cobalt sales staff and kids

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john john

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Noticed that they don't seem to like kids all their boats. They say best boat made so what are they afraid of? Have 2 kids should I not consider their product? Other dealers say have at it we can clean later. Just wandering.
 

jigngrub

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Re: cobalt sales staff and kids

Noticed that they don't seem to like kids all their boats. They say best boat made so what are they afraid of?

Snot, puke, dirty hands, dirty feet, hands all over everything, playing with things they shouldn't... and there's the liability if one of them should fall off of the boat onto the showroom floor.
 

smokeonthewater

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Re: cobalt sales staff and kids

Snot, puke, dirty hands, dirty feet, hands all over everything, playing with things they shouldn't... and there's the liability if one of them should fall off of the boat onto the showroom floor.

I had a couple show up with 3 or 4 kids for a test ride in a boat I was selling..... The gal was really pissed when I said this was a test ride not a family outing.... the kids can play on YOUR boat not mine..... The guy understood and left them on the dock.... After the ride he lowballed me 1/3 of my "FIRM" asking price and said that was all he had...... I laughed and left.... 2 hours later I sold the boat to another couple w kids.... We went for a short ride and then he handed me cash and I handed him titles... we went back to the dock and picked up his family and went back out for a couple hours during which he, his wife, and their oldest son learned to operate the boat.

moral? they weren't afraid of anything.... they didn't peg you as a serious buyer and didn't care to let your kids play on the boats... If you got offended and left then someone else will be coming behind you.
 

agallant80

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Re: cobalt sales staff and kids

I hate to say it but parents have to understand that no one likes your kids as much as you do. It's a boat dealer not a family outing or jungle gym. They are loud, noisy, distracting and dirty.
 

bruceb58

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Re: cobalt sales staff and kids

If I was a boat dealer, I wouldn't want kids climbing over my boats either.
 

CC245

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Re: cobalt sales staff and kids

That is what the boat shows are for.
 

H20Rat

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Re: cobalt sales staff and kids

So OP, if you were selling your house, would you be OK with someone's kids coming in to your for sale house, running around with muddy shoes, and scribbling on your walls? You can always clean it up later, 'ya know! Once the title is yours, do what you want. Until then, you are a guest. Be on your best behavior.

Yeah I don't blame them either! The kids aren't buying the boat... I've also told parents that the kids weren't coming on a test ride. The parents seemed a little put out about it until I explained that it is a requirement that they have life jackets, and I only had 2 adult jackets with.
 
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thunder219

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Re: cobalt sales staff and kids

I had the same problem when I looked at boats. I understand their position also cause a lot of people don't respect other peoples things. I went with the dealer that seemed to go out of their way to treat the boys great by showing them the water toys and showing them inside other boats while I was looking at what I wanted to buy. It worked out great.
 

sam60

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Re: cobalt sales staff and kids

It's not the Manufacturer as stated above, just an effort to protect inventory by a dealer. Would they treat your kids differently if looking at another line of boats?

I would be pleased to even be looking at a Cobalt. My Parents had the '72 18' Runabout in Cobalt's 2nd year, good memories.....when they were small and less expensive.
 

john john

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Re: cobalt sales staff and kids

I can understand several kids could be a problem. but 1 kid doing nothing but walking and sitting in boat , looking around like any kid or adult would do shouldn't be a problem. no runny nose and no muddy shoes. they were more into watching kid than answering questions. don't want them to waste time with non buyer either. if i'm not interested in buying I tell them up front.
 

Home Cookin'

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Re: cobalt sales staff and kids

Well, that's not what you said. The tone and tenor of your first post suggested a horde of feral children wreaking havoc on the merchandise and show room.

The only public place to which it is appropriate to bring small children is a bagpipe concert.
 

smokeonthewater

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Re: cobalt sales staff and kids

maybe they've learned from past experience to keep an eye on the kid... doesn't sound like they said anything negative

I'm still very sympathetic to the dealership.... I LOVE taking my niece n nephew and my friends kids on the boat but I also despite my best efforts have had damage to my vehicles from them.... Maybe the salesman didn't want to take a chance of being held responsible for damage to a 20k? 40k? whatever boat if your kid damaged it and he didn't catch it.
 

sam60

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Re: cobalt sales staff and kids

I can understand several kids could be a problem. but 1 kid doing nothing but walking and sitting in boat , looking around like any kid or adult would do shouldn't be a problem. no runny nose and no muddy shoes. they were more into watching kid than answering questions. don't want them to waste time with non buyer either. if i'm not interested in buying I tell them up front.

The others and myself aren't trying to give you a hard time, just responding to your post. While considering a major purchase such as a boat that you will be hoping to enjoy for awhile, childcare for a few hours may be worth the investment. Don't let the dealer bug you about your kids behavior as it was most likely from a previous experience.

OOPS.. ^ ^ Kevin said it, while hunted and pecked....
 
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tpenfield

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Re: cobalt sales staff and kids

I can understand several kids could be a problem. but 1 kid doing nothing but walking and sitting in boat , looking around like any kid or adult would do shouldn't be a problem. no runny nose and no muddy shoes. they were more into watching kid than answering questions. don't want them to waste time with non buyer either. if i'm not interested in buying I tell them up front.

Probably something more specific with the dealer than with the brand. Perhaps they have bad experiences in the past.
 

john john

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Re: cobalt sales staff and kids

Agree with everyone. Have friends with kids that can visit anytime and others that are not so welcomed. Now if anyone knows, does the 242 or 262 have carry on ice chest? Never got around to that at show and cannot find it anywhere in books, internet. No dealer close enough either.
 

Wind dog

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Re: cobalt sales staff and kids

Wow, pretty anti family aren't we? I have two kids, 7 & 9, they are respectful, clean and well behaved ( In public anyway ). If I was looking at a boat & the seller had a problem with my kids sitting in the boat I was considering I'd tellm' to pound sand and be out the door.
 

airdvr1227

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Re: cobalt sales staff and kids

From the salesperson's veiwpoint it's an annoyance at best. Unless the kids have been turned loose with a black magic marker they really can't do much damage. Imagine when you were that age and your parents took you into a boat showroom. Excitement is exactly the response we are trying to get. It is a boat show every day. It would be nice if there was a kids area but space was at a premium so you just dealt with it. Some kids were worse than others (and it always seemed the parents with the most disposable income had the most rotten kids). I can say with 100% certainty that it wasn't the kid's fault. You don't want to get me started on that. :D

However, it was a safety concern. We had "docks" in our showroom to give people a feel for what it might be like on the water. Those docks were about 42" tall and there were many places you could take a tumble. It was actually more of a concern with the elderly and infirm than the kids. The real problem for the sales staff was the kids kept distracting mom and dad from the thought process of a boat purchase. It's difficult to sit down and negotiate a sale while the kids are vying for the parents attention. Parents; OK to take the kids looking but do yourself a favor and leave them with someone when it comes time to make the deal.
 

wgl333

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Re: cobalt sales staff and kids

All great insight above...but one other aspect to consider....Mom and Dad are there to gain insight and for the dealers sake, hopefully make an substantial investment in that dealer. If they are distracted cause little Johnny is crawling under the boat, or little Suzy cannot get out of the cuddy.....or little Gertrude is playing around the prop......how on earth is a deal going to get done?
 
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