What to do when you cant trust your Marina???

[yankeebloke]

I moved to a new Marina last July, and i was warned (after i moved) by numerous members not to have any work done by the marina, as thier mechanics etc were not up to the job and did shoddy work.

I have since found this to be true, as well as a p**s poor attitude to customer service.

I am now stuck with a mooring that doesnt expire until July.

My boat is out of water and need the stern drive servicing, (2yr gaiters replaced etc) i dont want to let these clowns anywhere near it, especially at the outragoeus price they have quoted to do it. £600?????

But the Marina will not let anyone other than them do the work.

Having gone in and had a face to face with the owner brought me no joy, the price quoted stands, he did say if it works out less than that they would reduce accordingly. (Of course this is hard to believe as thay have already tried to invioce me for work they have not done, so i think they are just out to rip me off.)

So i guess i will have to wait and not have the stern drive done and find a new marina in July and get the work done elsewhere, and just hope the gaiter hold until then.

I have cancelled all further works they were supposed to be doing (antifoul etc) and will do them myself.

Its just so annoying the location is perfect for us, but i cant stay there as i really think they are a bunch of crooks!

I really wish i could name and shame, but i am sure they guy would find a way to get some money out of me for naming them


rant over...........................

 

[sarabande]

Let's play Twenty Questions...


UK or some other part of the world ?

Privately owned marina or by Ltd Company ?


18 to go.


It would be tempting to say "He can't do that !" There's always recourse to Trading Standards if the job is not fit for purpose.

 

[yankeebloke]

UK Inland Marina

Owned by by ltd company

 

[Davy_S]

Probably not the reply you wanted, why not motor to the next port and get the job done? to replace gaiters is less than a mornings work if you do it yourself. you have not named where you are so members with local knowledge are unable to help you, try name and shame, plenty knowledgable foramites on here!

 

[yankeebloke]

Hi Davy

Having never done it myself before i would be a bit wary of trying it myself, especially if i cant get someone in to sort it out if i cock it up!

And i have already paid £200 to have the boat lifted out and blocked up so this work could be done

taking it somewhere else will incure more lifting fees

Would lve to name and shame but not sure on the slander / lible etc laws so will play it safe.

Its in Cambridgeshire.............on the River Ouse, one of the bigger Marina's

 

[Major Catastrophe]

why not motor to the next port and get the job done?

I was going to say the same thing. Boats are portable, but I appreciate the boat is already out of the water and another lift out elsewhere will add cost.

Are there any service companies nearby that absorb the lift out as part of service cost?

 

[Davy_S]

UK Inland Marina

Owned by by ltd company

Sorry! I typed a response and your reply appeared before mine did. I see your problem, good luck.

 

[Mr Googler]

Easy solution to this.

Employ an understanding engineer.....Volvopaul springs to mind. Make sure they park there sign written van round the corner. Be there when they do the work and look like your helping.

Then its just a mate lending you a hand!!!

How can the marina know money will change hands

 

[yankeebloke]

That sounds like the solution

If anybody knows any engineers in the Cambridgeshire area please reccomend them to me

i am out of the UK until the 12th March, but can "help" any time after that, i have put the re-launch back until the week begining 3 April

 

[volvopaul]

Easy solution to this.

Employ an understanding engineer.....Volvopaul springs to mind. Make sure they park there sign written van round the corner. Be there when they do the work and look like your helping.

Then its just a mate lending you a hand!!!

How can the marina know money will change hands

My VW Transporter is not signwritten purely for that reason and others, like this vans full of tools etc and other peoples drives and engine parts!

I also dont get asked to pay contractors fees most of the time either!

I wont be at Sealines factory in it tomorrow either!

VW vans.................. more of a surf doods van, IMHO of course.

 

[rubberduck]

Presumably their terms & conditions say you cant use anyone else, ask them if their t&c's are approved by the office of fair trading (as mine are) & suggest you may get OFT to look at their terms. Explain that it may result in them having to change them for everyone, & suggest that they may wish to do you a special deal. I have done this in business & made it work. T&c's are worthless if they do not conform to English law.

