Customer service and iboats

[f_inscreenname]

I bought two items about 2 years ago (strangely within a week of each other) that for some reason both did not work this weekend.
One was a KeelGuard scuff buster. When I released my boat from the trailer it fell off. I contacted them last night by email knowing it was out of warrantee and asked if I could get the glue to put it back on. They called the house 4 times today to make sure they sent out the right replacement as soon as they could. I bet the girl took it to the post office the second after we got off the phone.
I also bought a “drop in horn” from ibaots. It has a five year warrantee. I send a email to iboats last night stating the issue and that I tried another horn and it worked fine. Honestly I expected a simple replacement from the folks I bought it from just like what would have happened if I would have bought it at Wal-Mart.
This is ibaots response.
Mr Robinson
Ongaro is the manfacturer of this item and they have the 5 year warranty. For more information you can call 1-856-456-1003.
Thank you,
Nate Kobs
iboats Sales

Sounds like passing the buck. Just doesn’t seem right.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Customer service and iboats

Just doesn?t seem right.

What doesn't...they don't honor someone else's warranty? Iboats didn't offer the warranty, it isn't their problem. I have my issues with iboats customer service as well, but 2 years later no retailer is obligated to offer you anything what so ever. Walmart sure as hell isn't going to handle a warranty replacement for you 2 years later.

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: Customer service and iboats

What doesn't...they don't honor someone else's warranty? Iboats didn't offer the warranty, it isn't their problem. I have my issues with iboats customer service as well, but 2 years later no retailer is obligated to offer you anything what so ever. Walmart sure as hell isn't going to handle a warranty replacement for you 2 years later.

Hummm... You buy something some where, it breaks and when you go to take it back for a exchange the tell you to go to the manufacture? Not in Bennett, KeelGuard, etc, etc tradition.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Customer service and iboats

Hummm... You buy something some where, it breaks and when you go to take it back for a exchange the tell you to go to the manufacture? Not in Bennett, KeelGuard, etc, etc tradition.

Absolutely. Stores simply don't offer returns for more than 30 days, and there is no reason they should. It is a manufacturer's warranty, not iboats warranty. KeelGuard IS the manufacturer, so how is that any different?

If iboats was the manufacturer, or offered an extended warranty on their own, then they would have an obligation to you. They don't. What is iboat's official return policy, exactly? I'll bet a lot of money it runs out before 2 years. The same can be said for almost every other retailer in the world.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Customer service and iboats

Here is the official policy:

http://www.iboats.com/Info/dm/func.info

General Policies
Our goal is to provide exceptional service to all of our customers. iboats's return policy covers two different sets of circumstances and provides two different sets of solutions, "A" and "B" as stated below.

For the following situations at the time the customer receives the product(s):

The product was received in defective or damaged condition
An error was made by the sender by shipping the wrong item(s)
The following remedies will be offered to the consumer for these above-listed cases, within 30 days of the item(s) being originally shipped. Thereafter, no returns or refunds are possible.

The item(s) must be returned to the sender in brand new, unused condition in the original shipping packaging and with all parts, accessories, manuals, and blank coupons and/or warranty cards included. Either the customer will be reimbursed for return shipping costs, or there will be no shipping cost to the customer for these returns.
Only if the item(s) are returned as described in (a) above, the customer has the option of asking for a complete refund, including the cost of the item(s) and the shipping costs. No restocking fees will be charged to the customer in these cases.


That doesn't seem at all unreasonable to me. Although they have had trouble keeping their word on that much with me in the past...

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: Customer service and iboats

I bought a battery from Pep Boys a couple years ago. It died last fall. They took it back and they gave me a new one. No question asked. Did they make it. No but they did sell it to me. If they would have said take it to the manufacture I would have taken my business elsewhere also.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Customer service and iboats

I bought a battery from Pep Boys a couple years ago. It died last fall. They took it back and they gave me a new one. No question asked. Did they make it. No but they did sell it to me. If they would have said take it to the manufacture I would have taken my business elsewhere also.

You're comparing apples to oranges. Batteries are not shipable. Everybody that sells car batteries accepts returns right there. That is one of the few exceptions.

If you tried to take a bad water pump back to pep boys 2 years after you bought it, would the replace it? No way. Not unless you bought an extra warranty with them.

Furthermore, you should have read and agreed to iboat's return policy before buying things there. If you don't agree, you're totally free to buy things elsewhere.

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: Customer service and iboats

You're comparing apples to oranges. Batteries are not shipable. Everybody that sells car batteries accepts returns right there. That is one of the few exceptions.

If you tried to take a bad water pump back to pep boys 2 years after you bought it, would the replace it? No way. Not unless you bought an extra warranty with them.

Furthermore, you should have read and agreed to iboat's return policy before buying things there. If you don't agree, you're totally free to buy things elsewhere.

If it had a warranty when they sold it I bet they would exchange it. I about grantee it. But I'm not getting into mess over this. I just pointed out two different exchange policies. One I have come to expect from most of the dealers I have found on here and one .......

