are all boat mechanics crooks????

[R.Johnson]

Re: are all boat mechanics crooks????

One year warranty on a outboard repair? How long was your factory warranty?

 

[Scaaty]

Re: are all boat mechanics crooks????

Well, it ran for 3 hours,. Then a problem. You want it fixed NOW. ALL boat places are backed up this time of year. He said basically when he gets some time. I really doubt he said screw you, come back in the fall like you say.
Now seems he got it fixed BEFORE others waiting. Ya changed your story. I think the guys a saint. Sorry pal, this don't fly well. Try this side of the counter. Bet ya he doesn't feel like doing business with ya again. He got ya out of the way, and now whining like you did will have to be brought somewhere else with the next problem, But the problem here is you whined to all, and we "all" kinda keep a list ..your'e on it if you ever ask me for help..includes here too.
I'd give him a healthy tip for going out of his way..
Try the other side of the counter sometime...yeah, we are all crooks...
PS. Leaning how to rebuild a motor takes YEARS of work...and unless your an underwriter, ya just push paper with a promise someone ELSE will back up in your profession. I know where I'm coming from on this..my brother owns a INS biz...and you would quiver in fear of what he has to put up with..and these are people in DIRE NEED..like in life and death situations.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: are all boat mechanics crooks????

Well, much to my amazement, he had the boat ready to go late this afternoon; he admitted to making some incorrect adjustments last night out on the lake; he re-adjusted everything today in the shop, at no charge, and the motor runs great. The thing that made me so mad was he told me to notify him of any abnormalities in its operation, and he would take care if it right away. Then when something did go wrong, he wavered on his commitment saying, "we're really busy this week." I work very hard to provide my customers with top service, and I expect the same when I spend my hard-earned money. I'm learning the hard way that very few people have the same commitment to customer service as I do. I'm sure it has a lot to do with supply and demand; the demand for boat work far exceeds the supply, giving the mechanics a license to abuse their customers, for they will likely be back for more. My profession as an insurance agent is just the opposite. As for being a crook, I have had so many bad experiences with boat dealers that I will always proceed with caution and be somewhat skeptical, which is sad because I really value my time on the water. There are crooks in every profession. I'm an insurance agent, and many people label my profession as a crooked one.

So, I guess you found out that your mechanic wasn't a crook, right? I guess the answer to your question, then, is a solid no.

As I said in an earlier message, the best way to deal with a problem like you had is to wait until you hear from the mechanic before you go nuclear. There are several folks here who do work on or have worked on outboards for a living. Your message title was an insult to them. And an insult to the mechanic who tried to get your boat working during his off hours, then fixed it right away for you, at the same time you were trashing him and all other mechanics.

You got satisfaction on this incident. So, are all mechanics honest? That might be a better title for the thread.

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: are all boat mechanics crooks????

RedTech...... Just read your comment of "as for joe's comment how would you feel to be dropped and not have your boat for the weekend so joe tech can fix that one out of ????"

I'm somewhat at a loss in understanding it. But if you're saying that GlasV162 should have been put on the waiting list, favoring others that came in behind him, then I disagree with that comment. In my many years of servicing engines in the OMC line, the very few comebacks (3) that I encountered resulted in immediate service as soon as I finished the present job. All of my customers knew this was my practice, and knowing that, they also knew that should they encounter a problem with repairs, commonly known as a comeback, they were jumped to the front of the line.

As for the quality of the second round of adjustments, hopefully all is well, we shall see.

And as for the "Crook" question statement that was made by GlasV162.... No, my friend, we're not all crooks but being human, errors do take place from time to time so bear with us.

 

[reeldutch]

Re: are all boat mechanics crooks????

He is defenatly not a crook.

Doing a rebuild and 1 year waranty is not what a crook would sell you.

getting to your motor as soon as he can sound very fair to me.

now as far as how competent he is or certified we do not have a cleu.
so if you dont like your mechanic i guess you can only blame yourself.

most of the times you get what you pay for.

but it seems to me your mechanic hasnt done you any wrong so far.

thins do break. even new engines right out of the box.
thats why he gave you a waranty to keep you a happy costumer if things break.

 

[GlasV162]

Re: are all boat mechanics crooks????

