Shame on Malibu corp.

[board brained]

First of all, I'd like to say that I do not think selling Malibu to a V.C. was a bad thing, for the previous owners. What I am saying is that since the company was sold, we should not expect the Malibu we knew to continue as it was.

excellent point........... this is key.......

[Chappy]

As far as I know Malibu has NOT told Bakes!

All I can tell you is this employee who was just let go told me that Bakes was losing Malibu at least a month ago, so the folks ar Bakes new this was coming. I realize Paul is your buddy; and I think you are being a little biased on this issue.

[Chappy]

Malibu is not running a charity case they are running a business, if you think they owe people something then you are completely naive.

[sgt1970-442]

Ok, so how do we make this a productive thread? Obviously, we all appreciate a dealer like Bakes whom has built a reputation as being a dealer that cares about their customer. Some people on this thread, were fortunate enough to buy a quality boat from the quality business that Bill and team have built.

In my mind, there are two things that we all want to address here:

1) How do we get the message accross to Malibu Corp, that we value the relationships with our dealers. I dont know how many people i have spoken to and/or threads i have read where people have walked away from a MC (or any other brand) because they did not like the dealer (myself included). Unfortunately, these losses are hard to quantify. Lets face the fact that even if all of Bill's loyal and repeat customers chose to walk away from Malibu, it would have very little impact on the decisions that Malibu has and will make in respect to Bakes as a Malibu franchise. But we all appreciate the combination of a quality boat from a quality dealer, and this 'personal relationship' is something that we dont want the Malibu brand to lose.

2) More specific to Bakes and something that has more of an impact to the people on this board, is the Service and Parts situation. I know that many of you have bought stuff from Bakes Online and have apprecaited the feedback that Paul and team have provided here. In my mind, it would be an absolute shame if we lost that to a dealer who does not have the passion or knowledge of Malibu. What can we do to tell/show Malibu that we highly value these guys and that we feel it would be a major loss to the Malibu community if this relationship were severed.

Thoughts???

my dealer should take lessons from the bakes team on the service and parts department. although the owners of the dealer i go to are really nice people, the rest of the staff should get some better training from malibu and the 3 owners. there are seven malibu's on the lake i go to and the general concensus is the same about this particular dealer. i personally have tried to buy parts from said dealer and can never seem to get a return phone call from the parts department. the very young lady who runs the parts counter never seems to know where to find the parts and has to call ya back. somehow those calls never happen. i've even gone as far as emailing a picture of what i need and still no call. the owners know this and this young lady is still there and it continues to happen. this dealer is 55 miles from me and twice i've been told they have the part to get there and they don't have it. i try to send the business to them but, the poor service has sent me to other places.

my thoughts are its ashame to loose a dealer such as bakes and i commend bill and all the bakes staff for there knowledge and support to our sport and the boats we own.

bill's first post shows what a class act he and his team really are for not bashing malibu. as for malibu, i don't know the whole story as most of us never will but, if quality and service suffer because of there decisions, i have bought my last bu.

Edited June 24, 2010 by sgt1970-442

[FXIGUY]

I'm starting to get a little worried with what could potentially happen in our area given this thread.

We're lucky enough to have a great dealer in Tinus around here, but Malibu also "expanded" to allowing a largely I/O (SeaRay and FourWinns) dealer (Skipper Buds) sell Malibu as well two or three years back. My understanding was that orders were still going through Tinus, but this other dealership is MUCH larger than Tinus. If Malibu ever pulls the plug on Tinus and moves to Skipper Buds they may sell more boats, but they will lose the passionate Malibu followers and they will definitely lose me.

I'm crossing my fingers that it never comes to that, but...

Mike

Agreed 100%. Tinus is the reason I bought a Malibu and not a Mastercraft.

[liljohn]

Ok, so how do we make this a productive thread? Obviously, we all appreciate a dealer like Bakes whom has built a reputation as being a dealer that cares about their customer. Some people on this thread, were fortunate enough to buy a quality boat from the quality business that Bill and team have built.

In my mind, there are two things that we all want to address here:

1) How do we get the message accross to Malibu Corp, that we value the relationships with our dealers. I dont know how many people i have spoken to and/or threads i have read where people have walked away from a MC (or any other brand) because they did not like the dealer (myself included). Unfortunately, these losses are hard to quantify. Lets face the fact that even if all of Bill's loyal and repeat customers chose to walk away from Malibu, it would have very little impact on the decisions that Malibu has and will make in respect to Bakes as a Malibu franchise. But we all appreciate the combination of a quality boat from a quality dealer, and this 'personal relationship' is something that we dont want the Malibu brand to lose.

