watch your back @ FREESPIRIT MARINE

turnitloose · #1 09-15-2008, 11:57 AM

so i dropped my boat off at freespirit marine last week to get winterized.$550.00 WOW 3 hours labour to winterize boat...LOL
picked boat up on friday, payed them and went to hook up.I always do a walk around when i pick up my vehicles/BOAT and when i got to the back of the boat noticed that my transducer for fish finder was in different postion, so i had a closer look to find that something had come in contact with and bent the hell out of bracket. so i went to get the guy i just payed to come and look at the boat. he came out and looked at it. He said that the would fix the bracket, so he went to get someone a few minutes later someone comes and takes of the bracket off. when this was done i took a good look at the cable to see there where a couple of cut's in it, brought this to there attention (THEY WANTED TO PUT BLACK TAPE ON IT AND CALL IT GOOD**BULL*******)

i told them that would not do. They told me i would have to talk to Than on Monday. Cool i have been going to them for many years(AROUND 5 YEARS) so i didnt think i would have a problem. So on sunday i took boat to our lake lot to store for the winter. Today Called Than @ Freespirt to find out what the gameplan was and he want's to see the boat. well i told him its at the lake lot and the only time it come's to edmonton is to get serviced, I took pictures of the damage before i left freespirit's yard and his guys seen the damage but thats not good enough he wants to see the boat. I told him it would cost 200 in gas plus my time. Still he wants to see boat, so i called the fishin hole and found out that a new tranducer cable is only $65.00. so im off to the fishin hole to get the cable. Seem since they move into there new place that the sevice has gone down hill. I will never step foot in that place again. Moral of the story walk around before you PAY THEM..... Well thanks for listening rant over....

#2 09-15-2008, 12:28 PM

Quote:

I took pictures of the damage before i left freespirit's yard and his guys seen the damage but thats not good enough he wants to see the boat. I told him it would cost 200 in gas plus my time. Still he wants to see boat,

that was in poor taste on freespirit's part "he wants to see the boat

"you had pics and they saw the damage and i bet they know what happen they were hopeing you wouldn't noticed until after you drove off the lot .Good customer srevice is hard to find these days sad story Thanks for the heads up .

floppychicken · #3 09-15-2008, 02:55 PM

...that Sucks ! I refuse to take my boat to ANY of the big dealers. I continue to get my maintainence done by a 1 man show in Olds (just North of Calgary for those who may not be familiar) and he's a good guy with great skills.

In retrospect, I suppose 'anyone' can have a 'bad experience' just about anywhere. Too bad really.....

Cheers,

/FC...

RandyBoBandy · #4 09-15-2008, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turnitloose

so i dropped my boat off at freespirit marine last week to get winterized.$550.00 WOW 3 hours labour to winterize boat...LOL....

They should have just ordered you a new cable. What did you get done for winterizing that takes 3 hrs? is it an outboard or inboard? I'm kind of curious because I have an inboard and it does take about 4 hrs depending on the manufacturers maintenance schedule. I hope you get some $$$ back for the cable and installation.

gramps73 · #5 09-15-2008, 08:02 PM

Just got my Crestliner 1850 w/ a 150 Verado back from being winterized, was 350.00, 1.5 hours and shop time.
Sounds like someone in Nanton.
g

Flip · #6 09-15-2008, 08:23 PM

It was nice of "some one in Nanton" to over fill my oil on my outboard by approx. 1L. Good thing I only took it on 1 trip. I talked to sales and an e-mail but no reply. My fault I guess I should have checked. Would have been a chame to blow up my new motor.

BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES · #7 09-15-2008, 08:38 PM

You know if I were you guyd id be very upset to have to do all these things . Sounds like someone needs to contact the trouble shooter or something . There has to be something in all these new laws the goverment seems to have to protect people who do these things. Like the fella who had an extra litre of oil in the motor thats damageing someones property . Id be on the phone to the lawyer . Thats a damn shame . By the sounds of it the place seems to be a real shame of a place . I am in the market for a new boat , but I think I know where ill be going and these larger dealers won't be the place . I really like the honestness that you guys give , but then and a agian shouldnt stand up to there bullchit and stand for it . I personally would fight against it . These *******es should be shut down.

ctd · #8 09-15-2008, 08:45 PM

You can't sue these guys unless it is major. Best thing to do is give them a reasonable chance to fix the problem, if that fails tell everyone you know about the service and what happened.
The local Dodge dealer here lost out in about $15,000 worth of work one month becasue of their bad service, I let them know about it to.
Needless to say they werent all that impressed. But what do you do.

