Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

I was just in an Ariens Dealer today looking at the 920015 , the compact 26" model.

He mentioned a $35 fee for setup and prep - running the motor and checking the machine out.

When purchasing a new snowblower, is this normal to have a setup fee?

No doubt you are buying one of the top of the line machines and unless your dealer is discounting the price and making it up on the setup charge you are getting  a snow job. (excuse the pun)  Trying to sell snowballs to a snowman is he? It takes tops an hour to put together and test out a unit and believe me, Lawnmower man is not in business to be Mr. Nice guy. It is purely a matter of economics (Your credit card = dinner on the table). The mark-up in this case to a small retail outlet is around  2.5 times the wholesale price. Larger chain retailers generally can drop their prices because they demand deeper discounts from the manufacturer in lieu of volume sales. In today's economy? ! LOL ! The biggest problem with the Amercan economy is we lost our buying power by letting peddlers take advantage and create the illusion they are doing us the favor. My advice is to shop around a little and create the illusion that you can wait and will go somewhere else. If Americans will stop being so complacent and demand a bang for their buck like they did in the 40's and 50's, they will again start to see just how inexpensively the snow will get cleared from their driveways.

Starwarrior