Necky is ticking me off BIG TIME

Some of you may have read a previous series of posts about my friend needing a new hatch cover for her Necky Santa Cruze. Gets into a long story, but the bottom line was that Necky quoted me a price of $19.95 (charged to my credit card) for a Manitou hatch cover, which is supposed to be very close to the same dimensions and should work for the Santa Cruze.



Received the hatch cover a few days ago. It isn’t a Manitou cover (I know because I own a Manitou myself) and the return address on the box says “Ocean Kayak” but, hey, whatever… as long as it works. (Is Necky affiliated with Ocean Kayak?)



Well, today in the mail I got an INVOICE from Necky. Huh? I already paid them in full - $19.95 by credit card - so why am I getting invoiced?



The invoice shows a cost of $13.25 for the hatch cover, and $33.25 for shipping (EGAD!), for a total of $46.50, DUE WITHIN 30 DAYS!!! There is no mention of the $19.95 I already paid.



Of course, I’ll have to contact them and try to get this straightened out, but I’m really losing confidence in Necky. I have no intention of getting fleeced for $66.45 (total) for a hatch cover.


Ownership
Necky is now owned by Ocean Kayak’s parent company Johnson…

double-billing
Watch your bankcard statement. If you see a double-billing, be sure to dispute it (in writing) and your bank will deal with Ocean Kayak to get it resolved. Disputing it will also prevent you from harming your credit by not paying while you work to get this straightened out.



Did you get a written quote on the price before you ordered it?

No written quote
No, I didn’t get a writen quote, but my local dealer called them first and told me it would be “well under $20”, IF I could get one. But he kept telling me there were no hatches available - that Necky only has an extra hatch cover if they have a boat that doesn’t turn out right.



Gets into a long story which I will spare you, but ended up contacting Necky directly on the advice of someone here on p-net who works for Necky. That’s when they quoted me the $19.95 over the phone, which as I understood it included shipping, and took my credit card info. Price sounded right to me based on my previous conversation with the dealer.

donna4955
e-mail me I have an e-mail address to someone at the top that might be able to help.

Mistakes do happen.

– Last Updated: Oct-24-04 1:22 PM EST –

Take it easy. This isn't personal. You can show that you have already paid the first agreed upon price. People in Accounts Receivable are human, and may not have been aware of the double billing. I know of very few people in AR who would get in a bind over $30 or so. Be nice, and I wouldn’t be surprised if someone bends over backwards to help you resolve this problem. It gives them a chance to do a little “detective” work.

The opposite is probably happening in the AP department with double payments.

Mistakes
I do realize that we all make mistakes, and I am generally quite tolerant and good-natured about asking for resolution.



If my reaction seems extreme to you now, it’s probably because I already experienced mediocre customer service from Necky in the process of just getting the hatch cover (this was covered in a previous thread). In fact, during that discussion, I defended Necky to another poster who had referenced their “shocking service” and declared he would never consider buying another Necky product. It was ME who said I wouldn’t go that far - that I liked Necky products and just thought this was an area where Necky could use some improvement. I said it was neither the best nor the worst customer service I have ever experienced, and that statement (so far) is still true.



It’s only after receiving this bizarre invoice that I have begun to question their administrative competence. I still like their products, but when you buy, you do have to factor service into the equation. Depending on how they resolve this, they may be able to redeem themselves. Whatever happens, I’ll post it here.

Donna

I am thinking twice
… I have been considering one of two Necky Composite boats, on my “Short list”, and after reading this I am going to think twice about them.

… I e-mailed them for info, and after two weeks of no reply, I e-mailed again. 3 weeks after my second try, I got an answer…

… I call that poor customer service!

This

– Last Updated: Oct-25-04 4:03 PM EST –

summer I bought a Necky. It didn't look like there was even a dealer up here, and I thought that my only choice was one of those huge plastic barges that REI sells, so I called their customer service. They were really good about calling me back and Dave was helpfull. It was through them that I found out they had just acquired a dealer up here. The dealer worked his magic and Necky put it on the very next ship. I picked it up a week later. The dealer even split the shipping cost. It worked out great for me and I couldn't be happier with my boat.

I can see how easy it is to lose a hatch cover, though, mine aren't attached to the boat by anything. You would think because of this they would have quite a few people call for replacements.

Yes
Anyway, a contract was made when you exchanged compensation. They took your $20 and you received the hatch cover. The $20 was what an agent of their company decided to be fair compensation. It is as simple as that. They can not legally alter the terms on a whim. Any accountant who has had business law knows that. Even if somebody on their end made a mistake with the original quote, they will have to absorb the loss.


sorry you’re having problems but…
I’ve had nothing but good experience with Necky and my local Necky dealer. The foam pads under the knee braces had popped off after only one trip so I called the dealer. He said it’d be awhile before they could get me a replacement and advised me to try to contact them directly if I couldn’t wait. Being a new boat, it was getting on my nerves a little. I emailed them and Dave responded quickly. About a week later, I had my new pads and a couple free stickers to boot.



Now, I have a question.

Did you register your boat on their website? That may be making a difference if you didn’t. A verified, bona fide customer may get preferential treatment.

About the billing…folks in Accounting and folks in the rest of the company may not always communicate so good. mabye they should all go paddling together?



Just curious.

P

Answer to your question
It’s actually my friend’s boat which she bought used, so I’m sure it’s not registered with Necky. I have a Manitou that I bought new this year though and I never registered mine. Didn’t know I should have.



About the other stuff, I agree. To paraphrase Rodney King “Why can’t we all just go paddling together?” (well, that’s in the spirit of what he said).

The invoice…
Hello Donna. You will need to review your credit card statement because we did not charge the card for the replacement hatch cover or shipping. I have reviewed the invoice and it was paid by Necky Kayaks. The shipping was $33.25 because we overnight shipped the product.

-Necky Kayaks and Ocean Kayak are sister companies owned by Johnson Outdoors.

-Contact us if you have any questions/concerns.

Thanks

Dave J.

NeckyDave

– Last Updated: Oct-26-04 2:44 PM EST –

Thanks for your response.

You say "Necky paid the invoice"... so does that mean I don't owe anything? Or I do owe it?

If my credit card wasn't charged (which I will check on shortly) I should pay you SOMETHING, and am perfectly willing to pay the agreed upon price of $19.95.

Anyway, thanks for posting here and working with me towards resolution of this.
Donna :)

I bought two Chathams
a plastic 16 and glass 18. The market is so small that you are dealing with just a few individuals that are NOT making a lot of money even if there’s a nebulous corporation putting out glossy ads in the background. Find something you like and get it. If you need to buy a brand name and not a particular set of features in a kayak then REI would be a good shopping experience.

Donna.
Hello again Donna. Normally we charge for replacement parts but in this situation it was us who made the mistake and caused the delay (so we want you to have the cover at no charge). We do our best to keep our customers happy but occasionally we make mistakes including this one.

Enjoy your boat and happy paddling!

DJ

See…
I’m telling you these folks are GREAT. And no, I don’t work for them.

I wish I did but I work for a Coop power company and the high bill complaints are starting to roll in. Grrrr.



Dave, any openings at Necky?

wow!
I love happy endings. I also love seeing quality companies going out of their way to help out the customer. Nice job Necky!



Donna, you may want to change this thread title as the casual P-net lurker may not have had the chance to read this thread in depth and may be misled.

It’s not possible to edit a title…

sorry, didn’t know that.
oh well. hopefully all those who originally read this thread at the beginning will read it again to get the full story.