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Dealer treatment for 2nd owners


Pm22

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Seeing if any other second owners experience the new Malibu servicing dealership not wanting to give any effort to file warranty claims or return calls even though boat is still under warranty  

I bought a friends boat from different state. Moved it to where we live and paid a chunk of cash on warranty transfer because it runs through 2024.  Dealership in my state-which is the only one within 500 miles-doesn’t want to lift a finger to help on items that are noted on the transfer paperwork as needing warranty. Small stuff really. Others I talked to that bought their boat direct from my instate dealer tell me they bend over backward for them on stuff. You’d think regardless of being second owner they would hope I trade mine at some point and then buy from them.  
 

I don’t get it. Sure I didn’t purchase new from this dealer but Warranty is warranty ,they get paid same. Suggestions?  I even went to the dealership with all records to introduce myself and it was like I walked in with a Bayliner. They have kind of spoiled the whole experience for me.  Wonder what happens if I have some big warranty issue to claim. 
 

 

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Contact Malibu corporate and give them specifics on dates, phone calls, emails etc.  Malibu is required by law to assist with warranty issues.  If the dealer won’t help Malibu will have to pay a third party which will cost them more in cash and headache and they will likely take it out on the dealer for important things like allocations etc in the future.  You can also file a BBB complaint and your local AG under consumer protection. Lastly get on social media for the dealer and post about your experience on their sites and Google/yelp etc.  This has a lot more power than you’d think since it can seriously affect business in the future.   

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I can tell you the problem. First of all they don’t get paid very well from the manufacturer on this work. Secondly most shops already have all the good service work that they can do and they can charge their rates and get paid faster. 

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Not opposed to the donut idea but do you really think the mechanics care one bit about where you bought the boat.  They are hourly employees that punch in and out and have zero dog in the fight.  Sure, being kind will make you both feel good and if and when they do your work, they are more likely to give your boat extra TLC, but if they won’t even schedule the work this is coming down from the owner or GM. Langdavi is right - it’s all about profits and optimizing them so IMO you need to start and the top with them. Always best to be courteous and respectful upfront but I gave you the benefit of the doubt you already went that route.   If you still can’t get anywhere, be aggressive and don’t back down.  Most (No Profanity!) business owners that take these tactics assume you’ll go away if they stone wall you so punch them in the mouth (figuratively of course).   Good luck. 

Edited by ahopkinsVTX
No profanity
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Unfortunately it’s worse than that usually. Most tech’s get paid on commission and warranty work usually pays about 50% of what customer work pays. Not always, but usually that the case. Most every tech I have ever talked to in any service industry hates warranty work because the manufacturer dictates what they will pay you before the job is even started.

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   What are the issues you are having?  Scheduling?  Getting parts replaced?  What are you looking to get done?  Also, there is a difference between wear and  warranty.  Typically warranty transfer paper work does not come with a list of items that "need warranty"  it is an inspection sent to Malibu, not a punch list for the next owner.  

 

   Depending on the issues, I have some customers who have been waiting 6+ months for certain items.  It's not that we do not want to help, we are just like the rest of the world waiting for supply chain to ease and get back on track.  It is improving, but not at the rate that puts it or us getting parts any where near "normal"

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2 minutes ago, wakebrdr94 said:

 

   What are the issues you are having?  Scheduling?  Getting parts replaced?  What are you looking to get done?  Also, there is a difference between wear and  warranty.  Typically warranty transfer paper work does not come with a list of items that "need warranty"  it is an inspection sent to Malibu, not a punch list for the next owner.  

 

Correct. And if items were sent to Malibu that needed addressed are you sure the transfer was completed? They wont always process if theres something big on the inspection. Also note that the gel coat is only one year, so if youre wondering about small cracks they may not fix it.

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Different issue, but same kind of customer experience for a second owner.  I had been servicing my boat at the same Malibu dealer for two seasons for service and storage work as a second owner.  This fall I had expected the dealer to reach out to make arrangements for winter storage as they do every year.  Although this year I never heard from them and when I sent an email asking what happened I was told that since I didn't buy my boat from them and they sold a lot of boats to new owners during the pandemic that they had to make room to store those buyers' boats.  Means I got kicked to the street.  And without a lot of time to make other arrangements I may add. 

When I asked about the possibility of storage next year, the guy pretty much told me not to bother.  And so as a second class Malibu citizen, I guess that's that.  Definitely not the kind of customer experience you're looking for.  You'd figure they'd be happy with service and storage revenue, but apparently not unless you bought the boat from them.

