SO drivers, do yours keep their word?

[Ser50]

our SO driver, who has had a shady history with our shop, infact lately two large purchases have been made off site with another driver because our guy, lets say has been less than reputable.

long story short i asked my driver what he could do for me on a ct6855, he checked his numbers and told me 500 cash, taxes in, said he had some in his storage and would call me or come right back.
he never did either
the next time i saw him he told me he was out and would have to order one.
2 weeks or so later (today) my order arrived. i went on the truck to pay my bill and the price had changed. he asked me for 570. i reminded him of the deal, he remembered but said he wasnt making any money off that. asked me to meet him in the middle at 530, i told him it was a matter of principle and he can gladly take his product back now.

i cant believe the ethics here... should i feel sorry for a guy who fucked up, or is trying to screw me. i dont think so at all.

better question, how do we get drivers changed with the other driver in this district. is there a specific dept i can talk to at SO,
we have had multiple incidents with this guy (we even caught him charging a HIGHER tax rate 2 years back, and he just played dumb on the whole thing)

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

you have to buy the other guy a route for him
I never got deals from the snap on man

 

[Nealcrenshaw]

A deal is a deal! I would've back out too.
What exactly is a CT6855? I dont speak SO

 

[scott37300]

cordless impact, and it's only 555.00 online which from my reading should be his highest price unless he gives you a deal. I have heard on here before that snap on dealers get 30% off for their wholesale price, not sure how accurate but seems like it would be in the ballpark. Which means he pays around 390 for it. Sounds like he needed to pay some bills and was trying to get extra cash from you. Sounds like a shady dealer.

 

[hofferwood]

A deal is a deal! I would've back out too.
What exactly is a CT6855? I dont speak SO

Impact Wrench, Cordless, Lithium, 18 Volt, Slide-on Battery, 1/2" Drive (U.S.)
I had to look it up too
Chuck

 

[WSMC633]

Yeah, My guy is pretty good. He always gives me a price break for paying cash. I order stuff, he calls when it's in. I did need a spot weld cutter ASAP 2 weeks ago and he forgot to call me to meet up on Fri. He gave me $75 off a $400 order I was picking up as an apology. So that Works for me.

 

[knobby]

cordless impact, and it's only 555.00 online which from my reading should be his highest price unless he gives you a deal. I have heard on here before that snap on dealers get 30% off for their wholesale price, not sure how accurate but seems like it would be in the ballpark. Which means he pays around 390 for it. Sounds like he needed to pay some bills and was trying to get extra cash from you. Sounds like a shady dealer.

He may be shady but we are likely talking Canadian price here VS US,the Canadian list being somewhat higher.

 

[Wanna Ride]

It's unfortunate, but some guys are just a d-bag, no matter what they do for a living.

 

[JSBriggs]

Is he the guy that you got your new box through? A sale like that ought to make you enough of a valuable customer, that it would be foolish to play around with.

-Jeff

 

[Davefr]

It's unfortunate, but some guys are just a d-bag, no matter what they do for a living.

And some people are simply not cut out to be businessmen or salesmen.

I think many tool truck dealers started out as techs. thinking they could sell tools to other techs. They were in for a rude awakening when they were deficient in sales skills and business acumen.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

I can't say enough good about mine. The only problem I have ever had is when Snap-on is back ordered and they don't ship him something that I have ordered. I always get a cash discount, never carry a balance with him (he would like for me to......) and have even been to his house for a beer or two.....

I consider him a good friend that happens to sell me tools.

 

[mrshaun]

If I have the tool and can make a deal on it, I will. But if I cant make the deal I will tell you straight up what the price is. they are now 555 and I had one left at 499+tax and sold it today. If I order another one in tonight it will be 555+tax.

 

[Nealcrenshaw]

I definitely could use a cordless impact gun,it would come in handy at the junkyard.
$555+ ? Whats warranty on it?

 

[Simplespeed]

I got a problem with our Mac guy not wanting to sell me stuff. I told him i wanted a roll cart, he said he would bring it on a tuesday. He normally comes every tues and thurs. He didnt show up for 2 weeks, thats 4 normal visits. I had cash in hand. So i called my friends snap on guy, met him across town and paid more than planned. Some tool guys just ****.

Unfortunately, we only have this mac guy that comes to our shop. With we had a snap on, matco or cornwell truck also. Id like to buy some new wrenches and stuff but he never comes. When he does he doesnt leave me a flyer or ask if i need anything. He only comes and talks to our head tech, gets paid and leaves. Screw em.

 

[Wanna Ride]

And some people are simply not cut out to be businessmen or salesmen.