Sometimes they screw up and they try to cover it over, normally it is the person fixing it and doesnt want to get fired. So try to deal with it at the lowest level. IS it worth loosing the place you regualry go to over this? If it isnt then give them a chance in the Spring to make it right.

Buckhead · #9 09-15-2008, 09:32 PM

I just winterized my 115 Opti on Saturday and it took me about 1.5 hours and about $45.00 in supplies.

There is no need to take most outboards to the dealer to winterize, you can do it yourself - all you need to do is keep a record of what was done and when and the supplies you purchased to keep your warranty valid.

I take my outboards to the dealer for neccessary stuff - do the small maintenance myself. Saves considerable time and $$$$ - with the emphasis on time and aggravation.

Mulestalker · #10 09-15-2008, 09:59 PM

Buckhead nailed it,takes about 1-1.5hrs to do,make sure the motor is drained of all water,change the leg oil,spray some fogging oil into the cylinders,give it a couple spins,pump a little rv antifreeze through the livewell pump,stabilize the fuel,remove batteries,clean, tarp,have a beer..

Winch101 · #11 09-16-2008, 06:24 AM

Mulestalker .... I like the way you work , you can do mine Oct.1

I,m sure I've got a beer here somewhere....

I recommended Free spirit to several acquaintances , they were great

relative to calgary ......But lately quite a few dog and pony shows going on there .....Too big , bad staff ... maybe all of the above .

I know one thing you wont get best price and service in Alberta .....

bobalong · #12 09-16-2008, 08:25 AM

I have been using Free Spirit for the past 5 years as well, and have had nothing but great service. The transducer incident is totally unacceptable though and I would be po'd as well. Sounds out of character for Thane to blow off a customer. If you were happy with the service the previous 5 years, I might give him another call and see if there is something he can do, because in my experience the other choices you have in Edmonton are a lot worse. Hope it all works out for you.

ctd · #13 09-16-2008, 09:59 AM

Maybe a quick mention from their other customers who are on here would be of help.

turnitloose · #14 09-16-2008, 01:11 PM

hey bob it EZE MONEY remember??? now turnitloose,,

bobalong · #15 09-16-2008, 03:02 PM

Hey EZE, where have you been hiding, must have made enough money to retire by now. Knowing you, I'm surprised you didn't pick Thane up by the heals and give him an attitude adjustment, your wife must have converted you to a much more diplomatic fisherman. LOL. Once again I hope Thane comes through for you.

jefferson · #16 09-16-2008, 03:54 PM

I bought a boat from them in June- nothing but headaches trying to get service. I bought the boat with a starting battery that won't hold charge, one of the LED lights on the trailier went out the first time I backed the boat in (wiring was disconnected, but lights fried when I plugged them back in to head home), and the console lighting on the speedometer doesn't illuminate (i.e. no speedo in low light). Thane hasn't gotten back to me via phone or email to set up an appointment to have them fixed, and we're moving in two weeks. Not happy at all with them. Up until this point, I've held my tongue, hoping they'd make it right. Not going to happen now- word of mouth works two ways, and if you want good word of mouth, you've got to provide good service. I was very happy with Thane in person, but trying to get them to communicate with me other than in person is pointless. add in the fact that it took them almost 4 months to deliver the boat when I was promised 8-10 weeks, and I'd never recommend them to anyone again. I know there are some with good experiences, and I hope they post too, but I can tell you I'll never darken their door again, and won't encourage others to do so, either.

