What happened to Customer Service

[backlash]

So in researching every angle I can in preparation of ordering a new C-Dory I have not found a more frustrating experience in trying to purchase anything with a price tag north of $100 in my life. It seems most folks aren't interested in sales unless you're standing in front of them. My preferred communication in researching is email for a couple of reasons. It gives me a written record of conversation that I can file away for reference. I'm also very busy and tend to do more research in the evening hours when most dealers etc are not accessible.


NMI Factory, contacted twice in two weeks. No response.

Pacific Trailers, contacted 2times in two weeks plus a phone call. Nothing.

Waypoint Marine, contacted once, to be fair only been 3 days but still no contact.

That said Marty at Master Marine, when I contacted him a couple of months ago was awesome. Guess I know which way I'm leaning.....
Also PDR Marine Fabrication was almost instantaneous in response time.

Am I alone in this quandary?

 

[Foggy]

You are not alone.

Keep at'em. Don't give up. Wear'em down until you are heard.

Let'em know you are really serious and have 'the green' ready to spend
and you'll be amazed how fast you will become important, the center of
attention.

Believe me - works every time.

Aye.
Grandpa used to say, "Non Illegitimi Carborundum" or
"Don't let the bastards grind you".

 

[NancyandBud]

You are not alone.

In fact, I complimented a business the other day for 1. Having a person answer the phone. 2. Being knowledgeable about the product. 3. Acting like they wanted me to be a customer.

Harder and harder to find for some reason.

I've never owned or run a business so I don't understand why anyone would want to discourage a customer from spending money with them. I today's competitive business environment, I would they they would go overboard in trying to get new customers and keep existing ones by providing outstanding customer service.

As an aside, Enterprise Leasing is fully committed to outstanding customer service. They will do what it takes, within reason, to make the customer happy.

 

[Riverjohn]

NMI Factory, contacted twice in two weeks. No response

NMI factory

I received an Email response the very next morning re: A factory walk through. Very prompt and nice. Gave me a mans name to contact etc..
Mentioned they only have 2 25' Cruisers in production right now.

 

[hardee]

So in researching every angle I can in preparation of ordering a new C-Dory I have not found a more frustrating experience in trying to purchase anything with a price tag north of $100 in my life. It seems most folks aren't interested in sales unless you're standing in front of them. My preferred communication in researching is email for a couple of reasons. It gives me a written record of conversation that I can file away for reference. I'm also very busy and tend to do more research in the evening hours when most dealers etc are not accessible.


NMI Factory, contacted twice in two weeks. No response.

Pacific Trailers, contacted 2times in two weeks plus a phone call. Nothing.

Waypoint Marine, contacted once, to be fair only been 3 days but still no contact.

That said Marty at Master Marine, when I contacted him a couple of months ago was awesome. Guess I know which way I'm leaning.....
Also PDR Marine Fabrication was almost instantaneous in response time.

Am I alone in this quandary?

Not everybody in the barrel is a bad apple. Marc at Wefings has been a standup guy, a C-Dory Dealer, a regular supporter of a CBGT, and besides that, he is a real person who cares about the customer and provides 5 Star Customer service.

Here is the link to the Wefings website:

http://wefings.com/

Try that, click on contacts and your nearly in the door. OK Yeah, I know he is in floriday, but He is real.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

 

[South of Heaven]

I agree with you Backlash. I've already had several bad experiences in the past year and a half with a shop, a NH C Dory dealer and other marine related people. Some folks just dont care and are so unprofessional. Obviously there's tons of great marine folks as well but ONE bad experience will overpower that.

+1 on Marc from Wefings. Professional and nice guy.

 

[BillE]

A little perspective from one who has owned and run a business----while I agree that customer contact is crucial, over the years I have received many email inquiries but I have never gotten a sale off an email. Never! Fact is, most email shoppers are scanning everywhere for the lowest price. If you are not a price-based seller---which usually means that you offer nothing but the product, before or after the sale--- then you are not going to get that business. Oh I still respond to every email, but I don't expect anything from any email contact.
And neither do any of these boat sellers.
Now a phone call should be answered by someone with the answers! Also remember that manufacturers are not sellers and are sometimes ill-equiped to deal direct with the end user. That is not their skill set, and why they have dealers.
I have met Marc, he is a good guy, and that is where I would buy if possible. Good luck.

 

[TyBoo]

Have you tried Sportcraft Marina in Oregon City? Like Marc and Wefings they are a long time sponsor of the C-Brat site and I have heard only good things about their service dating all the way back to 2001 when I bought my first C-Dory from them.