I think many tool truck dealers started out as techs. thinking they could sell tools to other techs. They were in for a rude awakening when they were deficient in sales skills and business acumen.

Agreed. I knew a tech who bought into a truck. He did ok for a little while, then he fell on his face. Too bad, he's a good friend of mine and is just too laid back. He gave too many guys a truck account, that he shouldn't have. It's all down-hill from there.

 

[Wanna Ride]

I got a problem with our Mac guy not wanting to sell me stuff. I told him i wanted a roll cart, he said he would bring it on a tuesday. He normally comes every tues and thurs. He didnt show up for 2 weeks, thats 4 normal visits. I had cash in hand. So i called my friends snap on guy, met him across town and paid more than planned. Some tool guys just ****.

Unfortunately, we only have this mac guy that comes to our shop. With we had a snap on, matco or cornwell truck also. Id like to buy some new wrenches and stuff but he never comes. When he does he doesnt leave me a flyer or ask if i need anything. He only comes and talks to our head tech, gets paid and leaves. Screw em.

We had a guy like that too. I eventually ran him off and asked him not to return. When he would show up, he would just ride the guys about buying something, and then not show up for three or four more weeks. Kinda hard to establish a good relationship with someone like that. But then there's other guys who are great to work with.

 

[bmxr4life87]

There's no need to force money on a tool dealer when I was first starting out as a lube tech our snap on guy( good dealer not great but a nice guy) would leave me a flyer and if I was too busy to go look on his truck he would just leave my tools on my box with a reciept under it! No questions asked nothing I only bought a few items from him before switching. My last snap on guy gave me multiple discounts and plenty of "frequent customer" freebies he was a great guy he got offended if we didnt come say hey to him a real no pressure guy but he decided iguess he was a little too nice so he went back to aviation industry

 

[Wanna Ride]

I don't think I would want to have to deal with with what some of them have to put up with. Like a lot of sales jobs, seems like it could be a cut-throat business.

I'm sure they have to fork out a lot of dough to make some back. And then to get squeezed on both ends, from the manufacturer and some bad customers who always want something for nothing. I'm sure it's not all tough, but just not my cup of tea.

 

[Ser50]

Is he the guy that you got your new box through? A sale like that ought to make you enough of a valuable customer, that it would be foolish to play around with.

-Jeff

you would think so... that being said after i posted this, on a break, i swear. my manager showed up to use the gym, yes, anyways i mentioned the transaction, my boss just smiles and says '****, i was going to buy one for the service truck,, now instead of selling 2 for 1000, hes not selling any!'

i laughed, and now i would rather pay list, or closer to with another dealer.
this guy made a verbal contract, as far as im concerned on a shop floor, with a sales deal that is in writing and final with me. i kept up my end.

 

[Vinko]

I always get a cash discount, never carry a balance with him (he would like for me to......).

Why? So he doesn't "have" to extend the cash disc? Seems to me it'd be worth it to get a customer to pay all upfront rather than extend truck credit since he doesn't make interest.

 

[Fubar]

If I have the tool and can make a deal on it, I will. But if I cant make the deal I will tell you straight up what the price is. they are now 555 and I had one left at 499+tax and sold it today. If I order another one in tonight it will be 555+tax.

It seems to me that most people here feel that they're getting totally hosed if they have to pay retail....Even if retail is only 30%

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Why? So he doesn't "have" to extend the cash disc? Seems to me it'd be worth it to get a customer to pay all upfront rather than extend truck credit since he doesn't make interest.

Any good truck tool guy likes to keep their good customers on the string for payments. It gets you on the truck every week and used to making payments. I know a LOT of guys that run a rolling balance from $300 to $500 dollars that stay in debt. Tool guys are no different than a bank trying to get you to use a credit card, they might not earn interest on the money but they are selling product.

I see my buddy most weeks but if I am out of town or having to be elsewhere, it might be 2 to 4 weeks before I get on the truck again. It's hard to sell you something when you are not there.....

 

[wafrederick]

My father kicked out his previous dealer,for bad service in 1998.Never came around for 5 years on time,came around at 9:00 at night after closing hours.One day he came in saying he had his route fixed and will be coming around.My father did not buy that,told him there is the door and not to come back.My father owns his own shop and hates it when vendors come in late.I watched a you tube video,a dealer and the customer got in a huge screaming match with dealer wanting to repo his toolset.Customer owed money never paying the toolset off.It is bad in the Ludington and Manistee area,no dealer around and these shops have to send their broken tools into Snap On.Matco dealer that stops by where I work at on Fridays turned wrenches and he is great dealer.Warranties tools with no hassles.He has been told **** by a Snap On dealer in the Hart,Mi area,this SO dealer tells his customers that Matco's impact wrenches are junk and are not since they are IRs.