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Customer service and iboats

I don't understand why you think iboats is responsible for the horn warranty when KeelGuard was the one who helped you with their own product. How is going to the manufacturer of the horn any different than going to the manufacturer of the KeelGuard?

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: Customer service and iboats

I don't understand why you think iboats is responsible for the horn warranty when KeelGuard was the one who helped you with their own product. How is going to the manufacturer of the horn any different than going to the manufacturer of the KeelGuard?

I bought it from them. Anything else I have bought on the web that had to be returned for some reason went back to the seller. Just like the exhaust manifolds I bought that came from a company in Australia. I sent them to the U.S. company that sold them to be repaired and they sent them to Australia. Not me but if thats ibaots return policy then so be it.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Customer service and iboats

Anything else I have bought on the web that had to be returned for some reason went back to the seller.

Not after 2 years it didn't.

 

[CN Spots]

Re: Customer service and iboats

Man, I dream of the day that ONLY two things don't work on my boat.

 

[i386]

Re: Customer service and iboats

Where I work it goes something like this...

A customer buys an item from us. The item is something our vendor either keeps in stock or has quick access to. For a certain period of time a customer can bring something back to us and our vendor will swap it for us. The vendor will deal with the mfg. warranty themselves. Once this period of time has passed it's up to the customer to go through the manufacturer of the item for warranty service. Some mfg's RMA process is a real PITA so I will do it for my customer but I will make them aware I'm doing them a favor.



---
I'd like to add something else before this thread gets killed since I didn't jump in last time a similar topic came up. Some companies strongly moderate what's said on their message board because they're worried it'll hurt their business if something negative is said. I feel that if a company has a loyal customer base and good products & services little moderation is needed.

Here's a scenario with 3 possible outcomes...

Disgruntled customer starts bad mouthing the business on the message board.

1. The customer has a valid complaint, but should have talked to customer service first. Members/staff on the board direct the user to the correct contact. Customer gets problem resolved and returns to the board telling all about his good experience even though there was an initial problem.

2. The customer has an invalid complaint and it totally out of line. The loyal community flames the customer and offers tales of their good experience with the business.

3. The customer is just totally out of line. Moderators squash the post.



I think this thread is a close match to #2. And my point is that if you offer excellent products and services you don't have to censor too much because your loyal customers will have your back. That's my $.02 anyway.

Personally I have yet to need to contact customer service at iBoats for items I've purchased. The things I've ordered have always been delivered in a timely manner.

 

[ob]

Re: Customer service and iboats

To quote the dice man,

"un-bull-eeevubull."

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Customer service and iboats

I agree with the commentary here.. As an example I bought a Hauppauge tuner card from Newegg.com about 2 months ago and last week it just hatched on me. I didn't even bother with Newegg and called hauppauge who promptly issued me an RMA.

To me its the difference between a return and a warantee claim.

 

[f_inscreenname]

Re: Customer service and iboats

Well i386, point taken.
"2. The customer has an invalid complaint and it totally out of line. The loyal community flames the customer and offers tales of their good experience with the business."

I am a invalid customer. I will have to remember that. I buy a horn from iboats and they send me to the maker instead of standing behind it themselves. It is what it is. Please kill this thread. I already know where you all stand.
PS By the way all I was doing is showing the different levels of customer service. KeelGuard didn't have to send me a new one (its out of warranty by a year and a half) but they did. I am sorry iboats this time didn't come out on top of the list.

 

[i386]

Re: Customer service and iboats

Well i386, point taken.
"2. The customer has an invalid complaint and it totally out of line. The loyal community flames the customer and offers tales of their good experience with the business."

I am a invalid customer. I will have to remember that. I buy a horn from iboats and they send me to the maker instead of standing behind it themselves. It is what it is. Please kill this thread. I already know where you all stand.
PS By the way all I was doing is showing the different levels of customer service. KeelGuard didn't have to send me a new one (its out of warranty by a year and a half) but they did. I am sorry iboats this time didn't come out on top of the list.

Read my response again. You won't find "invalid customer" anywhere in there. You bought the freaking part 2 years ago. They probably had the keelguard in stock. In my opinion, they did you a favor and would have been totally in-line to tell you to contact the mfg. about that item as well.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Customer service and iboats

PS By the way all I was doing is showing the different levels of customer service. KeelGuard didn't have to send me a new one (its out of warranty by a year and a half) but they did. I am sorry iboats this time didn't come out on top of the list.

KeelGuard went above and beyond what they were required to do, kudos to them. It is completely ridiculous to hold any other company to that standard just because one company decided to be extra nice.

One time, Staples gave me a brand new $400 LCD monitor as a "we're so sorry" gift. They didn't have to, but they did. Would I be mad if I didn't get the same level of service from Office Max? No way.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Customer service and iboats

What a spoiled lot we have become, in a sense %$%^$#%^ screen name has a point that is i bought it from you and on the other hand it's two year's old and were just a middleman providing a great service, ( and you do i-boat's) Peception is everything ya think....

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Customer service and iboats

This post ain't long for the world. FWIW there is a huge difference between a Manufactures Warranty and a Retailers Warranty.