Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

[cbavier]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

I see, then Baineyg will know pretty quick if he gets a repair or a replacement.

YUP

 

[ajjacobs]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

YUP

Would he then be obligated to pay for a new reg? What about taxes? New Insurance policy as well?

AJ

 

[baineyg]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

Do you want to hear something funnier than me filling it with gas before finding the cracks? I put the 2008 decals on it that morning! $120 in gas, $40 in registration. It'll all be worth it if this boat lasts me a long, long, time. After the 4 months this bad boy spent in the repair shop last year and 3 1/2 months this year I'll definetly proclaim "don't buy a Tahoe!". Right now it's like I paid $26K so I can use this in the summer only.
Oh, forget to mention the $40 monthly storage rental. I would've quit paying it but I don't want to lose my great spot.
Should be done tomorrow. If I get a chance I'll call and see if it's done and when they plan on shipping it back.

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

What happined to the gas?

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?



Well I for one have just removed both Bass Pro Shops as a future boat dealer, and Tahoe as a boat producer for me.

I have been in the corporate communications world for over 25 years and it sometimes makes my skin crawl.

It takes 90% percent more money to attract new customers than it does to cultivate a repeat customer. Bad publicity for such manufacturing problems as yours, take years to reverse, and cost tens of millions in terms of marketing and advertising. Unfortunately, most companies are run by bean counters & attorneys, not boaters.

It is saving money in one sector (customer service) and spending it times ten in another (marketing & advertising) to counteract the effects of these cost cutting measures.

Both Bass Pro Shop and Tahoe had a chance to turn this situation into a positive situation for all concerned, instead they hid for months behind a wall of legal mumbo jumbo.

This is a classic case of the new global corporate world, and I am really sorry for you and the hassles you have been through.

I hope this will be the last of your troubles and that you have many years of sun and fun boating ahead.

 

[drewmitch44]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

Yada yada yada. Could have been any boat manufacturer. They all have flukes in production. But yes i agree this could have been handeled better.

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

You are right, everyone makes mistakes, myself included. What separates the winners, from the losers, is how you deal with them after the fact.

Bass pro Shops has the corporate leverage to pressure the companies who's products they sell, they didn't. Tahoe had the chance to turn an unfortunate manufacturing situation, into a positive customer service experience, they didn't.

Yada Yada Yada sounds like what they say behind your back, when you as a customer call with just this sort of a problem. I hear it every day.

 

[Jerico]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

Yes, BPS has the corporate leverage to influence Tahoe. They own Tahoe along with Tracker Marine. They are a big corp so just about anything they do takes time. Backing their product and fixing the boat is the key to me, secondarily communication and time. I would agree communication hasn't been good, and a week would have been too long to wait, but at least it is getting fixed.

My hypothesis is the corporate moguls don't set the corporate mindset, the consumers do. Why has Wal-Mart grown so much? People whine they put the little guys out of business, then shop there because they are cheap. Whether it is a boat, a car, or a computer we (me included) are cheapskates. For some people cheap, new with a warranty is a better deal than used, unknown, and I have no idea how to maintain or fix it.

Case in point, in the late 80's I got right up to the point of signing the papers on a new Bayliner with a Force OB. Nice lines, new, warranty, and the only reason I didn't was we found out my wife was pregnant. Now in hindsight those years were entry level, prone to rot, and the Force is a farce. The thing is they were affordable, ie., cheap.

So most Tahoes are an entry level boat. Nice lines, new, warranty, affordable. If my choice was a Tahoe or no boat, I'd take the Tahoe. Given a choice I would find something more substantial.

Economics 101 - Consumers want cheap.
Economics 102 - Quality ain't cheap.
Econ 101 + Econ 102 = corporate mindset.

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

As far as cheap goes, it is my middle name, and if you take the time to read my profile you will see that under the description of the boats I own, they are described with one word, cheap. You could say “old” instead of “cheap”, but “cheap” is what I paid for them.

I fix up boats other people don't want anymore, because one, I like to, and two, I don't see any reason to eat the value depreciation involved when buying a new boat. Add to that the danger of getting a lemon as we have seen here.

I may not be the poorest man in this forum, and I know I am not the richest, but $27,000 is a whole lot of money for me. The Tahoe may be cheaply made entry level boat, but it is not cheap, at least not to me anyway.

If you want to see cheap, you should see the Chinese boats that are making their way onto the European market at the moment.

People are buying them because a new Chinese boat cost less than a comparable twenty year old model from the States, and you don't even want to compare them to a European made counterpart when it comes to price. Chinese guarantee included.

When I was in college I worked weekends and holidays for WalMart because they were one of the few companies that would work with my schedule. They had a money back, no questions asked guarantee at the store where I worked. People would bring back cans of empty house paint because it was the wrong color and they got their money back. They would buy jumper cables, go out in the parking lot and use them, then walk back in and receive a refund. Most people didn't abuse this service though and told me they came not for the cheap prices (WalMart is not always the cheapest), but for the guarantee. They knew they could buy a product without worrying about hassles with the store if it didn't work. Things might have since changed at WalMart, but that was one of the things that made them what they are today.