2) More specific to Bakes and something that has more of an impact to the people on this board, is the Service and Parts situation. I know that many of you have bought stuff from Bakes Online and have apprecaited the feedback that Paul and team have provided here. In my mind, it would be an absolute shame if we lost that to a dealer who does not have the passion or knowledge of Malibu. What can we do to tell/show Malibu that we highly value these guys and that we feel it would be a major loss to the Malibu community if this relationship were severed.

Thoughts???

This is exactly what I needed to hear! Thanks J. What can we do to move forward and show Malibu that loosing the parts service and online side of Bakes would be very bad!

[JeffS]

In my own businesses - I've had to stare a partner or friend eye to eye - deliver bad news and remind him/her and myself that "this thing we do...it's not about friends or enemies...it's just business". Everyone spends some time pissed off, or sad, or both - and then everyone moves on. If the decision was correct, it becomes better in the end based on the goals of the people who own the company and/or make the decision. If the decision was incorrect, it is not better.

Only time will tell. I'm sure the decision wasn't "Bakes or No Bakes". I don't know what the decision was - but I would bet my boat - it wasn't "Bakes/No-Bakes".

I do know for a fact and could find reference of thousands of failed businesses as proof - as soon as emotion runs a business, it's the beginning of the end. That end can take a short time or a long time - but the nature of business is empirical and objective. All of the arguments from Bakes fans - that's emotion. If the decision was "All Dealers will be Stocking Dealers..." that's empirical and objective.

One last supportive thought - investment banking is (ironically) one of the last true types of investing that still exists. In the stock markets, people aren't much investing in a company (pick one - any one) and supporting it, getting their friends and family to support it, hoping it grows and grows. No - in the stock market, it's a lot of technical trading trying to exploit vulnerabilities - not looking for success but instead exploiting something that is going wrong in order to make money. At least with venture capital - everyone is invested and has a stake in success. No one is allowed in to profit from failure.

If I were betting my own money - I'd bet the company makes more money in the future than it did in the past. Just my $.02.

[-BS-]

FWIW: I have dealt with Bake's twice. On both occasions the service and information I received was PERFECT. It sounds weird, but it's the only way I can think to describe my experience. It was exactly how it was supposed to be. It was exactly how I wish every business I deal with would operate: Professional, knowledgeable, friendly, and most important (to me at least); THEY COMMUNICATE. If you have a question, they answer it NOW. If you have a concern, they address it TODAY. No runaround, no BS.

Long live Bakes!

[jeremyk]

All of the arguments from Bakes fans - that's emotion. If the decision was "All Dealers will be Stocking Dealers..." that's empirical and objective.

That's an partially incorrect assessment. Malibu's decision may be empirical, but it doesn't mean it is the correct thing to do.

As many "Bake's Fans" have pointed out, they (Bake's) have year after year been a top dealer despite being lightly stocked as opposed to a heavily stocked dealer. If Bake's can stock 3 boats and sell 100 customs every year while a dealer that stocks 15 or 30 boats can only move 50, how does eliminating Bake's and keeping the stocking dealer around benefit Malibu more?

[JeffS]

That's an partially incorrect assessment. Malibu's decision may be empirical, but it doesn't mean it is the correct thing to do.

Based on what? What makes it not the correct thing to do? It is partially incorrect though - It's not "all of the arguments", it's more like "many of the arguments" from my original post.

As many "Bake's Fans" have pointed out, they (Bake's) have year after year been a top dealer despite being lightly stocked as opposed to a heavily stocked dealer. If Bake's can stock 3 boats and sell 100 customs every year while a dealer that stocks 15 or 30 boats can only move 50, how does eliminating Bake's and keeping the stocking dealer around benefit Malibu more?

No offense, but creating an exaggerated hypothetical situation to support your position, doesn't actually support your position. From Bakes own post, their customs varied between 65 and 80%. Your example boasts 3%. "Top Dealer" would have to be defined. Maybe they weren't "tops" based on the metrics established by the folks who own the company?

I'm not one to argue - and I totally don't know a damn thing. I'm just sayin' what others have said - we really, really, really don't know what the decision is all about. It probably wasn't easy and it's just business.

[Chia]

here's a twist for you...

On the opening day of The Big Seattle Boat Show, Malibu Boats surprised Bill Baker, owner of Bake's Marine, with an award, a jacket and a gathering commemorating his 20 years as a Malibu Boats dealer. One of Malibu’s top-ten dealers in sales, Bake’s Marine is more than a business partner to the World’s #1 selling towboat manufacturer. Bill Baker and the entire crew at Bake’s Marine are part of the Malibu Boats Family and this honor reflected that level of respect.

read the full article here, on the Malibu Boats website: http://www.malibuboats.com/news/show/25

Edited June 24, 2010 by Cervelo

[Faceplant409]

...I was hoping somebody was going to bring this up.... (just to make things a 'lil uneasy...)

