Basil Fawlty

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cormorant

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I am astounded. I went to look at a boat today and I am considering spending 40-45k, not exactly the sort of money I blow on a daily basis at Tesco. The staff did not seem to realise I was booked in for the viewing, The yacht was poorly presented. All this I could have coped with.
When I went to the restaurant I was told the kitchen closed at 3 pm, it was not busy at all. I could have a meal but only if I booked in advance. I could have a pre packed sandwich but I would not be allowed to eat it in the cafe area. due to VAT differences!!! I ate it in the car in the car park.
God what disgusting service (Chichester) can you imagine them standing for this in the US?
 
Shame ... it just means you'll look elsewhere for a boat!

The "restaurant" isn't part of the premier marinas business - and the brokerage is separate too .. if you'd said you were in the area we could've told you several suitable locations for grub ... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif live and learn! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
Well fine but if you want to attract people to a particular location then it is no good saying this is not part of that and this is only our bit - the customer doesn't see it this way and why should they? Why should the customer be required to have any insight into the way this business is run at all? Its just whingeing in my opinion.
Poor.
 
well you know the answer. Set up your own brokerage with restuarant that supplies high quality meals through the day, along with bowls, disco and lap dancing and bingo for the punters that also think these are essential to boat buying.
 
How about a brokerage that just does its job properly and treats the customer like king?
Like its supposed to be in my opinion. No more no less.
 
Well all I can say is that overall impressions count - you can make excuses but they wouldn't accept this is the States. Overpriced, poor service and we put up with it. We are not good on service. Take a look at US boats and how they are presented. The Btitish will seemingly put up with almost anything.
 
I don't know why you are astounded.
This is The UK and you are only a punter after all.
These organisations are not there for the convenience of us customers you know.
We just cause trouble, I often think they would prefer us to keep away
 
"The kitchen closes at 3 pm" !!!!!!!!!!!!! Anywhere in North American the kitchen would be permanently out of business at 3 pm.. Why do you people put up with this type of nonsense ? You pay twice the price for everything you buy, and you put up with the twice the disservice that would be acceptable in any other part of the world. What's wrong with you ?????
 
[ QUOTE ]
I'd be happy with a brokerage that does it's job of selling boats. Don't see where restaurant provision comes into it

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, taking Cormorants word for what happened, I would say that the brokerage did not do their job properly, as the boat was poorly presented, and they didn't seem to be aware that he was coming to view the boat?

Taking his other points, perhaps when he contacted the brokerage, he had asked them to arrange for a meal, this could have been done on his behalf, by the brokerage staff? That just seems like good customer care to me.

I only have experience of Chichester Marina from being in there with my boat, and I have to say, that even though, the owner of the restaurant, was shall we say a tad eccentric, I had a very pleasant experience.
 
Be positive - the meal you didn't get, saved you having diahorrea from food poisoning - sitting at a dirty table with a surly couldn't care less waitress calling you darlin' drinking from dirty glasses etc - all the stuff you take as granted. The broker staff - well that's par for the course - they just want a cheque and commission - having a client satisfied is not on their list - Name these people! It won't make any difference they'll carry on as normal. The boat - another grubby owner - we have noticed that no-one puts their bedding out to air each morning - preferring instead to live in a foetid swamp of their own body fluids and dead skin, which is why when we have bought a boat the cushions and mattresses go in the skip in preparation for the scrub down. You were lucky and this is Britain now - Gordon Ramsey kitchen nightmares is about right for the majority of eating places, from the hamburger bar to the under £30 for lunch brigade - take sandwiches
 
Well! I reckon Cormorant has a point. He is planning to spend a biggish chunk of the old hard-earned, and gets treated like dirt.

At least Basil Fawlty would have shouted at him, and probably thrown Manuel across the room....

FWIW Tangomoon the restaurant at Ch Marina is not the second rate roadhouse you describe, and its a shame no one bothered to tell Cormorant that it closed early,he missed a first rate - if sometimes unusual meal.

If I were spending that sort of money, while I would not expect red carpet treatment, I would at least expect to be taken seriously by the vendor and their agents.
 
The presentation of the boat is the responsibility of the owner not the brokerage. When selling a house an estate agent does not pop round before you view to tidy up.
 
I once looked at a Westerly Konsort at Wareham, that the broker/agent had not even looked at before putting it on his books.

The interior was a tip!! with clothes left lying about, dirty food utensils and crockery left in the galley, bedding left in the forecabin, and pee still in the unpumped toilet.

He apologised!! He should have had a look at it beforehand.

We didn't buy.
 
I can't speak about the "brokerage experience", but I do have a comment to make about the restaurant.

Bearing in mind the season, I'm surprised it was open at all! Many cafes/resaurants in holiday areas close entirely October-April, and certainly reduce their hours. You may have noticed there were few holiday-makers (or other punters) around. It's no good ranting about how this wouldn't happen in the US - its economics - no punters = no income, so best reduce costs!
 
"The presentation of the boat is the responsibility of the owner not the brokerage. When selling a house an estate agent does not pop round before you view to tidy up."

When I was viewing boats last year, two of them were in a disgusting state, mould everywhere, bedding still on bunks months after last being used, one had never been cleaned for about ten years, food going mouldy on plates. These were pre arranged viewings not spur of the moment, how do these people hope to sell them.
Not on brokerage by the way, private sales.
 
An alternative economics: Lousy service = no punters = no income.
The restaurant in our local marina used to restrict opening times off season and was second rate throughout the year but now thrives after being taken over by an operator with a bit of nous and customer focus.
 
You of course will be forwarding a copy of this thread to the brokers?
Brokerage doing its job is one thing,-you only have to deal with them once-a dodgy feeling about a prospective location to keep your new purchase at,well thats another thing,you can vote with your keel!
 
Only this morning I was talking to a friend who has spent the most horrendous time over the last two days on the South Coast trying to view and buy a boat. Her story is even worse and would make any of us wonder why we would ever let a broker handle a sale on our behalf. She is so upset about what she has faced that when back this afternoon, plans to post the whole sordid story on Scuttlebut. I have told her she should name and shame, because if I was paying the fee's to some of these guys to sell my boat I would want to know what a poor job was being done. What exactly are the qualifications to become a broker? I would have thought with the LBS on, they would be expecting buyers out there looking for used boats, thats what seems to happen when SBS is running. She is out there with a £40k in cash to buy a boat now and complete quickly, yet she has been treated in the most appaling way, as if they don't want the business. It all beggers belief!
 
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