Customer Service??????

snowman6306snowman6306 Member Posts: 3
I'll start out by saying that I LOVE my Rinker and will never regret purchasing it. My boat is awsome and will provide my family and I many years of fun and relaxation on the water. I would like to know though, where is the service that should be expected from a Rinker dealer???? The product is great, but apparently there is no ethical code that is expected of the dealer after the sale is made.
I purchased my boat last year at a cost of over 30,000.00 and as such I fully expected to have superior customer service provided to me by the dealer as they are representing Rinker. What I got was a slap in the face and a complete let down of what should have been a satisfying purchase.
I grew up on the lake and have spent many years enjoying boating and being on the water. It seems that everyone you meet while boating are always happy and more than willing to chat about themselves and how much our mutual pastime has enriched our lives. I have also found that whenever I needed assistance that I could go to any marina and find an owner or employee that was more than happy to help in any way they could. Unfortunatly that comraderie came to an end for me after my purchase at Moose Landing Marina in Naples, Maine.
 
My wife and I went to our local boat show and looked at many boats and checked out several marinas in the area. We chose Moose Landing as they seemed to be nice folks and the owner was very nice and took his time to chat with us and answer all of our questions. The salesman was informative about all of the boats we looked at and we eventually found all that we wanted with a leftover 2007 Rinker deck boat. All went well and we eventually purchased our new "toy" and were looking forward to a great summer on the water.
 
During the sale we were told that we would have a new ss trailer w/spare tire and all of the canvas and clear windows were to be with the boat. We took delivery of the boat and had it in a slip at the marina for the summer. As is always expected ther were still some small issues with the boat that needed attention and we put a list together and emailed it off to the salesman for resolution. As with any purchase of this type (boat/car) we felt that this was not unusual and had no issues with anything at this point that were of any concern. Two weeks later though after still not hearing back about our list of needed repairs/missing items we both tried calling and never had any call backs. Evenually we were put on the schedule and had service done, the horn fixed and some other minor issues looked into. We were dong good and enjoying our summer but still were missing some of the canvas/clear inserts and still had not seen our trailer. We were also supposed to get a seat/bench insert to fill the bow section between the bench seats. We were told after several requests and phone calls that they would look into it and then informed that the seat insert was not available and that there was no clear zip ins for the boat. These were two things that we were told we would get with our purchase and still have not received.... The clear zip ins and other missing canvass cost over 700.00 and we were told we would get them when we purchased the boat, Where are they????? The seat insert is no longer available and I asked to see if they knew anyone locally who could possibly make one for us and have never heard back about that either.
Later in the summer I gave the marina a months notice that I would need my trailer so that I could bring my boat to another lake for a weeks vacation. When I picked the boat up a week before leaving I found that the trailer provided was to small for the boat as half of the engine compartment was hanging over the end and not properly supporting the boat. I looked into proper sizing and also hull warrenty info and concluded that I could not safely trailer my boat with the provided trailer. I brought this to the marinas attention and after several phone calls was told that they would provide me with the correct trailer. I went up and dropped the boat off and was told I could get it two days later and it would be all set up. I went to get the boat as promised and it was not done, I was leaving in two days and needed this done. I eventually picked it up the night before I was to leave. I also ended up with a five year old galanized trailer as opposed to the new s/s trailer that I had purchased. Upon my return to the marina after vacation I put the boat back in and was at the fuel dack with my mother and some of her friends that I was taking out for the day and the Owner of the marina actually said to me (in front of my guests and other customers) that I had some nerve coming back to his marina!!!!! In his defence I did post on my facebook profile a customer service issue, but I did not name him or his marina in any way.. I was appalled at this poor treatment especially in front of my guests and his customers. At this point I said to him, why would'nt I come back, I still have not received all of the items that I had purchased (ie: canvass, clear zip ins, spare tire, seat insert) and he told me "good luck with that"
 
I did nothing that any consumer would'nt have done after a large purchas and was treated so poorly that I am at a loss of what to do or think. I emailed and spoke to Rinker customer service and was told I could purchase the canvas and Zip ins for over 700.00, No seat insert is available, and that there was nothing they could do for me.
 
I fully expected help from Rinker in finding and resolving the issue and got nothing...
 
Again, I love the boat and will always spend time out on the lake, I will always be a consumer that expects superior customer service as I feel I should when a large purchase such as a boat is concered.
 
My question is, the next time I spend over 30,000 on a boat where will it be? Whers the customer service and why are the dealers not expected to represent the manufacturer within some ethical bounds?
 
Respectfully,
 
Marc R. Pelletier
[email=pelletier.marc.r@gmail.com]pelletier.marc.r@gmail.com[/email]

Comments

  • Thank you for sharing this information with us.  We take your satisfaction very seriously and are investigating this particular situation with our dealer so that we are better equipped to respond to your needs.  We will be in touch shortly.  Thank you.
     
