Does Festool ever give out incentives or freebies if you make large purchases?

[Brice Burrell]

I have an interesting story about this:

So last September I lost my entire woodshop in a garage fire.  I had accumulated at least 80% of all Festool products available.  (Multiples of some)  All of these items were purchased from the same local shop.  (I like to support local businesses)  When I went in to replace all items and add a few new pieces I was offered no discount.  The salesman tried using the excuse of Festool's MAP pricing.  I happen to earn my living being employed in a marketing department so this excuse just didn't fly for me.  Minimum Advertised Price has nothing to do with what a shop is able to charge at the register to a loyal customer.  Maybe there's a special policy enforced by Festool to it's dealer network that goes beyond the definition of MAP?

How many times does a shop sell $18k+ of Festool product to the same guy TWICE!?

I don't make it a habit to ever ask or assume any kind of discount will happen.  In fact I find when I'm making large purchases it's usually offered to me instead.  I know when I ran a small business, my best customers were well taken care of.

Welcome to the FOG.  Bummer about the fire.

As far as Festool dealer policy I admit I don't know the details.  That said is it well known that N. American Festool dealers are not allowed to discount, period.  It is not a MAP deal so don't feel short changed by Festool.  Of course there really isn't anything to prevent dealers from offering freebies or discount on non-Festool items paired with a large Festool purchase.   

 

[BUTTER]

The tooth fairy never looked that good. Is a molar worth a Kapex or only a Carvex?  [big grin]

Flattery will get you nowhere, Paul.  [tongue]

For the record, I'm almost 6 foot and weigh about 170. Also, I don't own a leotard or tutu. [big grin]

Shane, I think I know what we need to get you for your birthday (hint: material should be bright green, though)

November 17th, I hear?

 

[SittingElf]

I have an interesting story about this:

So last September I lost my entire woodshop in a garage fire.  I had accumulated at least 80% of all Festool products available.  (Multiples of some)  All of these items were purchased from the same local shop.  (I like to support local businesses)  When I went in to replace all items and add a few new pieces I was offered no discount.  The salesman tried using the excuse of Festool's MAP pricing.  I happen to earn my living being employed in a marketing department so this excuse just didn't fly for me.  Minimum Advertised Price has nothing to do with what a shop is able to charge at the register to a loyal customer.  Maybe there's a special policy enforced by Festool to it's dealer network that goes beyond the definition of MAP?

How many times does a shop sell $18k+ of Festool product to the same guy TWICE!?

I don't make it a habit to ever ask or assume any kind of discount will happen.  In fact I find when I'm making large purchases it's usually offered to me instead.  I know when I ran a small business, my best customers were well taken care of.

Welcome to the FOG.  Bummer about the fire.

As far as Festool dealer policy I admit I don't know the details.  That said is it well known that N. American Festool dealers are not allowed to discount, period.   It is not a MAP deal so don't feel short changed by Festool.  Of course there really isn't anything to prevent dealers from offering freebies or discount on non-Festool items paired with a large Festool purchase.   

Brice,

I'm not sure your statement is absolutely true.  The Sherman Anti-Trust act would seem to forbid manufacturers from telling their distributors and retailers what price they are allowed to sell a product for.  They CAN limit advertised pricing, but I believe they would be in violation of Federal Law if they "required" retailers to actually sell the products at a given price point.

That being said, companies like Festool can certainly make life hard on a retailer that doesn't toe the line, and frankly they don't need to because all the retailers clearly don't see the need to discount, but I think Festool and others would be in deep trouble if they pulled someone's authorized status for quietly discounting, as that WOULD run up against Sherman.

My two cents anyway.

Cheers,

Frank

 

[AlexThePalex]

That said is it well known that N. American Festool dealers are not allowed to discount, period. 

Same for all dealers all over the world. Standard Festool policy. Unless they get slapped in the face by the law like they got in England last year.

Of course there really isn't anything to prevent dealers from offering freebies or discount on non-Festool items paired with a large Festool purchase.   

True. Dealers may not offer a discount, but they may offer accessories for free with a purchase. I remember when I bought a DTS400 for €278, the dealer threw in a box of sandpaper and two reserve pads, totalling €78 retail.

Festool requires every dealer to give them copies of their receipts for every sale. I know of dealers here who will give you a discount on Festool tools, but give you a receipt for the full price just to circumvent Festool's harsh rules.

I'm not sure your statement is absolutely true.  The Sherman Anti-Trust act would seem to forbid manufacturers from telling their distributors and retailers what price they are allowed to sell a product for. They CAN limit advertised pricing, but I believe they would be in violation of Federal Law if they "required" retailers to actually sell the products at a given price point.

