Florida & Georgia - Boat House of Cape Coral - BIG Problems

Hi Everyone,

I was just introduced to this bulletin board by a friend who suggested I post a message after I shared my recent poor experience with a boat dealer so I could warn others and also get suggestions from more experienced boaters about the situation I'm faced with.

Unfortunately I am starting my membership here with a really BIG problem with a boat I purchased from the Boat House of Cape Coral, Florida.

I would definitely appreciate any suggestions and responses from more experienced boaters.

So here is what has happened:

I purchased a used boat (a 2004 Polar 2010 Bay with 2004 Yamaha F150 engine) in October of 2011 from the Boat House of Cape Coral.

At the time of purchase I received a computer print out from Al Lewis, the Sales Manager at the Boat House showing the total engine hours as 729.

Fast forward 5 months. I took the boat to my local marina for service. When this marina connected the engine to their computer, they found it had in fact 1079 hours.

I asked them for the printout and when I compared it at home, I found that not only were the engine hours completely different, the ECM number on the download was different and it seems the documentation provided by the Boat House at the time of purchase was completely for a different engine!

Later on that day the marina called me to let me know what the engine problem was. It had a blown powerhead gasket but also wanted me to come look at what caused it. After they pulled the powerhead off, they found that both the powerhead and adapter plate it bolts to were "burnt through" and that the powerhead had this issue before and it was patched with JB Weld type of product but that since it had probably warped the powerhead the surface was no longer true so it of course would fail again.

Pictures of the engine are attached, including the JB Weld type of repair.

They have since provided me with an estimate for repairs including new powerhead and adapter plate for over $10,000.

I would have NEVER EVER purchased this boat had they provided me with documentation showing the true hours on the engine.

But being an honest person, I wanted to give Mr Al Lewis at the Boat House an opportunity to address the situation.

I also was completely honest with Mr Lewis letting him know the situation fully. I could have just bolted the powerhead back together with a new gasket like the previous "repair" and then talked to him about it, but that's not the kind of person I am.

Mr Lewis offered, without even having one of his technicians look at the engine to put a rebuilt powerhead on it for $6000 at my cost. He did not address the issue of the adapter plate, which I am sure would have only increased the cost.

Mr Lewis also offered to exchange the F150 4 Stroke which I purchased with an used 2-stroke engine plus me pay parts & labor for install and give him the F150 engine back.

I am wondering if anyone else has had an issue where the dealer they purchased a boat from provided documentation with the wrong engine hours, and whether that dealer resolved the issue to their satisfaction?

Thank you!

I don't know what to say about this other than your marina price for the repair is insane. You can buy a new 150 hp engine for less than the repair.

If anyone did that to me... my first move would be to hire a competent attorney. That doesn't mean that you'll win but you've been swindled, plain and simple if the facts are as stated. Good luck and hope it works out for you.

I ma not sure but the local states attorney should have an office and someone who handles this type of complaint. One question did you use the boat and did it run correctly? 729 or 1079 hours is nothing in hours on a 2004 engine?

In Fl you can file a case in small claims court for up to $5000. That wouldn't cover everything but it is less expensive than hiring an attorney.

I did not see the pics the first time I looked at this thread. I would contact Mr. Lewis again and see if he would like to seee the pics and if there is anything else he would like to do before you proceed to an attorney. I know the sales guy( not Lewis) very well for them and I will let him know that this thread is posted here.

Try to work it out amicably. :thumbsup:

Call the Florida office of consumer protection in Tallahassee. That really seems to work here.
They have a web site too.

Did the motor have any warranty?

Thank you all for your responses and advice. Once I have reached a resolution, I will update this message so you all know how it worked out.

I do have one update right now. When I spoke to Yamaha Motor Corporation today after they returned my email I sent to their president, I learned that the less powerful Yamaha C130 2 stroke engine offered for replacement by the Boat House "was not offered for sale in the US" - they never sold that model in the US.

bsh102 - I did show Mr Lewis the pictures when I met with him in his office. The cost of repair is expensive, but that is the actual estimated cost to replace the powerhead, adapter and labor and I wanted to include that here to be completely accurate in my description of events. I have offered Mr Lewis a number of opportunities to provide a resolution to bring us to a point where I received what I paid for at the time of purchase.

Larry - I know some people think 1079 hours is "nothing" on this type of engine, but at the amount of usage on an average annual basis the difference of 350 hours could equate to 3-5 years of operation. I would also never even have gone to look at the boat had the hours been stated correctly, let alone purchased it. Some people also will say that 120,000 miles on X brand of car is nothing, but to me I would never even consider purchasing something with that amount of miles.

swflboatman - Whether there is a warranty or not is irrelevant to the fact the engine was not represented accurately with the documentation from the dealer which resulted in the sale. It was either an egregious mistake or intentional misleading or fraud, and any reputable dealership with strong ethics would go above and beyond to make sure the customer is treated right.

Why dont you tell them to give you the motor you paid for? It rightfully belongs to you it sounds like...

:)

Hire an attorney.

The only other review on their site is negative too. I'm local and I'll go ahead and stay away. Thanks for the warning!!

I think you are moving in the right direction and this will most likely end up as a court case. You purchased an item that you truly did not receive...they simply need to compensate you accordingly with either a comparable engine with similar hours fully mounted and ready to run or $$$. I will make sure to not consider Boat House in the future!

