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How much money do you have to spend to get good service??? #11353570 01/18/16 06:25 PM
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Texas Bow Hunter Offline OP
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Or do you have to buy a $70k boat???

I took my (very clean) 2009 Skeeter to A dealership (no names right now) to have lower unit checked. I was pretty sure my prop shaft was bent and also had prop damage. They said no problem we can take care of it. I also had several other items I wanted them to give me a quote on while it was there. (new keel shield, bleed tilt/trim, trailer making noise in break system, spare key, and a yearly service) I knew going in that it would be fairly expensive but I have insurance to take care of prop and lower unit.

After getting a quote on everything and getting insurance going on lower unit I told service manager to hold off on tilt/trim (he said my cylinders were leaking... $200+ to fix.....no way they are leaking...no oil anywhere and my motor does not bleed down) , and to hold off on trailer repair BUT... to go ahead and order parts and I would do them myself (he said no problem I understand).

The next week the shop manger calls me and says my boat is ready, (I told him thats a good turn around time) I asked him if he had my parts ready also (over an hour for me to go to shop) he says and I quote ( Oh yeah, when you get here we will get parts department to pull them) I said ok and head that way after work.

When I arrive we go over the cost and everything that was done. ($over $2k parts and labor.......before insurance) you would think thats plenty for good service right??? (shouldnt have to spend a dime to get it)

Now we start having problems........... I asked about parts, one part he says I told him not to order, and the other two were not in stock (so I have to go back if I want them)

So we settle up on cost, but I tell him I want to see boat before signing off, first thing I notice when I walk up is that my nice clean boat is FILTHY!! Grease all over the sponsons, and motor cowling..... I make mention of it and only get a shrug of shoulders.... I tell myself don't fret over it just be glad everything with the motor seems ok. So I leave.

Its late when I get home I hook up charger and one of my banks on charger shows check connection (I've never had an issue with my batteries and or charger and I've had boat for a year), I spend time looking at that and finally get it fixed(appears they took all batteries and oil reservoir out to get to filter under back deck). After getting home from work the next day I hook up boat to go test drive, go to put key in and the ignition switch is loose???(never had an issue with that) So I run the boat and all seems good with prop and foot and tuneup (finally something positive) but now I'm wondering what next.... So I go home and really begin to inspect the boat, I find a place on carpet near the back of boat close to motor where someone laid some greasy parts. Next I find that the trim tab was not put back on!! and the mounting bolt for the lower unit that is under trim tab was not tightened up?!!??!! When I found trim tab missing I called and let them know about it being missing (I didn't know about bolt being loose just yet. And I wanted to complain in person)

Now Iv'e taken care of these issues and loaded the boat for a tournament on Saturday and I head to the lake, early in the morning I grab my rear running light and put it in and it does not work (never had a problem with my lights)...... end up taping a flahlight to it and going. when I got home I find a loose wire at the batteries.

I am very upset and realize I probably won't get anywhere with complaining but I plan to as soon as parts come in.. just ridiculous that I spent that much money and have that many issues when I got it back.

If they had taken the time to wipe the boat down they may have at least seen that the trim tab was missing and tightened the bolt under it.

Unhappy customer

Re: How much money do you have to spend to get good service??? [Re: Texas Bow Hunter] #11353643 01/18/16 06:52 PM
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JIM SR. Offline
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That makes me sick to hear [censored] like that. What has happended to customer service.
I would put their name on here, and tell everyone 'buyer beware', I personally would
appreciate that information much more than what worm is working this week at Lake soandso.
This forum has a thread for members to evaluate our sells and sales, we need a thread for customer service,..
both good and bad. Sorry for your experiences, maybe we can all learn a little from your misfortunes.
fish

Re: How much money do you have to spend to get good service??? [Re: Texas Bow Hunter] #11353977 01/18/16 08:56 PM
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Allen Bass Fisher Offline
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Plano Marine did something very similar (not quite as extensive) to me back in 1994 and I've never been back.

Re: How much money do you have to spend to get good service??? [Re: Texas Bow Hunter] #11354279 01/18/16 10:58 PM
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I would make a copy of your thread,take it to the service dept.owner,anyone else that was there,tell them all you have to do is insert their name,and over 98,000 fishermen would see it,and be very leary of using them...........

Re: How much money do you have to spend to get good service??? [Re: Texas Bow Hunter] #11354788 01/19/16 02:24 AM
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big fish2 Offline
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That's why I don't let anyone touch my boat !!! I would tell everyone who we are talking about so they will know what to expect.
Do others a favor and post the name of the service center you used!!!

Re: How much money do you have to spend to get good service??? [Re: big fish2] #11355299 01/19/16 01:24 PM
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TCK73 Offline
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OP, you wouldn't be using a shop in Waco would you? I had similar issues with Marineland there. Those clowns couldn't fix a sandwich.