That being said, companies like Festool can certainly make life hard on a retailer that doesn't toe the line, and frankly they don't need to because all the retailers clearly don't see the need to discount, but I think Festool and others would be in deep trouble if they pulled someone's authorized status for quietly discounting, as that WOULD run up against Sherman.

Nope, it is true. In America there aren't any laws that really forbid "horizontal price fixing" as it's called officially. I checked into it and did a thorough search. I was a bit baffled about the outcome, but it is as it is. In Europe it's forbidden for a while yet nobody really did anything to enforce it. Until last year in England when a couple of english Festool dealers (!) banded together and took Festool to court and won. Now, at least in Europe we see different prices, but before that they were all the same here too.

 

[grbmds]

Based on my experience, retail stores are clearly worried about violating any "rules" they believe to be a condition of selling Festool products. It's unclear what those rules are exactly, but I am not aware of any discounts that have been offered to customers, regardless of how good a customer they are (overall and not just with Festool purchases). I have bought all my major tools over the past couple of years from one place, including Festool. While they are flexible with other products they are not with Festool sales. I'm not sure what that means except Festool sales are lucrative for them and they aren't willing to risk loss of the ability to retail Festool.

 

[truck90278]

Brice is correct.  Just ask (if they will tell you) Rockler why they are no longer an authorized dealer for Festool

 

[kelauben]

The tooth fairy never looked that good. Is a molar worth a Kapex or only a Carvex?  [big grin]

Flattery will get you nowhere, Paul.  [tongue]

For the record, I'm almost 6 foot and weigh about 170. Also, I don't own a leotard or tutu. [big grin]

So, maybe they're borrowed or rented (perhaps just hidden away) [tongue].  So many thoughts that I'm just keeping to myself  [wink]

 

[jmbfestool]

I have an interesting story about this:

So last September I lost my entire woodshop in a garage fire.  I had accumulated at least 80% of all Festool products available.  (Multiples of some)  All of these items were purchased from the same local shop.  (I like to support local businesses)  When I went in to replace all items and add a few new pieces I was offered no discount.  The salesman tried using the excuse of Festool's MAP pricing.  I happen to earn my living being employed in a marketing department so this excuse just didn't fly for me.  Minimum Advertised Price has nothing to do with what a shop is able to charge at the register to a loyal customer.  Maybe there's a special policy enforced by Festool to it's dealer network that goes beyond the definition of MAP?

How many times does a shop sell $18k+ of Festool product to the same guy TWICE!?

I don't make it a habit to ever ask or assume any kind of discount will happen.  In fact I find when I'm making large purchases it's usually offered to me instead.  I know when I ran a small business, my best customers were well taken care of.

Welcome to the FOG.  Bummer about the fire.

As far as Festool dealer policy I admit I don't know the details.  That said is it well known that N. American Festool dealers are not allowed to discount, period.   It is not a MAP deal so don't feel short changed by Festool.  Of course there really isn't anything to prevent dealers from offering freebies or discount on non-Festool items paired with a large Festool purchase.    

Brice,

I'm not sure your statement is absolutely true.  The Sherman Anti-Trust act would seem to forbid manufacturers from telling their distributors and retailers what price they are allowed to sell a product for.  They CAN limit advertised pricing, but I believe they would be in violation of Federal Law if they "required" retailers to actually sell the products at a given price point.

That being said, companies like Festool can certainly make life hard on a retailer that doesn't toe the line, and frankly they don't need to because all the retailers clearly don't see the need to discount, but I think Festool and others would be in deep trouble if they pulled someone's authorized status for quietly discounting, as that WOULD run up against Sherman.

My two cents anyway.

Cheers,

Frank

Like Alex said.

Festool use to force dealers in the UK to price fix but not that long ago Festool got a telling off.  Now we can get festool a lot cheaper in the UK.   Not long after Festool got a telling off! The Internet dealers dropped the prices.  

My regular dealer soon lost interest in selling Festool because the profit margins had fallen dramatically due to internet dealers selling it at low prices.

From what I have been told festool have changed tactic and are trying to regain control over pricing by not allowing dealers to buying huge quantities of festool tools.   I assume this is to stop them making little profit on each tool but sell in large quantity to make up for it.

In the UK like Alex said dealers would just sell you the tool for less but print the receipt out at full price.  

 

[wow]

companies like Festool can certainly make life hard on a retailer that doesn't toe the line, and frankly they don't need to because all the retailers clearly don't see the need to discount...

Yes, they certainly don't want to get a visit from the FED (Festool Enforcement Division):

 

[PA floor guy]

I feel like I threw Shane under the bus here, just so everyone knows, I wasn't given a tool or anything of extreme value, It was just a nice gesture and was totally not neccesary.  I firmly believe that festool does give back, every time we use a tool.  Plus, have you ever used there customer service.  I have NEVER seen anything so organized and well connected as festool customer service.  So ultimately, every time we use our "lifelong" tools, that is festool giving back. 

