RM yachts

I can understand Grand Large's reasoning is sound business sense for them. However a number of these boats on order have already been started and paid for, so it is a very bad decision for customer relations and in the short term the perceived identity of RM as a brand. Hope they change their mind and honour all existing contracts.
 
How can anybody have confidence in the new Owners when they are seen to be blatantly screwing over the owners of the partially finished boats?
These folk should be bending over backwards to be as nice as possible to these folks, and honour their contracts fully with no additional expense.
The positive PR that this would generate in their favour will (I am sure) be much more beneficial than saving a few euros by shafting people.
 
Bajansailor said:
How can anybody have confidence in the new Owners when they are seen to be blatantly screwing over the owners of the partially finished boats?
These folk should be bending over backwards to be as nice as possible to these folks, and honour their contracts fully with no additional expense.
The positive PR that this would generate in their favour will (I am sure) be much more beneficial than saving a few euros by shafting people.
Click to expand...

Whilst I admire you optimism I don't think they (or for that matter the people at Discovery Yachts) share your analysis. I suspect that in six months their dodgy practices will have disappeared off most buyers' radar. Unless of course it is sufficiently discussed in places like this to come on the first page of a Google search after that time.;)
 
Bajansailor said:
How can anybody have confidence in the new Owners when they are seen to be blatantly screwing over the owners of the partially finished boats?
These folk should be bending over backwards to be as nice as possible to these folks, and honour their contracts fully with no additional expense.
The positive PR that this would generate in their favour will (I am sure) be much more beneficial than saving a few euros by shafting people.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with your sentiments, but I guess as creditors to a company that hit the wall, in some ways they are fortunate if they can pull anything out of the wreckage. I'm sure Fora Marine's suppliers got paid diddly squat.

As I understand it, in Grand Large's offer to the receiver, they made clear that they couldn't afford to honour existing contracts to clients. The amount of customers money that Fora had taken from punters was € 2.1million. Grand Large has put €1 million on the table for their scheme for customers.

FWIW, the French yacht building industry is bracing itself for hard times as Brussels is making very threatening noises about abolishing the lease schemes which allow for half-price VAT (this is not just France, the same sort of deals are available in Greece, Italy, Cyprus & Malta). It sounds as though full VAT will be payable from April 1st of this year, though will not affect existing leases, and there may be a transition period. The French government is not giving in on this without a fight, as it has been a very positive measure for the French marine industry, but I suspect that Brussels will prevail. This could have quite a significant impact on the sales of new yachts in France, particularly for those yards that sell mainly into the domestic market. Around 2/3 of new boats in France capable of being sailed offshore are financed in this way (this VAT regime is not available for coastal only or inland waterway craft).
 
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