I am sure many of you are getting tired of my posts in this thread but I feel I need to update it as it may well end up serving as a running tally of my interactions with this business. And should the issues not be resolved properly, it may provide some others with some history of this group (should I opt to post names publically).
Anyhow, as noted yesterday, I was told the boat would be ready between 5-6pm yesterday evening. I told him flat out that I would be there at 6pm to pick up the boat. I resent over our running list of scope activities and said "Please confirm that all work is complete. We will use this is a checklist to confirm work and determine final payment."
As I was walking out of my house at 4:45pm to head down to the marina, I get a phone call from him saying "How pressed are you on having to get this boat this afternoon?". I explain that I am definately pressed as I need to drop the boat off at another location to have the wood/starboard work completed and that I was out of town for this coming weekend - so it needed to be done ASAP or it wouldn't be done until I got back (costing me 1/2 - 1 week). He goes on to tell me that he was hosing down the boat to get it ready for pickup and he realized he had left some overspray on the gelgoat around the windsheild framing he had just finished (he stripped it, primed it and repainted it). He was working on it as we spoke but it was taking quite a while to get worked out. I said "I will drive slow - but I will be there just after 6pm - have it ready."
So I swing by and grab Pops (part owner of the boat) and we head down. We pull in the yard around 615pm. The guy is working some compound around the boat hitting some of his overspray spots. As he is explaining this all to me, I pull out my list and start going through the items as I walk the boat.
First thing I notice is that the cable for the whinch (electric) hasn't be replaced. I mention this and he shows me a brand new cable still in a bag. He asks if I could help him with it as it would only take 5 minutes. I oblige figuring he had put it off to the end. So we yank out the old one and hook the new one up. No big deal.
I then notice the rub rail. He was asked to repair two spots - one where a screw had popped pulling the rub rail away from the boat. And a second spot that needed to be caulked because water was pushing under it into the cuddy (on really rough weather). Neither were done.
I hop up into the boat following my list. He did replace the guages and I confirmed they worked. The horn was installed and working. The VHF was rewired and seemed to work great. New marine radio was installed in the cuddy and working good (he actually did a hell of a job with this).
I stepped down into the cuddy and quickly noticed that he didn't repair a hole where the previous owner must have removed the tucked away head unit (cracked the plastic flooring/molding). This guy was to patch this hole and install a storage unit in this space that would house a few tackle boxes as I didn't want to replace the head unit. When I broached this - he said "Oh, I have the kit/materials in the shop - I just ran out of time. I can give them to you if you want to handle it yourself."
So I stepped up to the helm and hit the trim down button ........ nothing. So I asked. I was told "Yeah, I ordered the part a week ago and they sent me the wrong one. So I ordered the correct one yesterday and tried to have it overnighted, but they couldn't do it. It should be here Thursday." He explained it was an easy fix - simple unplug/plug type thing and that he could have it shipped directly to me.
At this point, I am almost laughing because I am hearing excuse after excuse and this guy apparently sees nothing wrong with statements like "I ran out of time" or "overnighting" when he's had my boat for 3+ months.
So I ask him to hook up the water to the motor so we can make sure everything fires up as it should. He hooks up the rabbit ears and hops in the boat and turns it over .............. nothing. She just cranks and pops. He flips it a few times for the same result. He states "I just had it running earlier after the tune up ....... I don't know why she is acting this way." Keep in mind, he told me Friday afternoon (on the phone) that he had already done the tune up that day and that she was running "beautifully". I digress.
He cranks it over a few times then moves back and pops the cover - checking for something disconnected. He puts his hand on the starter and explains that it is VERY hot and likely is the culprit. I explain that the starter is brand new - bought in July last year. Granted, they can be "bad" right out of the box (I've seen it) but I wouldn't assume it to be the problem from the get-go given it's age. However, he states it's pulling alot of volts and is hot and that apparently Johnson has a history of crap starters (new to me). I let him talk.
At this point I say "Man, I can't take the boat like this. If nothing else was done but the servicing of the motor, I would have settled up and drove off. However, you can't get/keep the boat running so I can only assume there is a problem you need to fix. You haven't completed 1/2 the items on the list (even the easy stuff). The stuff you've done looks great (honestly) but with several of the major items (to me at least) being incomplete - I can't yank this boat. When will it be done?"
He tells me that he simply ran out of time to which I reminded him that he had it for 3 months. He said he could work on it tomorrow (today) but he also had a repair order on the books for the AM on another boat. I cut him off and said "You were supposed to have my boat ready by March 15th and didn't. You were supposed to have my boat done by April 1rst and didn't. You were supposed to have my boat ready by this past weekend and didn't. And you were supposed to have my boat ready by 6pm this evening .......... and didn't. You need to tell whomever's boat is on the books tomorrow that you are making my boat a priority and that you will be getting it done. By your own estimate - you have 1/2 a days work left ...... that should give you plenty of time. I will be back mid-afternoon tomorrow to pick up my completed boat."
I was polite (more than I should've been) and handed him a copy of the working list we had in place. He stated "good, cause my printer was broken and I couldn't print this off." I said "Use it as a check list because I plan on walking through everything again tomorrow. This way you can confirm everything was done."
He is likely going to have to buy a new starter (I should be able to return the other one under warranty I hope) and if that solves the issue - I am fine with that. I could easily do it myself but I don't plan on paying anything more then previously discussed (other than the part itself) so no harm no foul.
I am passed the point of complete frustration. I am almost in sense of amazement and pity. Even if the boat is ready tonight, I may simply just tell him I will be there at 6pm and not show up until next week. Let him call a few times trying to collect his coin. Oddly enough, I would feel some satisfaction in that.
Sorry for the running rant.
