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Production Issues


zhuskers1

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Anyone have the current status?  Is production running uninterrupted?

Is there anyway to check the status of your order without calling your dealer??   Ford has a website that you can check on order status.  

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14 minutes ago, dwc032 said:

Dude there’s literally like 4 other threads on this issue!  Scroll down in the general forum and you will see at least 2. 

Thank you for being so observant and polite in pointing that out...

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Just my thoughts, the question is spot on, especially for those of us waiting on boats. The other threads have sort of gotten away from the central question(are there any delays currently). 

It would be nice if Malibu would put something out letting folks know the current situation, on a regular basis. 

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4 hours ago, zhuskers1 said:

Thank you for being so observant and polite in pointing that out...

Sorry, not trying to be a jerk.  After re-reading my post it was a little condescending.

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Interesting thing about the letter from Malibu. My dealer says that is the same letter he got in late Feb. by email. (don't know that I fully understand that) 

I have a little frustration that I have a boat on order and we get a tweet a day from Malibu about new boats, but zero as it pertains current production.

 

Maybe that's too much to ask, but most of these boats are over 100k. 

 

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I went through a prolonged delay situation when the Lincoln Aviator was introduced.   Lincoln did a good job managing the situation.   
- They acknowledged it was a bad situation and recognized the impact to the people who purchased the vehicles

- They set up a team of advocates and  they were assigned by client.  They were available for calls and emailed you every 7 to 10 days with an update. 
- Once you had a serial number - they provided a website for updates. 
- Once the car was built they continued to provide shipping updates

- In recognition of the delay and client impact they gave each owner a 5 year/60,000 miles service agreement 

The key was client sensitivity and communicate, communicate, communicate!!

The price of this boat is over 2X of an Aviator.   
I am a loyal Malibu Client.   Not try to be negative - just suggestions. 

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ahopkins22LSV
50 minutes ago, Bman1 said:

Interesting thing about the letter from Malibu. My dealer says that is the same letter he got in late Feb. by email. (don't know that I fully understand that) 

I have a little frustration that I have a boat on order and we get a tweet a day from Malibu about new boats, but zero as it pertains current production.

 

Maybe that's too much to ask, but most of these boats are over 100k. 

 

Companies in all manufacturing and all different types of sales have delays and shutdowns year in and year out. How many social media posts do you see about that?

As has been said in the other threads, the best course of communication is through your dealer. Many are experiencing delays because maybe the dealer was not fully transparent up front. Others are just because of the crazy market. 

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Perhaps you could drop by the plant with a huge box of donuts, then casually mention that you are waiting on a new boat and see where the conversation goes.  :whistle:

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9 hours ago, zhuskers1 said:

I went through a prolonged delay situation when the Lincoln Aviator was introduced.   Lincoln did a good job managing the situation.   
- They acknowledged it was a bad situation and recognized the impact to the people who purchased the vehicles

- They set up a team of advocates and  they were assigned by client.  They were available for calls and emailed you every 7 to 10 days with an update. 
- Once you had a serial number - they provided a website for updates. 
- Once the car was built they continued to provide shipping updates

- In recognition of the delay and client impact they gave each owner a 5 year/60,000 miles service agreement 

The key was client sensitivity and communicate, communicate, communicate!!

The price of this boat is over 2X of an Aviator.   
I am a loyal Malibu Client.   Not try to be negative - just suggestions. 

Man....that would be nice, wouldn't it??  But, as @UWSkier said, this is a truly unfair comparison.  Your suggestion would add a layer of cost that Malibu can't really bear and would ultimately push down to the customer.  In all reality, and I'm not trying to be condescending here either, you're going to have to figure out how to enjoy, AKA deal with, the wait.  You are not alone. 

 

Also, as @ahopkinsVTX mentioned, it is possible that your dealer may not have been totally transparent with you.    I experienced something similar with my dealer which nearly forced me to buy from another dealer out of my territory, but my dealer and I were able to get through it, so they got my order.  That said, it was 3 months after I placed the order before I was given a confirmation and a spray date.  The lead time from the date of my order and delivery of my boat to the dealer was approximately 20 weeks.  BC (Before Covid) lead times were much less.  I'm not super unhappy about it because I'm not yet ready to drop it in the water for the season, but it was a long wait with less than stellar communication.  What I'm not sure of is if that level of communication was attributable to the dealer or the brand.  I suspect it's a combination of the two.  

