Amsoil PC not allowed to change dealers?

[brandini]

After asking Amsoil to change my linked dealer on my account to a friend I have normal access to and conversations with, I got this response:

Quote:
AMSOIL INC does not have a procedure in place that allows for an existing Dealer or Preferred Customer to change their Sponsor. This is normally only permitted during the first few days for newly registered Dealers or Preferred Customers.
There are two options that are available to you. First, you can contact your current Servicing Dealer to request a release from him. If granted, you will then be able to transfer to any other Dealer of your choice. The second option requires that you allow your PC membership to expire and then remain inactive for a period of 12 months. At the end of that time, you can reregister under another AMSOIL Dealer.
If you wish to pursue this request, I have included the contact information for your current Sponsor.


I don't mean to be rude but the gentleman who introduced me to Amsoil I haven't spoken to after my first order. Why do I have to ask permission to be released to another dealer who is local, a friend, and that I order other parts through? This makes little sense. If a customer wants a new dealer for whatever reason, why stop them?

 

[Johnny]

I agree, but it is their rules. I let my PC expire for the one year period, then signed up with one of our sponsors. Tell your friend you are going to let it expire for 12-months and see if he will still sell to you at PC pricing, mine did.

Good luck with trying to get your original sponsor/dealer to release you.

 

[brandini]

Amsoil responded to my inquiry as to what happens if I move cross-country with should have explained this to you- almost making it seem as though he is stealing me as a customer. And they said it's still not possible.

This is stupid. Amsoil needs to realize I'm still buying their products, from a better and more attentive salesperson. The worse salesperson should get fewer customers (as it should be) since he's not recommending anything to me much less checking up on me from time to time.

 

[AuthorEditor]

It seems like an odd way to do business. The first rule of sales and marketing is to give the customer what he/she wants and they'll keep coming back for more. I would predict that this policy would lose Amsoil sales, but that is just MHO. I'm the type of consumer that will not buy something, no matter how great the product, if I don't get treated right by the vendor. There are always alternatives.

 

[Papa Bear]

"you can contact your current Servicing Dealer to request a release from him. If granted, you will then be able to transfer to any other Dealer of your choice"

I was an indentured apprentice many years ago, my contract read something like that... scary !

 

[Gary Allan]

It has its reasons.

..but it's not an unmanageable situation. I'm carrying about a half dozen people who signed up on the Amsoil web site, and got "distributed" by the system to a random T1 dealer, and ended up here.

It's not hard to work it that way. The customer just needs to contact me directly instead of the convenience of "at will" ordering off of the Amsoil website. I kinda like it, actually. It keeps a level of contact that (as you cited) can be lost otherwise.

There's added benefit to doing it this way too. If anyone wants to discuss it, PM me.

 

[jaj]

As I understand it, the no-change rule is to prevent dealers from competing with each other and trying to build their personal businesses by poaching each other's customers (which consumes a lot of time and resources but doesn't actually add any new revenue for the company). With the rule in place, dealers have to focus on competing with external competitors selling competing products from other companies.

That said, I'd find it offensive if it was imposed on me as a customer. I'll switch car dealers within a brand if I like the way I'm treated at one over the other. I consider it my right, and I exercise it as I see fit.

It's a delicate balance for the MLM to manage.

 

[Gary Allan]

You would surely want to discourage "poaching". I heard when the internet got into full commercial potency, Amsoil had no way to cope with it. Direct Jobbers posting prices that were below any dealer's range but within their total profit margins.

I'm sure it was an "evolved" rule.

I would guess that it's a reasonable speed bump to prevent some "plan" to grow by poaching.

Your dealer is your personal representative with/from/to Amsoil. He probably won't be able to answer all your questions, but he should surely know where to find out anything you need. He's also there to handle the occasional glitch/hassle that happens in any business. I had a customer accidentally get a display case where he was expecting a case of oil. He got both. I called in ..they sent a return tag, UPS picked it up ..problem solved ..etc..etc...etc.