[Chappy]

Folks this was all going to go down now, in 2013 when Bill stepped away or whenever he sold it before 2013. Simply put if Bill wasn't transitioning to another stage in his life all would be status quo. Things change get over it and move on!

[skyskier]

Ok, so how do we make this a productive thread? Obviously, we all appreciate a dealer like Bakes whom has built a reputation as being a dealer that cares about their customer. Some people on this thread, were fortunate enough to buy a quality boat from the quality business that Bill and team have built.

In my mind, there are two things that we all want to address here:

1) How do we get the message accross to Malibu Corp, that we value the relationships with our dealers. I dont know how many people i have spoken to and/or threads i have read where people have walked away from a MC (or any other brand) because they did not like the dealer (myself included). Unfortunately, these losses are hard to quantify. Lets face the fact that even if all of Bill's loyal and repeat customers chose to walk away from Malibu, it would have very little impact on the decisions that Malibu has and will make in respect to Bakes as a Malibu franchise. But we all appreciate the combination of a quality boat from a quality dealer, and this 'personal relationship' is something that we dont want the Malibu brand to lose.

2) More specific to Bakes and something that has more of an impact to the people on this board, is the Service and Parts situation. I know that many of you have bought stuff from Bakes Online and have apprecaited the feedback that Paul and team have provided here. In my mind, it would be an absolute shame if we lost that to a dealer who does not have the passion or knowledge of Malibu. What can we do to tell/show Malibu that we highly value these guys and that we feel it would be a major loss to the Malibu community if this relationship were severed.

Thoughts???

Awesome post!

[MalibuTime]

This situation stinks for sure, but folks it’s not the first time Malibu pushed one of its great dealers out. Like Bakes, A&S was there in the early days with Malibu and the destructive situation here sounds very similar. Keep in mind that partnership ended prior to the VC deal, during an economic upswing and while Bob was the head of the company. At the end of the day crew, business is business. I don’t always care for it either but it is what it is.

Quiz for you, why did Malibu bring in VC? Among others: to compete, grow the brand and survive! It’s possible there wouldn’t be a Malibu today without VC and it certainly wouldn’t be what it is (or isn’t) today. Malibu needed the money to keep up the pace of model updates, invest in new models and add great features like the Power Wedge, MaliView, MUX switches and the JBL black box. (thought I’d lighten it up at the end there)

I may be here on the east coast but I’ve placed orders though Bakes Online more than once with fantastic service. I hope that continues for everyone but I’m not wagering against skyskier’s bet either.

Is this just your opinion, or do you know this to be true based on statements from Malibu? I only say this because it really could have been as simple as some of the major shareholders wanting to cash out and realize a gain out of the company they grew over the last 20 years. Kind of like someone else I know.

[bigD]

That sux,

Since the Bakes Online store is THE BEST!, I wonder if they downsized and focused on Internet, pro shop and service only they might be more profitable anyway.?.

I'll still get My spring tune up and misc. stuff from Bakes online.

It's to bad it all has to go down like this.

[Bobby Light]

Folks this was all going to go down now, in 2013 when Bill stepped away or whenever he sold it before 2013. Simply put if Bill wasn't transitioning to another stage in his life all would be status quo. Things change get over it and move on!

Well that just settles things now doesn't it .

[Guest J-Ro]

Is this just your opinion, or do you know this to be true based on statements from Malibu? I only say this because it really could have been as simple as some of the major shareholders wanting to cash out and realize a gain out of the company they grew over the last 20 years. Kind of like someone else I know.

DING DING DING

[NewMalibu]

All I can tell you is this employee who was just let go told me that Bakes was losing Malibu at least a month ago, so the folks ar Bakes new this was coming. I realize Paul is your buddy; and I think you are being a little biased on this issue.

Actually, Yes, Paul is my buddy. a buddy that i met and got to know through Bakes. And that is exactly the point. What people are lamenting here, is the fact that the crew at Bakes have been more than just a dealer to us, and that is what we appreciate. i cannot tell you how many times Paul and Co. have steered me in another direction when i was looking at buying something. Often times, this was at the cost of a sale to Bakes, but it added to my trust of their team.

i have become friends with a number of people at Bakes, including the former employee that you keep mentioning. I trust all of them, and would like to continue giving them my business as long as i can because of how they have treated me.

i realize that there are many ways to run a successful business. And i also realize that it is the job of a successful investment banker to keep emotion out and just look at the raw numbers. i am not arguing that fact.

I just think it is unfortunate that the 'New Malibu Corporation' is putting pure numbers infront of relationships and loyalty.

As many people on here who have their own small business realize, there is NO substitue for word of mouth and customer service. But then, it is hard to quanitfy these things when presenting to a board....