Well, Scaaty, I did not change my story. Bottom line is I paid for a full rebuild of the powerhead including the carbs, paid 1800 of my hard-earned dollars for it, and this is the worst that motor has ever run in the 6 years I've owned it. Here it is about 3 weeks later, and I'm bringing the boat back to the shop for the 3rd time since the rebuild, with the same problem. The last time I brought it in he said he thinks he finally found the problem; a roller that developed a flat spot; after sitting in the shop for another 2 weeks, the roller was replaced, boat ran great for about 2 hours, then back to the old problem of no high end power. I hope he isn't a crook, because that would make me a fool for spending my money with him. However, the frustration level is quite high as I'm sure you can understand. And don't worry Scaaty, I won't ask you for help now that I know I'm on your "list." The last I knew this was a consumers forum, and it's unfortunate that you've taken my frustrations with the marine repair industry as a personal attack.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: are all boat mechanics crooks????

He doesn't sound like a crook, nor does he sound like a very qualified mechanic either. I hope it works out for you and next time, you will be wiser because of it...

 

[LoganMartin Boater]

Re: are all boat mechanics crooks????

Crook? I could say the same for your industry as well, my mother paid for homeowners for 24 years and never filed a claim. Let her file 1 claim for 4000.00 and she was instantly uninsurable, crooks? hmmm. I'd hate to have you as a customer as I haven't seen an apoligy yet, even tho he got the thing running, even better now. Crooks? Learn to repair yourself and when you can't fix it, hmmm, take it to the crook.

 

[Scaaty]

Re: are all boat mechanics crooks????

Well, Scaaty, I did not change my story. Bottom line is I paid for a full rebuild of the powerhead including the carbs, paid 1800 of my hard-earned dollars for it, and this is the worst that motor has ever run in the 6 years I've owned it. Here it is about 3 weeks later, and I'm bringing the boat back to the shop for the 3rd time since the rebuild, with the same problem. The last time I brought it in he said he thinks he finally found the problem; a roller that developed a flat spot; after sitting in the shop for another 2 weeks, the roller was replaced, boat ran great for about 2 hours, then back to the old problem of no high end power. I hope he isn't a crook, because that would make me a fool for spending my money with him. However, the frustration level is quite high as I'm sure you can understand. And don't worry Scaaty, I won't ask you for help now that I know I'm on your "list." The last I knew this was a consumers forum, and it's unfortunate that you've taken my frustrations with the marine repair industry as a personal attack.

Think ya just shot yerself in the foot..
The motor will barely idle, skips and stalls when it does idle, doesn't run all the way up to the max rpm, and the volt gauge only shows about 12 volts, which indicates to me it is no longer charging.
Seems very little powerhead related..
Bad electrical connection AFTER the motor, crappy gas, junk in the your tank, etc. The people here that have replied have over a thousand YEARS on wrenching...seen it all...ya come in complaining, it AINT a "comsumers Forum"....its a place for a possible ANSWER...not calling those who bust *** ferya crooks...find another wrench...there are good ones out there...and most over 50...(good luck)

 

[Scaaty]

Re: are all boat mechanics crooks????

are all boat mechanics crooks????

Just curious...how many have you delt with?

 

[GlasV162]

Re: are all boat mechanics crooks????

Over the years I've dealt with 3 different dealers--all with varying bad experiences ranging from not wanting to honor a warranty to slow service to having the owner telling me to f--ck off after my boat sat in his yard for over 6 weeks for winterization. By the way, that particular dealer lost at least 4 customers other than me for that choice remark. I've had the same auto mechanic for nearly 10 years and have had excellent service, let alone never been verbally abused. The only really good outboard mechanic I've ever dealt with was a guy in FL who left a big dealership and opened up shop in his back yard. He always went the extra mile to take care of the people who trusted him.

What it really comes down to is simple economics: demand for marine service exceeds the supply, so in general, if a dealer p--sses off a customer, it's no problem if they go away because there are probably 10 people waiting in line for the same treatment. The "Soup Nazi" attitude that most people in this industry have would never fly in other industries. If I told one of my customers to f--ck off, I'd be out of business in a heartbeat. Think about it.........

 

[darrklim2]

Re: are all boat mechanics crooks????

I believe you started off on the wrong foot with this thread. Calling boat mechanics crooks and then asking people who are more than likely boat mechanics for help isn't the way to start, is it? Just my opinion. For the record I am not a mechanic. I do not necessarily belive that this guy is a crook but if he hasn't fixed it in 3 different trips maybe he just isn't knowledgeable enough to fix it. Or maybe it is just one of those problems that just seems to be impossible to fix. Electrical problems can be some of the hardest problems to fix. IMO