 

 

[wow]

I feel like I threw Shane under the bus here, just so everyone knows, I wasn't given a tool or anything of extreme value, It was just a nice gesture and was totally not neccesary.  I firmly believe that festool does give back, every time we use a tool.  Plus, have you ever used there customer service.  I have NEVER seen anything so organized and well connected as festool customer service.  So ultimately, every time we use our "lifelong" tools, that is festool giving back.  

I think we all understand, but that's not to say Festool couldn't be a little freer with the SWAG?

I know I bought my cordless impact wrenches from IR specifically because they offered a free battery. Milwaukee did the same. I don't disrespect the brand because of it, and since it was a factory promotion the retail price remained intact, as did the dealers margins.

Those of us who are vested in Festool have learned to accept their pricing policies, but I've talked to lots of tradespeople who see it as price fixing and refuse to buy into the brand for that reason alone.

 

[16paws]

Sorry guys I didn't mean to set off a storm...it was just a question to support my new habit.  I should have started off by saying, "Hello my name is Marc and I have a Festool addiction!"  Anything that gets my mind off work and the troubles of the world has already given back to me. Just my 0.02.

 

[RC]

When I did a huge single purchase last time (5000€+) I got a bunch of freebie abrasives (opened boxes off their shelves) thrown in by the dealer and he was kind enough to talk me three Festool towels as an added bonus from Festool. The local dealer was also extremely good to almost price match German webshops for the tools though unfortunately he couldn't do the same with accessories and consumables, so I ended up eventually ordering most of them online due to the over 2x price difference to Finnish MSRP.

 

[SittingElf]

I didn't get any "Festool" swag, but my dealer in Germany gave me this really nice logo'd knife as a gift for my patronage.  This was the second knife they gave me... the first one was a bit different, but I forgot I had it in my backpack when going through security at a German Airport, and you can guess what happened to it... gone! [crying]

Nonetheless, Wagner treated me VERY well over the year I was purchasing from them!

[attachimg=#1]

Cheers,

Frank
[attachimg=#2]

 

[Stoli]

I would like to offer a different opion on swag.  I was amazed by the swag offered for simply entering the recent video contests.  I was expecting something nominal, like the shirt or hat.  The toolbox and sys 3 midi were well beyond expecations.

 

[jacko9]

Let's see, I have three Festool shirts (that get a lot of attention from people asking about Festool), two Festool hats and a wool cap and some nice stickers.  I can't complain about any interactions with Festool or their Dealers.  That pocket knife sure looks cool [wink].

Jack

 

[Kev]

I had a R/C Festool BMW X5 and Audi R8 ... shouldn't have given them to the young fella [sad] [huh] they're junk now.

The BMW was a freebie my brother in law got as a Festool buyer (he's a painter and decorator).

 

[mike68au]

I recently completed user testimonial for Festool Australia... My local rep e-mailed me to ask if I could do it, I was More than happy to do so since I love the brand so much.  Wrote it up and sent it off to them thinking that was really the end of it.

Around a month later I received and e-mail thanking me and that some Festool promotional stuff was on its way to me for my efforts.  The conclusion I have come to is the really do look after Festool buyers.... Hands down.

I'm always happy to pay the price requested in the store, if I have bought a few items over a period of time then it is nice to get something back from the retailer in regards to you loyalty, for me It can be as simple as a can cooler or some free sanding paper.  
And if I go away with nothing I'm still going away with and amazing tool that I would have just bought. Now how can I complain about that!

 

[tiralie]

What do I look like guys, the Festool Freebie Fairy?  [blink]

I'll be in touch with you guys shortly, probably tomorrow.

[attachimg=#]

Ahem... cough cough....!  [scratch chin] [drooling]

Frank:
I hope you got all the VAT refunded.
19% back on your purchases should help with your US purchases [big grin].
Tim

 

[SittingElf]

What do I look like guys, the Festool Freebie Fairy?  [blink]

I'll be in touch with you guys shortly, probably tomorrow.

[attachimg=#]

Ahem... cough cough....!  [scratch chin] [drooling]

Frank:
I hope you got all the VAT refunded.
19% back on your purchases should help with your US purchases [big grin].
Tim

Never had to pay it in the first place. That's the beauty of being married to a U.S. Military Officer stationed in Germany. We are exempt.  I even created a spreadsheet that would allow me to look at advertised prices, then subtract the VAT, then enter the current exchange rate and it would show me what my € price would be and the $ equivalent.  Carried the spreadsheet around on my iPad and iPhone so I could do instant calculations when looking at products... not just Festool!

Cheers,

Frank