Betson soliciting locations

[ronsidney]

I know I've heard guys mentioning in past about Betson sending salespeople to accounts to sell direct but this is first time its hit home in my area. I do know i had them ship a computer directly to a location once because i know owners really well and i just had guy that works there plug it up for me. Well a while later they sent a salesperson there to try and kick me out and offer financing etc. to location to buy their own equipment.

I never had Brady or K&K or any other distributor knife me like that in all my years of vending. I haven't bought anything else from them since except parts for their junk Raw thrills games that tear up constantly because they are only one with parts.

Now they have sent salesman to locations all over my area telling locations they should kick me out and just buy equipment from them.

Sales pitches like " How much do you make a month on that stuff? we can sell you the stuff and your payment will be less than that and you'll own it in 2 years," "We will fix it for you, deliver and setup and give you trade in for new equipment. The days of outside operators are over you need to own your own machines!!"

real back stabbers to the operators it seems. I was never really loyal to a distributor anyway so i guess i can't cry foul but i know some bar operators that are really pissed about this more than me(because i talk to a large group of them all the time and go to all the sales so i am definitely telling them)

luckily you can just call another distributor to buy your stuff. If anybody on here needs info on any piece of equipment to buy somewhere else BESIDES betson message me or reply and ill give you plenty of places to take your business elsewhere. We really don't need to support any distributor that is trying to sell your locations away from you!!

Don't get me wrong I'm not a scrooge and i understand business is business and if a customer takes the initiative and researches and finds the info and then orders their own equipment then thats always gonna happen in some instances. If a convenience store owner calls me and says he wants his own pusher because the operator only gives him a cut and he wants it all and then he buys machines from me then YES ill make the sale and not fret over it..

BUT i would never ever never go to a location where a route operator has equipment he bought from me and then try and cut him out of loop to make another sale, that goes against the very fabric of vending operations from way back..

There are always gonna be locations cutting out operator but we as vendors don't need our distributors we buy from helping them out any!! total BS !!

WE should all reply to this post weekly so it stays at top of discussion also for any new operator that may not have heard about "backstabbers distributing" (aka Betson)

[hanihotdog]

Ronnie, what type of equipment was betson soliciting? Video games? Or redemption machines?

[ronsidney]

Ronnie, what type of equipment was betson soliciting? Video games? Or redemption machines?

everything! their salesman came by locations and told location they could get their own games and own them and they would be brand new etc. Told location they would come set up account ,troubleshoot and give service calls and finance them for what they are making now. So basically location would have nothing to fear about making a payment as machines would pay for themselves.

[hanihotdog]

Was this a big game room set up that betson targeted? Or did they target single crane locations? I could definitely see betson targeting bowling centers, ice arenas, and other game room venues. It would be hard to imagine them spending the time to land single unit locations. I agree, it is a conflict of interest for them to be doing that.

[ronsidney]

it was large pizza place at first, in middle of no where but one that i had them ship computer to in past. They must have kept in there system and went to address. The others ranged from single crane stop at mexican restaurant to a movie theater with a few games in it..  

 

Now take it these are just locations that owners told me somebody came by. The sales rep is same rep than contacts me wanting me to buy equipment saying he is in area all the time..  Really stuck out was the big pizza place as its not a easy to find place, kinda off the beaten path so i know they used the info that i had given them to ship computer too as i put "attention *****" and that is who they ask for by name when they solicited it as he is just helper actually married to night manager and helps me with stop,not actual owner or manager.

[RikaKazak]

Thanks so much for posting this ron.  I almost bought a used keymaster from betson this month (got new from moss instead)...I'll make sure to never use betson EVER!!!

[hanihotdog]

Is it possible that it's an ambitious sales rep trying to sneak something on the side during his time off work? Those reps know all of the accounts, and which ones are the best. They also don't make a whole lot. Definitely possible that it's a rep using betsons name on the side without betson permission. I would give the manager at your local betson office a friendly call and ask them why so and so has been directly selling to your customers.

[ronsidney]

It is definitely sales rep of the area as the same day these locations where solicited he called and said he was in my area and wanted to sell me equipment.  Im not a newbie on this and i know how salesmen work and how it is the scapegoat for companies to use in case they rile somebody's feathers "Oh, Im sorry i had no idea my salesman was doing this. Ill reprimand him as soon as he gets in today." all the while the salesman is sitting across from him in office and they are exchanging grins.

 

but of course if its a big account and they are selling plenty of equipment to that operator I'm sure it holds more water in the "conflict of interest" category.  

 

Like i said, i have no problem with distributors selling as thats what they are is "salespeople"  and thats the game. The ONLY reason I'm making mention of this and putting it out there is the TRUST issue of you trusting your distributor enough to have them ship a part directly to your location or deliver equipment DIRECTLY to your locations and then them sending their salesman DIRECTLY to that location to sell them their own equipment.  I KNOW they did this because it is "off the beaten path" location and the person they tried to contact at location was not the owner or manager but just a husband of the night manager that i have help me with repairs at this stop. Only time his name had ever been on any paperwork at all was when i put "ATTN ******" on the package i had betson send to them DIRECTLY.

