Mmm brokers - don't you just luv 'em

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Been done to death, I know,but I need to vent my rage and SWMBO will have none of it.
Just wasted a 200 mile round trip to see a boat because the broker thought it appropriate to paste details from an earlier sale into the advert, giving a completely incorrect sail and equipment inventory. What is their role in life?? Had I been able to deal with the owner, who was inconvenienced in any case to sort the "misunderstanding" out, I would have saved a day and the vendor wouldn't pay the broker's fee. Not my first experience of this sort and I doubt it will be my last.
And relax.
 
I have been dealing "if thats the right word" with brokers for the last 3 mths
& must say that it is depressing.The internet is full of boats for sale on brokers sites,that have been sold for months in one case the boat was sold 2 yrs ago yet was still advertised for sale by the broker on google.
The larger brokers seem to be the worst culprits I have spent a fortune phoning
brokers about advertised boats only to be told it was sold months ago.
E mailing is no better as they just go unanswered.
Yet when I go into a brokers office everyone is busy staring at the screens,looking over 1 guys shoulder who was too busy to even acknowledge me
I saw that he was playing patience.
These people are not salesmen just overpaid order takers.One guy in the hamble
did,nt want to show me a boat because it was drizzling with rain & he did,nt want to leave his nice dry office.
Numerous times I have been given the keys to the boat,& been told to have a look around (I could have been a thief) as it seemed to be too much trouble to get off their arses.These are the same people moaning about the lack of boat sales.
They are a disgrace to the boating industry.
But guess who,s in the front of the queue when commissions are about.:(
 
laffinskip said:
Numerous times I have been given the keys to the boat,& been told to have a look around (I could have been a thief) as it seemed to be too much trouble to get off their arses.:(
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To be fair to them, I would actually be much happier looking around a boat on my own than with a broker looking over my shoulder. I prefer them to just give me the keys - and it seems to be the norm up on the Clyde anyway, at least, at marina based brokerages. I want to form my own impression of a boat, without input from a broker who doesn't really know my preferences, likes and dislikes!
 
I agree. We're looking too (see my recent thread about finding a 'buyers broker'). You'd think any broker (or call them 'agents') would be pleased to find serious, active buyers with money in their pockets searching for the right boat. We went to view something a couple of weeks ago and were kept outside the pontoon gate for over an hour waiting for the broker to arrive. When the broker finally arrived, we discovered that the owner had been on board all the while and could easily have let us in. It took all my persuasion to keep hwmo from storming off. Seems to me that very few do anything to actively seek buyers for the boats they have.
 
AntarcticPilot said:
I want to form my own impression of a boat, without input from a broker who doesn't really know my preferences, likes and dislikes!
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...or, quite frequently, anything about the boat!

I know there are some good ones out there; in my limited experience so far it's been about 60/40 against them.

Pete
 
Saw my "ideal" boat advertised by broker. Description used words such as - " excellent condition, superb inventory, ready to sail away" only £50000! Phoned him up, he verbally confirmed the description, told him I was driving from the West Midlands to Falmouth and would almost certainly be making an offer. Got there and yes, you've guessed, it was dreadful would have been OK at half the price with a shed load of work needed. Felt like throwing him overboard. He had the decency to apologise then admitted he hadn't actually seen it before and was relying on the owner's description. He was of the opinion that he was therefore not at fault in mis-describing it! A 600 mile round trip. I was a lot more careful afterwards!
 
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prv said:
...or, quite frequently, anything about the boat!

I know there are some good ones out there; in my limited experience so far it's been about 60/40 against them.

Pete
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I would have put it 70/30 based on my experience. A lot of them do not deserve to be in business, they do very little for the seller and often seem to actively discourage the buyers. There are good ones out there and they are a joy to deal with, the trouble is finding them
 
maxi77 said:
I would have put it 70/30 based on my experience. A lot of them do not deserve to be in business, they do very little for the seller and often seem to actively discourage the buyers. There are good ones out there and they are a joy to deal with, the trouble is finding them
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I've just been dealing with a house purchase. I have had to drive the process hard all through. The sellers Solicitor was/is a waste of space, unable to understand common sense. The estate Agent really earned his fee, but was tripped up at every step by the sellers solicitor who could not grasp what was on her desk. Our Solicitor was great, the BS flexible and we were hot to trot. The sellers Solicitor had to have the toe proverbial winklepicker inserted up the fundamental orifice to achieve an exchange. Thats not usually the buyers function! Rant-and Fred Drift- over.
 
Dont worry, there are some good-very good- brokers out there too.

IME. Sadlers, Rustlers, wooden. Perhaps specialising works?

I agree the industry is heading to such a generational (revolutionary, not evolutionary) kick up the transom soon though, well overdue too, your experience would suggest?
 
windlipper said:
Saw my "ideal" boat advertised by broker. Description used words such as - " excellent condition, superb inventory, ready to sail away" only £50000! Phoned him up, he verbally confirmed the description, told him I was driving from the West Midlands to Falmouth and would almost certainly be making an offer. Got there and yes, you've guessed, it was dreadful would have been OK at half the price with a shed load of work needed. Felt like throwing him overboard. He had the decency to apologise then admitted he hadn't actually seen it before and was relying on the owner's description. He was of the opinion that he was therefore not at fault in mis-describing it! A 600 mile round trip. I was a lot more careful afterwards!
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Ditto, some years ago, looking for first boat. Xyacht dealer in Hamble point, boat was just finished winter maintenance, ready to go for the new season, in AAAA+ condition, pricey but let's look anyway. Went to see it, boat seemed cold dank below, what's that in the ceiling lights, looks odd, turned out to be full of water, boat leaking like a sieve. There are some good brokers about, adjacent broker Maxi agent, couldnothave been bettered, sold us a HR31 same day.
 
rotrax said:
I've just been dealing with a house purchase. I have had to drive the process hard all through. The sellers Solicitor was/is a waste of space, unable to understand common sense. The estate Agent really earned his fee, but was tripped up at every step by the sellers solicitor who could not grasp what was on her desk. Our Solicitor was great, the BS flexible and we were hot to trot. The sellers Solicitor had to have the toe proverbial winklepicker inserted up the fundamental orifice to achieve an exchange. Thats not usually the buyers function! Rant-and Fred Drift- over.
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I know just how you feel, when I bought in England I had a similarly incompetent solicitor, and when I sold I had, in my opinion, a corrupt estate agent.
 
