New boat - am I expecting too much?

[Silver Eagle]

Re: New boat - am I expecting too much?

You are lucky that the dealer was near the water.A lot aren't.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: New boat - am I expecting too much?

Funny thing, I prefer to find all that out by myself. I hate when some dealer tries to muddle through showing me stuff they really do not know themselves.. Gas, well just be glad they actuallly filled it. Times are tough and profit margins are low, so filling a tank with these gas prices cut into profit big time. Taking you to the ramp and driving it should have been done before you bought it in my opinion.. Not after you handed over the money and signed the papers. I test drove several boats before I bought mine, and I am glad I did, or I might be in a lousy handling Sea Ray right now.

All in all, I dont think they did anything out of the ordinary. Had you wanted more, maybe you could have called that guy you cant remember the name of. But like I said, I prefer to discover my boat, and cars for that matter, on my own. I learn more and get a better "feel" for it that way. When someone else is describing things to me, I tend to tune them out for some reason.

 

[bassman284]

Re: New boat - am I expecting too much?

Wow. A lot of you guys have pretty low standards/expectations of service. I'm assuming that even a itty bitty 21' Cobalt goes somewhere north of $50k. I don't think transom straps would be too much to ask. I guess I'm spoiled. I got way better treatment than that when I bought my $15k Lund in 2001.

Just wondering - does the "captain's delivery" involve an extra charge?

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: New boat - am I expecting too much?

Wow. A lot of you guys have pretty low standards/expectations of service. I'm assuming that even a itty bitty 21' Cobalt goes somewhere north of $50k. I don't think transom straps would be too much to ask. I guess I'm spoiled. I got way better treatment than that when I bought my $15k Lund in 2001.

Just wondering - does the "captain's delivery" involve an extra charge?

Agreed, transom straps should have been included. Even Tahoe gives them to you on a $20k boat. I was kind of more refering to the delivery, not what was given at the delivery. I would have expected transom straps, a full tank of gas and a full detail. Oh and working trailer lights. LOL. All should have been done before delivery, not with the customer standing there waiting.

 

[bnicov]

Re: New boat - am I expecting too much?

If you think customer Service is lacking in the US, Canada is even worse. Everybody has a sense of entitlement and thinks they are owed the world. Get with it folks, take pride in what you do, whether you pour coffee or are the CEO of a large mulitnational.

 

[zagger]

Re: New boat - am I expecting too much?

A year ago I purchased a new Regal and was not happy with the service I was getting from the dealer. When factory called me with a survey I expressed my dissatisfaction. One week later I got a call from another Regal dealer (100 miles away) asking me if they could be of service. We made an appointment and they send over a mechanic to my house to tidy up my new boat, then we spend 4 hours on the water making sure I knew every part of my boat and everything was up to Regal standard. This is my second new boat and I was absolutely blown away with the response both from factory and from a good dealer. Guess no two dealers are alike but if you are not happy with the buying experience let the factory know, a company like Cobalt will stand behind their product. Congrats on the new toy.

 

[ErikF]

Re: New boat - am I expecting too much?

I've never bought a new boat and probably never will so I have no experience with dealer customer service, however with that being said I would have been very disappointed if I received the type of service you had. Heck I was treated better when I bought my last boat used! Heck, it wasn't even an expensive boat but the previous owner spent a good four hours with me going over all the details of the boat, explaining what everything did, he even got on the phone with his mechanic to answer questions for me.

If I were spending the money for a new boat I would fully expect the salesperson to take the time to answer any questions I had and make sure I was fully comfortable with operating the boat before we finished business.

 

[ErikF]

Re: New boat - am I expecting too much?

One week later I got a call from another Regal dealer (100 miles away) asking me if they could be of service. We made an appointment and they send over a mechanic to my house to tidy up my new boat, then we spend 4 hours on the water making sure I knew every part of my boat and everything was up to Regal standard. This is my second new boat and I was absolutely blown away with the response both from factory and from a good dealer.

This is exactly the type of service I would expect with a new purchase, of course I would expect it the first time!

 

[drrpm]

Re: New boat - am I expecting too much?

That sounds pretty slipshod for delivery of a new premium boat. I got better service when I bought my boat and it was used.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: New boat - am I expecting too much?

While I think you got decent service, I would be a bit disappointed at that level of service from a Cobalt dealer. I wouldn't expect them to explain every single light switch, I would expect them to point out where the covers/support poles are, towing instructions, features, and any other little idiosyncracies. On the other side of the equation, sometimes it's difficult to know what type of training a person will need. I would be annoyed if the salesman started showing me how to set an anchor or use the trim, but my experience level isn't "beginner". Perhaps the boating knowledge level should be discussed before the on-water orientation began. Either way, contact Cobalt and let them know your experience so that they can take corrective action if needed.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: New boat - am I expecting too much?

I bought 9 new boats over the years and 1 used boat. I only used 2 dealers on the new boats and always had great service. All but two sales offered an 'on the water test'. One was near a lake that did not permit large boats but it was still put in the water on a ramp and run. The other was far from water. Every one took as much time as I desired. I received better treatment from the individual the used boat was bought from than OP received from his Cobalt dealer.