Sir, we are sorry to hear about the issues you are having with your motor after only 6 months of use. Please present your warranty card to us and we will be happy to remedy your problem. It appears to be an abuse problem from not flushing the motor and is not necessarily an hours driven problem.Looks like the previous owner had 8 years to create that damage. Sorry for the inconvenience.

However, if your boat was purchased on an "as-is" basis at a wholesale discount we can not be held liable. Buyer beware no matter where you buy it after 8 years in salt water.

subscribed

If that place misrepresent the item shame on them, and that is wrong. If you did not properly check the item (independent inspection) shame on you. Caveat Emptor.

Sir, we are sorry to hear about the issues you are having with your motor after only 6 months of use. Please present your warranty card to us and we will be happy to remedy your problem. It appears to be an abuse problem from not flushing the motor and is not necessarily an hours driven problem.Looks like the previous owner had 8 years to create that damage. Sorry for the inconvenience.

However, if your boat was purchased on an "as-is" basis at a wholesale discount we can not be held liable. Buyer beware no matter where you buy it after 8 years in salt water.

????????? :spammer:

I think you can buy a new F150 for 12k or so. Part the old one out.

I have had 250 4 stroke serviced there which is not part of the sales team and was happy with there work.:thumbsup:

Sales of used boats today requires a lot of independent investigation. Lets face it there sales people amd will do what even it takes to get that boat off the property

When buying it do they offer a service record?

Sir, we are sorry to hear about the issues you are having with your motor after only 6 months of use. Please present your warranty card to us and we will be happy to remedy your problem. It appears to be an abuse problem from not flushing the motor and is not necessarily an hours driven problem.Looks like the previous owner had 8 years to create that damage. Sorry for the inconvenience.

However, if your boat was purchased on an "as-is" basis at a wholesale discount we can not be held liable. Buyer beware no matter where you buy it after 8 years in salt water.

Irrelevant.

The word you're looking for is "FRAUD".

The plain and simple fact is that the original poster did not receive the engine which he was led to believe he had purchased. Period.

If I purchase a Porsche in an "as is" condition and it turns out that the internal guts of the motor turn out to be from a VW, guess what: That "as is" clause wouldn't apply as I purchased a Porsche engine "as is" not a "VW" engine.

What happened here is fraud. Guilt-by-omission, if you will. That's illegal and it's a crime.

But, good luck with that attitude other wise, d****bag.

I don't expect any more honesty from a used boat dealer than I do from a used car dealer.

Dear Capt. Dbag,

What an idiot! First you moron there are no warranty cards anymore you idiot. Second if you screwed the consumer then come on here with your first moronic post you don't deserve to be in business. You speak like a true Dbag.



Sir, we are sorry to hear about the issues you are having with your motor after only 6 months of use. Please present your warranty card to us and we will be happy to remedy your problem. It appears to be an abuse problem from not flushing the motor and is not necessarily an hours driven problem.Looks like the previous owner had 8 years to create that damage. Sorry for the inconvenience.

However, if your boat was purchased on an "as-is" basis at a wholesale discount we can not be held liable. Buyer beware no matter where you buy it after 8 years in salt water.

W-O-W. Based on their response... I can say this:

Boat House of Cape Coral sucks and I will never do business with them.

I think I'll print this OP's problem and Boat House of Cape Coral 's response and post it at the marina.

Irrelevant.

The word you're looking for is "FRAUD".

The plain and simple fact is that the original poster did not receive the engine which he was led to believe he had purchased. Period.

If I purchase a Porsche in an "as is" condition and it turns out that the internal guts of the motor turn out to be from a VW, guess what: That "as is" clause wouldn't apply as I purchased a Porsche engine "as is" not a "VW" engine.

What happened here is fraud. Guilt-by-omission, if you will. That's illegal and it's a crime.

But, good luck with that attitude other wise, d****bag.


But who has comitted the Fraud? Is it the first person to make the charge that is always telling the truth? Is is possible that this is just a story? Can he really say the numbers of the motor were not the numbers on the contract? Did he post his contract?

But who has comitted the Fraud? Is it the first person to make the charge that is always telling the truth? Is is possible that this is just a story? Can he really say the numbers of the motor were not the numbers on the contract? Did he post his contract?


wtf?;?

Lets see the buyer was given a printout from a particular ECM from the seller which is the engine he was lead to believe he purchased.... The buyer now has a different engine therefore different ECM...Sounds like the old bait and switch or at best shotty record keeping by the selling business.... The buyer is due his money back or a properly repaired engine...

Step up Boat House...

Wow. When I first read this thread, I immediately thought "Caveat Emptor". After reading the dealer's response, I am now 100% behind the buyer. I don't even have words for this piece of garbage dealer. What are they, some 1970's used car dealer? Absolutely unacceptable. No, the first person to tell their story isn't necessarily the one being truthful, but as soon as the dealer started responding to this thread, he went ahead and made it clear that the buyer is the one telling the truth. I'll make sure anyone I know stays away from the Boat House. Shame on you, you give boating a bad name. Dirtbag.

I dont think that is really the dealer. something is not right with those posts.

If the engine number and hours specified in the documentation provided by the Boat House of Cape Coral at the time of sale don't match those of the engine delivered, then the Boat House is guilty of misrepresentation and the "As Is" caveat is irrelevant.

If true, the buyer has the absolute legal right to demand the engine specified at the time of sale - no question whatsoever.