 

[jarobi]

Have you tried Sportcraft Marina in Portland? Tim Gelbrich answered my questions on the phone and in person about new and used boats and even steered me to C-Brats. I haven't bought a boat there, so I can't comment on service after the sale but I appreciated the friendly low pressure way they dealt with my tire-kicking.

I see Tyboo beat me to it.

 

[thataway]

NMI builds great boats--and that is where their skill is. Marketing, selling, etc---not. Even when the C Brats gave them good marketing hints and support--nada.

In the last 15 or so years, it has been a sleigh ride for the C Dory brand--with multiple builders...but most likely the best of the builders is NMI.

You need to pick your dealer, let them get what you want--answer your questions--that is what you pay for.

Marc Grove is a good friend, and a terrific C Dory dealer. However, I would use someone nearer you.--Master Marine has a good reputation.

I have purchased a number of items based on e-mail response--perhaps it depends on the type of product. I can name a number of internet marine retailers, such as BOE, International Marine, and a number of others who do a lot of business related to e-mails correspondence.

 

[backlash]

Have you tried Sportcraft Marina in Oregon City? Like Marc and Wefings they are a long time sponsor of the C-Brat site and I have heard only good things about their service dating all the way back to 2001 when I bought my first C-Dory from them.

Yes I did stop by Sportcraft and Tim was awesome. Problem is that I'm a died in the wool Mercury freak. Honda and Sukuki are not options for me. That leaves me with two options. Purchase a bare boat and have it rigged someplace else or buy from a Merc dealer (my preference).

 

[Catman]

Backlash, I'll offer a big thumbs up for Marty at Master Marine. He's been very helpful and available when I've contacted him. And MikeR can speak with more authority regarding his MM experience, having just bough a 22' Cruiser with 90 Merc, which he loves.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Have you tried Sportcraft Marina in Oregon City? Like Marc and Wefings they are a long time sponsor of the C-Brat site and I have heard only good things about their service dating all the way back to 2001 when I bought my first C-Dory from them.

One more vote for Sportcraft. Give them a call, ask for Ryan or Tim. I've had nothing but good experiences with them.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Have you tried Sportcraft Marina in Oregon City? Like Marc and Wefings they are a long time sponsor of the C-Brat site and I have heard only good things about their service dating all the way back to 2001 when I bought my first C-Dory from them.

Yes I did stop by Sportcraft and Tim was awesome. Problem is that I'm a died in the wool Mercury freak. Honda and Sukuki are not options for me. That leaves me with two options. Purchase a bare boat and have it rigged someplace else or buy from a Merc dealer (my preference).

Merc? Blaspheme!!!!! :lol:

Actually, humor aside, work with Sportcraft on the boat. Stevens Marine is in that area, and they too are dyed in the wool Merc people.

 

[backlash]

Have you tried Sportcraft Marina in Oregon City? Like Marc and Wefings they are a long time sponsor of the C-Brat site and I have heard only good things about their service dating all the way back to 2001 when I bought my first C-Dory from them.

Yes I did stop by Sportcraft and Tim was awesome. Problem is that I'm a died in the wool Mercury freak. Honda and Sukuki are not options for me. That leaves me with two options. Purchase a bare boat and have it rigged someplace else or buy from a Merc dealer (my preference).

Merc? Blaspheme!!!!! :lol:

Actually, humor aside, work with Sportcraft on the boat. Stevens Marine is in that area, and they too are dyed in the wool Merc people.

Doing my part to "Make America Great Again" buying USA first when given a choice!
Yeah, I've bought a couple of boats from Stevens Marine. Top notch.

 

[JamesTXSD]

There are boat manufacturers and dealers who understand how to take care of, and respond to, their customers and potential customers.

Joan and I ran businesses all our adult lives, until we retired. We had rules that all employees were required to follow:

The phone WILL be answered by the second ring; we had a priority list of who, and in what order, employees answered the phone.

No one gets put on hold for more than 30 seconds. IF the reason for hold should take longer than that, ask the customer/client if we can call them back - their time is important and NO ONE enjoys being on hold (regardless of the music).

Every voice mail and e-mail that comes in overnight gets returned immediately when we open.

Every time the phone rings or an e-mail comes in, it is a potential sale. The reason ANY business exists is to make a profit. If you ignore your customers (or worse: offend them), you don't deserve their business. If a business entity "isn't good at customer service," they don't deserve customers.

