How Many Of You Have Purchased The Manticore From Cabela's/bass Pro?

[Redneck]

I waited 3 mo on a dealer list.  When I heard another shipment was coming to the states, I texted my dealer a week ago,  I still have no reply.  I noticed they arrived at Cabelas last fri am, I waited all day friday for a dealer response. Crickets.  I ordered fri nite, It has been shipped from a Cabelas store 200 mi away. Cabelas was sold out Mon am.  If the small dealers get their detectors from a distributor, that might be the problem . I would think the distributor will fill the orders from their fav dealers first, Just my humble guess. 

[Gerry in Idaho]

10 hours ago, Daniel Tn said:

True.  But if you have a bad machine and or warranty issue, most dealers are going to deflect you straight to the manufacturer warranty department. Meaning you do all the legwork, and a dealer is of zero assistance.  I ran into it with a CTX 3030 that I had bought new. It had a bad display out of the box. Naturally, I contacted the dealer I had bought it from and he was like "sorry to hear that but it's out of my hands, here is the number for Minelab's service".  I won't lie. I was pretty ticked off. Definitely not how I would have handled it had I been a dealer. I would have swapped that unit with another one I had in stock (which he did have others in stock) and made sure my customer was up and going, then dealt with Minelab on my own about the defective unit. But, it is rare to find service like that. That's why I don't hesitate to order from Cabelas and such. I go by whomever has it in stock at the time I want one.  

Most of my 20+ yrs as a Minelab Dealer (15+) I and a select few dealers were encouraged to take care of the customer at whatever means.  Many times, I have handed a customer a new in box unit for one they found an issue.  I've sent my own detectors on a few occasions to customer going on a trip and or in the middle of a trip just so they could finish their detecting vacation.  I personally know the feeling as I have had detectors go down during a trip.  I've been in MX with a group of clients and had 1 week old detectors go down.  I was on the phone with Minelab and they sent a CTX 3030 to our resort in Cancun.  On occasion we'll be doing the 3 Days Field Training with a group of approx 12 clients and a detector or coil will be discovered that is bad.  No problem, as one of my Staff/I will allow them to finish the training with our own detectors and or coils.  Sometimes we just trade them out right then for a new one and I'll deal with the manufacture when I get back.

Today's Minelab is totally different.  They have detailed steps we need to follow and protocol with a step by step process.  There is no longer a good ol boy long time dealer, we'll do it on the side.  Todays Customer Care Minelab T: 1-877-SOS-MLAB is not the SOS you and I expect/deserve. The good news is Minelab Repairs has a dedicated Facility now and those folks are usually on top of things.

Minelab quit asking dealers for suggestions a few years ago.  Minelab quick asking us to grade their service a few years ago.  Different group of management with different goals.  Just get detectors out the door and let the dealers fight it out.  Heck, we have dealers who received Manticore and yet they don't even have a website that mentions metal detectors let alone the word Minelab?  Who polices this?

Minelab used to have a select group of dealers who were Managed Partners.  Not anymore, we're all equal and that's a fact.  So when I start getting treated equal to a lazy dealer who sits on his but and waits for a phone call to do a Drop Ship, then I do get upset.  When Minelab has a conference or training on a new product and not even 25% of the so called dealers show up?  Just goes to show how out of touch with dealers this company has become.  Don't believe me, ask the long term seasoned dealers how things are going?  Boy, Minelab won't dare ask that question. They can't handle the truth.

Am I more vocal than most dealers?  Do I push more buttons than most dealers? Most certainly and I get labeled as the trouble maker dealer by a select few.  Here's the deal with me.  I can back up most everything I say.  I don't sell detectors because it's my job.  I sell detectors because it's my passion and has been for longer than most.  Most folks working for a detector manufacture, it's just a job to them. After a while one quits and a new one it hired. It's a rotating door for many, but not this old rusty Marine, it's my life.  If you don't believe me, ask my wife.

I my not be the dealer I used to, but that's because of new rules and policies.  I'll still try my best to take care of my customers within means.  After all, my customers and their success is my future sales.

Glad you were able to get a Manticore and no bad feelings towards anyone who does, I personally know the passion and itch of a new detector, heck that's why I reached out to other sources outside of the US to get my hands on one back in early Dec. had to scratch the itch.

New times, new rules and same old Gerry's Detectors trying to keep up with change.  We'll see who lasts longer?

[Gerry in Idaho]

2 hours ago, Redneck said:

I waited 3 mo on a dealer list.  When I heard another shipment was coming to the states, I texted my dealer a week ago,  I still have no reply.  I noticed they arrived at Cabelas last fri am, I waited all day friday for a dealer response. Crickets.  I ordered fri nite, It has been shipped from a Cabelas store 200 mi away. Cabelas was sold out Mon am.  If the small dealers get their detectors from a distributor, that might be the problem . I would think the distributor will fill the orders from their fav dealers first, Just my humble guess. 