But who has comitted the Fraud? Is it the first person to make the charge that is always telling the truth? Is is possible that this is just a story? Can he really say the numbers of the motor were not the numbers on the contract? Did he post his contract?

You can't be serious. :banghead:

Good luck, Capt D-Bag. I'm sure lots of THT members will be just rushing to do business with you.

EVERYONE: FishTales Marina in Ft. Myers Beach gave me honest, straight-forward and personal service when I bought my used Grady there back in '09. No surprises, answered this newbies questions, tolerated us going over the boat with a fine-toothed comb and even threw in a trailer for dirt cheap to get my new toy home to Orlando. (Trailer needed some work but it was smokin' deal anyway).

Like I said: DON'T GO TO CAPTAIN D-BAG'S IN CAPE CORAL. DRIVE A LITTLE FURTHER AND PAY FISH TALES IN FT. MYERS BEACH A VISIT.

Capt. D-Bag: See how this works now?

You can't be serious. :banghead:

Good luck, Capt D-Bag. I'm sure lots of THT members will be just rushing to do business with you.

EVERYONE: FishTales Marina in Ft. Myers Beach gave me honest, straight-forward and personal service when I bought my used Grady there back in '09. No surprises, answered this newbies questions, tolerated us going over the boat with a fine-toothed comb and even threw in a trailer for dirt cheap to get my new toy home to Orlando. (Trailer needed some work but it was smokin' deal anyway).

Like I said: DON'T GO TO CAPTAIN D-BAG'S IN CAPE CORAL. DRIVE A LITTLE FURTHER AND PAY FISH TALES IN FT. MYERS BEACH A VISIT.

Capt. D-Bag: See how this works now?
How do you know that this is really the dealer? Anyone can go on here and make a screen name

Website apparantly done by the OP and a priceless response from the dealer

http://www.theboathousecapecoral.com/

You will get more attention here. Register and go to the Sothwest General Info Forum and make your post.

http://www.floridasportsman.com/

Good luck, lots of C/Coral fishermn use that site, more local.

Website apparantly done by the OP and a priceless response from the dealer

http://www.theboathousecapecoral.com/


WOW!! Thanks for the heads-up about this particular business and Mr. Al Lewis.

I ma not sure but the local states attorney should have an office and someone who handles this type of complaint. One question did you use the boat and did it run correctly? 729 or 1079 hours is nothing in hours on a 2004 engine?


+1 I have had surprisingly good luck with some states' AGs' offices.

http://www.800helpfla.com/complnt.html

WOW

What a prick "Capt Al Lewis" is....

Hope chapter 11 soon finds Boat House Cape Coral

Capt Lewis now threatening the buyer with court (that is a laugh)... Good Luck OP

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for your support, suggestions and advice. I promised that I would update this thread as things develop. While I have some very interesting things unfolding I can't yet state publicly, I wanted to let everyone know that I appreciate your responses.

As I speak to people locally about what's happened (I have spoken to MANY and will continue to do so) I am starting to and hear more and more poor experiences which lead me to believe the Boat House is not upfront and honest. Unfortunately I am seeing this in hindsight but I hope others read about my experience before dealing with them.

You can imagine a hugely negative experience like this is shared with everyone (which makes me question how some people just don't understand that fixing an issue is way better than losing sales from bad publicity) and also online as reviews. In one such case, I wanted to just point out the response from Mr Lewis - if you look at the attached screenshot, adding a positive review for your own business to try and bury negative reviews says a lot to me.

Thank you all, I'll keep updating this thread when I have something to share.

Wow, what a douche. Good luck with everything and keep us updated!

wtf?;?

X2

My question to the OP is why didn't you get a survey done?

Bump

The above customer has done a wonderful job of trying The Boat House in the court of public opinion, and really made the dealership look like we are the bad guys. One thing to keep in mind is that we deliver 200+ boats a year and work on 20-30 boats a week in our service departments. With the exception of this issue on "The Hull Truth" you will find very little negative about our dealership. Our Customer Service Scores with all of our manufactures are very high. Below are the facts about this transaction.
#1 - The customer purchased a 7 year old boat, that was sold "AS-IS".
#2 - The customer had the opportunity to sea-trail the boat and signed-off on (approved) the sea-trail.
#3 - The customer could have had an independent mechanic inspect the boat, but chose not to.
#4 - The customer used the boat for approx. 6 months before having an issue
#5 - Once the boat broke-down, it went to another dealer and the Boat House never got a chance to even look at the boat to determine the problem.
#6 - The customer claims that we gave him a false report on the hours on the motor. Keep in mind an ECM is what holds the hours of a motor, and can be changed out. Again, The Boat House did not have a chance to even hook the motor up to a computer after it broke down, so how we can even verify the claim that they are making.
#7 - This was a consignment boat. We sell many used and consignment boats every week, and do our best to make sure that the customer is happy with their purchase. This customer chose the boat, inspected the boat, and even took a test ride. If the customer wanted an independent inspection, they could have had one done. They made the decision to purchase this boat, and need to assume some responsibly for their purchase. I purchased a 6 year old car a couple of months ago, and If the motor blew up 6 months after I took delivery, I have no expectation that I would get the car repaired for free or that the dealer would be responsible. This is the risk I take when I purchase a used item with no warranty.
The Boat House has a top notch staff that works very hard every day to satisfy our customers and we have been in business for over 30 years in Cape Coral. I appreciate everyone’s comments in the above forum, but I don’t think you should judge a business based on one customers negative comments.