----------------------------------------------------------

Good, quick, customer service is always cheaper in the long run, than bad customer service, and this means after you have taken their money. It results in repeat business, and the type of advertising money can't buy, positive “word of mouth” real world testimonials of satisfaction - Customer Relations 101

Tahoe might want to ask themselfs if they are in the business of selling company stock to institutional investors, or products to consumers. They have to answer to both, and without the one, you loose the other - Investor Relations 101

----------------------------------------------------------

Sorry for getting a little off topic.

 

[chewy7097h]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

OMG! Now I'm hooked on this thread too! Between this thread and the one in general boating about the guy who sold his boat to the kid, and then it blew up, I've got more suspense than I know what to do with!

Thanks a lot!

 

[Jerico]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

Snap - It looks like we think alike. I have old boats because I enjoy taking something cheap that someone else gave up on and making something out of it. I'm also too cheap to take the beating on a new one. Same with my cars.

Regarding Customer Service 101 - When I started my business around 20 years ago I talked to an old timer who had been in business 50+ years. He said his philosophy was his own 5/50 plan. Treat a customer right and eventually he will send you 5 customers. Treat him wrong and he will cost you 50.

The problem I have seen as a consultant to businesses is how often the owner started out providing great service, but as the business grew for numerous reasons he lost touch with the customers. BPS was started by Johnny Morris selling lures in his dad's liquor stores here in Springfield, MO. Mr. Morris has a good business sense and has been good to this community. On the other hand, with the size of BPS now I would bet he has no idea problems like this even exist.

As far as Investor Relations 101 - There is only 1 stockholder. With an estimated 1.9 Billion in sales I doubt he is worried quite yet.

Dell Computer is a good example of customer/investor relations gone wrong. It started out excellent, but service was outsourced overseas and customer relations went into the toilet. Because the customers replied by taking their business elsewhere now they are struggling. Hopefully BPS will catch on before their reputation is too damaged and their customers do the same...

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

Jerico......I agree. taking something old and making it run and come back to life is great.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

I'm not trying to defend Tahoe or BPS, but I don't see them doing what many people are accusing them of. It doesn't appear they've tried to hide from anything, nor have they given him the run around or refused to fix it.
Did it take longer than he would like, yes, but could it have been done much faster, not likely. It was reported to the dealer, then taken in to be looked at by several people, shipped across country and then fixed, all of these steps take time. Even if everything went as scheduled and was done as fast as possible, it would have only cut a week or two off the time line.

Being compared to returning a $15.00 item to Wal-Mart is a bit of a stretch, Wal-Mart may sell hundreds or thousands of that item per day, so returning a couple isn't a big deal and the cost in man hours of asking questions is higher than the cost of the product. Plus I don't think you could return a $26,000 item at the return counter without further approvals.

So far it appears they've honored the warranty and it didn't seem they tried to blame him for the damage, we don't even know what really happend to the hull yet.

 

[i386]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

Everything seems straight to me except communication is lacking. People want to know what's going on with their stuff.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

They probably could have called him more often, but when he called them, they either talked with him at that time and answered his questions, or returned his call fairly soon.

 

[jameskb2]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

Well, agree or not, time line good or not, it's very interesting to me this thread in the respect of peoples expectations.

Doing what I do, I've learned over the years that even the cheapest of cheap skates WANTS VERY GOOD OR PERFECT. After learning that, I decided that I will charge every job and do it in that manner. It took awhile, but I built a good customer base and referral system based on people that ARE WILLING TO PAY for it. My favorite saying that I carry to this day, and use at least once a week in bidding is: "Everyone wants to drive a Lincoln for an Escort price." I find out real quick what the customer's expectations are, and that I am more than willing to deliver a top notch product, but it won't be cheap.

Am I implying Tahoe boats are cheap? No, but I am saying that often you get what you pay for. Would I spend 28k on a boat? Not on your life, unless I win the lottery, and then, I'd probably spend a little more to get a top quality product. I'll hold out on buying a power tool to get a good quality one, because I understand that JUNK is JUNK no matter how well you market it. If it costs a little more for quality, it's worth it and it pays you back more than the difference between that and the low end products.

This all boils down to expectations formed from the marketing. High gloss color brochures and smooth talking sales people will tell you what you want to hear to get the sales. If the product delivers, then as said, more sales come. If not, then it's a long walk off a short pier for the company. WHAT SUCKS is that this happens every day, in all lines of products, because the commitment to people is often forgotten. It's all about a quick in and out, high gain / profit and if we are out of business and claim chapter 11 oh well. I'm the CEO and I got paid my 10 million no matter what.

