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We may have a problem... Advice needed.

Kells

Kells

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Location
Commerce Twp, MI
Hello All,

I have an issue that may or may not be an issue at all, but i'm nervous about it and I don't want to be taken advantage of so I'm posting this.

First I want to state the dealer has been great and very responsive returning calls and emails, I even purchased the boat from the Owner's son directly as he was covering for my sales guy while he was out.  So i'm not complaining about them, but I have some concerns and I have not been able to contact Bennington directly (they just forward to my dealer).  I am hoping for some some unbiased feedback from the awesome members of this forum (and Bennington directly if possible). 

I purchased my boat from a dealer last month, it was a 2013 floor model 2550 GSR.  I was going to purchase a new 2014 originally and one thing I needed to have was the Stowable Sun Lounge option.  

That option was was not on this 2013 floor model I purchased, but I said I needed this, and to close the deal the Manager said they would add it.  It seemed like a great deal so I signed, took delivery and i'm loving the boat so far BUT I still don't have the Stowable sun lounge, and there are a few other things i'm addressing that need to be fixed also... 

At closing I was told the sun lounge was being ordered and they would come install it dockside in about 2 weeks.

1 week later i'm being told it may take a little longer to get the lounge in because they are waiting on Bennignton to confirm a few things...

2 weeks later i'm being told that Bennington advised them it cannot be added without replacing the entire bow of boat, and needed to be included during manufacturing.

2.5 weeks later I am told they are going to order it anyway, and they have a tech that said it would be no problem to modify the existing seats (it was just some support bars or something I was told)

Here we are 3 weeks later and Its not installed yet, and i'm wondering if this being handled correctly... 

I'm kind of upset because it's nearly a month now and i'm making a payment on a boat that isn't exactly the boat I purchased.  This is slightly off topic but I'm also still waiting on them to come fix some things that I addressed with them within a few days of purchase (broken table, 2nd battery option was never hooked up, mooring cover missing a snap, and a torn near vent, and a couple things I'm going to be adding to the list including bow gate seat that does not fit, and occasional engine beeping that I cannot turn off without cutting the engine)

What is your opinion of the situation, is this being handled correctly and within Bennington's guidelines?  Will this compromise my warranty?   is there an option to rescind the deal because of these issues?

Again, I've tried to contact bennington but I was auto-forwarded to my dealer...

Any advice / comments is appreciated on what I should do.

Thank you,
 
Wow, sorry to read about all of your troubles.  Sounds like the classic scenario where the dealer made a promise that may/may not be possible to fulfill.  It sounds like they are scrambling to do the best they can to rectify the matter.  However, I would think that if it comes to the point where they are just not going to be able to make the upgrade work, they should offer a full refund, as that was what was agreed upon.  I hope it all works out for you.
 
I can speak to the furniture order .

Mine was ordered in December .At the time I ordered, the co captain chair extra wide was Not available as an option .

3 weeks ago I went to the dealer and told him I would like to add it .He called Bennington while I was there .

They said as long as the standard chair had not been used they would take it back ,But the new chair had to come from the parts department .

5 week wait because it had to be ordered fro the furniture manufacture ,they could not take one from the line .

Friday will be 4 weeks ,so if delivery stays Friday I will be minus a chair for a week or so .

You also being in Michigan most likely have a 5 week wait .

Is your dealer cooperating with your other issues ? 

Could he just be waiting to do everything at once ?

Don't feel bad about the payment ,I have made 3 and have not even signed the papers yet .( 401 loan ,still in my checking  account ) .

Another thing is if your furniture is coming on a load or not .

If it isn't, ( since the dealer included it ) I dont think they want to pay the shipping .
 
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I would give it some more time. It looks as if they are trying to get it done and Bennington just might not have the parts in question at the moment.
 
It's also slam time at Bennington. Not an excuse, just the reality of the seasonal nature of the boat manufacturing industry.
 
Yeah sounds like they are trying. I agree to try and give it more time.
 
It took 12 weeks to get a new helm chair for me last year. It came together in the end but it can take time.
 