  • tranydoctranydoc Member Posts: 5
    go to another dealer just because you bought it from one doesn't meen you have to go back. I had alot of problems with my new atantic 230 the dealer couldn't fix all of them so rinker took the boat back at the end of the season and fixed everything contac randy rinker if you dont like the service you are getting he will straighten things out for you he did for me 
    tranydoc
  • snowman6306snowman6306 Member Posts: 3
    admin wrote:

    Thank you for sharing this information with us.  We take your satisfaction very seriously and are investigating this particular situation with our dealer so that we are better equipped to respond to your needs.  We will be in touch shortly.  Thank you.
     

    And still no response? I received a reply from someone on Facebook and can't find the reply now?? He said the same, that he would look into my situation. I would appreciate any help that you can give me..
     
    Thank you,
     
    Mar R. Pelletier
  • Garth is our sales rep in your area and will be glad to assist in resolving this issue.  You can reach him at 781-942-1994. 
  • cagoldcagold Member Posts: 5
    I can tell you after several years of owning our 342 that it is not the dealer that your having with. It is Rinker itself. The dealers have to ask question via emails and have to wait for some one at Rinker to get back with them. Rinker the COMPANY> is the problem not the dealers. I love my Rinker but after all the bad customer service issues with Rinker the company, I will not own another.  Rinker the Company should supply better customer service for there dealers. "A phone would be nice" There are fewer dealers today then there was when we bought in 2006.    GOOD LUCK  
  • Capt_SteveCapt_Steve Member Posts: 281 admin
    Hey cagold...we just launched this new forum, and I see that you've commented on this two-year-old post. It's been my experience in my short time here that these issues seem to have gotten much better. If there's anything at all I can help direct or get an answer on your behalf, please say the word. That's one of the reasons we're providing this platform. 

    And there are a TON of knowledgeable and helpful Rinker owners as well. I'm glad you're here, and I hope you'll stick around. 

    Take care,
    Steve
  • Black_DiamondBlack_Diamond Member Posts: 5,439 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Someone dug deep for this post.  lol  I know my dealer SUCKED.  They were bald-faced liars and almost abusive in dealing with them.  Botched my antifoul paint job and it cost me another $2k after year one to have it blasted off and redone right.  My one bright spot was I'm no where near the dealer and as a part of the sale warranty was done through my marina service dept.  I had to route bills through the dealer, but that worked out OK.  I've been pretty happy with the service from Rinker itself.

    Past owner of a 2003 342FV
    PC BYC, Holland, MI
  • BabyboomerBabyboomer Member Posts: 918 mod
    My Dealer was FANTASTIC still go every once in awhile Arnold's Boats & Motors Louisville Ky put me in a slip for a few days rent free on Ohio River worked a few bugs out then they delivered it to Dale Hollow Lake Tn. that was 1999 don't know if you could get that kind of service today.

    Slip 866 Sunset Marina Byrdstown Tn
  • Black_DiamondBlack_Diamond Member Posts: 5,439 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Mine was 2003. You would think selling a pure 'luxury' item you'd be pushing top notch service and support as a dealer. But as a 'infrequent' purchase, some are in for the short term sale and care less about selling another to the same customer.

    Past owner of a 2003 342FV
    PC BYC, Holland, MI
  • mvnmvn Member, Moderator Posts: 753 mod
    edited May 2013
    Seems like the same old story for anything, whether it be a boat, car, snowmobile, ATV or anything that needs dealer support. Some dealers suck while others are gems. As much as it's easy to blame the manufacturer, it's tough managing a dealer network.

    Find a good dealer, learn to support yourself, find other knowledgeable owners (here) and enjoy the boating lifestyle.

    Mark
    Good,  fast,  cheap.... pick two. 
    2019 MTX20 Extreme

  • Black_DiamondBlack_Diamond Member Posts: 5,439 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Good points! Learn your boat, get advise like from here, do it yourself.

    Past owner of a 2003 342FV
    PC BYC, Holland, MI
  • MarkBMarkB Member Posts: 3,976 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I don't think Rinker's customer service is bad. I think the dealer makes all the difference. I do know Rinker pays the dealers a lower rate for warranty work, so it is difficult to make money unless you are efficient.  I bought my boat in the Georgian Bay area and had so/so service. I moved my servicing to a dealer much closer (Dundas Marine) and I can definitely say the quality of the work is very good. They are busy and it takes a while sometimes for them to get around to your boat, but they do a pretty good job at engaging with Rinker to get replacement parts quickly.  I think the dealer makes all the difference.

    Boat Name: King Kong

    "Boat + Water = Fun"

  • MIKES342MIKES342 Member Posts: 182 ✭✭✭
    I can tell everyone that my experience with Rinker has been excellent . This is my 4th rinker. I have had a 1973 rinker tri-hull, 2003, 270. 2006 342 and now a 2013 260. My dealer has been excellent and a couple of times I just emailed warranty on their contact list and Randy Rinker took care of it. Dealers definitely are the biggest part of the problem. I have been fortunate and Happy Days Boating in Port Clinton Ohio has been great to work with. After having 10 brand new boats over the years I still think Rinkers are the best value and service. All of these boats were ordered from the factory
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