I know there are 'some good brokers' out there but boy there are few of them around, and I agree the bigger they are the worst they are !

Only in the last two weeks I am trying to help a 'cash buyer' group member find a 'keen priced' Colvic Watson 23'-6" (that may need some TLC).

4 e-mails to well known brokers now over 10 days old have never bothered to reply.

Phoned two others to be told the boats had been sold last year, one last March (still advertised).

Another said 'it was' a Colvic Watson 23'-6", and when I got the details it was a Colvic 23 (an entirely differant boat design).

Another said a CW 23'-6" was built in 1974, funny that, as they were not designed until 1976

We say up North if you get monkeys on the job then pay them in peanuts, why some people pay 'so called' yacht brokers commissions is beyond me!

Mike
 
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Caer Urfa said:
I know there are be 'some good brokers' out there but boy there are few of them around, and I agree the bigger they are the worst they are !

Only in the last two weeks I am trying to help a 'cash buyer' group member find a 'keen priced' Colvic Watson 23'-6" (that may need some TLC).

4 e-mails to well known brokers now over 10 days old have never bothered to reply.

Phoned two others to be told the boats had been sold last year, one last March (still advertised).

Another said 'it was' a Colvic Watson 23'-6", and when I got the details it was a Colvic 23 (an entirely differant boat design).

Another said a CW 23'-6" was built in 1974, funny that, as they were not designed until 1976

We say up North if you get monkeys on the job then pay them in peanuts, why some people pay 'so called' yacht brokers commissions is beyond me!

Mike
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If they updated their listings, the shop window would be empty in many cases
 
maxi77 said:
I know just how you feel, when I bought in England I had a similarly incompetent solicitor, and when I sold I had, in my opinion, a corrupt estate agent.
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Ditto. Last time we sold and bought, our estate agent was in cahoots with the buyer (we were desperate to sell for complicated reasons) and the vendor's solicitor concealed a material problem with the ownership of part of the plot (our solicitor wanted to sue, but settled the costs of the problem on his own PI insurance to avoid dragging matters out for years).

On the other hand, we have bought four boats and sold three, with no real cause for complaint against any of the brokers involved.
 
You lot seem to have been unlucky.

The brokers I have dealt with have made significant efforts to find the right boat for me, arranged visits in far off places and in several cases made long trips to show me the boat when the owner has not been available. In both cases, the broker left us alone went we wanted to be and we spent a long time looking all over.

Same thing with the builders I have visited. They have all been enthusiastic, and have shown us all over their yard, the boats they were working on and spending the best part of a day talking to us.
 
Stork_III said:
There are some good brokers about, adjacent broker Maxi agent, couldnothave been bettered, sold us a HR31 same day.
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I think that may well be the one we've just bought the new boat through :)

He's packing it in soon, though, or rather selling the business to someone else.

Pete
 
windlipper said:
Saw my "ideal" boat advertised by broker. Description used words such as - " excellent condition, superb inventory, ready to sail away" only £50000! Phoned him up, he verbally confirmed the description, told him I was driving from the West Midlands to Falmouth and would almost certainly be making an offer. Got there and yes, you've guessed, it was dreadful would have been OK at half the price with a shed load of work needed. Felt like throwing him overboard. He had the decency to apologise then admitted he hadn't actually seen it before and was relying on the owner's description. He was of the opinion that he was therefore not at fault in mis-describing it! A 600 mile round trip. I was a lot more careful afterwards!
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A friend of mine had the same experience, travelling from N. Wales to the Solent to view, having emphasised to the broker that he was only making the journey if the boat really was as good as portrayed. Like your experience, it fell way short and after much acrimonious discussion, and the commencement of proceedings in the Small Claims Court he got his expenses (fuel and B&B etc) refunded in order to get the proceedings withdrawn.

Sadly, it's all to common. Another friend took a flight to view a Westerly. The broker met him at the airport with the words, that one's sold but I have another you can look at.....

A well known lady broker argued with me in condescending tone about where the engine was mounted on one boat (it was under a centreline seat opposite a linear galley) until I lifted the seat to show her! If you're not sure, don't b"$%&*!t !!

Sadly, I know of many more examples too. There are some excellent brokers around but in my experience, I'm afraid they're a minority.
 
prv said:
I think that may well be the one we've just bought the new boat through :)

He's packing it in soon, though, or rather selling the business to someone else.

Pete
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SD Marine, Roger. Hope the new ownner(s) carry on his honest straight forward approach to boat buying.
 
Stork_III said:
SD Marine, Roger. Hope the new ownner(s) carry on his honest straight forward approach to boat buying.
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That's him.

No reason to doubt the honesty and straightforwardness of the new guy, but he can't match Roger's depth of knowledge about Maxis. They are going to work side by side for a while to try to ensure a smooth transfer though.

Pete
 
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