The C-Dory factory used to understand marketing and customer service. In 2005, we started looking for a boat. We ordered our 25 at the 2006 Seattle Boat Show - we flew from south Texas to Seattle with the intention of buying a boat. Prior to that, I had several discussions with Jeff Messmer. Jeff moved on to Ranger Tugs - marketing and customer service at Ranger soared, and at C-Dory it became non-existent. How a business takes care of its customers (its BUSINESS) comes from the top down. There is a reason Ranger Tugs now sells SO MANY MORE boats than C-Dory: marketing and being responsive to customers (current AND potential).

I am dumbfounded that any business (dealer or manufacturer) would ignore a potential customer. If they do that before you buy a boat, what kind of response would you expect after??

This subject used to come up often. Seems that many C-Brats have taken a "well, that's the way they do it" attitude. We don't see this topic as often anymore, because there are fewer customers looking to buy new. Most just quietly go away when their phone calls and e-mails are ignored... Backlash may be the one in ten (or a hundred) that took the time to post about this situation.

These days, when I get bad service (inattentive, indifferent, or rude) I just go away. If I complain about it, I am doing the business a favor - they could learn from it. Most won't - they will say something like, "That person is just a complainer..."

Even though we don't currently own a C-Dory, I still think they are an outstanding option for a cruising couple (yeah, and I know a lot of you folks fish 'em, too). Would I buy another one if we change our minds about trailerable cruising in the future? Absolutely. Would I buy new? Not likely, and I like new boats. Would I buy from a dealer who is non-responsive or rude? Not a chance.

Customer service matters.

 

[MikeR]

Backlash, I'll offer a big thumbs up for Marty at Master Marine. He's been very helpful and available when I've contacted him. And MikeR can speak with more authority regarding his MM experience, having just bough a 22' Cruiser with 90 Merc, which he loves.

Yes, a few years ago it seems there were some concerns with Master Marine sales of C-dorys based on some of the stories I've heard about from others here but Marty has since joined the sales team and has been awesome to work with. Not only did he previously work at the Sea Sport factory for 10 years, but thanks to those continued ties with the NMI team he would ride his bicycle to the factory on his days off (!) each week to take photos of my boat being built and email them to me. After the sale he's been excellent in helping resolve several issues including a complete replacement of my trailer under warranty, sight unseen, based on a single email description of what I perceived as a manufacturing defect. Now that's customer service!

Regarding responses from different dealers, I also contacted most of the ones listed in this thread and had varied results (actually opposite of what others are reporting) but just attribute those differences to the specifics of whatever the question was. For example I got no response from one highly regarded dealer when inquiring about a particular used boat listed on their website but figured the lack of response probably just meant that boat had already sold. Waypoint was quick to respond (via phone, not email) but I was asking about an in stock new boat they were eager to sell. NMI has also been very responsive via email, but then again those questions were in regards to my boat which was either in production or already finished. So just saying the response times may be more related to the nature of the request and if it is an existing customer or a potential sale of instock boat they may be quicker about getting back to you. A follow up phone call usually helps let them know you're serious.

-Mike

 

[My IRA]

Another vote for Sportcraft, Ryan and crew provide excellent customer service both before and after the sale. You live close to me, shoot me a PM if you need more details.

 

[Jazzmanic]

There are 2 postings of new 23' Ventures in Seattle Craigslist. One at Sportcraft in Portland for a great price of $64,950. The other much higher at Master Marine.

 

[NancyandBud]

So in researching every angle I can in preparation of ordering a new C-Dory I have not found a more frustrating experience in trying to purchase anything with a price tag north of $100 in my life. It seems most folks aren't interested in sales unless you're standing in front of them. My preferred communication in researching is email for a couple of reasons. It gives me a written record of conversation that I can file away for reference. I'm also very busy and tend to do more research in the evening hours when most dealers etc are not accessible.


NMI Factory, contacted twice in two weeks. No response.

Pacific Trailers, contacted 2times in two weeks plus a phone call. Nothing.

Waypoint Marine, contacted once, to be fair only been 3 days but still no contact.

That said Marty at Master Marine, when I contacted him a couple of months ago was awesome. Guess I know which way I'm leaning.....
Also PDR Marine Fabrication was almost instantaneous in response time.

Am I alone in this quandary?

Not everybody in the barrel is a bad apple. Marc at Wefings has been a standup guy, a C-Dory Dealer, a regular supporter of a CBGT, and besides that, he is a real person who cares about the customer and provides 5 Star Customer service.

Here is the link to the Wefings website:

http://wefings.com/

Try that, click on contacts and your nearly in the door. OK Yeah, I know he is in floriday, but He is real.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

+1 on Marc