Sorry you are not getting communication from your dealer.  Just to update everyone who is on my list, my # is a landline and does not accept text.  Remember, I'm that old school Marine guy married for 35+ yrs and never had kids.  I have a cell phone in another room sits on a charger.  Guess I could be missing a few text, but most of my customers know me.

Anyway, glad to hear your wait is over.

[ThatOneDigger]

What pisses me off the most, it should be first come first served. It's like waiting in line for hours(months) for a product... your one of the first 50 in line at the store. Yet the company let's 150 people jump to the front of the line that just showed up to the store. No offense to people that ordered from Cabela's. It just doesn't seem fair for people that have been waiting Before December when it was announced.

Pre-orders should have been taken care of first. It's like if the Distributor had a list, it should be followed from the top down.

[phrunt]

Minelab don't do pre-orders dealers do to secure sales of something they don't have.  Minelab's not responsible for the methods dealers use to get sales and in this case they seem to be demonstrating that first hand.  I understand why dealers do it, they need to take a list of orders to know how many detectors they need to order, no point buying in a heap of stock and not being able to sell it.  A simple list seems good enough rather than money transfers taking place however the smaller the dealer the less likely they'll be able to pay upfront for the stock and end up hoping their customers still buy it from them knowing they've paid for the detectors already themselves. 

Imagine a small dealer now running from their garage or something, 25 people wanted Manticores off them but they took no deposits or prepayments to be nice to their customers, that's a fair chunk of cash, they told Minelab they need 25 and paid for their order, then 19 or their 25 people end up buying one at one of these big box stores as they were allocated the stock, the small dealer is now left with 19 Manticores that will arrive at some point to try and sell after the initial rush of buyers when sales have slowed down.

It does seem however their allocations have been much bigger to big box stores than they have to smaller dealers and many small dealers can't even sell any at all or very few as they just didn't get them to sell, I guess we should see that as the future of dealers in Minelab's mind, they just want to sell the most detectors and the way to do that appears to be with large retailers, they want to deal with the warranty through their own service agents anyway so their goal is just to sell the most detectors.

They are also trialing selling direct in a country (can't remember which one) so that may end up wiping dealers off the map too.

[GB_Amateur]

9 hours ago, Gerry in Idaho said:

Today's Minelab is totally different.

Apparently!  Not surprising once you're traded on a public exchange.  It's all about the stock price, dividends, investors, etc.  Customers?  They're like sheep -- fleece 'em for all they're worth.  Dealers?  Haha.  Can you see a Codan board meeting discussing distribution?  What's the fastest way to get these detectors to the cash register?  A few megalopoly "big box" stores.  Done.  Next agenda item?

And, yes, their list of approved vendors is a joke.  Some of them don't know which end of the detector goes to the ground and which end to hold onto.  There's one near me -- a (very) part time dealer who I don't think gives a nickel if he sells detectors anymore.  But he's on the approved list!

I got my Equinox at Cabelas and have felt guilty ever since.  I don't dislike Cabelas -- just the opposite -- but those of us who want the small dealer to stay in business should realize we're contributing to their demise if we bypass them.  I'm not passing judgement on anyone.  Each of us has his own priorities and in my case I can 'afford' (timewise) to wait a couple months for mine.  I'd like to get it ASAP but I'm willing to wait for my dealer to receive the (small) profit rather than the behemoth.

 

[ThatOneDigger]

I stopped supporting Cabela's and Best Buy when they turned me down for a Credit Card. Both stores wanted me to apply, both turned me down. Funny thing is I went into best buy to buy a TV with cash in hand over $2000. Bought my house fully paid in cash. I use to buy my fishing gear from Cabela's, now I buy from local small businesses with the same brands.

[deathray]

Me personally, I will never buy a detector from Cabelas.

[Redneck]

My dealer did text me yesterday, said he just got 2 manticores in. He said im 3rd on the list.  Last month he told me I was 2nd on the list.  I get it, he is in a rough position. He does not have enough machines to sell, and yet does not want to lose any future sales. If he had enough machines to sell, he would take care of me asap.  Next time I need to buy, I will still check with him first. I wish all the dealers well, in a tough environment. 

[GB_Amateur]

59 minutes ago, Redneck said:

My dealer did text me yesterday, said he just got 2 manticores in. He said im 3rd on the list.  Last month he told me I was 2nd on the list.

How did you fall from 2nd to 3rd?