Yacht Brokers

[caiman]

Hi
I contacted a yacht broker 8 days days ago by E Mail with a simple enquiry regarding details of a 'fuel cell' aboard an expensive(to me) boat which I can afford,and am interested in buying.I am still awaiting a reply.
What is the normal 'protocol' regarding dealing with brokers?Is this time delay normal?
I have never previously bought a boat through a broker.
Thanks for your help.
Cheers

 

[Tranona]

No not normal - or should not be! Surprised you waited 8 days for a reply. Just ring him up. He may, of course not have the information you want and is waiting for the owner to tell him, but no excuse for ignoring you.

 

[LittleSister]

Entirely normal, in my experience! There are some good brokers out there, but lots of brokers seem completely customer unfocussed and/or incompetent. (How the latter make a living defies understanding.) Only thing to do is, as Tranona says, get on the blower.

 

[jonic]

Ring

Brokers are inundated with time wasting emails and spam - you really have to see it to believe it.

 

[Uricanejack]

They may be inundated.
I bought my current boat and my last one through a broker I contacted by email. I got quick response from most of the brokers I dealt with. Information was generaly quick though sometimes the answer to my question was they did not know or I should get a surveyor to check.

no response I moved on lots of fish in the sea. no reason for me to complain, The seller might have been disappointed. when a cash buyer went else where.

 

[chinita]

Ring

Brokers are inundated with time wasting emails and spam - you really have to see it to believe it.

I agree.

I sent jonic a pm which was a complete waste of time.

 

[caiman]

Thanks for the replies.I have sent another E Mail asking for the owners details so that I can hopefully deal with them direct.If I do not get an answer I will bell the broker during the week.
The sail number is shown in the pics of the boat.Is there any way to get the owner's details through this information?
I am a bit gobsmacked that E Mails seem to be routinely dismissed.Why post an E Mail address if enquiries,time wasting or not,are ignored?How does the broker know if I am a time waster/fender kicker from the initial E Mail?
Thanks again.
Cheers

 

[Trop Cher]

Thanks for the replies.I have sent another E Mail asking for the owners details so that I can hopefully deal with them direct.If I do not get an answer I will bell the broker during the week.
The sail number is shown in the pics of the boat.Is there any way to get the owner's details through this information?
I am a bit gobsmacked that E Mails seem to be routinely dismissed.Why post an E Mail address if enquiries,time wasting or not,are ignored?How does the broker know if I am a time waster/fender kicker from the initial E Mail?
Thanks again.
Cheers

I doubt he'll give you the owners details. If you're really interested in the boat, why don't you just phone him on Monday?

 

[jonic]

I agree.

I sent jonic a pm which was a complete waste of time.

That's pretty nasty chinita seeing as I responded to you on the forum immediately.

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?389339-Private-sale-put-you-off/page5

See post 49. It's posted at mid day the day after you sent me your PM.

Posted in my work time by the following day.

Your PM wasn't anything to do with me, but something that happened to you almost 10 years ago. Yet I still took my time to respond and then you publicly post the above about me!!!

Looks like the only person wasting their time was me.

Thanks a lot.

 

[BlueSkyNick]

That's pretty nasty chinita seeing as I responded to you on the forum immediately.

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?389339-Private-sale-put-you-off/page5

See post 49. It's posted at mid day the day after you sent me your PM.

Posted in my work time by the following day.

Your PM wasn't anything to do with me, but something that happened to you almost 10 years ago. Yet I still took my time to respond and then you publicly post the above about me!!!

Looks like the only person wasting their time was me.

Thanks a lot.

JON JON JON !! STOP! how many times have you said you wouldn't get drawn into arguments about brokers on here, but you still allow yourself to do so ??

 

[n4585k]

Having just gone through the process of buying a boat I have to say I have come across brokers that are extremely professional and serious, and answer emails very promptly. But about half of the brokers I contacted were really sloppy in answering. Quite a few of them didn't respond within a week. And this was just looking for an answer to the question whether the boat was still for sale. Now, brokers may be inundated but a simple first reaction should not take a week. Jonic, you seem to be highly professional. Do you let emails go unanswered for a week? There are many stories I can tell about this boat buying process. I guess it is as with all professions, there are good ones and not so good ones.

