horrible experience with mercury outboard - advice needed!

Hi Everyone:

One of my coworkers just purchased a new boat setup from some dealer in
Shawano WI and they've had nothing but heartache and misery with the thing.
I don't know all of the horrible details but, in short, the first time they
went to pickup (a 4 hour drive from their residence near Madison WI) the
boat the dealer indicated that it had been "lost" (they couldn't find it in
their inventory). By the next weekend the boat had been "found" and they
brought it back to their residence (another 4 hour drive approx.). They
took it out that Wednesday night to test everything out and break in the
outboard per the manufacturer's (Mercury) specifications/instructions and by
the time they got out on the lake the Mercury motor quit. All of the alarms
started sounding; they were basically stranded. They were able to get the
motor started at short intervals and after some time made it back to shore.
My coworkers husband argued with the dealer in Shawano in an attempt to get
a brand new outboard but failed. All they were willing to do was replace
the power head which was finally agreed upon by both parties. Forward to
last weekend when they took the boat out again for the 2nd trial run.
Unfortunately the outboard did nearly the same thing as the first time.
Started making horrible noises, stopped running/would 't start, alarms going
crazy, etc. Well, they're not quite sure where to turn. All told, it's
been about a 2 month fiasco and they're ready to give up.

Sorry for the lack of details, bet I figured you guys might have some advice
for someone in their situation and wondered if you might post your ideas so
that I can relay the information to them.

Thanks.

J.P.

I think its time to go over the dealers head and go directly to either the boat
manufacturer or Mercury themselves and tell them the story in detail

Fishong Fishhard
Harold Range
911 Bass Anglers
Delaware Valley Outdoors

for someone in their situation and wondered if you might post your ideas so
that I can relay the information to them.

I would have to agree. Your friend needs to move up the food chain if they
are not getting satisfaction.

On the flip side, a friend of mine mentioned he went through three power
heads on his Mercury while it was under warranty. He has had the motor for
about seven years now.

Hearing these kind of tales makes a person think huh? Who is the dealer?

"UMFCHRFISH" wrote in message
...
I think its time to go over the dealers head and go directly to either the
boat
manufacturer or Mercury themselves and tell them the story in detail

Fishong Fishhard
Harold Range
911 Bass Anglers
Delaware Valley Outdoors

for someone in their situation and wondered if you might post your ideas
so
that I can relay the information to them.

Mercury has district reps that you can get a hold of thru the factory, it's
their job to take care of the customer. The dealer should have called them
from the get go if a motor trashed on the first outing, as a quality control
check if nothing else, so they could get the engine back to the factory to
see what was up.

"J.P." long_jp(at)yahoo(dot)com wrote in message
...
Hi Everyone:

One of my coworkers just purchased a new boat setup from some dealer in
Shawano WI and they've had nothing but heartache and misery with the
thing.

Hi JP,

Sounds to me like your friend went to American Marine to buy his boat. That
was his biggest mistake! American advertises that they have the lowest
prices and there's a reason for those low prices, service SUCKS!!!

Virtually everyone that I've known to purchase a boat from American has had
nothing but trouble when it comes to service, support and boat setup.
There've been a whole laundry list of problems, from things miswired,
trailers improperly setup, oil lines pinched, etc.

One guy I know had his motor mounted off center by 5 1/2 inches! This
wasn't a clamp on motor either, the transom was drilled to do this!

It'll be difficult, but if I was your friend, I'd try to get my money back
under the Lemon Law and go elsewhere for a boat.

Sometimes, lowest price isn't the best deal,
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

Sounds to me like your friend went to American Marine to buy his boat.

Ding, Ding, Ding!!! We have a winner....

I feel horribly bad about what they (and, apparently, others) have had to go
through, especially when you consider the amount of time, effort,
calculation and worry that goes along with significant purchases such as a
complete boating setup.

Well, thanks for the comments everyone. I've supplied the URL of this
discussion to my coworker and I'm sure they will find the information
invaluable.

Once again, many thanks for the comments and information.

Take Care n' Tight Lines,

J.P.

"Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers" wrote in
message ...

"J.P." long_jp(at)yahoo(dot)com wrote in message
...
Hi Everyone:

One of my coworkers just purchased a new boat setup from some dealer in
Shawano WI and they've had nothing but heartache and misery with the
thing.

Hi JP,

Sounds to me like your friend went to American Marine to buy his boat.
That
was his biggest mistake! American advertises that they have the lowest
prices and there's a reason for those low prices, service SUCKS!!!

Virtually everyone that I've known to purchase a boat from American has
had
nothing but trouble when it comes to service, support and boat setup.
There've been a whole laundry list of problems, from things miswired,
trailers improperly setup, oil lines pinched, etc.

One guy I know had his motor mounted off center by 5 1/2 inches! This
wasn't a clamp on motor either, the transom was drilled to do this!

It'll be difficult, but if I was your friend, I'd try to get my money back
under the Lemon Law and go elsewhere for a boat.

Sometimes, lowest price isn't the best deal,
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com