I'm getting some popcorn.

The above customer has done a wonderful job of trying The Boat House in the court of public opinion, and really made the dealership look like we are the bad guys. One thing to keep in mind is that we deliver 200+ boats a year and work on 20-30 boats a week in our service departments. With the exception of this issue on "The Hull Truth" you will find very little negative about our dealership. Our Customer Service Scores with all of our manufactures are very high. Below are the facts about this transaction.
#1 - The customer purchased a 7 year old boat, that was sold "AS-IS".
#2 - The customer had the opportunity to sea-trail the boat and signed-off on (approved) the sea-trail.
#3 - The customer could have had an independent mechanic inspect the boat, but chose not to.
#4 - The customer used the boat for approx. 6 months before having an issue
#5 - Once the boat broke-down, it went to another dealer and the Boat House never got a chance to even look at the boat to determine the problem.
#6 - The customer claims that we gave him a false report on the hours on the motor. Keep in mind an ECM is what holds the hours of a motor, and can be changed out. Again, The Boat House did not have a chance to even hook the motor up to a computer after it broke down, so how we can even verify the claim that they are making.
#7 - This was a consignment boat. We sell many used and consignment boats every week, and do our best to make sure that the customer is happy with their purchase. This customer chose the boat, inspected the boat, and even took a test ride. If the customer wanted an independent inspection, they could have had one done. They made the decision to purchase this boat, and need to assume some responsibly for their purchase. I purchased a 6 year old car a couple of months ago, and If the motor blew up 6 months after I took delivery, I have no expectation that I would get the car repaired for free or that the dealer would be responsible. This is the risk I take when I purchase a used item with no warranty.
The Boat House has a top notch staff that works very hard every day to satisfy our customers and we have been in business for over 30 years in Cape Coral. I appreciate everyone’s comments in the above forum, but I don’t think you should judge a business based on one customers negative comments.

You forgot #8 ......

The boathouse provided a printout to a perspective buyer that did not represent the motor the customer actually received. :thumbsup:

You forgot #8 ......

The boathouse provided a printout to a perspective buyer that did not represent the motor the customer actually received. :thumbsup:

X2

Maybe we will get that answer in their post #2.

I really feel for the guy that bought this and has to deal with a bodged broken motor, but the seller has valid points. The real culprit here may be the consignee who rigged the motor well enough to get it off his hands. Unfortunately this situation doesn't reflect well on the seller and the buyer is out a chunk of money.

Shame, the place looks nice, is a couple blocks from work and I am in the market.

I agree, the real issue here seems to be less that the engine went south on them six months after purchase as it is the printout offered to the buyer was not for the engine purchased.

If I were the buyer, I would feel like I got boned too. If the Boathouse went all out to make things right, I may be inclined to give them the benefit of doubt.

Boathouse1 has written a fair amount about what the customer did wrong, and what he might have done to better protect himself. Isn't it a bit of irony in this situation that Boathouse is telling us in a public forum how a customer ought to act in order to protect himself when doing business with the Boat House.

And all the while, the glaring problem of the mis-represented outboard is conveniently over looked.

I think we can readily agree that it isn't right to fully judge the business by one customers' negative comments. However I think it just might be quite fair to judge it by that business telling us that we must be very careful and take precautions, should we elect to do business with them. It's like having a large "Buyer Beware!" sign hanging over the entrance to the dealership.
.

Item 6 - the fact that Boathouse has not yet looked at the motor, is intriguing to me.

The buyer is asking the seller to "make it good", yet the seller hasn't at least had the opportunity to look at the motor and see what the situation is? Yamaha's website says Boathouse is a Five Star Gold Certified Dealer...I believe this means their mechanics have achieved a certain level of training. They should be able to look at the motor and either agree or disagree with the diagnosis.

Sounds like there is more to the story that we don't know....

Always is

Item 6 - the fact that Boathouse has not yet looked at the motor, is intriguing to me.
...

Sounds like there is more to the story that we don't know....

Yep. As a friend used to say, "Sumpin's fishy with that."
.

There mechanics are excellent, I have used them prior and never had a come back.Eric there service manger is a great guy and easy to deal with.

In fact I had to do and engine swap out from a 250 Yammie OX-66, which was sold, to a 250 Yammie 4 stroke. They went over the engine, did the rigging, pointed out some items that where borderline for replacement and where right on the money. Few items had to adjusted, like trim, Flo-scan and evem heavier battery wiring for the 4 stoke. They even crated the old motor, stored it until the buyer made arragments for pick.

In todays times buying a used boat can be a headache.

I know he has a load of consignment boat for sale on the lot and consignment is a whole different ball game then buying from the dealership itself.

Everyone can rant and rave about the service, 5 star blah blah blah, and the fact that they claim they have not seen the motor. Being a consignment boat does not get them off the hook for providing a printout to a perspective customer that doesn't represent the motor that was actually sold with the boat.

Some of you folks act as if this oversight is the customers fault and therefore they are responsible for the problem. I believe the dealer should eat it, afterall they misrepresented the motor that they sold with the boat. As the selling agent they provided factual documents which were inaccurate. The dealer needs to make this right and then make internal policy changes to see that this does not happen in the future.