 

[Ripster]

The solution is there for you. Get VPaul to do the work (on the QT) so your boat done porperly and is all ready for relaunch. Find and new Marina then before you go - ask them about the T&Cs if you feel inclined.

If it was me, any whiff of cowboys would not get near my boat, especially not the bits that are underwater and push me along, so don't be persuaded to compromise or give in.

 

[fuss]

The way I see it is .....
You dont want any cowboys working on important things, such as...motors, gearboxes, sternglands, standing rigging, electrics through hulls, pumps, watermakers, safety equipment, stoves, electronics, hulls, rudders, bearings, gas installations or any other things that are not antifouling.......... but hey.... cowboys on antifoulling.... who cares.... its easily fixed in a years time... unless of course they applied the antifouling with an arc welder or a belt sander.

 

[rubberduck]

The solution is there for you. Get VPaul to do the work (on the QT) so your boat done porperly and is all ready for relaunch. Find and new Marina then before you go - ask them about the T&Cs if you feel inclined.

If it was me, any whiff of cowboys would not get near my boat, especially not the bits that are underwater and push me along, so don't be persuaded to compromise or give in.

Sounds like a well balanced approach.

 

[Mr Googler]

My VW Transporter is not signwritten purely for that reason and others, like this vans full of tools etc and other peoples drives and engine parts!

I also dont get asked to pay contractors fees most of the time either!

I wont be at Sealines factory in it tomorrow either!

VW vans.................. more of a surf doods van, IMHO of course.

Couple of quicksilver stickers and Mr Zoggs sex wax tins on the dash and your there! Wearing a wetsuit whilst working on boats would obviously be the final touch should any eagle eyed Marina managers doubt your "I'm a surfer just helping out..... Dude" appearance

 

[yankeebloke]

Thanks for all the replies guys

Volvo Paul, if you would be interested in the work i would be happy to discuss it with you, you come highly recommended on here, i'm not sure how far it is from you?

Its a Volvo 290 DP leg on a Sealine AQ205

As i said i am awy intil 12th March, but contactable on e-mail.

It has been 2 years since the leg has had a proper overhaul, bellows etc

Maybe you could pm me, with a estimate?

I would need all the appropriate parts, plus labour costs, if you think you can help?

Many thanks

John

 

[Jim@sea]

With respect. The yard owner will probably know what you are up to as you have had a quote and not taken him up on the work. The moment you and somebody else start work on the sterndrives you will be noticed.
Plus the fact that the marina owner or his staff possibly read this forum.
Unfortunately I think you are going to have to "Bite the Bullet" Financially and move the boat now. Our boating season is too short and you want the boat repaired for the start of the season.
Mind you more than few years ago I had just bought a boat and bringing it back to the UK I called in at a marina in Guernsey and I needed a job doing. At the time I had a garage in the UK and employed mechanics and our charge out rate was £10 an hour. This marinas charge out rate was £20 an hour. Anyway I had a chat with the marinas mechanic and asked if he did "Foreigners" and his reply was "Yes we get a lot of French and Germans in here"

 

[Major Catastrophe]

Plus the fact that the marina owner or his staff possibly read this forum.

I hope they do and can see that there are people out there who recognise overpriced, shoddy work and make them mend their ways.

I think they should be named and shamed.

 

[Hurricane]

Would lve to name and shame but not sure on the slander / lible etc laws so will play it safe.

Its in Cambridgeshire.............on the River Ouse, one of the bigger Marina's

I'm no legal expert but I believe that it can’t be slander or libel if what you say is true.
That doesn’t mean, of course, that they can’t make a case which then costs everyone big time.

 

[neale]

Some interesting stuff on Libel (written defamation) and Slander (spoken defamation) Here

One interesting point is that forums are treated as Slander, ie as if you had spoken it rather than written it, as per a high court ruling in 2009.

Basically if you speak/write the truth and can prove it, you have little to fear.