Getting Factory Advice?

I thought you had been captured for a moment there... or, at least I was hoping you had been drug out to your boat by "The Blonde" and "The Cat."

I agree 100%. I am just hoping and praying that Scot and his staff, no matter how many and/or how few realize how much all of us out here love these boats and want someone to get that quality back. All of it. Building, responding, being on time....etc.

I agree 100% on the continued and repeated mistakes made on rub rails, plumbing issues, even when brought out on this forum have continued. I am just trying to have hope here... and hope it returns to the quality that once was the norm when you said the word "C-Dory". There was and still should be an expectation. I want that back.

I kind of miss the days of folks waiting for their boats to be built. Seeing pictures of factory visits during the build. I just hope that what ever the majic number is for quality to be once again produced and maintained, that number is found. Then...there is a lot of cleaning up to do on boats already out there. But... with some of the new changes, I have renewed hope for now. Again, time will tell.

And Jim.... Brother...I have spent many a day when I could not travel on your boat with yall in a virtual way...and could almost taste the salt!! Don't see your name on the Seattle roster... Come on out man it is a large time...even if you never make it out of the hotel!!

Thanks!

Byrdman
 
On the positive side, I called frank of tech support again on friday morning, still trying to get an answer on what kind of paint they used to paint the cockpit floor. He called me back that evening and is going to send me a can of paint. Best response so far.
 
Jim I didn't mean to imply that THREE DAYS was acceptable from some of the posts I've read I was a little surprised they responded at all. I did email them some problems I had with the factory wiring and never did get a response. The problems were somewhat minor and I was able to easily fix them myself. I emailed them to give them a heads up so they wouldn't continue the mistakes. A reponse or thank you for making us aware would have been nice. Since purchasing my boat I've recevied quite a few inquiries from Marc and the guys at Wefings as to how everything was. I've received nothing from C-Dory themsleves.
 
Few will agree – and that’s okay. Love my C-dory – and my total of 6 C-Dory built boats, but as an ex manufacturer and also ex dealer I like business the old-fashioned way. If the plant doesn’t do retail sales, the dealer is the “real” customer for the plant. The dealer should then be the “go-to” guy for each of us. And of course the factory MUST keep the dealer up-to-date and current with all problems. If your dealer can’t answer your questions, HE should go to the factory, do his homework, and get back to you promptly. Where warranty work is necessary it should be initiated by the dealer while working with the factory. IMO there is no need to contact the factory directly. The plant should advise all dealers by bulletin of defects involving several boats, and the dealer in turn should notify pertinent customers. And of course the tooth fairy will be here tonight.

Dusty - the dreamer
 
Well, I am just going to wait until the SBS and factory party to see what's what these days. If Ricardo is back, and "people with experience building [the Venture series, ex-CC] boats," maybe good things are happening. Dusty - the factory was my dealer on both our CD22 and CD25, and more than likely on my predecessor owner's purchase of our CD16. The reputation and I would say success of C-Dory is founded on the relationship that used to exist between the customer and the factory, whether or not there was a dealer involved. That relationship was pretty much the reason for so many of us being such enthusiastic cheerleaders. Like I say, we'll just wait and see what direction things are headed.
 
marvin4239":3vd4179n said:
I had a problem with my hour meter. It stopped working. I called Wefing and they gave me a number to C-Dory to call. .
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If Wefings was your dealer, why did they give you a number to call, it should be up to them to take care of this problem and then apply it to warranty themselves. This is what the dealers are there for

Dusty, I totaly agree with you
 
If Wefings was your dealer, why did they give you a number to call, it should be up to them to take care of this problem and then apply it to warranty themselves. This is what the dealers are there for

I live a 5 hour drive from Wefings shop I could have let them handle it but it was pretty simple to have the factory send the meter directly to me. Actually the factory saved me the expense of the five hour drive to Wefing and have them verify the meter was bad. It worked out to my benefit to deal directly with the factory.
 
Many of us HAVE to rely on the factory for warranty work. The dealer from whom we purchased our boat is 300 miles away and NEVER returned our numerous calls when we requested help with the problems that we faced within the two years of ownership. We have been on our own from day one.

In many parts of the country, like the Great Lakes states (that has a third of the registered boats in the country), there is a dearth of dealers and I realize that some owners have traveled many times more to buy their boats than we did.

In the last year, Valkyrie has developed some 6-8 inch gelcoat cracks in the aft port quarter, running from the end of the rub rail aft through the vertical black plastic trim. I sent an email to all of the company principals last week with a detail photo and received a phone call from Bret the next day.

They believe that it is only a surface stress crack and told me to take it to a local repair shop for inspection and an estimate and then to get back to them. I plan to do that after the holidays and hope that it will work out for the best.

I, too, am a great fan of the line and, at this point, satisfied with the way things seem to be going with this particular problem.