When push comes to shove, the most glaring point to come up in a court of law will be the misrepresentation of the motor. That as-is clause will be thrown out the window. The only way I would allow the boathouse to touch that motor would be with myself, my attorney and my mechanic standing right there with them. Why would you want to allow them another opportunity to tamper with it? Especially with the 1st offers and the stance taken now. Being that it was sold on consignment could lead one to believe that there was nothing intentional involved in the previous faulty "repair" not being disclosed. But then the printout from another motor comes up. Coincidence??? As the buyer I wouldn't think so. And that printout was undeniably a partial factor when it came decision time to purchase. I would think that my attorney would jump all over this one. Good luck to the op. And a little advice to boathouse1, you might want to get your reviews up above 1 star if possible. It does wonders for your business. JMHO

I would have NEVER EVER purchased this boat had they provided me with documentation showing the true hours on the engine.

But being an honest person, I wanted to give Mr Al Lewis at the Boat House an opportunity to address the situation.

I also was completely honest with Mr Lewis letting him know the situation fully. I could have just bolted the powerhead back together with a new gasket like the previous "repair" and then talked to him about it, but that's not the kind of person I am.

Mr Lewis offered, without even having one of his technicians look at the engine to put a rebuilt powerhead on it for $6000 at my cost. He did not address the issue of the adapter plate, which I am sure would have only increased the cost.

Mr Lewis also offered to exchange the F150 4 Stroke which I purchased with an used 2-stroke engine plus me pay parts & labor for install and give him the F150 engine back.

I am wondering if anyone else has had an issue where the dealer they purchased a boat from provided documentation with the wrong engine hours, and whether that dealer resolved the issue to their satisfaction?

Thank you!

Please refer to the 1st post in the thread. Without ever seeing the boat "Boat House" offered to repair options EACH at significant costs to the customer. Why would the customer bring the boat in after getting this type of response?

providing a printout to a perspective customer that doesn't represent the motor that was actually sold with the boat.

This. So much this.

update ?

Everyone can rant and rave about the service, 5 star blah blah blah, and the fact that they claim they have not seen the motor. Being a consignment boat does not get them off the hook for providing a printout to a perspective customer that doesn't represent the motor that was actually sold with the boat.

Some of you folks act as if this oversight is the customers fault and therefore they are responsible for the problem. I believe the dealer should eat it, afterall they misrepresented the motor that they sold with the boat. As the selling agent they provided factual documents which were inaccurate. The dealer needs to make this right and then make internal policy changes to see that this does not happen in the future.

This, this and this again.... I live 7 miles from the dealer, whose first, or maybe second post if you've been following this thread, defends itself (maybe for the second time), saying what the customer should have done, and listing the what if's of boat buying!! I'm not buying it!!

I'll put myself out there without ever having purchased anything from either place, but I'm a THT regular and pay attention to what goes on around here....Marina Mikes is a THT sponser and is 10 miles further away from me... My 1000 hour service is due real soon, I plan on doing it myself and guess where I'll be buying the parts!!! Just sayin...

Any legitimate business would be working with the customer to resolve this issue. Especially with the simple fact that there is a printout documenting the MISREPRESENTATION. An item was listed for sale which was not the item that was sold. This fact will override all others. Unfortunately this biz does not appear to be want to work this out. I mean look at this classic first post from Boathouse! Customer Beware...Stay Away!! We Will Take You and Your Money! This is the type of sign which should be posted outside of the Boathouse front door! Not the simple but effective Customer Always Comes First...no, not for this outfit! That is just too simple. You think you are tried and found guilty here on this forum? Not yet but you will when this goes to court as there is a smoking gun and simply put YOU MISREPRESENTED A PRODUCT. It is as simple as that. Now, hopefully nobody will waste any more time and the customer will proceed to file a motion to bring this to court. And, public opinion and word of mouth is EVERYTHING IN CUSTOMER SERVICE. I for one will TELL EVERYONE TO STAY AWAY FROM THIS BUSINESS. STAY AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i need a suzuki mechanic or small boat surveyor to look at a boat in fort myers, i see these guys are the closest suzuki dealers but i'm not sure i want to use them. does anyone have a recommendation other than boathouse? i really need a suzuki expert as the df140's need to be closely looked at. thanks

i need a suzuki mechanic or small boat surveyor to look at a boat in fort myers, i see these guys are the closest suzuki dealers but i'm not sure i want to use them. does anyone have a recommendation other than boathouse? i really need a suzuki expert as the df140's need to be closely looked at. thanks


First lets clarify one thing...service and sales are 2 completley different things there.
Chris the service manger is one hell of a guy, knows his bussiness, works with cutusomers very well, and know engines inside and out.

Like I said prior I bought and 350 4 stroke replaceing a 250 OX-66 and had work done prior to this.

They took the old motor off, crated, boxed it and stored it intil the new owner oicked it up alomost a week later.

They re-rigged the new motor, went over all the wiring including up gradeing battery cable size from the motor to the treminal block, new protection hoses for the cables, re adjusted all the throttle cable and gear shiters, lube the mmotr and changed the oil.

All without me asking. I just said do it right, Haven't had a issue since except oil changes.

There sales dept I am not that familair with as I used to be very friendly with a surveryor and going out with him a many serveys over a 2 year period..no I do not do surveys..

I know they take a lot of boats on consignment and this whole thing is becomeoing a comedy show.

Yea, they screwed up...so who hasn't.

