Thread: Tikka t1X - Beretta NZ sales policy

^correct

$1100 for a .22? Be interesting to see the what the NZ market thinks, I'd have thought pricing it under a grand would make it a bit more appealing.

Originally Posted by outdoorlad

$1100 for a .22? Be interesting to see the what the NZ market thinks, I'd have thought pricing it under a grand would make it a bit more appealing.

Yes tho fitting all the aftermarket Tikka stocks and chassis out there will be a pretty big carrot for some I am sure.

ahhhh Tikkas in supermarkets? Delicatessen? Fish Dept? or Ladies Lingerie? Maybe with the Cat and Dog food?

My local won’t supply bretta products ether but that’s his choice not because he can’t get them
And as far as tikka goes
They were a fantastic rifle for the money when they were arround $1100 I think the price has gone up though
I don’t think there’s any other rifle in that price range that can compete with tikka out the box
Sure you can do things to improve other brands but im talking pull it out of the box slap a scope on and go shooting

I have a very early production tikka t3 started life as a 308 but I dislike 308 so had a barrel change 6mmrem
Now transformed into a 260rem still going strong

It does not seem like good business sense to keep an account with such a shop open

Chris I have to say that I find that an odd comment - how much does it cost to keep an account open? I communicate with my customers fairly regularly, it costs very little and often generates return business. I do very little business with some of my wholesaler suppliers but I have never had one say that I should close my account.

Can you please mention to Niccolo that I haven't heard from him, he promised to get back to me.

Originally Posted by Tentman

Chris I have to say that I find that an odd comment - how much does it cost to keep an account open? I communicate with my customers fairly regularly, it costs very little and often generates return business. I do very little business with some of my wholesaler suppliers but I have never had one say that I should close my account.

Can you please mention to Niccolo that I haven't heard from him, he promised to get back to me.

If a customer openly does not want to support Beretta products, why should Beretta be on call to support them at the drop of a hat?
As you have seen, an account with Beretta is a privilege not a right. Its based on a mutual partnership where both parties support each other. Not a one way thing.
What the guy said is that the shop does not want to sell or support Beretta products even though they can - not that they don't buy very much due to slow turn over or whatever. There is a substantial difference.

Originally Posted by ChrisW

If a customer openly does not want to support Beretta products, why should Beretta be on call to support them at the drop of a hat?
As you have seen, an account with Beretta is a privilege not a right. Its based on a mutual partnership where both parties support each other. Not a one way thing.
What the guy said is that the shop does not want to sell or support Beretta products even though they can - not that they don't buy very much due to slow turn over or whatever. There is a substantial difference.

Ignore tentman, he’s clearly retarded. Also suffering from delusional levels of self importance. I’m sure the GM has more important things to be doing than discussing strategic directives and/or policy to a nobody from nowhere that by his on admission isnt even a customer.

If someone will not supply your product to the consumer, then why would you keep an account open for them?

Remember guys that i am a member of public that on the odd occasion goes into this shop I know he doesn’t stock brettea stuff
But the fact that that was his choice was passed on by others not him
So we could be getting the wrong end of the stick

Sounds like we'd be well met then Proudkiwi

In order for a retailer to maintain a 'mutual partnership' with Beretta, is there a sales threshold which has to be met (I.e X % of total stock sold has to be a beretta product)?

Are there hidden incentives for retailers to push Beretta products onto customers (E.g trips overseas to expos etc).

What drives Beretta as a company? Is it customer service/satisfaction? Is it R&D and technological progression (an insatiable desire to provide increasingly better products which serve the customers' needs/desires? Those are very much rhetorical questions.

I'll take a wild guess as to why Sakos and Tikkas don't make ideal candidates for an independent retailers' inventory. Imagine this - you walk into an independent gun store. There is a diverse range of firearms on display because the owner is under no obligations to pledge total allegiance to one particular brand over another. After all, being independent should not be about selling 'brands', but selling 'rifles', and finding something which will fit the unique, individual customer well, and satisfy them time and time again.

So a customer walks through the door and says "sir/madam, how are you?" And the independent retailer says "Good thanks, how are you?! What a lovely day it is today. How may I assist you?" (Being independent, it's all about building relationships with your customers as opposed to pouring all your resources into your relationship with the 'brand' (something which makes leaving those larger chain stores feel like you've just been robbed (they seem to only be interested in taking your money and meeting sales targets).

The customer asks "I'm after a quality rifle. Something I can be proud of owning. Something solid and dependable which won't cost the earth". The retailers walls aren't swamped with Beretta products (they only make up a small percentage), and so the retailer says "Well, take a look around. I've got a wide range of rifles on display (as opposed to "do you want to spend little? Get a Tikka! Want to spend a lot? Get a Sako)...why don't you hold a few and check if you like the feel/fit?"

And that's where things get tricky. Because most Beretta products aren't particularly value for money They aren't made with great attention to detail. They aren't made right the first time and kept at that - they pump out new models by the day. And because of Berettas infatuation with sales over all else, their relationship with the retailer/customer suffers. Parts become hard to aquire. Warranty claims become difficult to resolve in a timely manner - all of which make it difficult for customers who may own older products. Rifles should not have to go obsolete in a matter of 'years'...but that's the reality when you've got new products being pumped out at lightening speed, but a deteriorating customer service ethos.

Compounding all of this, is the zombie attitude especially prevalent in NZ, whereby you're a dick if you try to be different/stand out from the crowd. "You're not buying a Tikka?! But everyone owns a Tikka. All the boyz are Tikka sluts!!! Why aren't you keen on being one?!"

I bet Beretta loves that.

All said and done, however...I'm actually a big fan of Beretta. Mmmm. I dream about you every night, baby. Beretta I love you. You're so caring and generous...

Recent berretta NZ experience - needed two tiny front sight screws, “no, sorry sir, please go to your nearest dealer and buy a whole new front site assembly for an undisclosed, but not doubt eye watering sum”. Brownells got my $$ funnily enough.

Savage on the other hand for other smalll bits - “of course, we’ll flick them out for a few bucks; oops, sorry sent the wrong bits, here’s two of the right one and some additional associated bits just in case you need them as well”.

Not a great look when a rifle that cost thousands has worse customer support than one that cost hundreds...

Frodo, There is a whole lot of assumptions going on there.
Do the likes of GC and H&F not sell other brands of guns? Yes they do. You want a Remington or a Savage? They will both sell you one of those if that's what you want.
Im not aware of any shop that only sells Beretta products, which pretty much turns your whole post upside down on its head. In regards to warranty, I can tell you that items that come in for warranty are dealt with the very quickly. There is no backlog of warranty work. Depending on the issue it can take a couple days as often the item needs to be taken out and test fired to either attempt to replicate an issue before any work to "fix" an issue can be started, or confirm the issue is resolved.

7x64 - Beretta does not deal directly with the public hence being directed to a dealer. Sounds like you didn't follow through and contact a dealer, and instead chose to sort the problem yourself - which is cool if that's what you want to do. This is the same as a car part or other item that only comes as a part of an "assembly". Often in life you need to purchase an "assembly" when you only need a specific part from it, unless you go aftermarket. Happens all the time. Car parts for example.