I finished my written and confined dives for my PADI certification this week at N 2 Deep dive center in Apalachicola . Steve Bartlett is a great dive instructor and Steve’s wife Sandy runs a tight ship with a very nice facility located on the Scipio Creek in the pld Benign Boat works buliding . The skills are emphasized and the class is very thorough . They have great rental equipment to get you started and have a full servicxe NITROX and regular air fill center there as well . They carry very nice dive gear and can help you pick good stuff for yor dive style and skill level .

I am looking forward to going out in the Gulf and seeing all the spots I have been fishing for the last 9 years or so as well as exploring while travelling . For me its sort of a completion of my aqueous goals as I have been in the water or on the water all my life . Just never very far under the water . I have many friends that are divers and will be happy to join that fraternity .If anyone is interested in adding diving to their lives , call 850-653-DEEP or see their website at www.n2deepdive.com

Marc

Marc

Wefings will be hosting our third annual Gulf Coast C Dory Gathering the weekend of October 17th-19th. We will have good food, good company and some fun cruising with our great crew of boat owners and participants . The location is on the Apalachicola river , just above the railroad bridge with space for about 20 boats to dock . There is a great area to cook, eat shrimp and oysters,and gather for swapping stories and our annual lecture from Gibby Conrad about the areas maritime history . We also have a block of rooms available at the Water Street Hotel for those that either don’t have boats or want the great accommodations they provide and a slip in front of their room . All in all we have made this event lots of fun , with more folks every year and new friends made . We encourage everyone to come and see why life is more fun with a boat ! Please call us for more information if you are interested in attending ,even if you are not currently a boat owner , we will have a great time and there will be plenty of “rides” available .

Marc

I wrote this send to Trade Only , an Industry magazine . I thought Id share it here too .

The real world of no model years for outboard motors. and great customer service

I got a boat delivered this morning. It was a custom order that I was very pleased to have earned. in the current marketplace It was for a custom Bass Boat ., a market we are just breaking into with one of the high level manufacturers . It had been ordered in the “official” 2008 model year and therefore was priced at 2008 Pricing. It was ordered with a specific motor. It was a motor from one of the companies that I feel is strong-arming the industry in a number of ways. One of which is the lack of model year .So far no one has convinced me it’s a good thing for anyone but the motor manufacturers that have adopted this policy.

The boat was ordered with a 200 H.P. motor. That particular motor had undergone some changes in designation and marketing as a result of some real and perceived reliability issues. So it got a new name. And that was what was in the dealer’s order spreadsheet had on it. And what the customer specifically ordered. But the boat manufacturer [who stepped up to the plate with a big motor order ] was saddled with motors the motor manufacturer had marketed into obsolescence .with no responsibility The pick system for the builder no doubt selected the oldest motor in stock . This was a huge and costly problem for the dealer and builder. . Motors that had been built one two or three years prior to the boats manufacture are a problem for dealers That date of manufacture plate does not lie .A customer wants a boat that matches the motors year, and especially important, the current version.

So where does the expense and superior customer service enter the picture?

It was delivered to us this morning and a quick check revealed the non-current motor. [I will continue to use that term if the motor is a year or more older than the hull I.D].

I called the manufacturer, and told them of the problem not too long after I had called my very excited customer that his boat had arrived. We were tracking the delivery and progress of the boat since the order .It took some time to hear that I was not being left alone with the wrong motor and disappointed customer. The boat manufacturer and I agreed to get the customer what was ordered. And do it quickly.

How do we accomplish this at 6 O’clock in the evening on a Monday? The manufacturer did not want the risk of shipping motors back and forth. The chances of damage and delay as well as wanting to be responsible for the fully rigged product they sell led us to a 525 mile trip to the factory .At first I thought weeks of delay, and a lost deal with a custom boat and then I simply asked, “if my driver is there in the morning, will you replace the motor while he waits:” The answer was yes. The cost of that transportation would be more than half the dealers profit in the boat. With a great deal of respect and gratitude I will tell you the factory picked up our drivers tab and had a current motor in stock.

Ok now I am on the ground at 6 o’clock replacing a shipping cover and making sure the boat is ready to go over a thousand miles rain or shine Our driver said he would drive all night, the boat was back at the boat manufacturers rigging shop in less than 24 hours after it shipped. Our customer had no choice but was certain we cared about his business .