Lesson learned here for everyone is no matter what have the boat and engine checked including a seatrial before any purchase...dont asssume becuase you make an :


ASS/U/ME!!!!!

Lesson learned here for everyone is no matter what have the boat and engine checked including a seatrial before any purchase...dont asssume becuase you make an :ASS/U/ME!!!!!

unless i;m mistaken even a survey wouldn't have helped the OP, they switched engines between inspection and purchase.

so let's really clarify the issue, if one part of an organization(sales) is dishonest you have a greater chance of other parts(service) also being crooked.

who is the surveyor in fort myers you recommend and used to go on calls with?

I am out of this one ..apperently , trying to give an honest opinion on my experience and it's like...:banghead:

My survey experince was on Long Island, everything from boat like this to 46 Betrams

Bob and Annie's Boatyard is on Pine Island. They are a Zuke dealer and have a full service yard. I'm good friends with their son, PM me if you want his contact info, not sure if their techs will travel to a boat though.
www.bobandannies.com

fytnfyr1, thanks, i just got off the phone w/seller and it's under contract, second time in a week that's happened. sold my pathfinder in a week, things seem to be heating up if you're priced right

Thanks everyone for your comments. Again, I really appreciate hearing everyone's opinion here.

For those who requested to be updated on what's going on, see the attachment here. I don't think I need to even comment on it.

A letter from legal counsel requesting you cease and desist from contacting the BBB, are you F'ing kidding me!!

Wow ! Instead of making this situation right for the customer and making this go away. They get an ambulance chaser to write up a letter. Wow, is all I can say.

So much for freedom of speech... Lol

typical response, they really have no other choice now other than to threaten and sue. hopefully you have a family member who's an atty to help defray the upcoming legal expense. good thing is if you win i think you should be able to recoup your legal expenses. good luck

So Boat House pays a lawyer $300 to send a letter. Big deal. Another reason to not do business with Boat house.

I received a similiar letter from a lawyer on behalf of tackle retailer located in Maryland........he didn't think I said nice things about him here on THT. The letter was totally baseless on all legal merits and I kindly pointed this out to the good-lawyer. Never heard from him again.

Simply stating facts of a case isn't slander or grounds for a legal charge.

ttt

I just wish this thread was in the main discussion forum. I bet it would be 20 pages by now.

Now this comes down who wants to spend more money.

Now this comes down who wants to spend more money.



http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r301/trafficlawyer/dancingRacoon.gif
:o

What a dirtbag move. Perfect example of how NOT to operate a business. They threaten a lawsuit if you contact the BBB??? WTF kind of laughable garbage is that! That should be a giant red flag for potential customers. How incredibly stupid.

I love the website!!

I think I'd open case with BBB in Florida and fax them the letter. Then I'd call NBC 2, fox 4, wink, and every other local news channel and see if they wanted to do a piece for you.

Thanks for the information, I know where not to shop for a boat.

The Lawyers last name is great... LOL

Best part about the lawyer is this place got a divorce/family mediator lawyer to sue you. So it looks like this is right in her area of expertise.

I wonder how much forum member Brett would charge to send a response letter ? ;?

Typical SCUMBAG ambulance chasing lawyer crap. They have ZERO leg to stand on. Tell this dime store newbie (debt loaded rookie loser lawyer) to go pound salt! lol, and what a complete joke of a dealership. You need to step things up as they are now threatening YOU. Contact ALL the local TV and newspapers via a call directly to their reporters. The news stations LOVE stories like this where you have black and white proof of a dealer scamming you.

Fox 4 "In your corner"; The News Press "Tell Mel"

I wonder how much forum member Brett would charge to send a response letter ? ;?

x2. This is just now starting to get good.:bashhh:

This has been on the news within the past week, and is something that should be kept in mind when posting comments that go beyond the typical 'flaming' or casual slandering of an individual on a website. This situation though, was somewhat more serious, and eventually resulted in the jury awarding this large sum of money to the victims of defamatory comments.

As reported by ABC NEWS:


'Anonymous' Posters to Pay $13 Million for Defamatory Comments (http://abcnews.go.com/Business/jury-awards-13-million-texas-defamation-suit-anonymous/story?id=16194071#.T58y1cWx18E)Mark and Rhonda Lesher of Clarksville, Texas, filed a suit against anonymous commenters who accused them of being sexual deviants, molesters, and drug dealers on Topix, once self-described as "the country's largest local forum site."


Further in the statement made by the plaintiffs attorney:


"Our clients, Mark Lesher and Rhonda Lesher, have triumphed over those who maliciously sought to systematically destroy the very essence of their respective freedoms," read a statement from the Leshers' attorneys, William Pieratt Demond and Meagan Hassan of Demond & Hassan, PLLC."Our clients, Mark Lesher and Rhonda Lesher, have triumphed over those who maliciously sought to systematically destroy the very essence of their respective freedoms," read a statement from the Leshers' attorneys, William Pieratt Demond and Meagan Hassan of Demond & Hassan, PLLC.
"For years, the Leshers have known a special form of pain and suffering imposed by a select few that mistakenly believed they were both above the law and anonymous. This victory does more than just help clear the Leshers' names; it evidences the pricelessness of our reputations, the fundamental importance of free speech, and the relationship of each to the other. For that, we congratulate the Leshers and the juries that have correctly discerned truth from fiction."

