Poor Service at Martin Motorsports Calgary

[trevormcfar]

Has anyone else had poor service at Martin here in Calgary, or just me?

[dru1974]

Well I did initially but they took care of everything. What's the problem


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I am here: http://tapatalk.com/map.php?gtun2y

[trevormcfar]

Well, here is the email I sent them... I have yet to receive any response from them and its been almost two weeks now... Am I being too anal, or do I have some real concerns here? The lack of response really pisses me off... not even a screw you! I don't like to air my laundry out in public, but I am so disappointed, I want to tell everyone I know about our experience...

Email:
I’m not sure where to begin, but I can only assume you know we are not happy about what has gone on with our boat over the past 8 months. I know you have taken over for ***, or at least now work together and some of these issues have been inherited. Never the less, we are ultimately not happy with our last few service appointments and feel it’s important to pass along our thoughts and reasons…

A few items to help you understand why:

1) Due to the unreasonable amount of time Martin had our boat; *** indicated he would detail our boat for us. What we received was a boat washed on the outside and a spot wipe inside at best. Our boat was full of mold, all in the engine compartment, the rear storage lockers; all the way up under the port side and starboard side seats, under the transmission cover, and inside the front ski locker. We have 4 small children and our boat is always kept clean, free of mold etc… We were under the impression we would have the boat back before winter, giving us time to air out the boat and do a proper clean prior to storage. To say our boat would be detailed and the state in which we received it was an absolute disappointment. .
2) The Tower was replaced due to a third party drilling the holes for our tower speakers in the wrong location. You were to replace the tower, re-drill the holes and repair the damage. Upon inspection, it was discovered your workers had done the exact same thing and drilled the holes in the wrong location. Knowing why the tower had to be fixed in the first place, one would think to measure twice and drill once… How someone can drill the holes in the wrong location again is unbelievable. With the boating season upon us, and Martin not able to fix this problem in a timely fashion, we are now left with having to auger the holes ourselves in order to move the bracket. If we are unable to modify the tower bracket satisfactorily, then we will be coming back to Martin for a resolution.
3) When I was cleaning the mold, I noticed speaker wire hanging down all over the place in the battery compartment. The workmanship looks horrible… nothing is tucked in, and covered like it was before. Rather than running a new set of speaker wires, the existing ones were cut, then tied back together. In a marine environment, where water can be everywhere I question how long the connection will last in comparison to what we had. Combine this with the fact the hole was drilled incorrectly basically leaves us with an almost worse off position than we were before. When asked, you could not tell me on the spot, however I would like to know who did the repair on the tower.. Marin or a Third Party please.
4) It was my understanding there was a battery service done. In looking over the batteries, I noticed one was only 60% fully charged and both had to be topped off with fluid. In total I used ¼ of a bottle of distilled water. Unless I do not understand what you mean by a battery service, it leaves me to question whether anything was done to the batteries at all? Given the first comment above about you having the boat for 8 months leaves us to question what state the batteries are really in. How much damage has been done with them sitting in freezing temperatures… is there a test that can be performed for this?
5) The front (middle) seat cushion was to be replaced under warranty per ***. It never did fit right when we purchased the boat, and as such, caved in every time someone stepped on it. This was discussed with you and him in detail. Upon picking up the boat you did not know where our old cushion one was, nor knew anything about the replacement under warranty. In order for us to use the boat, you had given us a non-matching cushion from a Supra to tide us over. I had talked to you last Saturday (May 12) to follow up on it, which is when you indicated our cushion was put in another boat and sold to another customer? How this can happen I have no idea. I expressed my concern about our old cushion and that we wanted a new one based on what *** had said… it was indicated you would look into it and get back to me on Monday (May 14). On May 22 I called to follow up since I had no word back, only to be advised later that day we would have the cushion when we bring our boat back in June. Is this our original cushion or a new one?
6) The “XLV” sticker and the large graphic on the port side were put back in a different spot from the original. Since the paint had faded over the past couple of years, you can see the outline of where the old stickers used to be. In the sun, you can see it clear as day. This added with the fact the mobius graphic had a rip upon install where it seems someone just tried to patch it together is disappointing. It’s a small tear, however it’s the principle given the fact of how much money was paid to Martin for insurance, warranty work and repairs.
7) The rear transom remote was re-installed but its missing a nut on the back side. Upon further investigation, we found two washers sitting on the floor which look to be part of the assembly. We can only assume that the remote was put back on, with someone forgetting to put one of the nuts back on.
8) The heater hoses were to be fixed back in the fall of 2010. The boat was in for service twice and not fixed until this most recent service where the hoses were actually replaced. I am still not sure why it took 3 service calls to get this job done as we were clear with *** what we wanted done.
9) We asked if you could replace the foam insert where the horn cover is. You indicated you would look to see what you had in stock. This has not been replaced. This was on our original list we provided to *** as well back in the fall of 2010… Not sure what the problem is here as it seems to be a simple fix.
10) We still do not have an answer in how to use the rear seat & the bracket for the back rest. I trust you understand the issue based on our visit and we are hoping for a solution. Again, we talked to Tim about this back in the fall of 2010.
11) When we finally saw a bill for all the work, there was 2 additional service items on the bill that were not requested, nor approved by *** and I. This was the tune up and the replacement of the impeller. The only thing *** discussed with us was our concern with the engine light being on, and the engine running a little rough on start up. *** called to advise they found a concern in 2 of the cylinders likely causing the problem but they wanted to do further work on the motor. He indicated his call was simply a courtesy call to let us know as he was VERY clear all of this engine work was going to be covered under warranty. To then get a $450 bill for a tune up which seemed to fix the problem was unacceptable… and then to notice the impeller replacement charge was also a surprise since it had never been discussed. We agreed to pay the impeller bill because it was likely due anyway, but did not agree to pay for the tune-up… in exchange agreeing to pay to summarize the boat, which you originally said would be taken care of by Martin (for all the problems, much like the boat being detailed). When *** paid the bill, the tune-up charge was only reduced, not fully removed it… once he caught it you then had to process a credit which left an uneasy feeling on our end.


