rbryn
Member
- May 27, 2009
- 254
- Boat Info
- 2003 260DA
- Engines
- 350Mag MPI Bravo® III (re-powered 2013)
First, I want to apologize for the lengthy post. But I felt that I wanted to share a letter that I sent to MarineMax Inc. this morning. I can only hope that others have had as positive an experience as we have had.
MarineMax Inc.
18167 US Hwy 19 North
Suite 300
Clearwater FL 33764
Sea Ray Headquarters
2600 Sea Ray Blvd
Knoxville TN 37914
Dear Sirs:
I felt that I needed to share a story with anyone that is considering using MarineMax. My story may be unique (I’de like to think it wasn’t) but my recent interactions with them did not go un-noticed or under appreciated.
Background
I have previously owned one boat in my lifetime (a 13’ Boston Whaler – a brief ownership from 1989-1991). From 1989-1994 I worked towards degrees in Marine Technology and Marine Biology. During that time I spent numerous hours on the water both captaining boats and working as a deckhand on larger vessels (100’ plus commercial vessels). From 1994 to June 2009 I have been absent in the maritime environment and haven’t been on a boat for 15years. All through those years as I raised two kids, I longed to be back on the water and frequently visited boat shows. I dreamt of owning a Sea Ray, but finances and kids kept that elusive dream from me until this year.
Our Search for the perfect boat
Our search began in May 2009 by hitting yachtworld.com and boats.com searching for a 24’ Sea Ray Sundancer. We were not actively in the market at the time, but were pricing both used and new boats for a later purchase (we planned on purchasing one in August or September). In our searches, very few boats were available in our price range and the majority of the boats appeared to be in either the New Jersey Area or in Georgia. It was rare to see one in North Carolina.
On a whim, my wife and I decided to stop by our local MarineMax showroom in Wrightsville Beach to see one up close and personal to get an idea of size and space. We were met in the MarineMax showroom by Brian Fineman and he showed us a new 240 Sundancer. He was polite, low pressure and was able to answer any stupid questions we had. Although we were considering buying a new boat, the price just wasn’t in our future.
After a few turns and calls we made our way down to another local MarineMax office in Southport (about an hr away), both offices were owned and operated by MarineMax Carolinas and Brian Fineman met us there to show us a couple of used 260 SunDancers that they had in stock. We fell in love with one of them and made an offer that day on a 2003 260 SunDancer.
The Worries Begin
I’m a researcher at heart, before I buy anything I dig, dig, and then dig some more to learn about everything there is. I spent hours digging up history and knowledge on SeaRays (a big thank you to clubsearay.com here…). I dug up history and complaints on Brunswick corp, and I also dug up anything there was to find on MarineMax. I wanted to know everything about the companies and their products from which I was about to make a purchase from. Overall the reviews on SeaRay were very positive, the information on Brunswick was mixed, but there were a lot of negative stories about MarineMax on the internet. Stories of nightmares with service departments, parts departments, and sales gone bad were easy to find on Google. Needless to say I was a bit apprehensive after reading all the negative news about MarineMax, but they had the boat, and the only thing we had to base our opinion on so far was the Internet. So far our personal experience was limited to our Sales Rep (Brian Fineman).
The Transaction & Delivery
To make a long story short. We had our own financing in place prior to making the offer on the boat. MarineMax asked if they could make a competitive offer on the loan. I accepted their offer, and they were able to beat the existing loan we had procured through Essex Credit and our own bank. We were dealt with professionally and courteously through the entire transaction. The finance guy (JT Tulip) stayed in constant contact with us via email as the transaction progressed. Brian touched base with us almost weekly during that time to make sure any questions we had were answered and to give us updates on work being done to prepare the boat. Closing day came and went without a hitch and we were excited (and a bit shocked) at how easy MarineMax had made the entire process happen.
We took delivery of the boat on June 16th, and per MarineMax’s policy, were accompanied by their captain to review the boat and get comfortable with its operation and use. It was a huge relief to have someone with us on the first hours on the boat to guide us and answer questions. Although I was confident in handling the boat – It was a great comfort to know that he was available to answer questions.