In reference to the above post


I'm not a lawyer but I've done software development for online systems for about 20 years now. There's plenty of case law similar to this, a lot that even predates the public internet, going back to the Compuserve and AOL era. It's always pretty much the same, anonymous poster finds out that once subpoena is served, online system X will come up off your internet network address in about 2 seconds. Then a subpoena is issued to the ISP who "owns" that internet address, to reveal the physical address of the person who was online at that time. Next thing you know, you're in court because of an anonymous post where you called someone a pansy.

There's one other big tip when using the internet. Unauthorized use of a computer system is a crime. This one seems to get people over and over again, year after year. Just because you _can_ access something doesn't mean that you are legally allowed to. This goes for your neighbor's open wifi network, your ex-employer's vpn, computers you might come across here and there. The caselaw here is old as the hills, also. And, unlike the libel issue, the penalties are criminal (and steep as hell).

This is not legal advise

Just a head up just how things can go!:o


One more question ?

What happens when a cell phone is used, how do they trace that IP?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The phone has an IP address assigned to it by the carrier. The carrier may have to do some log lookups on their end to see which phone IP was using what external IP, but as long as the timestamp of the incident they are looking for is accurate, then they will be able to find it.

My negative interaction with the boat house today!! Don't have a restraining order agains me, so here's my experience from today! I've been looking at a boat on ebay and the seller (dealer) had the boat serviced at ....what else...the boat house. the seller was great and told me give Chris a call and he'll give me whatever info I would need. We couldn't agree on price, but wanted to see what kind of dispostion the boat house had so called them. didn't get chris the first time so tried back again and was greeted with an abrubt "hellow". I explained to him the situation and asked what can you tell me about this boat and the service you did with it? his response was another abrubt "wad da ya wanna know?".
Me: "well would like to know what kind of service you did with the boat"
Chris "you should ask the seller...it's his boat and he should know"
Me: "I spoke with the seller and he said you may be able to give me a update on the hours and what service your provided"
Chris "I'm no honda dealer so I don't know the hours. And there was some broken stuff so I fixed it".
With the attitude that was portrayed I figured the OP's original post is spot on. In today's economy everyone has great prices, but it's attitude and customer support that really make a business stand out. This business definitely stood out,but for the wrong reasons. I don't generally go off of others opinions' until I've had an experience for myself. I'm done with this company and hopefully the OPs debate gets settled with some better responses than what has come out before.....Am I going to get sued now too for my "freedom" of speech? GOOD LUCK OP!!!!

parkerman, is there a point to your 3 post's above? I'm Ass/u/ming there is


Just a head up just how things can go!:o


One more question ?

What happens when a cell phone is used, how do they trace that IP?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The phone has an IP address assigned to it by the carrier. The carrier may have to do some log lookups on their end to see which phone IP was using what external IP, but as long as the timestamp of the incident they are looking for is accurate, then they will be able to find it.

This guy will get all your IP's and then go after you.

Maybe you have the disposable income and time to handle it, but just think about it.

One person had a problem, asked a question and out turned into a bashing contest.

At the least this thread should be locked for all your sakes if not totaly deleted.

I have no problem with the original post asking the question, but it seems all the so called experts had to through there 2 cents in.

Not only does it open the door for liabilty for anyone knocking this guys jock off , it also open the door for THT letting it go on..
Believe me , don't believe me...I really don't give a rats AZZ.

All i know is that when it comes back an bites you right in the butt, then maybe the light will come on.

An old tactic is to picket the company on week ends. Get a chair sign and sit on public property out front and display your side of the story. This should be perfectly legal and at all costs avoid starting a confrontation. If the company tries to have you removed have police present. You may have to apply for a permit to do this.

The whole case is that they supplied you a document saying you received motor A and you received motor B. This has nothing to do with consignment boat (I would look at a consignment agreement and see if the Boat House has recourse against the person who consigned the boat. This could all be in the sales contract motor numbers and boat numbers, if so case closed Ms. Hussy write the check. The letter from the lawyer is amusing but your website might give some ammunition for a counter suit. Be careful as consul has been retained against you and believe me they are documenting everything. You have been very good at stating your story with facts to back it up and haven't slandered them. Like any business there will be unhappy customers and how you deal with them is how you make your reputation. Funny if there was liability on web based reviews that are credible Trip Advisor wouldn't be in business any more! (just a thought for the attorney's)

"Be carefull as consul has been retained aginst you and believe me they are documenting everything. You have been very good at stating your story with facts to back it up and haven't slandered them."

It's all the other comments from the experts what to do with his problem.

I agree, they very well could have registered under a false name and just lurk, get the person IP either from home or a phone and they will be named in the lawsuit.

Like I said believe me or don't believe me but when that summons get attached to your door, or handed to you at work (in front of your boss) maybe then people will learn there lesson.

As a moderator on another site we trace IP's all the time when we have a problem, not only can we ban the person we can ban there IP address to insure they don't reregister under another name. And for those who think using a phone or an AOL address that can't be traced..think again..thats why I made those post.

There have been a few instances with member getting out of control,but it's mostly spam we have the problem with, ban the name then ban the IP and its very easy to see where they live and come from.

," it also open the door for THT letting it go on.."