gramps73 · #17 09-16-2008, 04:33 PM

Guy
It boils down to service. Few years back when money was tight every happy person counted, now that everyone seems to have money the service has gone down the tank. This is true in all retailers from guns to boats.. It sucks but the only way to stop it, is to stop shopping at that store or shop..
Hard to doooo
2 cents
Gramps

ukrmaf · #18 09-16-2008, 11:33 PM

In the last couple years the quality of service has dropped so much, i own a small automotive electronics company and see the same thing, instead of installing new remote starters i spend tons of time doing repairs of work that has been done at large "so called reputable shops" in the city, places that i trained at 12 years ago that had very high standards are now taking anyone they can and the crap i see under some peoples dashes is crazy, brand new 50k trucks hacked right up. All i can say based on my experience is stay away from the big shops, your better of finding a place where the owner is also the operator, no descent buisness owner is gonna do crap work otherwise he wouldnt be doing it, with the big guys every time its in there its a different yahoo working on it cause the last guy isnt there anymore or whatever. My mentality is if I do it correctly I dont have to spend money on advertising, my work does that for me, and many of the smaller places share that way of thinking, doesnt matter boat, car house, whatever!!!

BBJTKLE&FISHINGADVENTURES · #19 09-16-2008, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ukrmaf

In the last couple years the quality of service has dropped so much, i own a small automotive electronics company and see the same thing, instead of installing new remote starters i spend tons of time doing repairs of work that has been done at large "so called reputable shops" in the city, places that i trained at 12 years ago that had very high standards are now taking anyone they can and the crap i see under some peoples dashes is crazy, brand new 50k trucks hacked right up. All i can say based on my experience is stay away from the big shops, your better of finding a place where the owner is also the operator, no descent buisness owner is gonna do crap work otherwise he wouldnt be doing it, with the big guys every time its in there its a different yahoo working on it cause the last guy isnt there anymore or whatever. My mentality is if I do it correctly I dont have to spend money on advertising, my work does that for me, and many of the smaller places share that way of thinking, doesnt matter boat, car house, whatever!!!

Isnt that the truth well said.

#20 09-17-2008, 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ukrmaf

In the last couple years the quality of service has dropped so much, i own a small automotive electronics company and see the same thing, instead of installing new remote starters i spend tons of time doing repairs of work that has been done at large "so called reputable shops" in the city, places that i trained at 12 years ago that had very high standards are now taking anyone they can and the crap i see under some peoples dashes is crazy, brand new 50k trucks hacked right up. All i can say based on my experience is stay away from the big shops, your better of finding a place where the owner is also the operator, no descent buisness owner is gonna do crap work otherwise he wouldnt be doing it, with the big guys every time its in there its a different yahoo working on it cause the last guy isnt there anymore or whatever. My mentality is if I do it correctly I dont have to spend money on advertising, my work does that for me, and many of the smaller places share that way of thinking, doesnt matter boat, car house, whatever!!!

VERY WELL SAID AMEN.

BigRackLover · #21 09-17-2008, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turnitloose

Seem since they move into there new place that the sevice has gone down hill. I will never step foot in that place again. Moral of the story walk around before you PAY THEM..... Well thanks for listening rant over....

Glad to hear you voted with your feet and not just off to Tim Hortons to complain complain complain

Advent721 · #22 09-17-2008, 10:42 AM

I too have joined the growing list of very unhappy Free Spirit customers. They were recommended to me, i live in Calgary and heard a lot of horror stories for from B&L so i wanted to buy somewhere else. Thane talks a good game in person but once they got my money this spring, forget it. I have had quite a few issues and continue to have with my Crestliner and its virtually impossible to get any resolution or help from those guys. Everytime i make the trip up with my boat i am assured things will be fixed, warrentied etc. and everytime i pick it up, it seems they do exactly the opposite of what i request. And of course Thane is never around when I pick it up, all I ever get it is the elderly lady in the service center that has 0 customer service skills. I work in sales and if i treated my customers the way she treats people...well i wouldnt have any customers left and i would be fired!
I could write an essay on what they have failed to follow through on. Something needs to be done to "wake businesses up". I dont care if people are throwing money at them everyday, you still have an obligation to take care of the people that have already spent their hard earned money at your business.

turnitloose · #23 09-17-2008, 11:45 AM

i think its thane's mommy. she dose a good jod @ screening his calls. LOL I have also found that she has 0 customer service skills/people skills

. Sad. i feel sorry for all the people i sent there way, but that has stopped. Did you contact crestliner direct about there service?? maybe a way for you to get resolution.