 

I personally have been in the game long enough to not believe BS scapegoat excuses from companies blaming ambitious salespeople.  If the company had integrity the salespeople would know this was taboo and would never attempt it period.

[hanihotdog]

Good point... at the end of the day, betson is responsible for the actions of their employees.I hope this turns out to be just an isolated event for you, and not an on going problem.

[Pete Schweddy]

Thanks I almost ordered from them recently too. that is just a dirty way to do business

[BouncyBalls]

I have purchase 2 cranes from them in the past year, but not anymore. Thanks for the info Ronsidney!

[caserri]

A member here, who wishes to remain anonymous, wanted me to add to this thread by providing the following information. This is a copy and paste of the members PM to me. This member thought the information should be shared with everyone.

I would like to make the members aware of the facts. I have bought & had delivered 5 pieces to a specific location in the first half of this year. 5 separate times, Betson delivered to that location. In late July, while talking to a salesman from my Betson branch, he mentioned the location to "confirm" it was still indeed my location. When I asked why he was inquiring, he informed me Betson was going to sell direct to locations, and they wanted to verify I was still the operator there as they didn't want to approach the location if it was still my account. 2 months later I go to the location and the owner says Betson called and wanted to set up an appointment to discuss selling him equipment. He informs them he is dealing with me, and is satisfied. The salesman says he is in no obligation to buy, and asked the location to hear them out , to which he firmly declined. I called the salesman to raise a fuss . He tells me the time has come with the expensive price of equipment that it is no longer feasible for an operator to buy the equipment , split the collections with the location , and make a profit. He claim operators realize there isn't a profit to be made and haven't been buying the equipment for that reason. So in order to survive and sell the equipment, they feel its now time to deal direct in "certain" cases. They feel a location can lease the equipment , pay the lease payment , and have more of the collections , then if they had an operator. They also offer stop & go leases where you can lease a game , and in 9 , 18, or 27 months return it and own nothing. At that point the location could start over on a new game.

So, ronsidney is 100 & 1 percent correct ! Betson is screwing the people who supported them all these years. hanihotdog feels maybe it was an ambitious salesman straying on the side some, so from my experience we know that is not the case. He posted he was hoping it was an isolated incident , and not an ongoing problem , so I feel these guys need to know the facts. Somehow, it would also be nice if this got to Vending Times to see what they have to say about it. Im sure they spend a lot of money with them in advertising, so I wouldn't expect to see much there. That's what is great about TVF . Members can find the truth here.

[Rick]

Wow.  I agree with Ron.  Can't fault Betson for selling direct if that's what they've determined they need to do to compete, but it's a horse$hit move to use previous customers addresses against them.  

 

Caserri, please consider pinning this thread to the top of the Amusement forum so even guests that casually visit will see the topic.  

[moondog]

I know I've heard guys mentioning in past about Betson sending salespeople to accounts to sell direct but this is first time its hit home in my area.  I do know i had them ship a computer directly to a location once because  i know owners really well and i just had guy that works there plug it up for me. Well a while later they sent a salesperson there to try and kick me out and offer financing etc. to location to buy their own equipment.

 

I never had Brady or K&K or any other distributor knife me like that in all my years of vending. I haven't bought anything else from them since except parts for their junk Raw thrills games that tear up constantly because they are only one with parts.

 

Now they have sent salesman to locations all over my area telling locations they should kick me out and just buy equipment from them.

 

Sales pitches like " How much do you make a month on that stuff? we can sell you the stuff and your payment will be less than that and you'll own it in 2 years," "We will fix it for you, deliver and setup and give you trade in for new equipment.  The days of outside operators are over you need to own your own machines!!"

 

real back stabbers to the operators it seems. I was never really loyal to a distributor anyway so i guess i can't cry foul but i know some bar operators that are really pissed about this more than me(because i talk to a large group of them all the time and go to all the sales so i am definitely telling them)

 

luckily you can just call another distributor to buy your stuff. If anybody on here needs info on any piece of equipment to buy somewhere else BESIDES betson message me or reply and ill give you plenty of places to take your business elsewhere.  We really don't  need to support any distributor that is trying to sell your locations away from you!!  

 

Don't get me wrong I'm not a scrooge and i understand business is business and if a customer takes the initiative and researches and finds the info and then orders their own equipment then thats always gonna happen in some instances. If a convenience store owner calls me and says he wants his own pusher because the operator only gives him a cut and he wants it all and then he buys machines from me then YES ill make the sale and not fret over it..

 

BUT i would never ever never go to a location where a  route operator has equipment he bought from me and then try and cut him out of loop to make another sale, that goes against the very fabric of  vending operations from way back..

 

There are always gonna be locations cutting out operator but we as vendors don't need our distributors we buy from helping them out any!! total BS !!

