What do you all think is an appropriate time to wait for dealer/manufacturer to resolve warranty issues,before reporting specifically on discussion forums, Better business bureau, etc. ???
communication
If they are communicating status regularly, the total reasonable time might extend. If there is an informational black hole I have far less patience.
Info weekly or every 10 days is enough to keep me calm, as long as I feel I’m being dealt with honestly, and that there is some progress being made in between updates.
I had a kayak replaced that took about 5 weeks. I was fine as I was able to get some kind of status every week or so, and I felt as if the dealer was doing their part to support me.
Good luck with your issue.
So far it seems…
…that the dealer is doing his best, and the manufacturer is doing nothing…this process is in it’s third week…I’m definitely gonna be naming names here on this and many other forums…whichever way it turns out.
Its really too bad
When WE have to take our issues to public discussion forums because the manufacturer simply does not see the need or has no process in place to resolve quality issues.
Since our hobby is so influenced by word of mouth, continued poor service on the part of a manufacturer could very well be its end.
Once, long ago, before we off shored employees in customer contact roles in a lot of large companies, this guy was the prophet of how to keep your business customer focused.
http://www.tompeters.com/index.php
He does a lot of other stuff too, but back in the day if your service model was up to his standards - well it was a good one.
There once was a manufacturer of triangular office speaker phones used in a conference room. I was employee #65 there. I went from being their sole customer liaison to a key role in designing and implementing the standards by which service, support and sales training operated.
As the company grew and dabbled in document conferencing and later became a video conferencing star (as soon as a certain non compete agreement expired) I’d like to think that that company culture we established remains to this day.
It was the funnest job I ever had because my focus was ultimately making people happy with our products.
When companies loose sight of that simple goal and don’t seem to care about their end users, I think its perfectly appropriate for the consumer to be very outspoken!
Ok, back to being a slacker and crushing beer cans on my head : )
Don’t be patient!
Most likely they are jacking you around and hoping you’ll go away. Squeeky wheel gets the attention!
For example, I have read complaints here and forwarded them directly to senior level people at the companies who I know…with results!
You have to understand that if it’s a bigger corp, there are a few good folk among a bunch who could care less about paddling, let alone you!
That’s awfully harsh, but also true. I’ve seen it first hand, fought it for years with business types, and finally gave up.
You paid for a good product. If it’s defective DEMAND service immediately. People give these assholes far too much leeway along with their hard earned money!
Two Weeks. Three Weeks Tops.
Then let 'em have it.
Let Me Qualify
Three weeks tops to come to an agreement. If a replacement boat takes awhile to come… and you’re TOLD it will take awhile… no shouting from the rooftops.
Don’t hold back.
Reputable companies will take care of issues within a week or so. I’m not sure venting will do you any good with a disreputable company.
three weeks
I recall that was the amount of time between complaint and confirmation that I was getting a replacement. In between there was the picture-taking and the other communication between dealer and manufacturer, which was explained.
The dealer ordered the replacement boat immediately when they saw mine, within 3-4 days max. They took three weeks before they received confirmation that the replacement was scheduled to be built.
I had it in my hands two weeks later.
If the OP hasn’t gotten confirmation from dealer that the issue is definitely being resolved to the OP’s satisfaction, then patience lost is understandable by me!
defects
Depends on what the defect is. Often defects have nothing to do with the people that built the boat. Have seen a bunch of manufacturers slammed only to find out that the part that failed wasn’t made by them in the first place and they were waiting for replacements from those that did make the part.
You could let on about what the problem is without saying which boat/company it’s from.
Bill H.
Good point griffin
also boats get damaged in shipping all the time.
But I’ve personally witnessed horrendous service, and out and out deception. The larger the company, the more removed from the customer people become. The vast majority of workers in some of the big outfitts are not kayakers and have no interest in kayaks so they may as well be making porta potty’s. Sometimes the customer IS wrong, but if the dealer confirms the issue as valid it should be taken care of immediately.
This isn’t hard stuff!
The problem…
…is a delaminating deck seam, which five out of five fiberglass repair people say is because the deck and hull were not wiped clean of either A…wax from the gelcoat…or B…mold release…before the deck seam was applied.
The dealer…
…has confirmed the issue is valid…as a matter of fact, the dealer has an identical boat in stock with the very same problem.
delam
I can also guess who the manufacturer is, unfortionately.
Bill H.
don’t buy new boats, esp. online
Well, I can’t guess who the manufacturer is. What’s more, I’ve seen several posts like this, where there is a serious customer service problem and a boat defect, but the manufacturer involved is not named.
This leaves me to conclude that you can’t trust anybody. It appears all kayak and canoe manufacturers are crooks. I had been thinking of buying a new boat, but I guess I won’t now, especially not online direct from a manufacturer.
Now Now
All manufacturers aren’t crooks. The folks here just don’t want to malign a company until they’re sure it deserves it.
I ordered a boat several years back; not online. It arrived damaged and the dealer and maker replaced the boat. It took some time but they made me happy.
thanks, by the way
Cover on hatch, problem solved, as you knew it would be
: )
self-serving
That’s one way to look at it – that they don’t want to malign a company before they’re sure it deserves it. Another way is that they’re using the board for their own benefit in a way that hurts other manufacturers and consumers. They’re hoping the manu sees or hears about the post, and works extra hard to settle the complaint out of fear that otherwise their name will be posted and business will be hurt. Usually that happens, and so we regular posters never know who’s having de-lam problems, and so we’re just as likely to receive a bad boat if we place an internet order sight-unseen from the manufacturer, and that makes us reluctant to order from all manufacturers.
Again… Now Now
– Last Updated: Jun-07-09 2:56 PM EST –
The boat wasn't an internet order and so it wasn't "sight unseen". The dealer has acknowledged the problem... the problem apparently wasn't visible at delivery.
If they tell blackboat he'll have a good quality replacement boat in X number of weeks and they knock off a little something for his patience, he might very well be happy.
What it boils down to is if the manufacturers and dealers make us happy we won't shout from the rooftops. You, blackboat, me; everyone.
purchasing feedback
This subject comes up in many forums, and was extensively discussed (probably still is) on ebay forums. Most of the sports-oriented forums (jeeps and fishing) act like this one - they won’t name names until they’re ready to smear the manu, and then they usually go overboard and exaggerate.
The ebay forums are more sensible. There they say the point of feedback is to describe your experience like it happened. Those who deliver faulty products but act quickly to correct problems get described like that - i.e., “Percetpion sold me a boat, within 2 weeks it was showing signs of de-lamination, I called them and they acknowledged some boats had that problem and they promised to replace it. Within 2 weeks I had my new boat and, what’s more, they paid freight charges both ways - this company rocks!”