The first forty days
Our dream had come true and we put more hours on the boat in the first forty days than had been on the boat originally. The first week after delivery we found a problem with the forward navigation lights. After giving Brian a call, we were able to get replacement parts (no charge) and get them replaced. Sunset cruises around Wrightsville beach were our mainstay and our new daily routine. Every week Brian from MarineMax touched base with us to make sure we didn’t have any questions or problems. He had been so friendly, that my youngest son looked for Brian every time we went past the MarineMax docks(which we went by almost on every trip).
The Event that changed everything
On July 30th while out on one of our normal sunset cruises around Wrightsville Beach we were idling down the channel at about 5 knots when we heard an odd noise. We lost all ability to move forward or reverse and putting the boat in gear gave no results. We were in 20ft of water and there was no chance that we ran aground or hit anything. We were dead in the water with no way to get back to the dock. Thankfully, (and this is real important) MarineMax included 60 days of SeaTow with our purchase. We gave them a call and they happily towed us to the MarineMax docks later that evening.
With the boat out of commission and sitting at MarineMax I immediately began my research again. I am no mechanic, but had been around boats and had some courses in marine engine repair in school. Between my limited knowledge and a few posts on clubsearay.com, I came to the conclusion that we had lost the coupler. A friend of mine who used to be the marine mechanic confirmed my diagnosis based on the symptoms and description. He also broke the bad news to me that this type of repair was an expensive one which required *a lot* of labor. In short, we were looking at an expensive repair. I knew that owning a boat was a constant cost between fuel, maintenance and repairs… we just were not prepared for a major repair so early.
That week was the lowest we had been in a long time. In addition to the boat, my father who had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer was not doing well. Business finances that were doing well just the month before, were taking a serious dive. We overextended our finances the month before to purchase the boat and had not fully recovered from it financially yet and now we were adding about a $2000 repair on top of it. We told MarineMax at that time not to make the diagnosis and repair a top priority; we knew it would be a 20-30 days before we could raise the cash to repair it. To add insult to injury I started to remember reading about all the horror stories about MarineMax and their service departments just prior to our purchase. I began to seriously worry if all those stories were true. What were we in for, how much worse could it get?
It would be two weeks before MarineMax had a chance to officially diagnose the problem. We were in Boston visiting my ailing father when we got the call from Ryan (the service guy at MarineMax). He left a voicemail on my phone letting us know that we had “spun the coupler… not to worry we are going to warranty it”. I couldn’t believe what I had heard, and the good news had both my wife and I in tears (it had been a very tough couple of weeks, between my father and the boat we were on a tough emotional roller coaster). When we got back into town, I even went by to see Ryan in person to confirm what he had told me in voicemail. Was it true? It was under warranty, how? We didn’t purchase an extended warranty with the boat. It was a 2003, it had long past its manufacturer’s warranty. I didn’t understand at all… Ryan reassured me “the powers that be said it was under warranty, so it’s under warranty.”
About our MarineMax
It’s September 4th 2009 and as I finish this, I am preparing to go pickup our boat. Ryan called earlier to let me know that she’s ready. It’s been washed and detailed and ready to go just in time for Labor Day weekend.
I can honestly say that I’ve read a lot of things about MarineMax over the summer, very few of them positive. I know one thing for sure though… they were defiantly NOT talking about *MY* MarineMax (MarineMax @ Wrightsville Beach). I can’t imagine a more professional group of people.
Brian Fineman is a pleasure to deal with. His relaxed sales approach and personality has won a faithful buyer that will return to him and the MarineMax family forever. When we are ready to scratch our “2ftitis” as he calls it… he’ll be the one we call to upgrade to that bigger boat.
JT Tulip was knowledgeable and extremely helpful in securing a competing loan and was always available during the transaction. He made it the easiest financial transaction we have ever had. When we walked out of the closing, we still were left wondering… was that it? Isn’t it supposed to be more complicated?
Ryan, and the rest of the Service Dept, are at the top of our Christmas Cookie list right now. He has kept in touch with us throughout the repair. He always taken our call or promptly returned our calls and has been honest and helpful (And I’m not just saying that because our repair was done under warranty).
Like all new boat owners we struggled to name our boat when we purchased it. Now almost 3 months later we find that the boat’s name “Blessed” is a perfect fit. We are truly “Blessed” to have had the opportunity to work with MarineMax and the people that make up the indispensible team there. This summer has been an eventful one and probably the most memorable one in a long time (for both good and bad). I look forward to an ongoing relationship with MarineMax and would encourage *anyone* looking for a boat or needing service to contact them first. I can only hope that *your* MarineMax can live up to the standards set by ours.
