Gerry's Is Getting An Equinox Delivery Tuesday!

[DetectingMO]

4 minutes ago, mn90403 said:

Welcome to the 'fire storm' that Steve anticipated.

Do you think Minelab should take the time from their busy schedule to take my phone call and ask them where MY unit is?  Just as soon as they take MY call then it makes YOUR unit get to you more slowly!

Minelab (any company that has a distribution network) needs to deal in bulk.  They design, test, manufacture and package metal detectors.  Their DEALERS sell them.  They have to use the people they have to do what they do best.  

Steve said it.  There are not enough detectors to instantly fill the demand.  Why?  Well, just think of the financing cost of prepaying all of the materials and shipping.  It is simply not possible to take a company who produces dozens or hundreds of units a month to ramp up and produce tens of thousands of units.  What do you do with that production over-capacity when you meet the demand?  

Minelab told the dealers they would have a pecking order.  That order was based upon deposits on hand.  Some dealers followed the rules and perhaps some did not.  We don't know for sure.

Minelab has put out several new detectors and new detector technologies in the last 5 years.  It seems that they have learned and taken some of our advice and that of their testers and dealers and created what may be the highest selling detector ever.  Good on Minelab for that.  I trusted this early on when I read what Steve had to say and placed an order.

My dealer told me Minelab would respond to him better and send my detector if I reduced it to a deposit.  That has been done and I hope to get my detector next week.  We'll see how good it is in my hands after that.

Bill tells me that they are within a week of a plan they put into effect last fall.  I'm satisfied.

Mitchel

 

That deposit talk and priority things sound like a lot of hogwash.  No offense.  I don't sell Minelab but zero other manufacturers/distributors work that way.

Now I will say some distributors and manufacturers are better at logistics than others so I can see why some dealers have one message and others have a different message.  

[Cabin Fever]

I have no idea how this order stuff works but I will say that I did not have to prepay or put down a deposit...  I just paid today after receiving my tracking number.. It probably helps that I have a good relationship with my dealer and have purchased several detectors from him.  I’m just saying I don’t think a prepayment was required to get in on the first run. I just think you had to order very early and the dealer also had to put an order in quickly too.  I ordered my Equinox very early morning of the day of the announcement.. like 3:40 AM! Ya, I was excited!

Bryan

[Guest Tnsharpshooter]

8 minutes ago, Cabin Fever said:

I have no idea how this order stuff works but I will say that I did not have to prepay or put down a deposit...  I just paid today after receiving my tracking number.. It probably helps that I have a good relationship with my dealer and have purchased several detectors from him.  I’m just saying I don’t think a prepayment was required to get in on the first run. I just think you had to order very early and the dealer also had to put an order in quickly too.  I ordered my Equinox very early morning of the day of the announcement.. like 3:40 AM! Ya, I was excited!

Bryan

Bingo!! Bryan.

I put my name in hat early on.  Like before the parachute hit the ground. Lol

[mn90403]

44 minutes ago, DetectingMO said:

That deposit talk and priority things sound like a lot of hogwash.  No offense.  I don't sell Minelab but zero other manufacturers/distributors work that way.

Now I will say some distributors and manufacturers are better at logistics than others so I can see why some dealers have one message and others have a different message.  

DetectingMO,

Do you have a relationship with a dealer where he knows you are GOOD for the order?  My dealer Bill knows I'm not shopping him and my check and credit card are good.  I'm not much of anything to Minelab but my dealer Bill is as good as gold to them.  He told me Minelab knew there was going to be a fire storm so dealers could just tell everyone it was based upon order and/or deposit time.

Minelab can't micromanage a dealer but they are also not going to disclose their entire distribution plan either.

Mitchel

 

[SavingThePast]

I have had mine paid for since may 2017, i originally paid for an atmax preorder but switched it over to the nox the first day it got talked about on the forums.. My dealer is a good guy and I still have t heard anything so I would guess his distributor hasnt confirmed anything with him. 

[mn90403]

38 minutes ago, SavingThePast said:

I have had mine paid for since may 2017, i originally paid for an atmax preorder but switched it over to the nox the first day it got talked about on the forums.. My dealer is a good guy and I still have t heard anything so I would guess his distributor hasnt confirmed anything with him. 

I hope soon then for you.

Individual dealers might have some explaining to do to their customers.  Sometimes explanations are excuses and sometimes they are reasons.  You don't keep your customers with an endless supply of excuses.

Mitchel

[Chase Goldman]

32 minutes ago, mn90403 said:

I hope soon then for you.

Individual dealers might have some explaining to do to their customers.  Sometimes explanations are excuses and sometimes they are reasons.  You don't keep your customers with an endless supply of excuses.

Mitchel

Ground rules as they pertain to distribution would have been nice to know above board if the prepaid pre-order thing was actually a determining factor in how ML decided distribution #'s for units to individual distributors or dealers.  I have total trust and long history with my dealer, that is why no money exchanged hands before a transaction occurred.  I also know that he has a close business relationship with Minelab.  So you are saying that I should blame my dealer because neither he nor I insisted on a pre-paid pre-order?  Strange.  That's a good way to build trust and good will among the various stakeholders.

[mn90403]

Chase,

I stand by my statement. 

My dealer is sending me a detector next week (if FedX delivers it to him) .  If not then it will be later.  The beaches will still be there for me.  I hope the waves come in and make it easy the first couple of uses.

Mitchel

[Chase Goldman]

 

10 minutes ago, mn90403 said:

Chase,

I stand by my statement. 

My dealer is sending me a detector next week (if FedX delivers it to him) .  If not then it will be later.  The beaches will still be there for me.  I hope the waves come in and make it easy the first couple of uses.

Mitchel

I am glad for you, honestly.  Man, I don't mind waiting.  Expected that.  I am just naive enough to think that we should all be informed of the rules so that we all have an equal chance of drawing that winning lottery ticket instead of the 7/11 guy having inside information on which numbers you should pick and it is up to him to decide to tell you or not.  I guess the house always wins.  Lol.  Makes me feel all warm inside and renews my faith in "the man".