 

[greenaccord02]

Originally Posted By: brandini
Why do I have to ask permission to be released to another dealer who is local, a friend, and that I order other parts through? This makes little sense. If a customer wants a new dealer for whatever reason, why stop them?


You're a brick in the wall. Except the wall is shaped like a tetrahedron. And you're in the lowest row of bricks.

It's just a business decision.

 

[javacontour]

I can see having the new dealer submit something indicating the customer wants a relationship with a new dealer for whatever reason. Of course I can see that abused as well.

However, I'd think Amsoil would have an idea how many customers typically switch and if too many requests were coming from one dealer, they would take a look.

Requiring the customer to jump through many hoops (many being relative) will likely alienate customers.

I see both sides. It shouldn't be a hassle for a customer to move, and one has to ensure dealers are not just swapping sheep.

 

[AuthorEditor]

Bottom line in retail is "the customer is always right." In my business we jump through a lot of hoops to make sure that everyone is happy, even if it means bending our rules at times.

 

[brandini]

Originally Posted By: AuthorEditor
Bottom line in retail is "the customer is always right." In my business we jump through a lot of hoops to make sure that everyone is happy, even if it means bending our rules at times.


Bingo. The fact that I'm 24, have no fear of ordering online and like texting my buddy for answers should be realized by Amsoil. I want a dealer I can more closely relate to- a guy who autocrosses and enjoys car culture and runs a website devoted to parts and upgrades. Compared to the guy who got me curious who has a 70-something Dodge deisel with enough miles to go to the moon and back- it's about relevance to me. I just think I'm more able to determine what/who is more relevant to me.

And the original guy that signed me up is a great guy, but he's over 3x my age and likes doing things the way he's used to. It's not a bad thing, just not for me.

O well, I guess if Amsoil can't change a number in a database when a customer wants to remain loyal and continue purchasing products I'll purchase them elsewhere.

 

[thehkp7m13]

Ebay, perhaps?

 

[Papa Bear]

Are we missing posts here ?? ....

 

[Pablo]

Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
Are we missing posts here ?? ....


Yes. What happened?

 

[chiks]

yup...my posting has disappeared.
Why?

 

[chiks]

anyways, what my missing post had was this:

It appears that AMSOIL's business policy is to reward the dealer/DJ with a percentage of the sales that the PC makes with AMSOIL, as a token of appreciation of bringing in the new customer and spreading the word. The fact the dealer# is associated permanently at the customer master data is clearly indicative of this.
On the other hand, if the dealer is no longer an active salesman, the customer will be inactive and 12 months of inactivity will be rewarded(read penalized) as losing the percentage of the customer's future revenue as that customer will probably sign up again albeit through a new dealer.

My question is why the OP wants to change the dealer#? If he likes the product, continue to buy them. Or is the new buddy insisting that his active participation should be rewarded by the OP switching to him and earning his revenue?

 

[pzev]

The posts that had anything even remotely negative to say about Amsoil were deleted. And honestly, nothing in this thread was outright negative...people just expressing some frustration over experiences they have had. I don't recall anyone downright slamming Amsoil or its products.

I get that Amsoil and certain dealers are site sponsors, but that shouldn't make them immune to criticism. The level of censorship on this site is getting a bit absurd.

 

[Pablo]

Originally Posted By: pzev
The posts that had anything even remotely negative to say about Amsoil were deleted. And honestly, nothing in this thread was outright negative...people just expressing some frustration over experiences they have had. I don't recall anyone downright slamming Amsoil or its products.

I get that Amsoil and certain dealers are site sponsors, but that shouldn't make them immune to criticism. The level of censorship on this site is getting a bit absurd.


That's not true. My posts were deleted as well. And I am not immune to criticism. Has anyone asked a mod what happened? I'm not sure you can say it was "censorship". Maybe the poster asked that the content be removed.

 

[pzev]

Ya, I didn't look closely enough at all of the deleted posts. Nothing since 2010 remains, so you are probably correct. And once again the inane edit timer has prevented me from not looking like an [censored].

Oh well, I'm used to it.