Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic :)

[JustJason]

Maybe this belongs in DC, maybe it doesn't because it's Merc related. But if your a boat owner and decide to hire an independent instead of taking it to the dealer... don't screw with us.
Most of us do have your best interests in mind, and are price concious.
Most of us don't try to nickle and dime you to death (although i'm sure a few do)
Most of us understand that boating is expensive, and although we need to make a living we'll help you out by eating an hour here and an hour there.

But when you choose to hire an independent, don't waste our time to by agreeing to a ballpark for a job over the phone, boat sight unseen, only to have us come out and start haggleing over price before I even start to touch things. I really have much better things to do than drive out to your house and haggle with you over your weenie dream bilgeliner.

So whatever... I did your waterpump Mr Customer.

But since you haggled the heck out of me and really did get a deal on the job I did decide to skip a few things.

Oh yes the water pump is in and working.

I did have to give the drive the Mercruiser Kick though.... Because I didn't align the engine.

Grease on the splines???? Nahhh, you wouldn't dare pay for my 10 dollar material line that goes on every invoice to pay for spline grease, 24C prop shaft grease, gimbal bearing grease, pivot pin grease etc etc...

But you know what I threw in for free Mr Customer.... I threw in a nice coating of bellows adheasive on both sides of the mounting gasket before I torqued the drive down. So the next time your drive needs work Mr Customer.... you'll know the true cost of running a boat... and if you didn't run your mouth first... the boat would be cheaper in the long run.

Rant over!

 

[Bondo]

Re: Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic

Ayuh,... And a Top o' the Mornin' to you to Jason....

I hope the rest of your day goes Better than yesterday,.....

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic

Having a bad day, jason. Guess what, I meet those same people too.Some try the cheapest way out and find out that the cheapest service only leads to more expensive service.Like Don says.
Why is there never enough time to do it right the first time,
But always enough time to do it again?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic

The sad part is that if anything goes wrong on the future.... that guy will scream to all his friends that it was entirely your fault.

Yup, he is one of those 10 percent's and we ALL encounter them in any work we do.

 

[Summer Fun]

Re: Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic

Jason, Have a internet drink with me to calm your nerves.

.

 

[JustJason]

Re: Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic

Mornin to you to Bill.....

Yesterday was fine..... Tuesday was a PITA

 

[kg5388]

Re: Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic

I did have to give the drive the Mercruiser Kick though.... Because I didn't align the engine.

Grease on the splines???? Nahhh, you wouldn't dare pay for my 10 dollar material line that goes on every invoice to pay for spline grease, 24C prop shaft grease, gimbal bearing grease, pivot pin grease etc etc...

But you know what I threw in for free Mr Customer.... I threw in a nice coating of bellows adheasive on both sides of the mounting gasket before I torqued the drive down. So the next time your drive needs work Mr Customer.... you'll know the true cost of running a boat... and if you didn't run your mouth first... the boat would be cheaper in the long run.

--------------------------------------
I was always told if your going to do it then do it right and you kinda sunk to his level and threw your integrity out the window.

I deal with this on a day to day basis with large generators and industrial engines and sometimes it's best to get in the truck and rite off the gas.

Dad always said honesty and integrity are 2 things that are easy to throw away for free but you can never buy them back.

I undestand your rant as I make it almost on a daily basis but when his crappy boat breaks and he takes it somewhere else and they tell him you did a shoddy job and didn't align the engine or put the adhesive on the gasket then it helps reinforce mechanics are crooks.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic

OK, then...

Instead of sabotaging the guy's boat, why not just walk away from the job? I'm not that impressed.

 

[ENSIGN]

Re: Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic

Amen

 

[JustJason]

Re: Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic

I was always told if your going to do it then do it right and you kinda sunk to his level and threw your integrity out the window.

I always do things by the book, when i'm paid for it, and believe me I'm more than fair with folks. But when people only want to pay for the hack and slash special... that's what you get. You get what you pay for....

Instead of sabotaging the guy's boat, why not just walk away from the job?

I understand what your saying. Whenever I meet somebody/see a new boat the for the first time I book that boat for the day, as I never know what i'm getting into until i've seen the boat first. I'll only book more than 1 boat a day if i've worked on the boat before and know what i'm getting myself into. I'd rather make less than ideal money on any given day than zero dough. First rule of sales is take the money.

The sad part is that if anything goes wrong on the future.... that guy will scream to all his friends that it was entirely your fault.