The customer will get his boat for the weekend, and a dealer and boat manufacturer have had to jump through hoops to be heroes because model years have been eliminated. For the convenience of the motor manufacturers

Marc Grove

Wefings Marine

I have to tell you a little story about one of my customers .A little insight into the occasional unpleasant and unnecessary bumps in the road of owning a customer service based business.Its usually a pleasure to do what I do.I have almost all great customers that many of become my friends .   Sometimes you cant understand someone’s reaction to great customer service . Really great customer service. Some of our manufacturers are known for taking care of issues without hesitation . Thats the way we like them . Twin Vee has traditionally been one of them . Every manufacturer has issues. Now I will give you a little background and some somewhat inside info into parts of the the boat business .And how not to be a customer that is unwelcome for further business.

There was an issue with a certain resin  manufacturers gelcoat [resin] in the years of 2002-2004 or so . Many manufacturers and boat dealers were affected by this problem . Boats had cosmetic issues that appeared like time bombs after a few years .

Boat warranties are limited , very limited. Especially gelcoat , or the outer skin. That gives manufacturers relief from issues like a bad batch of materials that make a generation of boats go bad. The manufacturer of the gelcoat will do everything they can to blame the individual boat builder that the problem is with the application . Easily done if its a one Mfg. problem . If it happens to 5 or 6 manufacturers at the same time that wont fly .

Ok, we know we had bad product from a certain gelcoat manufacturer. Heres the scenario , in good faith , the innocent dealer has purchased a product and exposed themselves , trusting the manufacturer [who has the most to gain] to back their products . So what happens next ? The boat companies have already relieved themselves of legal responsibility for the cosmetics,transportation for repairs,loss of use , etc…. . They will blame the problem on the material manufacturer if its widespread .If its not widespread the pissing match begins . The problem does not go away . Thats where integrity comes into play . Wiil the manufacturers warranty require them to cover anything other than structural issues? NO.

Does a good manufacturer and dealer work together to solve the problem ? Yes . Can you do it till you go broke ? no.

Should a customer recognize when both manufacturer and dealer are going above and beyond ? YES.

Does the dealer carry responsibility to their customer ? To a large degree .We do .Some don’t however.They give the industry a bad name.  We shouldn’t be abused by our customers though, as we are not one of those. Even though we didn’t make the product, we sold it , recommended it and hopefully believe in it .Thats what creates repeat customers [which we have many]  I appreciate any customer that reads their warranty and understands it before making unreasonable demands and threats . Especially when a dealer goes to bat for them . And takes money out his pocket to do so .

So we got a customers 2003 [6 year old !!!!!] boat, that had been taken questionable care of , with a gelcoat issue that appeared much later [time bomb syndrome]  . We paid for their transportation to the factory out of our pocket, unrigged the motor from the boat at no charge to the customer as a bargaining chip on their behalf to get the customer any relief from the manufacturer AT ALL and generally went way above and beyond the call of duty .

So what is the point ?

There was a simple mix up with the fact that at no charge we removed the motor from the customers boat [in retrospect ,I would never do it for this guy again] and stored it safely ,which he took for granted .He arranged shipping back to his house directly through the manufacturer and nobody  put it together that we had removed the motor and stored it at no charge,which exemplifies  our superior customer service that we offered him and always strive for.

So instead of being thankful that the dealer and manufacturer stepped up to the plate to renew an old beat up and pretty well abused boat at no charge, he threatens to sue for the transportation charge that was never promised or covered under any warranty . It was a simple misunderstanding  The customer was the big winner regardless of the outcome.

Thats what I don’t understand .The words that are going through my mind regarding this customer cannot be expressed here as this is a family blog [I don't know what kind of family , but it is rated PG]

Will I ever treat a customer any differently due to this ? No. I will try to have my antennas up for the potential for this issue , Both by choosing my manufacturers carefully and customers as well ? Yes.

This is the first time I have ever had an issue like this . I will resolve it as always , and it will be with integrity and forethought.And if it comes to our integrity , I will defend it till it hurts.

The Fishtales Man