Sincerely,
Robb Bryn
MarineMax Inc.
18167 US Hwy 19 North
Suite 300
Clearwater FL 33764
Sea Ray Headquarters
2600 Sea Ray Blvd
Knoxville TN 37914
Dear Sirs:
I felt that I needed to share a story with anyone that is considering using MarineMax. My story may be unique (I’de like to think it wasn’t) but my recent interactions with them did not go un-noticed or under appreciated.
Background
I have previously owned one boat in my lifetime (a 13’ Boston Whaler – a brief ownership from 1989-1991). From 1989-1994 I worked towards degrees in Marine Technology and Marine Biology. During that time I spent numerous hours on the water both captaining boats and working as a deckhand on larger vessels (100’ plus commercial vessels). From 1994 to June 2009 I have been absent in the maritime environment and haven’t been on a boat for 15years. All through those years as I raised two kids, I longed to be back on the water and frequently visited boat shows. I dreamt of owning a Sea Ray, but finances and kids kept that elusive dream from me until this year.
Our Search for the perfect boat
Our search began in May 2009 by hitting yachtworld.com and boats.com searching for a 24’ Sea Ray Sundancer. We were not actively in the market at the time, but were pricing both used and new boats for a later purchase (we planned on purchasing one in August or September). In our searches, very few boats were available in our price range and the majority of the boats appeared to be in either the New Jersey Area or in Georgia. It was rare to see one in North Carolina.
On a whim, my wife and I decided to stop by our local MarineMax showroom in Wrightsville Beach to see one up close and personal to get an idea of size and space. We were met in the MarineMax showroom by Brian Fineman and he showed us a new 240 Sundancer. He was polite, low pressure and was able to answer any stupid questions we had. Although we were considering buying a new boat, the price just wasn’t in our future.
After a few turns and calls we made our way down to another local MarineMax office in Southport (about an hr away), both offices were owned and operated by MarineMax Carolinas and Brian Fineman met us there to show us a couple of used 260 SunDancers that they had in stock. We fell in love with one of them and made an offer that day on a 2003 260 SunDancer.
The Worries Begin
I’m a researcher at heart, before I buy anything I dig, dig, and then dig some more to learn about everything there is. I spent hours digging up history and knowledge on SeaRays (a big thank you to clubsearay.com here…). I dug up history and complaints on Brunswick corp, and I also dug up anything there was to find on MarineMax. I wanted to know everything about the companies and their products from which I was about to make a purchase from. Overall the reviews on SeaRay were very positive, the information on Brunswick was mixed, but there were a lot of negative stories about MarineMax on the internet. Stories of nightmares with service departments, parts departments, and sales gone bad were easy to find on Google. Needless to say I was a bit apprehensive after reading all the negative news about MarineMax, but they had the boat, and the only thing we had to base our opinion on so far was the Internet. So far our personal experience was limited to our Sales Rep (Brian Fineman).
The Transaction & Delivery
To make a long story short. We had our own financing in place prior to making the offer on the boat. MarineMax asked if they could make a competitive offer on the loan. I accepted their offer, and they were able to beat the existing loan we had procured through Essex Credit and our own bank. We were dealt with professionally and courteously through the entire transaction. The finance guy (JT Tulip) stayed in constant contact with us via email as the transaction progressed. Brian touched base with us almost weekly during that time to make sure any questions we had were answered and to give us updates on work being done to prepare the boat. Closing day came and went without a hitch and we were excited (and a bit shocked) at how easy MarineMax had made the entire process happen.
We took delivery of the boat on June 16th, and per MarineMax’s policy, were accompanied by their captain to review the boat and get comfortable with its operation and use. It was a huge relief to have someone with us on the first hours on the boat to guide us and answer questions. Although I was confident in handling the boat – It was a great comfort to know that he was available to answer questions.
The first forty days
Our dream had come true and we put more hours on the boat in the first forty days than had been on the boat originally. The first week after delivery we found a problem with the forward navigation lights. After giving Brian a call, we were able to get replacement parts (no charge) and get them replaced. Sunset cruises around Wrightsville beach were our mainstay and our new daily routine. Every week Brian from MarineMax touched base with us to make sure we didn’t have any questions or problems. He had been so friendly, that my youngest son looked for Brian every time we went past the MarineMax docks(which we went by almost on every trip).
