Are Dealers Ruining The Moomba Brand

[SHANE1300]

it seems that this is an on going issue but these guys are working hard to solve the issues, i had the same issue i bought my boat out of state and my local dealer said i had to take it where i bought it for any warranty work. the guys at SC worked for me and i believe we have resolved our situation. With the decision of buying a moomba it seems that the decision was a good one, because i love the boat and have lots of fun with it, but these guys are standing behind what they do and love, helping us all out that own a moomba boat....

[BoatmanCan]

While many people may think that to protect one's "territory" is normal, it is not. It is also illegal and goes against federal antitrust laws.

Do buy out of state and do not fear your dealer maybe not servicing. You should also let Moomba know of this dealer's attempt to control prices. Moomba's philosophy of offering a boat at attractive prices is not supported by this dealer.

I should know I did just the same thing. I touch wood as I have not needed repairs under warranty.

Good luck !

[BoatmanCan]

One more thing. I drove 10 hours to buy my boat.

It seems that people try to avoid naming those "bad" dealers why? being politically correct or fear of reprisals ??

One thing I can do is name a great dealer:


Gillan Marine - Alton Bay, Mass

This is the place I drove 10 hours to.

They gave me a great price and great service. I did run into some trouble with a defective fuel pump after 6 hours. They shipped one Puro in 2 days I had it and it was installed easily.

Thanks the Gillan Team !!!

Any out ow staters in the east - fear not.

[jayoutback]

I must say while we are on the dealer topic. I live in PHX AZ and i must say our dealer has to be about the worst customer service i have ever been given in my life... There is a long story with this statement from many of us owners . So i wont bore any one with it. I just have to say when you go to the lake here there allot of moombas and Supra boats and a big group of us that know each other. The skinny is we love the boats.
b
But i must say if you ask any of them they will tell you service after the sale is a joke.
Just my 2 cents

[2006LSV]

BoatmanCan, I like the way you talk. I too drove about 10 hours to buy my boat.
Just to give another follow up. I did email Rick at skiers choice, but didnt hear back from him. I think maybe he was planning on helping me buy I boat...but since I already had one...im not sure. Maybe my email got sorted into the bulk file..? They did just send out a survey, so Ill send that back. But, im still hesitant about giving the "local dealer" the true credit they deserve. I can just see me slamming them and then needing warranty service next year and getting the standard crapy service with a little something special for me. So well see.
One more weekend for my boat and Im putting it away for the winter. Local Mastercaft dealer is set for winterization with A+ service at a much better price.

[2006LSV]

better price for service that is

[smokedog2]

Well, sorry to hear you guys are unhappy. I agree the dealer makes a big difference in how happy you are.

When I picked my boat up after winterizing there were Sanger, MC and Malibu’s scattered about (that's a joke - if you know my dealer you'll get it). Those of you looking for a boat might want to drive by the dealers and see what is on the lot. I like my dealer and it shows in the collection he has on the lot.

SD2

The scattered part is a joke - he has a bit of construction going on

[shulaj]

Restricting Trade by Dealers and Skiers Choice is Illegal (in some forms)

I am piping in here for the reason that I have done SEMINARS on this topic in Vegas to other dealers in a different industry. This is not legal.

Resale price maintenance agreements. Vertical price-fixing -- an agreement between a supplier and a dealer that fixes the minimum resale price of a product -- is a clear-cut antitrust violation. It also is illegal for a manufacturer and retailer to agree on a minimum resale price.


Read below.

Non-price agreements between a manufacturer and a dealer. Manufacturer-imposed limitations on how or where a dealer may sell a product, e.g., service obligations or territorial limitations, are generally not illegal. These agreements may result in greater sales efforts and better service in the dealer’s assigned area, and more competition with other brands. Some non-price restraints may be anticompetitive. For example, an exclusive dealing arrangement may prevent other manufacturers from obtaining enough access to sales outlets to be truly competitive. Or it might be a way for manufacturers to stop competing so hard against each other. Take the case against the two principal manufacturers of pumps for fire trucks. It involved agreements that required their customers, the fire truck manufacturers, to buy pumps only from the manufacturer that was already supplying them. That meant that neither pump manufacturer had to fear competition from the other.


Agreements among competitors to divide sales territories or allocate customers -- essentially, agreements not to compete -- are presumed to be illegal.
Restraints of other business practices. Other kinds of agreements also can restrict competition. For example:

A large group of Detroit-area auto dealers agreed to restrict their showroom hours, including closing on Saturdays. The agreement reduced a service that dealers normally provide -- convenient hours -- and made it difficult for consumers to comparison shop. The FTC challenged the agreement successfully.
A group of dentists refused to make patients’ X-rays available to insurance companies. The FTC maintained that the agreement restricted a service to patients, as well as information that would be relevant to reimbursements. The Supreme Court upheld the FTC’s ruling.
Proving a violation in these kinds of cases depends largely on proving the existence of an agreement. An explicit agreement can be demonstrated through direct evidence -- a document that contains or refers to an agreement, minutes of a meeting that record an agreement among the attendees, or testimony by a person with knowledge of an agreement. But an agreement also can be demonstrated by inference -- a combination of circumstantial evidence, including the fact that competitors had a meeting before they implemented certain practices, records of telephone calls, and signaling behavior -- when one company tells another that it intends to raise prices by a certain amount. This evidence must show that a company’s conduct was more likely the result of an agreement than a unilateral action.

[viking]

Damn - just found this old thread and thought I'd revive it.
With the transaction of buying my Outback going so smoothly, I thought I'd be a SC owner forever. But over the past 2 years I've had nothing but issues trying to do business with the only dealer within 300miles. Thinking NOW that it was the salesman who bent over backwards to help me and he is long gone. Probably cause of the employer? Who knows.
Anyhow, the "local" dealer can have a lot of impact on how happy people are with their brand of boat long term. Just sayin

[Razzman]

Damn - just found this old thread and thought I'd revive it.
With the transaction of buying my Outback going so smoothly, I thought I'd be a SC owner forever. But over the past 2 years I've had nothing but issues trying to do business with the only dealer within 300miles. Thinking NOW that it was the salesman who bent over backwards to help me and he is long gone. Probably cause of the employer? Who knows.
Anyhow, the "local" dealer can have a lot of impact on how happy people are with their brand of boat long term. Just sayin

I couldn't agree with you or this way old thread more! Seriously, If and when I'm ready for a new boat and the current NorCal Moomba / Supra dealer is still the dealer at that time then I'll be looking elsewhere as well, probably MB.