Home › Forums › Bass Cat Boats › I went to my local BassCat dealer and had a sorta weird conversation
clownshoes.
I had never met these folks before so I wanted to look through their inventory and just talk for a little while. One of the owners I talked to was a very nice person. I told him that I was selling my Skeeter and was interested in buying a BassCat. I asked him if he had any guys that buy from him on a regular basis that was interested in selling their boat to get a new one. He said not really. He only had 3 boats on his lot, which I was not interested in buying. I told him that I was looking for a deal on an 08 boat and just wanted to meet him incase I needed to have service work done. This is where it got weird. Next he tells me that they do not solicit service or warranty work and that warranty work is not profitable. That struck me as odd, so I asked him if I bought a BassCat if I could have my boat and motor serviced here. To me, having a good relationship with a dealer is very important. He then said that he would do the service work, but it would be a whole different type of service than what his customers receive. He said he would always take care of his customers first and if that meant that I had to wait until the were not busy that was just the way it was. I then asked him, does that mean you do not stand behind BassCat customers. He said they do but it is a different level of customer service. At that point I left because the whole reason I am looking at BassCat is because of Customer Service. I couldnt believe that conversation went down that way. I know, that if one of their customers that has bought 3 boats needed some warranty work done, it would get higher priority than me, but I have never had a dealer tell me that to my face. There are a ton of folks like myself that just cant pay for a brand new boat, but can afford a nice used boat in the low 30K range. Have any of you ever had a conversation like this with the dealer you use? Im not sure what to make of this. Are their any other dealers in the Baton Rouge, LA area. I appreciate the feedback. skip
That aint sorta weird. BCB will get this fixed.C.O.D. Jr. III
This is a common problem on dealer relations. Since we know your dealership, one issue is that they are not staffing a tech 8 hours daily (5×8=40). They let their Tech come in at night and handle service. He is not a day employee and really does almost work second shift to do service work. That does change their position some. Overall we do like the dealer you mentioned and we do feel that they will take care of you, though you will have to leave your rig with them on occasion and the drop in service is limited. We have had absolutely zero complaints from the customers they have handled to this point. There are several dealers in the BR area who handle service at a higher priority than sales and focus more on service. That southern LA market has all sorts of wrenches. BCB
I have run across some bad dealers, but nothing like this. No dealer should say this to a potential customer without explanation, regardless of brand of boat. An explanation of why the service would be this way (few tech personnel) by the dealer would have resolved this issue. LOZmanLast edited by Guest on July 29th, 2009, 10:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.0 people like this MORE kobassattack Posts, 53, ||Registered Member
Get ahold of the guys at Bowden marine in Houston. They know some guys that need to sell their lightly used boats to get their new ones.
If you want to see and feel the true relationship of a genuine BassCat Dealer, then you need to visit EKs Marine in West Monroe La. (120 cryer st.) (318 361 9364) These guys and gal bleed BassCat. Youre always welcomed as a Family member. They dont care where you bought your Cat. Yes they would like you to buy from them but sometimes it just doesnt work out that way. “You will never here them say that they cant work on or that you have to go to the back of a long waiting list because you didnt purchase it there.” Even in the busy times of the year, you can call, give them a heads up and they will do the very best to accommodate. You need to come see for yourself. They even have a few new and used Cats for sale. Believe me, its worth the trip. http://www.eksmarine.com/ Dont let this one incident sway you not to consider a Cat. “Go and visit a genuine BassCat Dealer.” Glynn
but it is interesting that dealers in this area for recreational craft be it boats, snowmobiles or ATVs were gravitating that way a few years back and then the economy started kicking back and most re-thought that approach. We do not have any local BCB dealers so I am speaking of recreational businesses in general. I wonder if any of them ever thought how much their approach to a consumer new or old factors into that consumers decision down the road. Today too many businesses think of the one time sale……..I know I want the same person coming back to me for 25, 30, 35 years and longer…. BCB definitely shows that out of the factory….It is so much easier to seal a deal with someone that knows and trusts you then it is in the time it takes someone to get comfortable enough with you to purchase from you…. Lastly never under estimate ANYONE…………. the very person you try to “profile” as a potential future buyer or not will be the one time you get it wrong…….
There was once a boat dealer in my area that said the only reason he had a service department was to take care of his customers(people that bought boats from him). He would take work from people that didnt buy from him, but he let them know up front he would not work on their stuff until all his customers were taken care of. He would not help you buy or sell a boat to or from an individual because it might cost him a sale. This dealer was very successful. If someone didnt like the way he ran HIS business, they could go elsewhere. This guy was polite, but he was very blunt. I think I would rather someone tell me the truth upfront, rather than find out about his policies after I put my rig in for service.
I know a dealer (not a BCB dealer) that told my buddy that had bought boats from him in the past that if he bought a boat from another dealer that he would not service the warranty work. Needless to say my buddy no longer fishes his tournament trail or does buisness with him anymore you do that too many times and your are in the poor house. Hey Glenn are you going to fish the NBT tounaments around here. LaSabre
20-30 hours of labor is a bigger income than the average profit on the sale of a new boat. Some guys make doctors look like good businessmen.C.O.D. Jr. III
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