The Event that changed everything
On July 30th while out on one of our normal sunset cruises around Wrightsville Beach we were idling down the channel at about 5 knots when we heard an odd noise. We lost all ability to move forward or reverse and putting the boat in gear gave no results. We were in 20ft of water and there was no chance that we ran aground or hit anything. We were dead in the water with no way to get back to the dock. Thankfully, (and this is real important) MarineMax included 60 days of SeaTow with our purchase. We gave them a call and they happily towed us to the MarineMax docks later that evening.
With the boat out of commission and sitting at MarineMax I immediately began my research again. I am no mechanic, but had been around boats and had some courses in marine engine repair in school. Between my limited knowledge and a few posts on clubsearay.com, I came to the conclusion that we had lost the coupler. A friend of mine who used to be the marine mechanic confirmed my diagnosis based on the symptoms and description. He also broke the bad news to me that this type of repair was an expensive one which required *a lot* of labor. In short, we were looking at an expensive repair. I knew that owning a boat was a constant cost between fuel, maintenance and repairs… we just were not prepared for a major repair so early.
That week was the lowest we had been in a long time. In addition to the boat, my father who had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer was not doing well. Business finances that were doing well just the month before, were taking a serious dive. We overextended our finances the month before to purchase the boat and had not fully recovered from it financially yet and now we were adding about a $2000 repair on top of it. We told MarineMax at that time not to make the diagnosis and repair a top priority; we knew it would be a 20-30 days before we could raise the cash to repair it. To add insult to injury I started to remember reading about all the horror stories about MarineMax and their service departments just prior to our purchase. I began to seriously worry if all those stories were true. What were we in for, how much worse could it get?
It would be two weeks before MarineMax had a chance to officially diagnose the problem. We were in Boston visiting my ailing father when we got the call from Ryan (the service guy at MarineMax). He left a voicemail on my phone letting us know that we had “spun the coupler… not to worry we are going to warranty it”. I couldn’t believe what I had heard, and the good news had both my wife and I in tears (it had been a very tough couple of weeks, between my father and the boat we were on a tough emotional roller coaster). When we got back into town, I even went by to see Ryan in person to confirm what he had told me in voicemail. Was it true? It was under warranty, how? We didn’t purchase an extended warranty with the boat. It was a 2003, it had long past its manufacturer’s warranty. I didn’t understand at all… Ryan reassured me “the powers that be said it was under warranty, so it’s under warranty.”
About our MarineMax
It’s September 4th 2009 and as I finish this, I am preparing to go pickup our boat. Ryan called earlier to let me know that she’s ready. It’s been washed and detailed and ready to go just in time for Labor Day weekend.
I can honestly say that I’ve read a lot of things about MarineMax over the summer, very few of them positive. I know one thing for sure though… they were defiantly NOT talking about *MY* MarineMax (MarineMax @ Wrightsville Beach). I can’t imagine a more professional group of people.
Brian Fineman is a pleasure to deal with. His relaxed sales approach and personality has won a faithful buyer that will return to him and the MarineMax family forever. When we are ready to scratch our “2ftitis” as he calls it… he’ll be the one we call to upgrade to that bigger boat.
JT Tulip was knowledgeable and extremely helpful in securing a competing loan and was always available during the transaction. He made it the easiest financial transaction we have ever had. When we walked out of the closing, we still were left wondering… was that it? Isn’t it supposed to be more complicated?
Ryan, and the rest of the Service Dept, are at the top of our Christmas Cookie list right now. He has kept in touch with us throughout the repair. He always taken our call or promptly returned our calls and has been honest and helpful (And I’m not just saying that because our repair was done under warranty).
Like all new boat owners we struggled to name our boat when we purchased it. Now almost 3 months later we find that the boat’s name “Blessed” is a perfect fit. We are truly “Blessed” to have had the opportunity to work with MarineMax and the people that make up the indispensible team there. This summer has been an eventful one and probably the most memorable one in a long time (for both good and bad). I look forward to an ongoing relationship with MarineMax and would encourage *anyone* looking for a boat or needing service to contact them first. I can only hope that *your* MarineMax can live up to the standards set by ours.
Sincerely,
Robb Bryn
