My service dealer out of line ?

Octopus IV

New Member
Jan 8, 2007
50
North Shore of Chicago
Boat Info
38DA Sundancer
Engines
8.1's
Is it me, or is my dealer out of line ? Let me first thank all who counseled me on the 38DA cockpit A/C thread... Hence I bit :smt101 the $$$bullet and had the A/C unit installed... My dealer did an incredible :thumbsup: SR spec install on my '06 Dancer...
Last month I went to see the completed job, boat still in indoor storage for winter... I found a good layer of dust, soot, fiberglass dust all over the cockpit as expected, from such a big intall... As I enter the cabin below, I see that the cabin door is open, I see everything from cockpit had been moved down( carpets, loose items), to keep from getting dirty... I then realized a good layer of dust, soot and fiberglass dust all over the countertops below, walls, ceiling, etc. My bird feathered aft cockpit curtain was on top of bare stateroom mattress :smt013 ! The techs left my cabin door open during this weeklong A/C install!!!!!
My boat is prof. cleaned weekly, the boat is cleaner than any new showroom boat... The boat was bought new less than a year ago...My dealer is very aware of how it is kept... This is my 3rd SeaRay in less than 18mos(same dealer). I have spent over $20k in upgrades(davits, satellite,cockpit A/C )
I notified dealer of the mess, I was told the boat would be detailed, cockpit and salon before spring launch... I was there this past Sunday, nothing had been done. I let them know that I would launch this week Tuesday(today), they had a day to clean the mess up, they assured me not to worry...
I show up today, launch day :smt038 . Service tells me boat is getting cleaned "right now", there are 6 boats ahead of me for the travel lift... 2 hrs wait till splash... COOL
I walk over to the storage building to check last details on my Babe... I climb up... Dust EVERYWHERE, NOTHING had been detailed... They put my clean cockpit rugs on top of the fiberglass dusty floor :smt013 !!!
Cutting this short, I refused delivery, postponed till late tomorrow (of course high winds tomorrow :smt009 ) Wasted my whole day... Supposedly it will be detailed...
If I hadn't checked, they would have splashed my 38 in said conditions and not let me know...
My dealer is a SR "master" rated dealer, biggest in the midwest (hint).... I thought I was a valued customer both retail and service, business must be go :smt017 od.... Adding salt to my wound, I requested my 6mos old bottom paint to be touched up with hydrocoating, it hadn't been touched up 2 hrs before splash :huh: !!!
I guess I'm no longer valued, since I didn't upgrade this season :smt089
 
sounds like my car mechanic. I hate other people working on my stuff but living in NYC, I don't have much of a choice most of the time because there's no where for me to do the work. So I end up prepping everything for them like putting plastic on the seats and paper on the floor etc... If i had that job done, I would have loaded all of the stuff into the cabin and locked the door. :lol:
 
unfortunately this is becoming the norm for service these days. I try to everything I can myself...boat or otherwise.
 
I too prep ahead of time, the dealer said it would take 2 weeks to get parts for the install... I show up within the week, job had begun :smt014 , they were suppose to call me first :smt013 !! I couldn't leave the cabin locked, they had to access my electric panel to install breaker swithes for the new A/C unit...
 
I dont mean to laugh but u sound like me .......

Everyone looks at me like i have my head screwed on backwards.

I have had the same experiences with the dealer here in NY... They have changed ownership and made changes... it helped ... So i think the crap that was fired here in NY might have leached to ur end of the pond... for that I apologize. But im with u ... a raging screaming lunatic is all they understand... sad to say... but to shut u up they will do it quicker and better then the guy thats sits by and lets em squat all over em..... There no excuse for that ...

NONE


:smt021


Rob
 
I would ask them nicely to put it in acceptable condition. If not, letters to the Better Business Bureau and Sea Ray would be in order. :thumbsup:
 
I think you have good reason to be unhappy, and you deserve an explanation. Maybe they want to give you good service and it did not happen, or maybe they just don't care.

But either way, 'management' needs to have at least as detailed a list of why you are an unhappy customer as you have provided here. I would hope you make known to them what went wrong. While it may not help you, maybe it will help the next person.

When a business or individual does work, they put their name on it, IMHO. Their name is the quality of the job. I have had people working for me do a job that I did not want my name on. I appreciated it being pointed out, so it could be corrected. I suggest you do the same for them.

And yes, I am eternal optimist. :wink:
 
OK, situation is being resolved... I vented here, thx for listening... I spoke to my salesman, told him that I was let down by the company, let the higher ups know... He had a sit down :smt014 immediately with service manager and called me back within 15minutes . No excuses were given, apologies instead :thumbsup: . The service dept. have two people detailing the boat as I am writing this :smt024 , salesman went onboard the boat to see work being performed, before he called me. That is fine customer follow thru :smt038 Dealer has been redeemed...
 
It never should have come to that. Makes me wonder what kind of job was done if they showed that little amount of pride and professionalism in their own work and to your property. I would examine every detail of the install before accepting the boat back.
 
Glad to hear its resolved... Boating is supposed to be enjoyable and our outlet from the daily grind.... One would hope the bone heads that serivce our boats would learn that. Lifes principles do not apply to boating... its the only excuse i can come up with... and they get away with it....

But i must add... The dealer here in NY has done a complete turn around... Those of u from the old searay site im sure remember my daily entry's ...... So there is hope....

Im breaking a rule i made when i bought this boat that it would never see the dealers yard. I have to bring it back for the leaking rudder plates. I hope it goes smooth and the boat returns unharmed.... One wouldnt think that I was asking alot.....


Rob
 
In my opinion - that is why JD Powers won - the Express Cruiser category - because - While I love my boat and prefer it over a Regal - I do know that my local Regal dealer doesn't let things like this happen. But - my local S-R dealer - while I like them you have to manage them.
 
I called my dealer this morning, to see what time they will splash me today... I'm the last on the list for the day, late afternoon... Forcast today calls for on and off rain and NE gusts 25mph :smt089 :smt089 You would think, due to yesterdays screw ups... They would better accomodate me :smt017 , I am soooo fed up :smt009 :smt089
 
Why not throw them a curve.......call the service manager and tell them to hold up on splashing the boat until you have checked their clean up. Listen to them complain then just say "We wouldn't be here today if you guys had supervized your help."

Besides, do you really want to be moving a new boat in thunderstorms and 25kt + winds?
 
I agree with Frank.

You have to control the dealer not the other way around. Let him know you won't launch today given the weather conditions. Then tell him you will stop by to inspect the clean up work and will discuss when to re-schedule the launch. You may not like how they cleaned and detailed your boat either at this point so you might as well find out now if the job is satisfactory before you launch. :wow:
 
It is not unreasonable to ask a dealer or any service company to leave the boat in the condition in which it was boarded for any work performed. I have had several run in's with this problem.

I think that many of the workers they employ are part time, meaning they are employed by the dealership for maybe 7 to 10 months of the year. In addition the dealers do not have any policy in place for the employee's to be held accountable for.

I just walk behind them and spell out every little detail, it gets old but what else can you do.
 

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