We have always been told how important our business is to Martin and that we will be looked after. There is something missing between these comments, the work done and the feeling we get based on the end result. All we have asked is to have the work done properly and in a reasonable amount of time. Any promises made above and beyond are expected to be delivered on (i.e.: having a clean boat). In return we pay upon pick up and push as much business your way as we can. (i.e.: ******* who just purchased the Blue/White LSV from you).

I am not sure if there is a “go forward solution” as we are currently questioning where we want to take our future business both for sales and service. This email is to only bring to your attention what we have already commented on in the past.


I sent this email to both the service guy and his manager... No reply from either... I own my own business in the service industry... If I treated my customers like this, I would be out of business! I know I am just one person, which is why I wanted to post here to see if anyone else have had issues with them. Regardless, we had an appointment this week, however cancelled it (with no questions from Martin as to why) as we went with another boat company for the service... Since then we found two more issues that Martin was supposed to have fixed, but never did!

[sandm]

I would put together a punchlist of what you expect them to fix and what you want out of it(sorry, didn't take the time to read/digest each issue above). some of what you list here is in the past, such as point 1 with the detail. The boat has been returned and not cleaned as you expected so what are you looking for in return. once you have that list, go visit the general manager with what you expect to happen. my experience has been a visit in person or at the least a phone call will get much more attention than an email delivered to someones inbox that they may or may not get and read. you don't list the age of the boat anywhere. if it's within warranty and these should all be fixed, get skiers involved if you don't get a resolution. if it's out of warranty and you are paying for some of this, find a different dealer.

[wolfeman131]

I like how the forum turned the "8" on your list into a smiley face.

Honestly, I can't quite follow what all is going on here. What I can suggest for you, and others, is to move up the ladder more quickly when you don't receive the service you expect from your local dealer. It seems like this has been going on for quite some time.

I've forwarded a link to this post to SC. If you don't hear from them this week, then reach out to the gentleman below:

Jon Allen
Customer Service
Skier's Choice, Inc.
865-983-9924 ext. 148
[email protected]

[WaterBullDawg1980]

Man that is quite a list. If all happened like you stated I would be HOT. From your side it sounds like there has been a lot of hot air being blown in your direction. It all goes back to what is sounds so simple, "do what you say you are going to do". Obviously things come up that are out of everyone's control and in those instances proper communication is important. Doesn't sound like the dealer has done either of these in your case. Needless to say, I would be upset which obviously you are.

After all these problems, I do not think I would work with that dealer any longer, unless absolutely necessary. Do you have other dealers near by?

[trevormcfar]

Thanks again guys... I guess at the end of the day, I wanted to get it off my chest as its been bugging me for quite some time now. Yes, I could push the issue further by going to the top (as the personal visit has already been done...) As for what we want & making a list for Martin... Well, its simply do what you say you were going to do in a time frame that's reasonable... I do ask questions in my email to them, which they have not answered. To push the issue now I think is just a mute point. At this point we are going to just take our business elsewhere... The feeling we get from Martin is simply our business is just not that important to have... we do have another option for service which is where our boat is now... thus far, the service has been over the top! A nice shout out to Mark at Marcraft Marine in Highriver... As for sales, well, I love the Skiers choice product... In the next couple of years we will be looking to buy another boat, which will not be from Martin.... Hopefully there is another dealer that sells the same product near by.... If not, then its either used, or another product... We will see.... Thanks again...

[Living the Dream.]

I know when we picked up our brand new boat this may from Martin my wife and I felt rushed to get the boat out the door by the sales rep. But in stating that the service manager came by and told us to take our time and go through the boat at our own time. He even stayed with us answering our questions as we were new to owning the v-drive boat. We noticed the gel coat had blemishes in it and our seats had a couple stains ( looks like oil and or grease) but they documented it. The manager said these repairs they could do over the winter so as to not lose the boating weather.

I just hope I don't run in to the things you have??:confused:

[trevormcfar]

the service manager came by and told us to take our time and go through the boat at our own time. He even stayed with us answering our questions as we were new to owning the v-drive boat. We noticed the gel coat had blemishes in it and our seats had a couple stains ( looks like oil and or grease) but they documented it. The manager said these repairs they could do over the winter so as to not lose the boating weather.:

I am not sure what to say... The two service guys are great to talk to and have always given us their undivided attention when we come in. Having said that, the end result was not positive as you can gather from our email.

Going back through the process I'm not sure what we could have done differently other than push them harder at the beginning and stayed on top of them in getting the work done. Not wanting to be "that customer" we never did, and only got involved when we lost confidence in what was being said and what was being done. One would think the process would be simple but apparantly were missing something.

I can only suggest you keep record of all communication and keep on top of the work to be done. If your unhappy with the end result as we were, I can assure you, there are other options on who can service your boat. Good luck...

[WaterBullDawg1980]

Going back through the process I'm not sure what we could have done differently other than push them harder at the beginning and stayed on top of them in getting the work done. Not wanting to be "that customer" we never did, and only got involved when we lost confidence in what was being said and what was being done. One would think the process would be simple but apparantly were missing something.

Ridiculous. A customer should never have to "Stay on top of them". I am the same way. I do not like having the added stress of staying on top of someone and only do it as a last resort. (Which you may have at this point) Having to do that from the beginning would be ridiculous. You did the right thing. Unfortunately it sounds like you may have to crank it up a notch or three at this point.

Let us know what happens!