 

[mrshaun]

I make it a point to keep a time schedule. but this allows the dead beats to magically disappear from time to time.

 

[chadster1]

I make it a point to keep a time schedule. but this allows the dead beats to magically disappear from time to time.

This is a common exchange in a couple of shops.

Me "Where's Leonard?"

other guy in the shop "Well, he was here a few minutes ago and then you showed up."

 

[scheu]

I am currently going through a similar but different deal with my Snap-on guy. I don't know what is so hard about him even telling the truth. I know he is having money/personal problems but... I'll post up the details after I get it all worked out. If it does get worked out....
scheu

 

[Chevy Guy]

I do know that Snap On is killing their guys. The territories are being constantly shifted and cut down to make room for new territories and the ability for snap on to sell another franchise to someone. Its a tough way to make a living these days and it isn't as lucrative as it used to be, so you have fewer honest hard working people willing to step up and buy or take over a route.

 

[mrshaun]

well the dealers/franchisees around here have been here for 10-34 years. the dealer beside me has been in the same area for 34 years. I gave some of my route to him and his son a few years ago. a dealer retired and we bought the route. it was not enough for one person so that made my route full and took part in another city ( 1 days worth of stops ) and gave it the other guy to make them both full. so it works out good for everyone involved. the other two dealers started doing better after that. we also put a big hurt on the matco man by having dealers that were ready to do their job.

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

My SO guy doesn't do much for discounts, but he knows I WILL pay no matter what, so I can run my truck account up as far as I want and he doesn't care. If I'm really on the fence about spending the money on a particular item, I'll hit him up for a discount and he usually says no - BUT he'll make me a "package deal" with that item and another thing that's on promo (dropping the second item bellow the promo price). He is also relly good about his service - he'll drive out to meet me across town if I need something NOW or he'll overnight the tool if that's what it takes. All in all I can't complain....and besides all SO stuff is "cheap, 'cause ya only buy it once!"

 

[IndyGarage]

I don't know this tool truck business, but let's face it, these guys are as much in the business of selling financing than tools - and that's a tough spot to be in; you want to be the "tool guy" but you cannot survive unless you are the "finance guy". It's going to be a rare individual that is good at both.

If the guy on the truck raised me $70 on a previously agreed on deal, I might tell him to shove it, or I might tell him "are you sure it's worth $70 today to make me a disappointed customer?" , or I might just pay it, and then be pissed off. Depends really on how much I need the item.

I'm pretty sure he'd already made that calculation. He probably figured you were a guy that was dying to buy that impact, and he had it, and you wouldn't go elsewhere. He knew there was a chance you wouldn't take it, and he would have to send it back or sell it to somebody else. Bottom line is you wanted the tool and you don't have one.

If there's only one source to buy a tool and you don't like the source, you better either **** it up or find another tool to buy.

 

[wafrederick]

I was told there was a dealer that did a huge no no a while back and no longer a dealer.Dealer down the road in my area told about me this which there was a meeting about.This dealer screwed Snap On,sent in boxes of broken tools mixed with rocks.Snap On knew there was something wrong when the boxes when they weighed them and opened them right up.Found rocks rocks mixed with the broken tools and this ex dealer never got away with it.

 

[mrshaun]

well they audit the boxes now and then and if the weight of the broken tools is off by a bit they see what is inside.
If i send it 10 tools and they weigh 10 pounds each the guy checking in the boxes will look for something close to 100 pounds. now if it is way over or way under they investigate....
they pay attention to details

 

[mrholeshot]

For the most part I've had some really great tool men. I had one MAC man I used on and off from about 1972-2002. He would do anything he could, ran it like it should have been run and if you needed it he got it. I never once asked him to cut me a break in all those years. His service is what sold his stuff. The next guy did OK for 2 years and then his son took it over and it went to ****.

My first Snap-On guy was great and lasted about 20 years. Great relationship with him. Something happened and he went bankrupt (ugly divorce was the rumor) but the next guy (after several years without Snap-On had a bad attitude right out of the gate. He seemed to get mad when my guys didn't buy something. I had to call him off to the side to give him an attitude adjustment. I told him because of the lack of service from Snap-On that it would take a while to get into the grove to where my guys would buy. once he warmed up he was able to set the hook by selling a set of screwdrivers to one guy. Business snowballed from my guys after that. He was my Snap-On man when I retired. He turned out to be great.

