Brighton Marina is completely bloody useless!!

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wipe_out

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I don't know about the other "premier" marinas but I am finding Brighton to be a bit of a joke..

Got the berth there in April.. Boat was in the yard for a few weeks getting sorted out then into the water.. After getting to the berth and wanting to connect shore power we noticed that the boat on the other side of the finger was running his cable over to the point with our number on it.. So I asked them what the story was and they said to just find a free one.. As it turned out the one next to it was free so I called the office and gave them the number and asked if it was OK to use.. They said yes, no problem and connected our account to that socket.. Brilliant!!

About a week later there is a call.. Very sorry but that socket was used by someone else (3 berths over) and so they have plugged us into another spare socket.. That's fine I said.. Got down there a week or so later to find that they had plugged us into a socket about 3 berths over on the other side of the pontoon.. It meant that the cable was at full stretch and was stretched directly across the cockpit on the boat about a foot off the ground.. Called the office and said that was a little impractical so could they perhaps move the connection of the closer boat and we could plug in right behind ours.. They said they would look into it and get back to us.. Nothing!!

Another week later contacted them again to see what was happening to be told that power sockets aren't guaranteed.. I said that's fine but we have a socket its just the cables are all crossing each other rather than connecting the closer boats to the nearer sockets.. We will look into it they said.. Nothing!!

I gave up.. so we just disconnected shore power when we wanted to relax in the cockpit..

Anyway, two weeks ago I went down to find that we had been unplugged and the boat in the berth on the other side of the pontoon was now plugged into our socket.. Before leaving the marina I went to the office and told them.. They sad that power sockets were not guaranteed.. I said I know that I be had one already that is now being used by someone else.. They said they would look at it and get back to me.. Nothing!!

So a couple of days later I emailed them to follow up on the query.. Nothing!!

I emailed again to follow up on my follow up.. This time if got a reply saying that power sockets were not guaranteed but if I wanted that could send me a list of available berths.. I replied back to say that before I moved the boat I wanted to know what happened to the socket I had been using for the last while and why it was reallocated.. I got a reply saying they would look into it and get back to me.. Nothing!!

I emailed to follow up.. Nothing!!

So now two weeks later I have still had no reply and I still have no shore power.. Its absolutely pathetic customer service.. It's actually almost an experiment to see just how many times I have to chase them to get a resolution.. Either that or I am going to loose it if I get told again that power sockets are not guaranteed..

/Rant over/
 
They better not try to charge you a penny for leccy as how can they accurately bill anyone???

Very poor etiquette to interfere with someone else's shore power too. In the winter knocking out someone's power can have devastating consequences. These other boats shouldn't touch yours.
 
Just tell them if they can't guarantee power close enough to your boat to comply with health & safety you will A/ call the health & safety exec B/ you will not be able to guarantee your future custom due to failings on health & safety grounds & demand a refund.
 
Quote from Premier website - 'Brighton Marina is a proud holder of The Yacht Harbour Association's Five Gold Anchors Award for outstanding facilities and service. Alongside a fully serviced boatyard with extensive marine services, Brighton Marina offers dedicated berth holder car parks, a 24-hour fuel berth, power and water on the pontoons, WiFi and spacious toilet and shower blocks.'

Surely if they state that 'power is on the pontoons' they have an obligation to provide that power? Or they should clearly state which berths do not have power. I really don't understand how they can say that power is not guaranteed. Is it in your contract?

Looks like you'll have to call head office and be a nuisance. I would't email.

This 'Five Gold Anchors' award is a joke as far as I can see. Awarded by the industry to the industry...
 
Insist on speaking to the Marina manager, my experience has been with Gosport & Port Solent & never had an issue, I am sure the problem will be resolved as they seem to be programmed to go that extra mile, however they are trying to make you do that for your leccy:) Please update us. I am not married, having any type of relationship or related to anyone at Premier Marinas, but if I could get a price reduction I would consider it
 
We had the same issue at Port Solent one winter. Drove us insane and the staff couldn't give a monkeys. Then it turned out, we wasn't the only ones being messed around........ End result?? We moved to MDL on the hamble. No such issues since.
 
Yes, I think it's going to end up with me going down there and speaking to the manager.. Just have to try and keep my sarcasm in check..

Seems their policy is do nothing and hope it goes away.. I guess in a lot of cases that works for them.. If they don't get their act together what will go away is my boat from the marina..
 
I have had just the same problem with Brighton. The problem is its Aberystwyth old marina and there are not enough points for each berth. It's first come first get, a right mess
 
wipe_out said:
Yes, I think it's going to end up with me going down there and speaking to the manager.. Just have to try and keep my sarcasm in check..

Seems their policy is do nothing and hope it goes away.. I guess in a lot of cases that works for them.. If they don't get their act together what will go away is my boat from the marina..
Click to expand...

I wouldn't bother with the manager. He/she obviously has no interest. You'll have to head for the top brass...
 
Brighton marina is a lost cause. We were based there for some years up to last summer. They have no idea of customer service. Our list of issues would be too long to go through. We moved to Gosport last year where things are completely different. Fantastic customer support.
Nothing ever got done in Brighton. If anything broke it took an eternity to get it fixed. No investment, no interest. I have to wonder if they are deliberately driving it down and down to the point where they close it,fill it in and build flats.
 
wipe_out said:
I don't know about the other "premier" marinas but I am finding Brighton to be a bit of a joke..