 

Remember, these boats are hand made.  Yes, there is a production line, but it's all manpower that's responsible for assembly.  The production lines are not automated.  The supply chain is stressed.  Any manufacturer will tell you that.  All recreational products are experiencing the same situation with various levels of impact to their production.  I'm not trying to be Donnie Downer here, but it is what it is and it's not attributable to lackluster efforts on behalf of Malibu.  Have you tried buying a dirt bike, a side by side, quad, jet ski, etc??  Very similar situations exist there as well.    

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Thank you for all the dialogue and recommendations.

 I have been a Malibu owners for over 30 years - ordered many boats.   I clearly understand the difference between the automotive industry and the boat industry.  My only point is that in situations  like this, you can not communicate too much with your customers.    
 

This situation has highlighted a weakness in the Malibu sales and delivery (communication) process.  Example -  You pay $100 + for a boat and  in some cases the  most timely and accurate updates come from a forum.   
 

Thanks again ........patiently waiting.  
 
 

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10 hours ago, zhuskers1 said:

I went through a prolonged delay situation when the Lincoln Aviator was introduced.   Lincoln did a good job managing the situation.   
- They acknowledged it was a bad situation and recognized the impact to the people who purchased the vehicles

- They set up a team of advocates and  they were assigned by client.  They were available for calls and emailed you every 7 to 10 days with an update. 
- Once you had a serial number - they provided a website for updates. 
- Once the car was built they continued to provide shipping updates

- In recognition of the delay and client impact they gave each owner a 5 year/60,000 miles service agreement 

The key was client sensitivity and communicate, communicate, communicate!!

The price of this boat is over 2X of an Aviator.   
I am a loyal Malibu Client.   Not try to be negative - just suggestions. 

I think I can speak for all Bronco reservation holders when I say, our experience with Ford has not been like you describe. 

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Ford certainly has "unlimited" resources, where Malibu does not. However, by the same thinking, they certainly don't have as many customers that need to be updated, so the cost/effort level wouldn't be the same. 

My opinion, zero doubt that the information that customers would like to have is actually available on an internal report somewhere. The fact that they are not sharing the info with the customer is the problem. One person with an active email list could do a lot with a weekly BCC-type email that wouldn't need to be more than a few sentences long stating the truth. Something like "sorry sorry sorry, Resin, everything's computers these days, force majeure, regrettably, please add 60-90 days to your delivery date, we're doing what we can. Thanks for your patience. "  

98% of people would hate this, but be able to tolerate the situation with the "it is what it is" mentality. If you can afford a boat like these, you are aware of the world we are living in today. 

Surprise!!!!  Now you only need to answer the phone for the 2% left over. Unfortunately, those are the whiners out there that need to hear the info in the letter spoken over the phone.

(Do not have a boat on order, by the way)

Edited by BigCreek
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You Texas guys have it made with your tax laws on new boats.  Try doing the same thing out here in California and you will be bleeding money!!! Another reason to relocate to the great state of Texas  :-)

 

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1 hour ago, Stevo said:

Ok you may have a problem...

It's getting worse, but at least I think my wife trusts me now when I say I'm heading out to pick up ____. Now I'm trying to figure out if airplanes have seasonal pricing too, and I think some do...

Getting back on topic. Even though we're buying $100K+ boats, your dealer contacts may not always have the mindset and training to give the white glove service that some are used to when buying higher end vehicles. Also, they're completely buried again this year, even if they've staffed up. My dealer built a big warehouse last year but even with that extra space has had to rent a separate warehouse this year and started prepping new boats as soon as they arrived. They basically went from last fall's winterization rush straight into spring boat prep and they've been doing that ever since November.

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The other issue I think is that other than the letter from Jack, the dealers dont know whats going on. Sooner or later the boats are gonna hit the fan. Given all the shortages I keep hearing about, I cant see how things will keep going. 

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4 hours ago, Ronnie said:

Same.

But what do you do next year if there are still issues? Do you sell yours and wait, or do you hold onto the one you have until the new one is in hand?

Steve B.

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