What I sense though, is that people in general are getting fed up and coming to see what's going on. Since trust is such a precious commodity that has been ruthlessly spent, there's little left. It's made it harder for the quality shops...for now, but I think, actually believe, that they will win out in the end. Despite the reckless abandonment of basic principals and values that made this a great country to live in, I want to believe that we will turn the corner and get back to honest value and trust.

I've been called an idealist more than once though....so take it for what it's worth.

Bainey, if they made you whole, and you're happy, then good. Enjoy the boat!

 

[BamaAlum97]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

I'm not trying to defend Tahoe or BPS, but I don't see them doing what many people are accusing them of. It doesn't appear they've tried to hide from anything, nor have they given him the run around or refused to fix it.
Did it take longer than he would like, yes, but could it have been done much faster, not likely. It was reported to the dealer, then taken in to be looked at by several people, shipped across country and then fixed, all of these steps take time. Even if everything went as scheduled and was done as fast as possible, it would have only cut a week or two off the time line.

Being compared to returning a $15.00 item to Wal-Mart is a bit of a stretch, Wal-Mart may sell hundreds or thousands of that item per day, so returning a couple isn't a big deal and the cost in man hours of asking questions is higher than the cost of the product. Plus I don't think you could return a $26,000 item at the return counter without further approvals.

So far it appears they've honored the warranty and it didn't seem they tried to blame him for the damage, we don't even know what really happend to the hull yet.

I could not agree with you more.

 

[bhammer]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

It takes 90% percent more money to attract new customers than it does to cultivate a repeat customer. Bad publicity for such manufacturing problems as yours, take years to reverse, and cost tens of millions in terms of marketing and advertising. Unfortunately, most companies are run by bean counters & attorneys, not boaters.

It is saving money in one sector (customer service) and spending it times ten in another (marketing & advertising) to counteract the effects of these cost cutting measures.

I always say that it takes months to find a new customer and seconds to loose one. I discussed this thread (even email him a link to it) with my BPS contact and he called me to tell me that this should have never happened like this and that it did take too long for the balls to roll. He said it sounds like he needs a couple store gift cards. Josh, if you a reading this thread, sorry I told him that. You did tell me that is what you'd do.

 

[204 Escape]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

Well, I hope that al ends up well for braine. It certainly took alot longer than I would have tolerated, if it was me. With that said.

We started looking for a boat about 2 years ago. I had preciously owned a boat, so I wasn't completely blinded by gloss and finish.

One of the boats that I researched was a NITRO 288 Sport. (A Tracker Marine Product). Prices seemed o.k., the pics on the net looked good. SO, I went to a dealership, to view one in person.

Found a couple on the floor at a dealership, they were acceptable. Went to a couple of boat shows, and the "gloss of the NITRO" started to wear off !!!

The fit and finish, IMO was NOT as good as alot of others. BUT, we didn't cross them off of our list.

When the weather got warmer, the dealership had a boat ride day at one of the lakes, so we drove 90+ miles to go to it.

It was a windy day, and they had about 8 different boats there for testing.

We rode in the smaller version of the Tahoe, which happened to be a Q4, I/O unit. The kid that drove the boat had NO IDEA how to cut a wake, so, the boat was VERY ROUGH !!!!!!! At the time I weighed 215, and my butt was bouncing 8" or more out of the seat. My youngest son, may have weighed 50#'s, sat in the rear seat, and was SCARED TO DEATH !!!!! Thought he was going to get thrown out of the boat. I was offered to drive the boat, and I did. I know how to cut a wake/wave, and the boat was terrible still !!!!!! Rough, rattled, just didn't like it.

We left the boat ride session, and drove 5 miles to the dealership, and they had a 288 SPORT, with a 200h.p. Merc on it on the floor. The sales mgr., said that if I'd like to drive THAT boat, he'd send it out to the lake for a test run. I thought GREAT !!!!!! It was a good looking boat, had the trolling motor on it, top, and all. In less than 5 minutes, I was VERY DISAPPOINTED in it. Rode terribly rough, rattled, and the fit and finish lacked alot to be desired.

We then went to Cabelas, and looked at a Ranger f/s. (I know that is not a very fair comparasion), and the difference was very noticeable.

We did not buy the NITRO, nor the Ranger (the Ranger was too rich for my bank account), .

A friend of mine that does the pro-fishing thing, told me later, that when he got started, NITRO furnished his boats for him. He said the bottom of the 2 boats came un-done while using them. (I know that he is NOT easy on the boats that he drives, so I weighed that into the story as well). He drives TRITON boats, with no problems.

Oh, we bought a left over 2006 LARSON 204 Escape with a 5.0 Merc. Even though it only has 12.4 hours on it, we love the boat, the dealer, and the company response !!!!!!

Sorry for the long post, but I had to say all that.

 

[Hashi]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

Yada yada yada. Could have been any boat manufacturer. They all have flukes in production. But yes i agree this could have been handeled better.

"DITTO"!