Got the berth there in April.. Boat was in the yard for a few weeks getting sorted out then into the water.. After getting to the berth and wanting to connect shore power we noticed that the boat on the other side of the finger was running his cable over to the point with our number on it.. So I asked them what the story was and they said to just find a free one.. As it turned out the one next to it was free so I called the office and gave them the number and asked if it was OK to use.. They said yes, no problem and connected our account to that socket.. Brilliant!!

About a week later there is a call.. Very sorry but that socket was used by someone else (3 berths over) and so they have plugged us into another spare socket.. That's fine I said.. Got down there a week or so later to find that they had plugged us into a socket about 3 berths over on the other side of the pontoon.. It meant that the cable was at full stretch and was stretched directly across the cockpit on the boat about a foot off the ground.. Called the office and said that was a little impractical so could they perhaps move the connection of the closer boat and we could plug in right behind ours.. They said they would look into it and get back to us.. Nothing!!

Another week later contacted them again to see what was happening to be told that power sockets aren't guaranteed.. I said that's fine but we have a socket its just the cables are all crossing each other rather than connecting the closer boats to the nearer sockets.. We will look into it they said.. Nothing!!

I gave up.. so we just disconnected shore power when we wanted to relax in the cockpit..

Anyway, two weeks ago I went down to find that we had been unplugged and the boat in the berth on the other side of the pontoon was now plugged into our socket.. Before leaving the marina I went to the office and told them.. They sad that power sockets were not guaranteed.. I said I know that I be had one already that is now being used by someone else.. They said they would look at it and get back to me.. Nothing!!

So a couple of days later I emailed them to follow up on the query.. Nothing!!

I emailed again to follow up on my follow up.. This time if got a reply saying that power sockets were not guaranteed but if I wanted that could send me a list of available berths.. I replied back to say that before I moved the boat I wanted to know what happened to the socket I had been using for the last while and why it was reallocated.. I got a reply saying they would look into it and get back to me.. Nothing!!

I emailed to follow up.. Nothing!!

So now two weeks later I have still had no reply and I still have no shore power.. Its absolutely pathetic customer service.. It's actually almost an experiment to see just how many times I have to chase them to get a resolution.. Either that or I am going to loose it if I get told again that power sockets are not guaranteed..

/Rant over/
Click to expand...

Sounds like a nightmare, you could always vote with your feet??
 
U4 said:
Sounds like a nightmare, you could always vote with your feet??
Click to expand...

Two reasons we chose Brighton was firstly because it's the closest and most convenient to get to and secondly they still have petrol available on the fuel pontoon..

However, I have started looking at other options for when the contract runs out at the end of March 2014 if they don't get their act together.. Newhaven marina looks like a potential option being that its not too much further away.. Once we start getting to Eastbourne or Chichester it's too far for spur of the moment evening runs..
 
Isn't the solution to this just to go down there in person, in the week when you're more likely to find the berthing person available, and move the boat to a more suitable berth? I realise that not answering your calls/emails is poor service, but by the same token it's a very cheap marina, with no lock and 24 hour fuel.

Cheers
Jimmy
 
I find that whole situation unbelievable, I'm not sure how cheap a marina needs to be to make the situation acceptable, perhaps Brighton really is that cheap..?

My brothers boat is in Chi marina (so premier), and got to say their arrangement for electrics does seem a PITA, sockets are randomly placed along the pontoons, so not just each side of every finger, then there's the key pad thing and having to pre-purchase your electrics.... all adds irritation... you pay to be in a "top marina", you / or certainly I, expect electrics GUARANTEED!

At Paul has said, at Mercury MDL, you have what you expect, an electric point for every boat...

As others have said, speaking to the marina manager or anyone in the berthing office on site sounds a fruitless exercise. I would copy and paste your post into an old fashioned letter and post recorded delivery to head office. I bet/hope the team at Brighton would get a rocket up their backsides!
 
jimmy_the_builder said:
Isn't the solution to this just to go down there in person, in the week when you're more likely to find the berthing person available, and move the boat to a more suitable berth? I realise that not answering your calls/emails is poor service, but by the same token it's a very cheap marina, with no lock and 24 hour fuel.

Cheers
Jimmy
Click to expand...

Getting down there in the week during the day isn't that easy but I agree that's probably what its going to take to get it resolved..

Just moving to another berth doesn't force them to explain why they are running such a disorganised circus down there.. Irrespective of the cost if everyone just rolled over like that how would they be made aware that they are pissing people off? If my customer service was that bad I probably wouldn't have any customers..

By your username I assume you are a builder.. So an analogy would be something like you putting in a kitchen for someone then going back a month later and taking the taps out to give to someone else and expecting the original customer to just accept it..
 
A suggestion to resolve this. Why not get hold of the manager & take him down to your berth to point out to him face to face, your problems ? With no one else within earshot you can then read his horoscope if he fails to sort it.
 
Sounds like (if they don't have enough sockets to go around), regardless of changing berth, you would still have the same problem?
 
U4 said:
Sounds like (if they don't have enough sockets to go around), regardless of changing berth, you would still have the same problem?
Click to expand...

Ultimately the current issue wasn't that I didn't have a socket, it's that they simply decided to unplug me and plug someone else in to the socket that had been allocated to me.. Or perhaps the berth holder who is now using it did it on his own but then the marina did nothing about it after I brought it to their attention.. Either way its a mess!

I am going to have to somehow try and get down there in the week and sort it out.. Just such a waste of time going down there and back again to deal with something so simple because they just don't respond to issues..

Interestingly I have just noticed that the person that responded to a couple of my emails (and then disappeared) is one of the "assistant managers"..
 
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