Find a new dealer...

IMO Dealers are the biggest thing holding back BGE from further success as a product/business. Instead of elevating the experience, they foul it. I don't believe they make any money on the warranty items or even aftermarket products (what's the margin on a CI grid?) so they don't have any drive to provide customer service other than selling new eggs.

Try Fireside in Augusta. Greig has most everything for BGE in stock.

Most retail sales drones in most retail sales storefronts are generally not well versed in the products they sell so I quit being surprised by those displays of ignorance/befuddlement/confusion many many moons ago.

I'm curious how active/involved that dealer may be in the whole BGE scene. Are  they one of that type of dealer that just keeps a few in the store but doesn't really sell that many of them?

I too struggle with the dealers in my area. I have found that I know more of what is going on than them on most topics and issues.

Double Bogey said:

Try Fireside in Augusta. Greig has most everything for BGE in stock.

They are a great store with everything you could ever want. I stop in every time I'm in Augusta. 

Raymont said:

IMO Dealers are the biggest thing holding back BGE from further success as a product/business. Instead of elevating the experience, they foul it. I don't believe they make any money on the warranty items or even aftermarket products (what's the margin on a CI grid?) so they don't have any drive to provide customer service other than selling new eggs.

I'm pretty torn about this statement because I want to say that I disagree with this but I've seen it go both ways with different dealers in my area.  I think that there are plenty of great dealers out there that are very knowledgeable about the products and do a lot to elevate the experience.  Dizzy Pig, happens to be the dealer I bought my egg from and use most of the time and they're a great example of being knowledgeable and elevating the brand/experience.  They host classes regularly you can attend, have 2 eggfests each year, summer and fall, and stock a lot of BGE and BBQ products.  Dizzy Pig is pretty close to my office so it's not bad for me to get to during the week.  However there's another dealer that is actually less than 2 miles from my home and the last time I went there they had very little stock of anything BGE or BBQ related.  I pretty much don't go there at all anymore because I didn't enjoy the original experience, which is unfortunate given how close they are to my house.  BGE and BBQ is not this dealers main business, and I don't think they make as much money off of BGE so it's there but more of an after thought for them.  Both dealers however are listed on the BGE site as "Authorized Gold Dealers," so I'm not quite sure what that means considering one seems far superior than the other to me.   I think that BGE or the local BGE distributors in each area should do a dealer network restructuring and get rid of some dealers that really aren't helping the brand or the customers but I'm not sure that will happen either.  

My local dealer is mainly an appliance company and Eggs are a verrrrry minor addition to their store. They are friendly and want to help but they are still very limited to the basics of the egg. I find myself holding back in conversations and/or explaining to them what the names of their products are for fear of making them feel ignorant.  Knowing this, I go in if I need something "NOW" or have to have a BGE product not found on the internet. Otherwise, most of my add ons are purchased online. Thanks to this awesome site, I have a great source of educators and information. I even mentioned this site to the store, and got the proverbial "deer in the headlights" stare.

johnkitchens said:

I would love to be an egg dealer. I think that would be a fun job. 

After a 10 year run, I still find it very fun to help others with their first Egg purchases.  

My dealer doesn't carry much. But anytime I ask about something, if they don't know they'll at least make a phone call. 

Jeremiah said:

johnkitchens said:

@Jeremiah I am afraid to ask, but was the dealer PA in Aiken? 

No, the other one in town. What makes it worse (at least for me as I must be a gluten for punishment) is this is the same guy that I asked to start stocking OO and told him that I was paying $11 a bag online. When he got it in he wanted $19 a bag!

I can't buy lump by the pallet delivered to my store for 11 per bag. Were they 20#. No wonder everyone loves them. Sorry to hear of these incidents with your dealers. I cannot imagine how they stay open. They must have another side of their business that is far more lucrative. I can tell you a dealer has to move a ton of grills and accessories just to pay the bills. They have to make a profit. That said, I can't see how one does it with the attitude you describe him having. Good luck. 

I hope BGE is reading the complaints about the Gold dealers. This is the third thread just this week complaining that many Gold dealers don't know jack about BGEs and are really hurting the brand. BGE needs to tightly control who is a Gold dealer and crack down on the local reps freely giving that designation to stores who clearly don't deserve it.

@johnkitchens hate to disappoint, but I'm a first class a-hole.