourced junk.

 

[volaredon]

as the Snap on saying goes... there IS a difference in tools...

Case in point, proven again yesterday. I am working on an old '76 Apache popup camper. Lotsa little Phillips screws for the window frames etc. My son using a Stanley screwdriver couldn't get about half the screws out of his end. I come over with an ild Mac and get every single one out but 2, because I snapped the tip. but until then it gripped every screw and did not cam out once. I grabbed a Craftsmn. Slip slidin away. so I got a Mac Stubby out and finished the job that the stanley and craftsman could not.

 

[volaredon]

that said that isn't necessarily a "prop" for Mac as my remaining Mac mostly circa 1988-90. but S/O, Matco, older Mac, Williams etc is defiitely better than most stuff available at the box store.
I too have tired of the "Disappearing Mac Man" game...

 

[firebox40dash5]

Ok, like it's been said to exhaustion now, everyone is going to have a different experience with their dealers. Some have stocked trucks and will often be able to warranty on the spot. It's really easy to tell when you've got a dealer that keeps a big inventory and those that do not. If you see a certain dealer does not then you can choose to not buy from them if you feel warranty will be difficult down the road.

In the same way not everyone has a big tool store down the road either. The nearest Grainger to me, the only store around that carries anything better than Craftsman, is nearly an hour away. Driving two hours back and forth is not a sensible or easy way of replacing a broken socket. I get it, you don't like truck tools. That's OK. But not everyone's situation is the same.

It's a decent point, though. I don't think there's many dealers out there who stock at least one of just about anything you could need. I could call either of my dealers, even in the evening or on a weekend and tell them I just broke something I need in the middle of a job I need to finish, and if it came down to it they'd make their way over and replace it if they have one... but that doesn't do me a lick of good if they don't have it and it's a week or more away. Even worse if you have a lazy dealer, or you're like me and don't like to bother them with petty stuff, and you wait for them to come around to tell them, then they have to order it, and drop it off on yet another regular visit.

I've always kinda wondered why none of the big 3 or 4 have tried something like Grainger or Fastenal's tool sales. Keep a few well-stocked brick-and-mortar locations, have a couple pickup trucks to deliver with. It would have to be a hell of a lot cheaper than running a class 6 truck around with a loaded tool showroom, if a bit less impressive. I don't want to think what it costs my Matco guy to run around with his CDL in his cornbinder 4300 loaded down with a few tons of tools, just so he MIGHT have what you want or need that once a week he comes by. I don't see the economy there, personally.

 

[bindernut]

I wish I could get ANY tool truck to stop in my shop!!!! Snap on & Matco go right past our driveway every week, and I think cornwell does as well. In the year the shop(John Deere lawn & garden equipment & compact tractors) has been there not 1 truck has stopped. Snap on man has been asked to stop in at least 2 times. But he's an older dealer & from what I've heard from multiple other dealers/former dealers I know is that he has way more territory than 1 man can really handle & as a result he chooses to go only where he knows he will make big $$. No idea what the Matco or cornwell dealers problems are. Matco district manager stopped in a couple months ago asking if the local rep stopped in ever. I told him no, and that while me & the other tech have the tools we need, we still wanted a Truck to stop by as there is some bigger stuff the manager wants to buy for the shop. Never seen the sob stop in. So I guess the grainger a couple miles down the road will get my money. A snap on dealer I know in IL does come within 10 miles of the shop though, and cliff said he would be more than happy to sell me whatever I want.

 

[bindernut]

there was a brick & mortar snap on store in St. Louis when i was little, but it closed sometime back in the 90s

 

[chipper]

I've always been curious what happens when guys take out a big truck debt i.e tool box plus tools and then either quit or get fired it must be hard for the dealers to collect i guess if that happens enough it could cause them to go under