Warranty transfer and dealer frustrations.

[Grrbananahand]

Hi all,

New here and new to owning a surf boat.  I bought a 2019 Axis A20 this spring.  We had a great summer with it! When I purchased it I asked the salesman about the warranty on the boat.  I was told it had “Hull to Stern warranty” and I was given the date it was effective to.  Great! I felt confident knowing it was protected for the major stuff.  There were a couple of cosmetic things, like broken clips and buckles, but nothing major, and I was encouraged to just bring it back in the fall with a list of things I notice and they can take of all that as part of the warranty.   Perfect!  Sounds like a plan.    Cut to the fall,  I reached out to the dealership and was not getting any answers as to how the process works.  I kept following up over the course of a month asking if my list was covered under the warranty and how the work would be scheduled.   All very polite and patient.   I got no real response until I sent a frustrated email asking about a disconnect between sales and service where one is promising something that is not the reality.  If my expectations were not realistic, that is fine but I need to know so I can make a plan.    That got me a response that the majority of my list would be covered under the warranty, but in order to get the warranty I have to pay the transfer fee ($1000 to Malibu) and $600 in labor to cover the inspection required for the transfer.    WTF!   I totally understand the cost of the warranty transfer but how could I not be informed of this process when it was literally one of the first questions I asked about this boat.  I would have paid for the inspection at the time of purchase.  What if there is an issue that would void the warranty?  I would have wanted to know that when purchasing.  
Anyway, my boat is at the dealership and I have zero trust that they are dealing in good faith and that my boat is going to have quality work done on it.  I just have the impression that they can’t be bothered.   I am literally asking for the bare minimum and being kind about it.    Now I have to store the boat there to get the work done, pay for all the transfer costs and then have them shrink wrap the boat (which I bet is going to be halfway through the winter by the time they can be bothered).
Am I being dumb and having unrealistic expectations?  

 

[csleaver]

https://s3.amazonaws.com/malibu-production-us-east-1/docs/axis/2019 Axis Owners Manual.pdf

The Axis limited warranty is covered on page 172 of the boat owner's manual (page 183 of the PDF) and the warranty transfer process is on page 182 (page 193 of the PDF).

[BigCreek]

8 minutes ago, csleaver said:

warranty transfer process

Most important part on page 194 (of the .pdf)?

"All requests must be submitted within 10 days of Date of Resale."

[abomb115]

I bought my 2019 in 2021 and had to pay the $1000 and the inspection fee also. 

[Grrbananahand]

Wow,  Thanks for pointing out this info.  I guess Buyer beware.  I was leaning on the salesman for guidance and let my guard down I guess.  I have emails showing my questions about the warranty and the salesman's response with the valid dates.    I will have to follow up with them about the check they took last week for the warranty transfer.   This just doubles up my lack of trust that I am being dealt with honestly.   

[Grrbananahand]

Was it done at time of purchase?

1 hour ago, abomb115 said:

I bought my 2019 in 2021 and had to pay the $1000 and the inspection fee also. 

 

[Steve B.]

Hopefully this gets straightened out. The seller should have informed you completely at the time of purchase about the warranty. Makes me wonder if there is some incentive for the dealer not to want to disclose those details, or warranty boats sold from other dealers?

edit: Is there another dealer close by that you could use instead of this one?

Edited December 5, 2023 by Steve B.
added thought

[wakesonthesnake]

I am guessing ignorance on the salesman since he put it in an email.  Good on you for keeping the conversation.  I would make nice until the warranty is transferred and then look for a new dealer. 

[abomb115]

4 hours ago, Grrbananahand said:

Was it done at time of purchase?

 

I did it about a month after the purchase. Had bought the boat from a private party. That was the earliest available time at the dealer. It's a bit of run around but worth it. The actuator for my wedge went out the following summer. Replacment and labor fully covered no questions asked. 

[Grrbananahand]

Thanks for the advice!  I reached out to the office to ask to talk with a manager, when they asked for more details so they could direct me to the right person I included my post here as a summary and a few other concerns.  They forwarded my email to the salesman and he said would be in touch talk about my concerns (so much for talking to someone else). I got an email from the salesman today saying I would be covered under the warranty, but didn't address any other concern.  it wasn't explicit that the warranty would be transferred to me.  I am going to follow up.  The other part that is frustrating is that the warranty expires at the end of next season anyway.   Before I knew there was a cost associated with it there was no cost/benefit analysis going on just a green light for fixing any minor issue with the boat.  

[TallRedRider]

On 12/6/2023 at 1:13 PM, Grrbananahand said:

Thanks for the advice!  I reached out to the office to ask to talk with a manager, when they asked for more details so they could direct me to the right person I included my post here as a summary and a few other concerns.  They forwarded my email to the salesman and he said would be in touch talk about my concerns (so much for talking to someone else). I got an email from the salesman today saying I would be covered under the warranty, but didn't address any other concern.  it wasn't explicit that the warranty would be transferred to me.  I am going to follow up.  The other part that is frustrating is that the warranty expires at the end of next season anyway.   Before I knew there was a cost associated with it there was no cost/benefit analysis going on just a green light for fixing any minor issue with the boat.  

For other folks reading, it seems like an industry standard to have a fairly hefty transfer fee for the warranty and an inspection.  I think it is mostly a way to make sure this is not the boat in another recent thread here that spent time underwater, and to gouge the customer.  

I think your dealer is doing the right thing by getting you the warranty at all.  It was supposed to be done within 10 days.   I am not sure I see anything that has been said here to make me run from the dealer.  Did I miss it?  Folks make mistakes, and they seem to have stepped up to fix it.