Why was the Papa Stihl thread locked?

[fabsroman]

Seemed as though it was a rather civil discussion on business development, supporting the local economy, and business models. Just curious why it would have been locked when the discussion was entirely civil. Is Stihl a supporter of this forum? Is the discussion of the topics within the thread prohibited? Was it just that we were beating a dead horse?

I would have liked to comment on the availability of parts from my local Stihl dealers, supporting the local economy, and the retail model of Wal-Mart/manufacturer control/etc.?

Seems rather harsh to cut off a civil discussion. Since I am somewhat new to the board, would like to get a better feel for moderator policy to see if I decide to stick around.

 

[DanCorcoran]

I think it was locked because it had evolved into a thread that had little to do with "Gear". There's another thread for general discussions.

 

[DexterDay]

Yep..., Called that Chit. That was beyond gear.... After a few pages, That was "Can" material. IMO.

Everyone has there own views and opinions.. That's what makes not just this site, but this Country the greatest place

It was on track so to speak, but still was treading in deep water. I will stop here because most "RE: put your thread title" get shut down too.

I love my Stihl's. And love the dealer by me (keepin kinda on track)

My 2 cents, because everyone has that much

 

[fabsroman]

I think it was locked because it had evolved into a thread that had little to do with "Gear". There's another thread for general discussions.

Fair enough. The cycling part was definitely off topic, but I think Stihl's business model was pretty much spot on. Stihl is one of the larger gear manufacturer's when it comes to chainsaws and other landscaping gear. Prior to that thread, I had no idea that Stihl was no-internet sales for parts. Figured that was their policy for the actual gear since finding new saws for sale on the internet was impossible. Just shocked that I cannot order parts direct from Stihl and get them within a reasonable amount of time, or from some dealer on the internet that actually has them in stock. That was going to be one of my follow up questions because I am pretty positive that my dealers don't stock many repair parts whatsoever and after my cant hook experience, I am glad I have a backup saw, soon to be two.

Think I will start a new thread about the likelihood of obtaining repair parts in a timely manner from dealers. Then again, every dealer is going to stock differently, so one dealer's parts inventory is not indicative of another dealer's parts inventory.

 

[DanCorcoran]

Just a guess, but I think that discussion is more likely to find a home in the "Inglenook" thread. It doesn't really get into specifics of splitters, chainsaws, chains, peaveys, etc.

 

[Boog]

Yes, I was surprised that it was stopped too. I felt it was running out of steam, everyone had pretty much staked out their turf and positions, but I'm new here too so it surprised me. I certainly didn't expect it to go where it went when I started it, but I gained a better perspective of "the other sides" positions by it all. Lets see, what can I post next......................

 

[MasterMech]

I'm not sure if I'm mad about the thread closure or not. The moderators definitely have the power to close or move it at will but a bit more explanation would certainly be nice guys. (Beyond, "it's a wrap")

We used to send threads that were deemed "Can material" to the Can where it could still be discussed. Even if the Can was "closed", just no new threads.

Hell, the discussion didn't even get political (perhaps my playful jab at the moderators was a bit much? ). I think it was a great topic and valid points from both sides. Would it have gotten shut down if we were discussing a stove manufactuerer with similar policies?

EDIT: with 962 views and nearly 60 posts, in 2 days, I think it most certainly had the interest of a few folks.

 

[fabsroman]

Just a guess, but I think that discussion is more likely to find a home in the "Inglenook" thread. It doesn't really get into specifics of splitters, chainsaws, chains, peaveys, etc.

It does not get into the "specifics" of gear, but it surely had to do with gear. Specifically, it had to do with the sales policy of a major gear manufacturer.

Most of the threads in the gear forum do not get into the "specifics" of gear. "Look at what I got for Christmas". "My new splitter". "My new wood hauler". Most of those do not discuss a single thing about the actual gear, yet they do not get locked. So, the lack of specifics about gear does not seem to be a valid reason for locking the thread.

As I said before, I was actually quite surprised by Stihl's sales policy on repair parts and maintenance parts. Don't know if I would have gone with Stihl had I known that before buying them. What I do know is that the moment something breaks on a saw or other piece of equipment and I need to wait over a week for a part,I will not be a happy camper. Won't be happy with my dealers or with the manufacturer. Same thing holds true if the replacement part is prohibitively expensive. Time will tell, and of course I am hoping that nothing breaks for 20+ years.

 

[Jags]

fabsman - being a mod is a thankless PITA type job. It is time and energy donated to the site in the hopes of keeping the intended purpose and feel that Craig wants put forth. There is very little moderation that I have seen that is personal - and I am sure that this one was not, as well. It just may have been the direction it was headed, or the tone or whatever, but sometimes the mods have to make a call. That is really IT in a nut shell. He made a call.

Personally - I think the mods of this site do a fantastic job. I wanted to be a mod for 60 seconds one time, but that would have been for personal gratification.

 

[BrotherBart]

I closed it because it was wandering all over the place. And the OP stated in the thread that he wanted it to wrap up.

 

[fabsroman]

I closed it because it was wandering all over the place. And the OP stated in the thread that he wanted it to wrap up.

Fair enough and thanks for the explanation.

 

[MasterMech]

Fair enough and thanks for the explanation.

Agreed.