Am in agreement with this comment. The HT seems to allow endorsements for all types of business most positive but also negative. Does the practice of allowing a member to recommend or write a negative review have liability? Not my call and above my pay grade but the law seems to think it does. Is a boating forum a place to settle this dispute? not really but it is interesting to watch the process unfold. If I were the dealer I would want this to go away as it has become more trouble than it worth with the negative connotations that have affected the company. I am sure this was the OP's plan from the start and his right to do so. Maybe this will be a ground breaking supreme court case!

This talk of lawsuits etc. seems to be a diversion or a warning to the OP ?

I am just quoting what the letter says form the lawyer...


"This talk of lawsuits etc. seems to be a diversion or a warning to the OP ?"

Apperently reading that letter where his name is blacked out seems like it's directed at him personally.

This interent bashing, for what ever reason, and lawsuits are old hat. Lawsuits take a long time in courts, 3, 4, 5 years sometimes as any other lawsuit, but it seems that they are coming to fruitation at this point and I am sure there will be more documented settlements in the future.

IF THT was smart this thread should dissapear!

The letter from Ms Huusy specifically states the web page that was posted is the reason for the objection. The attorney has simply asked them to remove the website in veiled threats of future legal action The other demands of not contacting the media or BBB are silly. The guys feels he was wronged and the dealers paperwork is not in order with some numbering issues but the "As is sales" document means something also here along with the time and hours issue. I am also sure the sales contract has a lot of small print that already settles all of this but the only leg the guys got is the print out from the dealer with engine numbers. I do notice that the boat invoice was not posted showing all of the serial numbers and assume that the sales contract doesn't have the engine numbers on the document or this would have gone away months ago. There is NO documentation posted by the OP to substantiate his case and if I were going to the court of public opinion I would have it all posted. I also can understand the dealers position after six months a claim on a used boat engine repair not being covered under any warranty with a question of motor serial numbers.I also believe that if there was legal remedy for the buyer he would have pursued that course and with none available he has taken his case to court of public opinion.

Is this whole post an effort to apply pressure on the dealer ? Yes. Is this the correct place to settle this? No. Does the dealer represent themselves as reputable by there responses on this forum? Not really and are meant to antagonise the OP and are arrogant in there nature. Does this subject require to be examined by the moderators? Probably as all posts should be monitored for content.

Agreed

Why would boat house go thru the trouble of switching an engine on a consignment boat? Seems like alot of trouble and legal exposure for a couple grand of profit to me.

Why would boat house go thru the trouble of switching an engine on a consignment boat? Seems like alot of trouble and legal exposure for a couple grand of profit to me.


In my opinion, they did not switch an engine, they simply provided a report for an engine that was not on the boat they sold. Whether this was on purpose or not, will probably never be known. The facts still appear to be that for whatever reason they listed the engine as a specific engine during the sales process, however that was not the engine that was actually on the boat, and in the end the engine sold with the boat had issues.

Again in my opinion the dealer needs to step to plate and fix the issue, however they chose to come on here with a couple of ridiculous responses and then shoot out an absurd letter from an attorney.

parkerman,
i have to say for someone who says he has no skin in the game your posts seem awfully one sided. how many times do you want to state that tht should shut down this thread? i'm sure we all appreciated your first post detailing the potential liability everyone may have(as laughable as it may seem to some) but you continue to post the samebullshit over and over. we get it and most of us are smart enough to retain the invaluable info you've shared. Thanks


I am just quoting what the letter says form the lawyer...


"This talk of lawsuits etc. seems to be a diversion or a warning to the OP ?"

Apperently reading that letter where his name is blacked out seems like it's directed at him personally.

This interent bashing, for what ever reason, and lawsuits are old hat. Lawsuits take a long time in courts, 3, 4, 5 years sometimes as any other lawsuit, but it seems that they are coming to fruitation at this point and I am sure there will be more documented settlements in the future.

IF THT was smart this thread should dissapear!

good keep laughing..was hoping you gave some responce like that

parkerman,
i have to say for someone who says he has no skin in the game your posts seem awfully one sided. how many times do you want to state that tht should shut down this thread? i'm sure we all appreciated your first post detailing the potential liability everyone may have(as laughable as it may seem to some) but you continue to post the samebullshit over and over. we get it and most of us are smart enough to retain the invaluable info you've shared. Thanks


x2 :thumbsup:

Typical SCUMBAG ambulance chasing lawyer crap. They have ZERO leg to stand on. Tell this dime store newbie (debt loaded rookie loser lawyer) to go pound salt! lol, and what a complete joke of a dealership. You need to step things up as they are now threatening YOU. Contact ALL the local TV and newspapers via a call directly to their reporters. The news stations LOVE stories like this where you have black and white proof of a dealer scamming you.

Interesting saga - you all seem to believe the Boat House is evil and this guy's claims are for real. Take a break from your occuppy wall street protest and stop blaming the evil corporation right away. We just saw pictures of an engine that was eaten from the inside out with corrossion. It apparently ran or he would not have bought it. Where are the facts! Where is the contract and the report? Why hasn't either party published that! I see the responses and email and lawyer letters, but no real proof of a fraud or of the fact that the Boat House did not commit fraud. It is a damn shame the motor failed - even Yamies take a dump once in a while, but it would be a creepy thing to do if he/she was just trying to intimidate them to repair it. Then I guess they do have a leg to stand on.

I saw pictures, but did not see the computer report or contract. They should both have the Boat House all over them with similar dates and that would be real proof. This is interesting reading and quite an aqusation, but the only fact I see is this poor guy has a blown gasket - literally! The jury is still out for me.