 

WE should all reply to this post weekly so it stays at top of discussion also for any new operator that may not have heard about "backstabbers distributing" (aka Betson)

Great post Ron - everybody should make it a point to boycott Betson.  If I were in that business, I would go so far as to replace any equipment that required Betson support.  As a former 3M distributer,  I can assure you that this is a low life business practice that no legitimate firm would engage in.  The manufactures that Betson represents might be very interested in what's going on here.

[Rick]

...The manufactures that Betson represents might be very interested in what's going on here.

 

We can hope.  Unfortunately, the only party that's being harmed is the independent vendor and Betson is banking on them being too unorganized to get the word out to one another.  They're hoping that by the time the big independents get word of this the damage will already be done.  Ron's post and Mr. Anonymous' information goes a long way in derailing that plan.  

[PowerVendor]

A member here, who wishes to remain anonymous, wanted me to add to this thread by providing the following information. This is a copy and paste of the members PM to me. This member thought the information should be shared with everyone.

 

 

 

I personally have been in the game long enough to not believe BS scapegoat excuses from companies blaming ambitious salespeople.  If the company had integrity the salespeople would know this was taboo and would never attempt it period.

 

POWER TO THE PEOPLE....  My Dad always says, "Vote with your feet."  Betson won't have to worry about getting my business. I'm walking away from ever doing business with them.  Apparently, they forgot who got them to where they are.... the operators. Thanks for sharing this information with us. 

[Lake Cities Vending]

I will not be buying anything from them.

[Walta]

I can’t see how distributors can make payroll today.

 

There is almost no new equipment being made and sold.

 

Very few operators today buy any equipment new or used.

 

How much profit can there be in repair parts with everyone shopping the net today.

 

At this point it is likely very a desperate time leading to this kind of tactics.

 

If you are a current Betson customer please talk to your salesman before decide a boycott is the right thing to do.

 

Is it possible this is just one rogue salesman?

 

I am not saying that distributors selling to locations is a good thing but we all will do whatever is necessary to survive.

 

Walta

[ronsidney]

No it cannot be a rogue salesman, it is definitely from the top. I looked back and I had actually ordered that part from a diffrent office out of state as it was office I had programmed in my phone. The local salesman never sold me anything but he had direct knowledge of that particular shipment made months prior to him soliciting the stop.. So he must have had printout of leads for this area from corporate to have that info.

[ronsidney]

And another thing, you say do what they can to survive? It's called "trimming the fat" .. If they can't make it they need to always cut costs before you throw your bread and butter under the bus.

If your route was suffering sales losses would you quit supporting your locations in favor of say selling Gumballs out in front of your locations for half price to cut your locations out of the loop?? Sounds preposterous doesn't it??

I agree that really distribution is dead as the Internet killed it just along with many other types of businesses. The days of local offices in every state etc are really dinosaur . I quit Brady in Memphis years ago cause they where charging me freight from say coastal for a toy soldier from New Jersey, and I still had to drive 150 miles to pick up at their office. s&b would ship direct to me at home for less so I dumped them. I'm sure betson is getting same treatment at local office level.

So what to do? Adapt not be desperate and most of all don't sacrifice your companies name and integrity by being backhanded to your customers. They have lots of great products and "had" a good name . Go solicit all the stops they want but don't be dirty about it and use customers info they gave you in trust to do it!!

That just shows a snake to me!

[RikaKazak]

OH MY GOD!

 

I just realized I might of made a HUGE mistake :(

 

When I was inquiring about a keymaster (price, shipping info, all of that) from betson the salesmen asked me where the machine was going.  I happily said I already had the location found and that it was a rockstar place (a movie theater)...he asked which movie theater, and I told him.

 

I really hope this doesn't come back to bite me, because it's my best location right now  Ughhh...wish I would of read this post last month.  I will go apeshit if they steal this location from me.  We should create a betson scams.com site or something.  Then pay google to make it the first search people find when they search for betson.

 

Also make sure to use betson and their name a bunch in this thread.  It'll make it rank higher on a google search.  Maybe we can get to the first page and actually hurt their business.  We need to get the word out about these scumbags.

[Lake Cities Vending]

I talked to one of these guys about a month ago. I friend of mine called me, he was at a local bar I've been in a couple of times, well maybe more than a couple. He gave the gut the phone and said I needed to talk to this guy, he is with a big vending company. I talked to him and he acted like he didn't really want to talk to me. He said he worked for Betson out of NJ. It didn't make sense because I know the guy that has the jukebox, pool tables, ATM and the 8 liners. I never figured out why he was there. It makes sense now. The bar manager is a good friend of mine. I need to talk to her next week. I live in a small town just outside of Dallas.

[orsd]

Steve, ready the law men

[caserri]

Steve, ready the law men

Yep. I'll let you guys know when I hear from Betson's "legal team". My prediction is it'll be January 7. [emoji4]

[hanihotdog]

I guess the reason we have not heard about this is because... Video is so bad in our area that our accounts would lose money if they booted us and did it themselves! Every machine placed for over 3 months can't even gross enough to pay the lease!!! Only 3 month leases with free freight will work.