New Owner-Advice

[brookec]

Hey Guys!

I am so happy to finally be a new Moomba Outback owner (sort of).

I bought my boat from Myer's Marine in Redding, CA. They told me the boat was brand new. They delivered it to my house. When it arrived I was so excited to get it. I noticed that is was pretty dirty and needed cleaning, but I didn't make a big deal about it. It looked like everything was working and it pretty good shape. The guy gave me a short orientation-that is when we realized the bimini clips had not been drilled into my boat. Bummer-but I wasn't going to let it get to me. They said I could have someone do it and they would pay for it. (Guess I would have to wait to take my boat out. But I was still excited to have my boat!

I signed the papers and he left.

When I started cleaning my boat, I noticed many things about my BRAND NEW BOAT that surprised me. If I had been delivered a used boat, I would have had an inspection done-but because the boat was new I was not expecting to find the following:

My boat is filthy dirty.
-There were leaves and dirt under all the seats on throughout the carpet.
-There was dried bird poop on the bimini cover that has stained it from being on so long.
-The white leather seats have stains of black and yellow (sap?)
-The engine cover has black stains
-The cooler is filled with gunk and had a pungent odor

The cover is not new

The cover has white paint that has splashed on it (also bits of it on the boat that I had to rub out), it is faded at all the Velcro due to sun damage, and is very dirty.

-I plan to store my boat inside and not tow with the cover on (which is not recommended and yet is how my boat arrived) and therefore would have a pristine cover.

Trailer bumpers not new

-Trailer bumpers are faded from sun
-One trailer bumper is missing elastic to hold it over foam

Metal trim on entire front windshield is stained with black

I tried to clean this when I had to clean my new boat and it would not come off

Missing rear view mirror

Missing CF numbers and registration sticker

-No latches drilled to attach biminii
-Had to pay Mastercraft dealer $53 to have drilled.

The Tower is scratched


Two of the speaker covers are broken off

The Moomba plate on steering wheel came out twice
Steering wheel faded and worn

Bimini straps are missing and replaced with impossible cheap bungees


Stress crack in boat

(Turns out the boat had been on their lot for 2 years! The guy who sold it to me from Myers Marine didn't even look at the boat before it was taken to be delivered to me.)

Obviously, I wished I would have second guessed the dealer and inspected the boat much better.

Have any of you guys had to deal with anything like this from a Moomba dealer before? My best friend has a Moomba and loves it. Many of the people around here made fun of me for buying a Moomba. They told me it was low quality and that I should buy a Mastercraft or Malibu. I was so embarrassed when they came to look at my new boat and pointed out all of these issues to me. They kept telling me that they told me not to buy one.

Arrrggggg.

I love my Moomba and want to keep it-but the dealer is a nightmare. He said I could bring the boat back to him to get repaired. ( I love that my brand new boat has to get "repaired.") It is a three hour drive there and a three hour drive back for me.

In the end, I decided to get the boat detailed by a pro to see if the stains come out (The dealer is giving me a credit at their store (again three hours away) for $250.) They are going to send me a new cover, steering wheel and bumpers, but I have to pay the shipping $175 to get the old ones back to them. I already paid them $350 to have the boat delivered.

Do you guys think this is acceptable? Should I just suck it up and move on? I feel like I have been ripped off a bit by the dealer (Myers Marine)-but I don't want to taint my new boat buying experience.

I emailed Skier's Choice about this-but they let me know that this is a dealer issue but they will talk to them. (Not sure if they have yet.)

My attorney said I could easily have a case for misrepresentation-but honestly the last thing I want to do is get into some kind of legal battle with this dealer.

I would appreciate any of your input and am looking forward to being a part of this community.

Brooke

[mmandley]

That realy sucks man. I am sorry to hear a Moomba dealer would do this. Is Moomba there main boat they sell?

The local AWS store in town just took over Malibu because the Malibu dealer went belly up. I was in the show room and asked what year the red Malibu was and when did they start putting used boats in the showroom. He said thats a new 60K Malibu.

I was floored. It was nasty and dirty and faded. All the problems you are mentioning. Now way i would have believed it was a New boat. Never been in the water at all.

He said some dealer really don't give a chit about there boats. Its just a machine they sell. You can tell by the way a dealer acts and talks about his boats if there truly boat enthusiasts.

