dispatches from the new world of work

The Basics I:
"Old Fashioned" Service Never Gets Old ... Or Out of Fashion

Orange and black Kubota RTV900 with Tom standing in front of it, smiling

Susan gave me my 65th birthday present early, while the days in VT still have a hint of warmth and the sun sticks around for a while at least. It is a magnificent (!!!!!!!) Kubota 4-wheeler—aimed at feeding my growing passion for landscaping on the mountainsides here in West Tinmouth.

I showed it off to a good friend, and I mentioned the wonderful support Susan had gotten from the Kubota dealer. He seconded the story, as he does business with the same guy. "I still can't believe it. I bleed green [Deere's color] and I've left them behind. [He has enough Deere equipment to fill a freighter—and has had for years, and then more years.] But the fact is that when I call the Deere dealer with a question, I'm lucky if he bothers to get back to me in the next two days. Finally, after the pattern was clear and then some, I'd had enough. A pack of wild horses couldn't get me to reverse course."

So Deere makes utterly superb equipment and innovates constantly—not an ounce, or gram, of doubt about it. But today, as always, the basic "soft" service from the company or its distributor-dealer/s makes or breaks the relationship, given some decent alternatives, in which category Kubota fits and then some.

No news in this story—except for the always Big News that, whether it's your father's world or Web 2.0 world, it's the basics (e.g., of returning phone calls) that make you or break you.

(NB: People come from hundreds of miles away to purchase from the good-guy dealer in question.)

[Photo credit Susan Sargent, for the great photo of Tom and his Kubota, above]

Tom Peters posted this on 10/05/07.

Comments

Tom,

Never posted before on anything. I bleed green, grew up on a Montanan wheat farm, big green tractors, combines, etc. Heard you spitting passion in the early nineties. Read most of your stuff. Ripped off a lot.

A few years ago I was presented with the dilemma of choosing a vehicle for my aging father, Geezer, to work with on his yak ranch. It came down to the RTV9000, Kubota and the Polaris Ranger. Chose the Ranger. In any case the Geezer, my dad, has named this vehicle a Gitney. Everyone should have one.
Drive!

Posted by Eddy Sanders at October 5, 2007 5:01 PM

&Normally, I am not an envious person...but that Kubota...how cool! Quick service story...Maytag dishwasher recall..dutifully filled out forms..,parts arrived, but not the call to schedule service. Frustrated, I called...kept getting a dial tone after waiting for someone to help. Called Whirlpool corporate, they got me through..person apologized but "can't control the people we contract our services to;...Hmm...apparently the Maytag repairman isn't even a Maytag repairman...and if he is so bored waiting for work..why didn't he pick up my call? Boo

BTW...use a Kubota tractor at the horse barn...never fails!

Posted by Mike Neiss at October 6, 2007 7:15 AM

TP, This is one hellova b'day present!!!

Posted by K.Sriram at October 7, 2007 9:42 PM

Ironically, the Deere dealer's service probably saved you from buying a rather unexceptional product. I have a Deere and a Kubota, and sadly, the green doesn't even hold a candle to the orange, and for only a thousand or so dollars more. I too bleed green, but it would appear that something else "runs like a deere"

Posted by Rich at October 15, 2007 7:49 PM

Heh! I'm going to make sure this post gets forwarded to my PR friend at Deere. While a short stint at Deere, I quickly realized it's an old man's company. Like they say, it's not your father's Oldsmobile -I wish Deere would wake up and realize that they're missing too much opportunity.

Posted by CreativeGoddess at October 18, 2007 12:12 PM