 

[jonic]

Having just gone through the process of buying a boat I have to say I have come across brokers that are extremely professional and serious, and answer emails very promptly. But about half of the brokers I contacted were really sloppy in answering. Quite a few of them didn't respond within a week. And this was just looking for an answer to the question whether the boat was still for sale. Now, brokers may be inundated but a simple first reaction should not take a week. Jonic, you seem to be highly professional. Do you let emails go unanswered for a week? There are many stories I can tell about this boat buying process. I guess it is as with all professions, there are good ones and not so good ones.

Hi n4585k

No I answer them immediately. I even famously answered a phone enquiry at 4.00am and have shown a boat at 2.00am in Hamble (as the buyer had a flight to catch)

http://www.jryachts.com/category/testimonials

On the other side of the coin, what has become very apparent in the last 2-3 years is the shocking number of buyers who simply do not respond to email, or phone messages left on answerphones or worse don't even turn up for their pre-booked viewing appointment.

But it's Sunday and time to be with my family so I am going to take MoodyNick's sound advice :encouragement:

 

[caiman]

I would like to point out that jonic was not the broker I E Mailed.I have looked at 'his' boats and the boat I am interested in is not on his list.
I will phone the broker concerned during the week.
Train sets and Grandsons are great on Sunday mornings.:encouragement:
Thanks for the replies.
Cheers

 

[JumbleDuck]

I have sent another E Mail asking for the owners details so that I can hopefully deal with them direct.If I do not get an answer I will bell the broker during the week.
The sail number is shown in the pics of the boat.Is there any way to get the owner's details through this information?

I am a member of two owners' associations and have been a member of a third, all of which published members' handbooks with sail numbers and contact details, so you might have some luck that way. Bit data-protection-act-contraveny, though, possibly.

 

[Tranona]

Thanks for the replies.I have sent another E Mail asking for the owners details so that I can hopefully deal with them direct.If I do not get an answer I will bell the broker during the week.
The sail number is shown in the pics of the boat.Is there any way to get the owner's details through this information?
I am a bit gobsmacked that E Mails seem to be routinely dismissed.Why post an E Mail address if enquiries,time wasting or not,are ignored?How does the broker know if I am a time waster/fender kicker from the initial E Mail?
Thanks again.
Cheers

Unlikely that you will get the owner's details. One of the main reasons for using a broker is so that the seller does not have to deal with individual enquiries. If you are really interested in the boat, then be proactive and be on the phone first thing on Monday - or even today as some brokers work weekends this time of year. If still no response then you are probably better off walking away, making it quite clear to the broker that it is his incompetence that is the problem.

 

[Eyore]

Entirely normal, in my experience! There are some good brokers out there, but lots of brokers seem completely customer unfocussed and/or incompetent. (How the latter make a living defies understanding.) Only thing to do is, as Tranona says, get on the blower.

I would concur with the above entirely.

 

[caiman]

Phoned the broker who seemed a bit mystified over the E mails.He was quite helpfull and I will hopefully be viewing the boat concerned plus a few others from the same broker in a fortnights time.
Thanks for your help.
Cheers.

 

[chinita]

That's pretty nasty chinita seeing as I responded to you on the forum immediately.

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?389339-Private-sale-put-you-off/page5

See post 49. It's posted at mid day the day after you sent me your PM.

Posted in my work time by the following day.

Your PM wasn't anything to do with me, but something that happened to you almost 10 years ago. Yet I still took my time to respond and then you publicly post the above about me!!!

Looks like the only person wasting their time was me.

Thanks a lot.

John

My unreserved apologies.

I posted at 08.32 then sent the pm. Then I went out. I did not revisit the thread.

I thought it odd you had not acknowledged the pm but did not think, for a second, to check the thread.

Won't happen again!

Sorry

 

[Seajet]

In the OP's position I would have sent another mail, ' Dear X, thankyou for your reply and I must say I am most interested as you say X boat is now - £ - HALF of asking price - '

That should get a reply !

A similar format worked very well for a friend who had applied for a job he was really keen on, but days turned to weeks, no reply; ' Dear X I am most happy to accept your offer of £70,000 PA & car, and can confirm I will see you on Monday '.

That did indeed get a reply, a panicky one.

I can certainly imagine Jonics' side of it; just running an owners' association I find I often supply lots of info' to prospective buyers going into sailing in general, loads of replies, then I don't even get a thanks; I particularly like the ones which begin ' send me '...They go straight into File 13.

 

[caiman]

Interesting tactic.I have a friend who comes from Cardigan who has given me a few tips on buying boats over the years.'Cardys' have the reputation of being able to 'buy from a Yorkshireman,sell to a Scotsman and still turn a good profit'.
Did your friend get the job?
Cheers