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The irony is that if you search these forums there are tons of posts that people say "get a relationship with a local dealer if you want good service" or  "buy from your local dealer if you want good service" rather than shop for the best deal/relationship you can.  It's almost like many on this boating "community" endorse this type of practice or at least have succumbed to it and now want to propagate it for others.  Its unreal to me that as the paying consumer people would feel like they should be so beholden to a dealer they are making rich.  As someone who owns two very successful businesses, and deals with customer service 24/7/365 Im always trying to ensure my customers know that their needs are my primary concern. It's what brings people back and brings in more business.  Rather I would argue a dealership should try extra hard to give great service to second owners, treat them courteously and fix things promptly, store their boat as promised (as above)  and give them fair rates on sales and service rather than be punitive.  It almost makes me wonder if the folks propagating this are dealers or people that work for dealerships rather than true enthusiasts?     

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16 minutes ago, RCorsa said:

The irony is that if you search these forums there are tons of posts that people say "get a relationship with a local dealer if you want good service" or  "buy from your local dealer if you want good service" rather than shop for the best deal/relationship you can.  It's almost like many on this boating "community" endorse this type of practice or at least have succumbed to it and now want to propagate it for others.  Its unreal to me that as the paying consumer people would feel like they should be so beholden to a dealer they are making rich.  As someone who owns two very successful businesses, and deals with customer service 24/7/365 Im always trying to ensure my customers know that their needs are my primary concern. It's what brings people back and brings in more business.  Rather I would argue a dealership should try extra hard to give great service to second owners, treat them courteously and fix things promptly, store their boat as promised (as above)  and give them fair rates on sales and service rather than be punitive.  It almost makes me wonder if the folks propagating this are dealers or people that work for dealerships rather than true enthusiasts?     

Some of the folks above do work at dealers, and each have been super helpful over the years I’ve been here. Others like me just have a great dealer that gets it, like what you describe, and that model does amazingly well, like we all hope it would.

Unfortunately the geographic constraints are real, and will drive some to other brands with dealers that are better. You’re fortunate to be able to work across several dealer regions, which gives you an advantage most don’t have. Knowing one of your available dealers, I would never be in a Malibu if I had to deal with them. Donuts wouldn’t help there either.

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31 minutes ago, RCorsa said:

people that work for dealerships

I see this happening all the time. Someone at the counter does not care what comes out of their mouth. They have a job and really dont care if they are saying the right things. A simple "Sorry, we are full and cannot except any more storage customers, maybe try X,Y, or Z." is all that needed to be said. Instead that employee just cost the dealership a customer. 

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I guess it's all about the kind of customer you want to keep coming back.  The people buying their brand new $150K boats and then paying for service and storage every year...or just the storage and service folks.  Looks like we have the answer on what kind of customer is more profitable.  That said, dealers fail to realize that it's how they take of customers in general that grows their brand and in turn their business --- bringing all kinds of customers and revenue sources.  Word of mouth is the best advertising there is and at the same time can also be the most impactful voice in steering customers away to their competition.  

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I guess I have been lucky.  Had the boat in to the dealer exactly twice since I bought it from the original owner.  1 warranty item and an ecm reflash I paid for.  Got it in pretty quick, out pretty quick.  They make absolutely no real money on me but I got good service.  They send out storage info, but it is absolutely the most expensive place you could store a boat and there are lots of other options if I didn't have a garage.

 

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1 hour ago, RCorsa said:

The irony is that if you search these forums there are tons of posts that people say "get a relationship with a local dealer if you want good service" or  "buy from your local dealer if you want good service" rather than shop for the best deal/relationship you can.  It's almost like many on this boating "community" endorse this type of practice or at least have succumbed to it and now want to propagate it for others.  Its unreal to me that as the paying consumer people would feel like they should be so beholden to a dealer they are making rich.  As someone who owns two very successful businesses, and deals with customer service 24/7/365 Im always trying to ensure my customers know that their needs are my primary concern. It's what brings people back and brings in more business.  Rather I would argue a dealership should try extra hard to give great service to second owners, treat them courteously and fix things promptly, store their boat as promised (as above)  and give them fair rates on sales and service rather than be punitive.  It almost makes me wonder if the folks propagating this are dealers or people that work for dealerships rather than true enthusiasts?     

Perhaps you should open a Malibu boat dealership.  Certainly it will become the most successful one in the country, right?

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1 hour ago, RCorsa said:

The irony is that if you search these forums there are tons of posts that people say "get a relationship with a local dealer if you want good service" or  "buy from your local dealer if you want good service" rather than shop for the best deal/relationship you can.  It's almost like many on this boating "community" endorse this type of practice or at least have succumbed to it and now want to propagate it for others.  Its unreal to me that as the paying consumer people would feel like they should be so beholden to a dealer they are making rich.  As someone who owns two very successful businesses, and deals with customer service 24/7/365 Im always trying to ensure my customers know that their needs are my primary concern. It's what brings people back and brings in more business.  Rather I would argue a dealership should try extra hard to give great service to second owners, treat them courteously and fix things promptly, store their boat as promised (as above)  and give them fair rates on sales and service rather than be punitive.  It almost makes me wonder if the folks propagating this are dealers or people that work for dealerships rather than true enthusiasts?     