Regards,

Nick
"Valkyrie"
 
Pat,

Totally agree. When the factory was in retail sales (which I think is a bad deal to compete with your dealers) it would be a very normal thing to have a friendly relationship with the builder. I did for years, back in the early C-Dory days when I lived just a few minutes from the plant. Good coffee, good conversation, good service. Sure wish it was the same way now, but time moves on (dang it!), and when there is an established dealer network, then IMO the dealer should be the point of contact. And as I said before, what I think is not important.

For me the important part of being a C-Dory feller is the relationship with the people. Gee, I got goose bumps when I saw Brock post again!! I miss so much now when I can't get to the various functions. Big hug to Patty from the old guy!

Dusty
 
This seems to be turning into a circular argument. We may have drained this one...

Some feel that we should have no expectation of advice from the factory. They may be right, but this is not what c-dory wants customers to think.

The factory wants it both ways. They publish email and phone numbers. They do this because without them it would look as if there was no support from the factory for owners. They certainly don't have a notice on their web site saying "Owners, good luck with your boat, don't call us with problems call your dealer". Why not?

Because that is ludicrous marketing and would scare off new buyers. They know people who buy a c-dory do so with the expectation that they are getting a quality product and a relationship with the company that makes it. This is the same for any high end non-mass production product.

C-dory knows it needs contact with it's customers. All they need to do is set a clear expectation for communication and be upfront with us. Not returning calls for days and emails at all is just unprofessional.
 
dotnmarty":1mngsn6o said:
Granpas have to know this stuff. Lizzie just lost her two front teeth.
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All I want for Christmas is my two... :xlol

You're a good Grandpa, Marty. My sources are saying $5 for a tooth; prices may vary locally, depending on supply and demand. :D

Beth Witheth,
Jim

PS Please note - an answer and resolution in 40 minutes.
 
Good morning Marty,

I would have had an answer for you sooner, but I found out that the Tooth Fairy no longer deals directly with the customer (heretofore known as the Tooth Challenged). You will have to go through a dealer. In checking your region, I found that your local dealer is Tooth and Sport (dba Tooth Fairy and Associates, Inc.). I called, got put on hold, and then transferred to voice mail. It seems that Tooth and Sport is running about 4 to 6 weeks out on tooth-money transfers.

Please note that this in not an endorsement for Tooth and Sport, just passing along information. I have no financial connection with, nor stand to profit in any way from, any dealings you may have with them. Just for reference, there is another dealer on the East Coast, First Tooth, Limited, who has offered to drop ship if you are in a bind.

Hope this helps.
 
Having not taken delivery of my Tomcat as of yet, I don't have first-hand experience with a warranty repair. However, my first question with potential dealers was to ensure they would pay for warranty work at a facility local to me so that I would NOT have to trailer the boat 300 miles. I would have not considered a C-Dory if I did not get this assurance. I spoke to 3-dealers, all three agreed to this. This was also the case with my previous boat (Bayliner). Is this not the norm in other parts of the country?

Certainly the original dealer has to approve the costs every step of the way - the person authorizing payment from the dealership needs to speak directly with the person authorizing the work at the local shop. Don't make the mistake of giving the green light to the local shop then send a credit card slip to the dealer expecting payment. I made this mistake once too!

It is clear C-Dory is moving away from direct factory contact. There seems to be some legacy contact from time to time between owners and the factory. I was involved with this relating to a few pre-purchase issues. The best way to resolve a problem is with the local dealer. If they offer no help, then of course the only recourse is to go to the factory.
 
Dang it, I started something I can’t finish. NEVER said you shouldn’t contact the factory and didn’t want to imply that. Under the old-fashioned system the dealer was the customer. He’s the guy who bought big-bucks orders year after year and had a lot of clout with the factory. He’s the guy whose best source of advertising was his customer base, and he’s the guy who arranged for warranty work done in your area if you were too far away from his shop. Sure, the factory should be available to you if the dealer isn’t doing his part to your satisfaction, and the larger the factory – the larger the public relations staff. I really enjoy the factory pig-out at boat show time, the personal relationship with factory staff, and enjoyed every minute I spent there when they were building my Tomcat and Orca… flip side, when Joe, John, Harry, et al, were talking with me, they were NOT doing the job they were paid to do, and I screwed up the work flow.
Dusty – still waiting for the tooth fairy. Should get a bundle for both uppers and lowers under the pillow.
 
Dusty, you didn't start, or finish anything. You just presented us with your opinion of how the flow could work. I agree, but the factory presented us with an option and we took them up on it. I guess in the future I will probably follow your advice and bug Les about any warranty issues I might have. That's usually how it works in other products, and should work the same way here. Personally, I just hate to bother Les. He is busy and actually accomplishes things.
 
I can't wait to get out to the Stanwood hotel over buy the Seattle Airport...in just over 30 days.... I need a C-Brat fix! See Yall SOon..!!

Byrdman
 
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