The two biggest things I've found with the tool men (all brands) is if you pay them like you are suppose to they will bend over backwards to help you anyway they can. If you are a valued customer chances are you will get valuable service. If you dodge the tool man by taking a **** during the entire time he's there you service will be ****. If you have a bad week and can't pay him walk out like a man and tell him. Then if you have a really great week drop a big payment down. Most tool men are understanding with flat rate guys. Nobody likes someone who doesn't have the balls to look you in the eye and tell you it's been a rough week.

 

[chadster1]

The two biggest things I've found with the tool men (all brands) is if you pay them like you are suppose to they will bend over backwards to help you anyway they can. If you are a valued customer chances are you will get valuable service. If you dodge the tool man by taking a **** during the entire time he's there you service will be ****. If you have a bad week and can't pay him walk out like a man and tell him. Then if you have a really great week drop a big payment down. Most tool men are understanding with flat rate guys. Nobody likes someone who doesn't have the balls to look you in the eye and tell you it's been a rough week.

 

[wafrederick]

There is a guy in Grand Rapids,Mi that has 9 Snap On tool trucks and fired one employee so far.This employee did not do very well and this guy did not like it.I just paid my Matco dealer off last week Friday,owed $168.00 and I knew I owed him money.If I owe any money,I pay and had nothing repoed yet in my life.

 

[Ser50]

this is more about keeping business ethics on the dealers part, than scummy mechanics who cant pay their bills.

i understand, to the drivers in this thread, if you cant make a deal you wont, that is fine. my driver already made a deal, then backed out when i had my bank card in my hand.

its real **** the kind of people you got to deal with, its too bad when a good customer feels cheated.

 

[mrshaun]

after a recent survey in my route done by snap on, i had a 96 percent approval all the way around ( the bad ratings were from backorders and not my actual service) I thought 96% was not good enough and I am taking extra steps to find the tools when theya re not in stock. Our entire field group emails back and forth looking for tools almost on a daily basis. If it is really urgent they will send it out to all 300 dealers in the south central region.

 

[Simplespeed]

I never understood the guys that hide from the tool man. Twenty bucks is better than nothing. But now it seems like the tool man is hiding from me. I asked him about a flashlight a couple months ago and he never brought it, never gave me a price, nothin. So i bought one from a friend who is an officer. Seems like i have to go looking for people to take my money for tools. I have not bought a single thing from our MAC guy but i have wanted to and tried numerous times with cash in hand. If i dont come to the truck cause im busy, he will just leave instead of asking if i need anything. He doesnt even leave a flyer on my box. Maybe he assumes that because im young i dont have money or dont want to buy? Hes supposed to come tomorrow but but i wont be there, wish i could see his face when he sees my new snap on cart sitting in the shop. Especially since he knows he is our only tool guy.

 

[mrholeshot]

this is more about keeping business ethics on the dealers part, than scummy mechanics who cant pay their bills.

i understand, to the drivers in this thread, if you cant make a deal you wont, that is fine. my driver already made a deal, then backed out when i had my bank card in my hand.

its real **** the kind of people you got to deal with, its too bad when a good customer feels cheated.

My advice is if you don't like the way he does business stay off the truck. His verbal contract about selling you the impact wasn't worth the paper it was printed on. Sounds to me as if you and your dad have a chip on your shoulder when it comes to tool men. Trust me you catch more flies with honey than viniger. I never asked my tools guys to cut me a break on anything but sometimes they did. If they showed up with something I needed or wanted in the Used line I got it really cheap.

The way I do business is that I ask how much is that item. If I like the item and the price is acceptable I buy it. If he has to order the item and it's 30 dollars more than he quoted me I ask why. Then I have to make the decision to buy it or not based on his explination. I understand he's not in the business for his health, I know that he has a lot of money ******* on the streets so if there is a good reason why the price went up I'll buy. If there isn't (say he says his profit margin isn't quite high enough) I'll just look him in the eye and ask if that is a good enough reason to lose my business. Trust me when I tell you that the tool men need you a lot more that you need them. Good customers are tough to lose, bad customers not so much.

 

[Vinko]

Any good truck tool guy likes to keep their good customers on the string for payments. It gets you on the truck every week and used to making payments. I know a LOT of guys that run a rolling balance from $300 to $500 dollars that stay in debt. Tool guys are no different than a bank trying to get you to use a credit card, they might not earn interest on the money but they are selling product.

Like you, I might not get on the truck every week.

I don't think your bank/CC analogy is the most apt example since the main reason for promoting the credit card is to collect interest. That's where most of the banks funds are generated. Of course, as you suggest, without the purchase, interest cannot be assessed.