Absolutely.... But the way I look at it is like this. If I told the guy to P/O from the get go, he would have badmouthed me that day to everyone he knows. I know that drive isn't comming back off (and not comming off easy, hehehe) unless the guy has another failure. Wether thats 1 year or 3 years down the road, at least I bought me some time before he badmouths me. People like this guy are never happy with anybody and have the mindset that everybody is an ahole, jerk, and thief except for themselves.

 

[capt sam]

Re: Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic

the guy that wrenches on my boat and I have an agreement. He knows I'm cheap and I know he does a good honest job, so I don't hound him over the bill and he doesn't charge for "extras".

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic

Well, here's how I see it: You can take a job or not take a job. If you do take the job, you have a heavy responsibility to do it right. Sabotaging the guy's setup because you didn't like the way the customer bargained with you just doesn't seem right to me. In fact, I know it's not right.

I grew up in the auto repair business. Lots of customers were pinch-penny about work done to their vehicles. My father, who was the best mechanic around in the town I grew up in, turned down work if the customer went too far, but he never, ever compromised the quality of any work he did.

You don't like customers who try to get your price down? Fine. Don't do work for them. But, to do what you said in your initial post is just plain wrong. I'm sorry, but you don't sabotage a guy just because you don't like how he acted. You turn the job down, and tell him why you turned the job down.

One way's ethical. The other is not. It's that simple.

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic

I always do things by the book, when i'm paid for it, and believe me I'm more than fair with folks. But when people only want to pay for the hack and slash special... that's what you get. You get what you pay for....



I understand what your saying. Whenever I meet somebody/see a new boat the for the first time I book that boat for the day, as I never know what i'm getting into until i've seen the boat first. I'll only book more than 1 boat a day if i've worked on the boat before and know what i'm getting myself into. I'd rather make less than ideal money on any given day than zero dough. First rule of sales is take the money.



Absolutely.... But the way I look at it is like this. If I told the guy to P/O from the get go, he would have badmouthed me that day to everyone he knows. I know that drive isn't comming back off (and not comming off easy, hehehe) unless the guy has another failure. Wether thats 1 year or 3 years down the road, at least I bought me some time before he badmouths me. People like this guy are never happy with anybody and have the mindset that everybody is an ahole, jerk, and thief except for themselves.

Everyone has problems that deal with the public, including those that have to deal with you. The true measure of a "professional" is how you deal with the "problem public".

I agree with "Cat" and "Ensign". I am also glad that live in Florida, and do not have a Merc. At least I wont have to chance a business arrangement with you. I believe you are doing a great disservice to all the truly professional and adult service personnel out there.

Your rant makes me sad.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic

I find myself wondering why you would pull the upper at all if you weren't gonna grease splines align engine or replace gasket....

So you were changing an impeller? in what, an alpha?
If so, drain oil, drop lower, change impeller, replace lower and oil, $30 in parts and @ $50 in labor at $50/hour. How much did he haggle you down too? Did you agree to it?


Free bellows adhesive..... last I knew that stuff was more expensive than the grease you couldn't apply to the shaft because of materials cost.

 

[180shabah]

Re: Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic

One way's ethical. The other is not. It's that simple.

Agreed.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic

I can understand both sides of the coin. I DO respect everyone in the business. I DON'T haggle over price. Butttttt, anyone that screws with my boat will suffer in lost business due to word of mouth.

My authorized dealer does a fair job, but he charges wayyyy too much. And there have been several times that the boat was not fixed correctly and I had to take it back. The worst part though is that I have to take the boat to his non-secured lot and let the boat sit out in the rain for weeks till he gets to work on it. (yes I have a cover)

Solution.....MY mechanic! My guy is an independant. He's Merc factory trained. He calls himself "XXX Mobil Marine". Makes an appointment and comes to my house. Never late and always pleasant. Works on the boat in my garage. He's half the price and double the quality. NO lip, no excuses, no problems. Never had to come back twice. He's been worrking on my boat for 20 years now.

 

[zbnutcase]

Re: Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic

I'm with Jason, the (guy) got what he paid for....and bellows adhesive on the drive gasket is hardly sabotage, and maybe it will be Jason that has to pull the drive in 3 yrs, after the dude sells the boat to his neighbor who happens to be a really cool guy, things like that have a way of comming back to bite you.

 

[OJ_Simpson]

Re: Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic

Typical (bad post) - QC

 

[QC]

Re: Don't screw with your mercruiser mechanic

This thread (and some posts) is a total mess and a problem and I just don't like it . . . Closed.