Edited June 24, 2010 by NewMalibu

[Bill_AirJunky]

the 'New Malibu Corporation'

I keep seeing this reference to a new ownership. But everything I have read indicates that nothing has changed. The VC outfit was brought in like 2 yrs ago, no?

Edited June 24, 2010 by Bill_AirJunky

[NewMalibu]

I keep seeing this reference to a new ownership. But everything I have read indicates that nothing has changed. The VC outfit was brought in like 2 yrs ago, no?

you are probably right. i am using it in reference to the 'old way of doing business' with Bob and the 'new way' with the VC company. my references could be completely wrong, but it is my assumption that these changes were brought on by the VC company in the past year as they look at ways to increase revenue and decrease costs.

[Bake's Marine]

Ok, so how do we make this a productive thread? Obviously, we all appreciate a dealer like Bakes whom has built a reputation as being a dealer that cares about their customer. Some people on this thread, were fortunate enough to buy a quality boat from the quality business that Bill and team have built.

In my mind, there are two things that we all want to address here:

1) How do we get the message accross to Malibu Corp, that we value the relationships with our dealers. I dont know how many people i have spoken to and/or threads i have read where people have walked away from a MC (or any other brand) because they did not like the dealer (myself included). Unfortunately, these losses are hard to quantify. Lets face the fact that even if all of Bill's loyal and repeat customers chose to walk away from Malibu, it would have very little impact on the decisions that Malibu has and will make in respect to Bakes as a Malibu franchise. But we all appreciate the combination of a quality boat from a quality dealer, and this 'personal relationship' is something that we dont want the Malibu brand to lose.

2) More specific to Bakes and something that has more of an impact to the people on this board, is the Service and Parts situation. I know that many of you have bought stuff from Bakes Online and have apprecaited the feedback that Paul and team have provided here. In my mind, it would be an absolute shame if we lost that to a dealer who does not have the passion or knowledge of Malibu. What can we do to tell/show Malibu that we highly value these guys and that we feel it would be a major loss to the Malibu community if this relationship were severed.

Thoughts???

I want to make sure we're here to service & support Malibu owners for another 20 years to come if Malibu will allow us.

-Paul

[The Bake]

I keep seeing this reference to a new ownership. But everything I have read indicates that nothing has changed. The VC outfit was brought in like 2 yrs ago, no?

Just to clarify, Black Canyon was brought in about three years ago and Bob was retained as President to continue to run the company. Last year just before fiscal year end (June) Bob was terminated along with the Chairman who was also a passionate Malibu devotee. This is why I refer to the "new" Malibu beginning a year ago. The 2010 Model year and production were already set. Malibu is trying to do the best job for their shareholders which is not a bad thing. With one child out of college and one still in I needed to diversify away from having $3,000,000 in inventory (yes I stocked a lot of boats).

Maybe I was naive but I felt I could find (and I did but not soon enough) someone to carry on the quality of customer service I am so dedicated to. I have never used the phrase "it is just business" because to me if I could not provide more value than I charged then I should get out of the business. To Malibu's defense, they need dealers that order boats evenly throughout the year and sell them. Adding the risk of making a mistake on a custom order adds risk to the manufacturing process. Transferring the risk to the dealer (of ordering a boat noone wants) is the right thing to do for their business. It is not the right thing to do for me. I still delight in seeing someones face when they see the boat they ordered and say, I did that and it is perfect for my family. I will miss that more than you can imagine.

I fear like you that we will not be able to buy parts from Malibu or perform warranty work. To me that would not make sense because they would be getting rid of a very big customer but stranger things have happened. We will continue to promote and earn your respect and possibly offer a few things that you will be very excited about. We will be honest in our dealings and recommend wherever is the best place to buy all things Malibu hopefully us for parts and service.

Perception is reality so whatever you believe is the truth. The facts are simply the facts.

[jeremyk]

I still delight in seeing someones face when they see the boat they ordered and say, I did that and it is perfect for my family. I will miss that more than you can imagine.

And that is the reason I bought my Malibu from Bake's. The entire team was great to work with through the entire process and helped me find answers to the questions that made me feel comfortable with the big decision I was making. No other boat dealer in the area could do that. I tried hard to like the other guys but where the hull hits the water, the Bake's team and reputation made the sale, not because of the boat, but because of everything else that they did (and in some cases didn't do). Malibu is unfortunately doing away with a good business partner that has proven they can move product.

Maybe it is naive of me to think that Bake's will remain the same in a post-Bill era. But they have done nothing that has led me to believe they are going to let that happen. Now things have obviously changed...just not by their choice.

Edited June 26, 2010 by jeremyk

[pennery]

I think we should all chip some dough in so Paul can buy the business from Bill...

Anyone?