The Dealer I worked at first i kind of just accepted "it was that way"  we would sell boats  for less than others, just undercut to get the deal, but when it came time to service, our owners did not scale up, we couldn't handle the amount of customers, it was a mess.

Then I moved onto a bigger and better dealer.  They had staff to handle the customers, a great service dept, It was like going from the county fair to Disneyland.  I knew the dealer sold boats for more than I did at my previous dealer, BUT, it takes money to staff appropriately, we'd offer loaner boats to customers if theirs broke, we had pick up and drop off, and still had people in the store to handle the business.   When people left to do a demo, it did not make us understaffed and customers were still tended to.   I understood why people would pay more to buy from them, it was a whole experience.  Granted we don't keep everyone happy, but we certainly do our best attempt at trying to

My point is, you as the owner of two successful businesses would agree, the best price is not always the best deal.

Edited by wakebrdr94
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56 minutes ago, Boat4Fun said:

I guess it's all about the kind of customer you want to keep coming back.  The people buying their brand new $150K boats and then paying for service and storage every year...or just the storage and service folks.  Looks like we have the answer on what kind of customer is more profitable.  That said, dealers fail to realize that it's how they take of customers in general that grows their brand and in turn their business --- bringing all kinds of customers and revenue sources.  Word of mouth is the best advertising there is and at the same time can also be the most impactful voice in steering customers away to their competition.  

I'm sure it wasn't personal.  You've been there that last two years, and apparently you were happy with them because you were expecting to use them again.  It sounds more like an issue of limited availability.  Maybe as people bought boats they requested storage and space was filled before they knew it.  If you had monthly storage and they booted you, I'd be pissed too.  But if you only use them for winter storage, it sounds like space was filled before you reached out.  Apparently the guy you spoke to could have handled it a little better.

We have a marina at one of the lakes I visit and there is a waiting list for slips.  The slips are empty right now, and people still pay for them, because they know if they do not, they will not have a slip next year.  Just a case of limited resources.  Hopefully you were able to make accommodations elsewhere 

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I was disappointed, but not bitter.  Hope my post didn't come across that way.  I actually get the business decision. But as you say, a phone call or email explaining the situation with a bit more notice would have been a better way to handle it.  I felt like I at least earned that courtesy. 

Good news is I was able to find another marina that had availability and while not a Malibu dealer, they service ski boats like mine and Indmar engines.  Fortunate to have found a dealer that welcomed me with open arms. Guess they didn't have the same space constraints as you point out. 

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I really worked hard and established a good relationship with my local dealer even though I didn’t buy the boat from them…it’s a long story but I really tried to buy a boat from them… they also turned down many attempts to buy accessories, props, etc saying it was just easier and cheaper for me to buy from the internet.

anyway, they always did an adequate job of servicing my boat. They lost the Malibu line last year and they really stepped up their game to keep me for service. Capitalism at work.

Edited by braindamage
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21 hours ago, oldjeep said:

I guess I have been lucky.  Had the boat in to the dealer exactly twice since I bought it from the original owner.  1 warranty item and an ecm reflash I paid for.  Got it in pretty quick, out pretty quick.  They make absolutely no real money on me but I got good service.  They send out storage info, but it is absolutely the most expensive place you could store a boat and there are lots of other options if I didn't have a garage.

 

If I’m thinking of the same dealer we bought our first Malibu there used. We live too far away to use them for anything when we had it but I agree that their storage is pricey. I will say though that we had a few after sale issues and I was very satisfied with the outcome and they were more than fair, speedy, and did good work. When shopping for our second boat it was crazy that they remembered who we were and the boat when we walked in, they didn’t even know we were coming. Ended up buying closer to home but I can see why they are successful. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

When I bought my boat from the dealer, they were pretty accomodating at first. But since August when I purchased it, I am still waiting on a new tower light and a missing rack knob. I know I keep hearing supply chain etc, but I wanted to button all this up when I winterized and serviced the boat. Full disclosure, this is not from a malibu dealer,nor is the boat a malibu. I didnt get a good impression from the local bu dealer when looking to replace my sunsetter. But this seems to be a recurring theme across all lines to me. It hasnt changed my mind much about the purchase of the boat from them, And I am in good enough with the sales guy he has offered to give me access to the tools I might most frequently need such as their scanner, or use of a prop puller if I needed to swap props out. 

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