Dealers and boat mechanics and your experiences with them good or bad !!!

[JackMagnum]

I bought a new pontoon last spring from Point Breeze Marina in Saratoga N.Y. The sale went fine but the after service stinks.My motor ran like crap and after they had it for what seemed like eternity I found out they had put break-in oil in the gas tank.It's a four stroke motor !!!! It's extremely hard to get any service out of them.I have tried to be co-operative and set up appointments when it was coveinent for them but all I get is the run around.I asked them what the best time to bring it in to have warranty work done and they said in the fall,so it has been there all Winter and still isn't done.I have caught them in a few lies and seems like the stories change every time my wife or I talk with the owner or mechanic !!!!Anyway,just wondering if this dealer is an isolated case of,Don't want to see ya after the sale or if there's more horror stories out there ?
                                Jack

[water_wolf]

Sorry about your bad experience.  I normally deal with Silver Lake Marine, partly because I have a summer camp there and it's convenient, but mostly because they are IMHO terrific people to deal with.  The Bellamy's are a class act of people and Scott in their service department is always cordial and efficient.  They are certainly not the cheapest price on the block, but the service you get is well worth the price of admission.

[Polar]

If I where you I would contact the manufacture of your boat,Tell them what's going on.Most likely that marina is a authorized dealer for them.

[Bigfish57]

sound advice

[JackMagnum]

If I where you I would contact the manufacture of your boat,Tell them what's going on.Most likely that marina is a authorized dealer for them.

Polar,
                      I have contacted Bennington Marine both e-mail and phone calls.I have talked with them a few times to let them know the kind of service that I am not getting.They said they would set it up with Point Breeze and when I would call them they would say They didn't get any calls from Bennington.I showed them the e-mails from Bennington confirming the go ahead on repairs and still they denied any notice.I then contacted Bennington again and they said they contacted Point Breeze but they hadn't called them back with the parts order.Bennington told me they would send out the parts I said I needed to the Point Breeze Marina and would follow up with them.That was last Fall.Wife talked with the marina again this morn-n and the owner says now they need to order a complete binnacle control from Mercury and our boat should be ready by the end of next week.My question is if the mechanic is on vacation this week when and who determined that I need a new control unit? Like I said,seems to be a different story everytime we talk to these guys.

[JackMagnum]

Come on guys !!!!
                       There's got to be some more opinions on good or bad boat dealers and mechanics in N.Y.State.
 Alot of boats out there so I know you people must have some stories.I want to hear em all.
                       Jack

[JerryofWNY]

I have to concur with Water Wolf on Silver Lake Marine. I think I purchased the first boat they sold, a used MFG 14' tri-hull. When I enquired about it they were in the process of buying the business and weren't even sure if they owned the boat or not. Have had them do  work on my motors several times since and they have been very dependable. Last year I took my '74 Merc to them for a problem they could not solve. Worked two days and did not correct the problem and didn't charge me a nickel even though there were a few new gaskets and such. Scott apologized profusely for not solving my problem. Said it was a first for him and seemed genuinely embarassed. If I were to buy a new boat I wouldn't consider another dealer. Have sent several people to buy boats from them and have not heard one complaint.
Right now the Merc is at Richmond Marine in Honeoye on the recommendation of Eyedoctor from this board. He got right at it and I'll be picking it up Wed. and water testing on Honeoye. I'll report back as to how successful he was in solving my problem. Hopefully the motor will run fine and we'll pick up a few crappies to boot.
As far as price goes, remember we are talking boats here, so it seems everything is more expensive than we would like.

[JackMagnum]

Jerry,
        Thanks for responding.That's what I am looking for is feed back on dealers and mechanics.Sounds like you've found a good one in your area.Your definately right about cost.Anything marine means lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$
                                                                                                        Jack

[mcully]

Bud and Rose Reiter on rt. 3 in sandy creek have always done right by me. They deal used and new and have repair service. Be prepared to talk awhile as it is a true mom and pop shop. But they are always willing to help. Truly nice people

[JackMagnum]

Bud and Rose Reiter on rt. 3 in sandy creek have always done right by me. They deal used and new and have repair service. Be prepared to talk awhile as it is a true mom and pop shop. But they are always willing to help. Truly nice people

Those mom and pop bussinesses are a rarity !!! I knew a couple of bike shops like that where you could go in the mechanics area and shoot the bull and felt like one of the guys.Don't hear of that anymore.

[JerryofWNY]

As mentioned in my previous post, my boat was being serviced at Richmond Marine in Honeoye. The boat acted as if it were flooding out at about 1/2 throttle. Everything in the fuel system checked out. He found the problem to be a plugged exhaust port. Picked up the boat yesterday and it runs like a top. He was pretty fast with his service. Longest time was waiting for a few gaskets. I would recommend Tom Lennon at Richmond Marine for anyone in the western Finger Lakes region of New York.