Could be why they now offer 7 year bow to stern warranty. They are compensating for the long waits. (Not that yours is a warranty issue)As long as it is being adressed, just follow up periodically and confirm completion date.

Not sure what makes up the option but it does appear simple. One thing you could do to get a feel for timeframe would be to call around and get quotes and lead times from other dealers to retrofit. I wonder if anyone on here has this option or has seen this option to shed light on what it entails?
 
I just want to point out that part you mentioned about your email going straight back to your dealer; they did the same thing to me. It's very frustrating. If I have a big enough problem that I felt the need to contact the manufacturer, thats who I want to see my problem. Obviously if I want to contact my dealer, that's who I would have sent the email in the first place.
 
Sounds like your dealer is trying to make good on its promise. Since it will be installed by a Bennington authorized dealer j don't think there will ever be a warranty issue. Might take some time to get the furniture due to the fact that they will not pull from the production line (no company will do that). The only thing I would be concerned about is the engine issues I would want that looked at right away.
 
+1 on that. Get that engine checked out.
 
Not to snow on opening day, but if my memory serves me correctly, that is a fairly large and costly job. The reason I say that is because the actual seat bases are completely different.  So your dealer will have to order new plastic bases as that is where the support poles slide in. Now hopefully the seat attachment points are all still the same so they can just remove your existing cushions and install on the new base. Totally doable, just a fair amount of work and expense.  

As for motor, get that checked ASAP! These new motors may have all the bells and whistles, but they also have buzzers and beeps for when the bells or whistles are broken.
 
I dont like that the Bennington sight forwards to the dealer either! What if I want to check on my dealer and make sure he is on the up and up? Just like last year I bought my boat it did not come with tie downs or a safty chain?? My dealer said they are all like that now. Sounded like BS to me So I sent an email asking about it and not even an hour later I get a call from the dealer. It would be nice if they had a rep that could mediate between the dealer and owner when things do arise.
 
BulldogsCadillac said:
Not to snow on opening day, but if my memory serves me correctly, that is a fairly large and costly job. The reason I say that is because the actual seat bases are completely different.  So your dealer will have to order new plastic bases as that is where the support poles slide in. Now hopefully the seat attachment points are all still the same so they can just remove your existing cushions and install on the new base. Totally doable, just a fair amount of work and expense.  

As for motor, get that checked ASAP! These new motors may have all the bells and whistles, but they also have buzzers and beeps for when the bells or whistles are broken.
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That seat base is what concerned me, the tech said he could make brackets so they would leave the existing seats in place and not have to swap them out...   I'm hoping they are not taking short-cuts or doing something that would compromise safety or warranty.

They are coming on Thursday to check the engine and fix everything except the sun lounge.  Will report back.

Thanks,
 
Just got an email from my dealer . Seat arrived today, a week and 2 days earlier than what  I was told .
 
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I just talked to the service manager, he said he is just NOW finding out about this after they came out today about the battery issue.  Apparently the sales guy never really forwarded this on.  Was he expecting me to just be OK with a boat missing a major seating feature?

Service manager Joe said he had no idea about these issues and i'm without the sun seating package.  He has escalated this to Ron Wilson (owner).  I told him how this sun lounge seating was the MAIN REASON we bought the boat (my wife really loved the idea of pulling the kids up on that thing to watch the movies they do on Sat nights on an island here.

I guess Ron is going to sit down with the sales guy and his son (manager) that sold the boat to me and see what they can do.

I will keep this updated with each step.
 
Kells, I have always found that the sales guy finds it easy to promise and often does not follow through.  Stick to your story and state it with a cool head but don't back down
 
Link said:
Kells, I have always found that the sales guy finds it easy to promise and often does not follow through.  Stick to your story and state it with a cool head but don't back down
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I am so glad my salesman is also the owner .
 
The owner actually called me yesterday. Sounds like they are going to buy the boat back. Only problem is no GSR or even RSRs in stock. New builds will most likely have us waiting until July. I'll have to compromise with another model and most likely pay even more.
 
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