gramps73 · #24 09-17-2008, 12:07 PM

Advent721
I just about bought a boat from them at the boat show, glad i did not. I also heard alot of bad things about B&L, I did buy a boat from B&L and could not be more happy. The service is great and have not a problem yet...
Call Bob at B&L and see if he could work on your boat...
Gramps

piepants · #25 09-17-2008, 08:16 PM

Lol its just hard to find good service. I agree they talk game, had them rebiuld my lower leg, so instead of taking the whole boat there i removed it and just dropped it off, and when they had it done they would phone and they would bolt it back on and set up the cables etc. well 4 months later i finally get a phone call from Ms personality. To come pick up my boat or they would start charging me rental fees. LOL . MY boat was sitting at home!!!! I cannot complain about the work but if we treated the customers like they do in our service industry we would be fired on the spot

Drano · #26 09-18-2008, 02:06 AM

In todays market it really is a sad scenario when you go out and make a major purchase and are greeted like a King with all kinds of promises about how we will stand behind our products. Once you hand them over the cheque
for the purchase it is almost like quick lock the doors and don't answer the phone they're gone now, forget them.
This kind of attitude is totally unacceptable and we as the paying public are getting screwed around big time.
Amazingly in time; maybe things will change for the better.(highly unlikely).
I really think this forum can help others by keeping everyone informed about their bad and good experiences with certain dealers.
I personally take my little 14 footer to FSC. in Airdrie, the guys there always treat me with respect and have a few tales to tell, just like one of the family.

Hopefully everyone can get their problems fixed and continue to have a great fishing season.

All the best ...

Drano...

Advent721 · #27 09-18-2008, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drano

In todays market it really is a sad scenario when you go out and make a major purchase and are greeted like a King with all kinds of promises about how we will stand behind our products. Once you hand them over the cheque
for the purchase it is almost like quick lock the doors and don't answer the phone they're gone now, forget them.
This kind of attitude is totally unacceptable and we as the paying public are getting screwed around big time.
Amazingly in time; maybe things will change for the better.(highly unlikely).
I really think this forum can help others by keeping everyone informed about their bad and good experiences with certain dealers.
I personally take my little 14 footer to FSC. in Airdrie, the guys there always treat me with respect and have a few tales to tell, just like one of the family.

Hopefully everyone can get their problems fixed and continue to have a great fishing season.

All the best ...

Drano...

I couldn't agree more. FSC? I am on the north edge of Calgary, maybe i will go check them out. I use a dealership in Airdrie for my truck as I get great service there, more than i can say about here in Calgary.

pecker · #28 09-18-2008, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drano

In todays market it really is a sad scenario when you go out and make a major purchase and are greeted like a King with all kinds of promises about how we will stand behind our products. Once you hand them over the cheque
for the purchase it is almost like quick lock the doors and don't answer the phone they're gone now, forget them.
This kind of attitude is totally unacceptable and we as the paying public are getting screwed around big time.
Amazingly in time; maybe things will change for the better.(highly unlikely).
I really think this forum can help others by keeping everyone informed about their bad and good experiences with certain dealers.
I personally take my little 14 footer to FSC. in Airdrie, the guys there always treat me with respect and have a few tales to tell, just like one of the family.

Hopefully everyone can get their problems fixed and continue to have a great fishing season.

All the best ...

Drano...

i agree- fsc in airdie , they do everything from customized rod holders to boat & trailer repairs . they're great for a laugh and do the job in the safest way possible or they don't do it.

Advent721 · #29 09-18-2008, 07:23 PM

Sorry dont mean to be dense but FSC? Is that the actual name of the business? Thanks.

#30 09-20-2008, 10:12 AM

I'm new to boats but not new to engines. I've found out that you can easily google winterizations procedures and do it yourself. It's just that much more peaceful knowing that it was done right and you don't get burned. I just recently visited that "someone in Nanton" also known as Alberta Marine to ask some questions. I'm not at all impressed with the people behind the counter and when I was there a lady client was loosing it because she felt that she had been burned. Needless to say, I'll go elsewhere when I need something. That's too bad 'cause I figured small town service should be much better, guess I was wrong.