You mentioned getting it detailed? If its looks new when done with that then i wouldn't worry as much about the first impressions, but id be looking for someone else then that dealer for my service.

Hope it works out man. Post some pics of the new baby

[kaneboats]

Before anything else I would want to know how many hours are showing on the hour meter. If it is a used boat then you can demand the sale be voided. Your attorney can negotiate the return. You may even consider prosecution for fraud. However, it sounds like new stock that was kept outdoors and sat a while. It also sounds as though the dealer is at least making an effort. In the long run it may be better to work with them and keep in mind you have warranty coverage.

Edit: Oh yeah, and get some new friends. Which one offered to go with you to the dealer to help make it right?

[brookec]

I appreciate the understanding.

It is amazing with so many dealers going out of business that this dealer acted this way.

Maybe because I am a first time buyer and a girl they thought I wouldn't care or notice.

Seriously though, us ladies like our boats pristine.


I agree that I should just get it on the water (after I get a steering wheel back) and forget about the dealer.


I will post a picture after the detail.

Brooke

[tazz3069]

Welcome to the family Brooke. Nice to see female boat owners on this site. Yes that really sucks about how you were treated. I really hate to say this, but I think they took advantage of you. Being a female and all. I think everybody should be treated the same no matter of age or sex. What is happening to people now a days. Customer service as gone in the toilet. Yes that was nice of them to deliver the boat to you. They should have at least cleaned it, water tested it, and make sure you will be satisfied with your purchase.

Kaneboats is right. You should look at the hour meter on your dashboard. That should tell you everything.

If there is anything else that we can help you with, just drop in a post and you will be flooded with answers.

Tazz

[jmvotto]

brooke, welcome ... sorry to hear about your troubles, as mandley said check the hours. is this an 07 , i bought mine with 4 hrs on it but the boat was new an immaculate. if it was me i would have my lawyer get me a new boat or at least a big credit if i were to keep it for the lousy and unprepared shape the boat was in.

what model an year? did you get a great deal on an 2 yr old new boat, price wise?

[sandm]

welcome to the boards...

I have to say that our experience with our shop(not local, bought out of state) was not stellar and had some issues, but the dealer was willing to help out from 400 miles away, like yours. today, I am more than satisfied with the boat, and the issues we had are a distant memory.

hope you have the same luck, and as long as the dealer continues to offer help, I hope your experience with the boat on the water will overshadow the initial delivery..

[skiyaker]

I have to say that one of the reasons I bought a Moomba is I felt the dealer would take good care of me- and he has. I was a first time boat buyer and I felt he went out of the way to give me some pointers and help me understand the boat. He threw in some cleaning products that he recommended and when I asked what kind of oil I should use he handed me a quart free of charge. I had an issue with a staple from the flip up drivers seat bolster cutting the seat- and he ordered me an entirely new seat. It sounds like you have a lot of issues- most of which are small- but all in all it sounds like you have a boat in used condition and hence I hope you got a used price. Otherwise I'd take the boat back for a full refund and look elsewhere.

[spoon03]

if the boat has not been titled, they can sell as a new boat. i would have taken a lot of pictures and then went to a lawyer unless you got an amazing deal. for a boat that has been sitting for 2 years, i would also have all of the mechanical components checked out. IMO, any mechanical object that sits too long tends to have mechanical issues. seals dry out, corrosion, ect. i work on aircraft for a living. let a helicopter sit for 5 days and it's sure to break. i know boats and aircraft are different, but i think the same principles apply. sorry to hear about a crappy dealer. i have an 09 OBV and it was delivered with a full tank of gas, washed and waxed ( the water beaded) ready to go. i had an electrical issue on day 2 on the water. the owner of the dealer, gave me his cell phone number...i called him on a sunday and holiday at that. he told me, bring it in and he would have somebody on it immediately troubleshooting. which he did. BUMP to Lake Arera Watersports. i truely hope that your dealer works out your issues or you get a new boat.

[moombadaze]

brookec, welcome to the Moomba boards. there are a great group of people on here.

Your story really suprised me, my thinking, a dealer selling a 07 NEW outback would have that sparkling clean and ready to go. Its sad what happens.