I am talking about support along with the part purchase. Call that place you bought the starter and ask them to spend 2 hrs on the phone to help you remove and replace it.
I have worked on these machines since 1993. When the customer talks to me, they know I am not reading out of a book. I have spent hours on the phone with a customer tearing apart the machine and helping them put it back together. I know everyone on here is a crack mechanic so that portion has little to no value. It cost the customer $160hr labor and 85/hr travel plus expenses for me to show up onsite. 8hr minimum if I get on an airplane. That comes out to about $3000-$3500 for one 8hr day onsite. To them, the phone support is factored into the part price and if needed, is well worth it.
And no, I don't work on commission. I am just an hourly employee.
Good for you, but the guy answering a phone for a part that is 10X the cost of the competition, isn’t worth the price of a cup of coffee. You must live in Fantasy Island if you think counter help makes any measurable difference. Most businesses today have such a ridiculous litany of phone prompts that a real person is as close as Mars. When you finally get that person, they are from Pakistan or Nigeria.
Pass me the aftermarket and hold the OEM.