Re: How much money do you have to spend to get good service??? [Re: jwcromer] #11355325 01/19/16 01:52 PM
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Muzzlebrake Offline
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Originally Posted By: jwcromer
I would make a copy of your thread,take it to the service dept.owner,anyone else that was there,tell them all you have to do is insert their name,and over 98,000 fishermen would see it,and be very leary of using them...........


By all means do this and ask to speak to the owner or at least the top person in charge. Show this to them and document everything even down to taking pictures. You never know if they might try to sue you for defamation if and when you post their name on a public forum.


From Genesis: "And God promised men that good and obedient wives would be found in all corners of the earth."

Then He made the earth round...and He laughed and laughed and laughed!

Re: How much money do you have to spend to get good service??? [Re: TCK73] #11355461 01/19/16 02:55 PM
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No not in Waco

Re: How much money do you have to spend to get good service??? [Re: Muzzlebrake] #11355488 01/19/16 03:03 PM
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Originally Posted By: Muzzlebrake
Originally Posted By: jwcromer
I would make a copy of your thread,take it to the service dept.owner,anyone else that was there,tell them all you have to do is insert their name,and over 98,000 fishermen would see it,and be very leary of using them...........


By all means do this and ask to speak to the owner or at least the top person in charge. Show this to them and document everything even down to taking pictures. You never know if they might try to sue you for defamation if and when you post their name on a public forum.


Yes I have documented all items and taken pictures, and plan to take to the manager, my goal is not to defamate this company. The reason I posted was in hope that someone from the shop would read it and make a change on there own to benefit future customers. I'm pretty positive there are guys from this shop that surf the forums and have knowledge of my recent visits.

Re: How much money do you have to spend to get good service??? [Re: Texas Bow Hunter] #11355495 01/19/16 03:04 PM
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Guys please do not misunderstand me, I am not bashing Skeeter, Ranger, or anyone else when I say this.....Before one buys a boat, one should check the reputation of the dealer for Customer Service. I've owned 2 Skeeters, 2 Rangers, and now drive a Bass Cat. The singular reason I am in a Cat is because of the reputation of Bowden Marine for Customer Service. William Bowden takes pride in their customer service, and IMO, so does Bass Cat. Remember something, your money spends anywhere. A Bass Boat can be serviced by any reputable dealer. I don't think there is anything that is particularly peculiar to one brand.


"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him had better take a look at the American Indian".

Henry Ford
Re: How much money do you have to spend to get good service??? [Re: KingwoodCat] #11355515 01/19/16 03:12 PM
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Originally Posted By: KingwoodCat
Guys please do not misunderstand me, I am not bashing Skeeter, Ranger, or anyone else when I say this.....Before one buys a boat, one should check the reputation of the dealer for Customer Service. I've owned 2 Skeeters, 2 Rangers, and now drive a Bass Cat. The singular reason I am in a Cat is because of the reputation of Bowden Marine for Customer Service. William Bowden takes pride in their customer service, and IMO, so does Bass Cat. Remember something, your money spends anywhere. A Bass Boat can be serviced by any reputable dealer. I don't think there is anything that is particularly peculiar to one brand.


I didn't buy the boat new, nor from this dealer............. And IMO that's where the problem is. Hence the title of artice and the first sentence of post.

Re: How much money do you have to spend to get good service??? [Re: Texas Bow Hunter] #11356110 01/19/16 06:59 PM
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Gosh, I hate hearing stories like this....no excuse for this to happen. They are in business to do this kind of work and should do good work at a fair price every time. The way I deal with these businesses is first make sure the owner knows about the experience. If he shrugs it off and doesn't seem concerned, I let everyone know about it and never go back. If he shows concern and does everything he can to make things right, I let friends know how he took care of me. I always give them a second chance(opportunity to do the right thing). That's just me though!

Re: How much money do you have to spend to get good service??? [Re: Texas Bow Hunter] #11358818 01/20/16 08:31 PM
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Even if you walk in to buy a gallon of oil or have them do a minor tune-up, you should not get service any different than someone having 1000's of dollars worth of work done. That's their business, and to keep business, CS is key. If a company does what you described, they will not be in business long if word gets out.

Re: How much money do you have to spend to get good service??? [Re: Texas Bow Hunter] #11359800 01/21/16 04:32 AM
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James Roberts Offline
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Man I feel bad for you, it is just ridiculous that customer service is something special these days. I am lucky as I have the #1 Tracker Service Center just a few miles from my house and they bend over backwards to help out. And I have a Bass Cat not a Nitro. Gary and his crew are plain and simple the best I have used in my 16 years of boat ownership. If you are anywhere Near Austin I suggest you give them a try.
JR

Re: How much money do you have to spend to get good service??? [Re: Texas Bow Hunter] #11369582 01/25/16 11:01 PM
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This is why I looked around and found a good independent boat mechanic. Not to dog dealerships but some don't care about customer service unless you bought the boat from them. While a good independent shop only stays alive by providing excellent customer service.

Sorry to hear about your issues.


Pat Leach
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