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Old 29-04-2013, 00:50   #61
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So if you owned a car under warranty and the head cracks and has to be replaced, this means that if it cracks again that they would not replace the head again under warranty?

Really?...that's normal?
Yes i would Really if it meant having the car towed in and leaving with a new car.
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Old 29-04-2013, 04:25   #62
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Re: West Marine getting worse

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Originally Posted by Chenega View Post
I don't understand why anyone buys at West Marine..! Over priced products and as stated above, poor customer service. I've been out for years and won't be back.
Strictly when I have to have something right now, that only they carry locally.
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Old 29-04-2013, 04:38   #63
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Re: West Marine getting worse

Quote:
Originally Posted by David M View Post
So if you owned a car under warranty and the head cracks and has to be replaced, this means that if it cracks again that they would not replace the head again under warranty?

Really?...that's normal?
it doesn't apply to everything. But from what I have seen it does apply to most retail extended warranty's. Best buy for example works the same way.

as mentioned above, tires too.
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Old 29-04-2013, 04:39   #64
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Re: West Marine getting worse

I think this thread should be retitled to something like, "Is it worth it to purchase the extended warranty?" I think if you read the fine print in most extended warranties you will find that they are very limited in scope. Consumer Reports seems to regularly recommend against purchasing extended warranties on most things. The few times I have purchased an extended warranty I have not needed them, so I can't speak from experience. One thing I have found, is that often you can contact the manufacturer directly if there is a serious issue with a product and they will go above and beyond the stated warranty to make good on the item. This is particularly true in the marine industry with some very small companies where you are often able to contact directly one of the principals in the organization. Sometimes they thank you for pointing out the problem to them, and they vow to make them better in the future.
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Old 29-04-2013, 05:23   #65
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Re: West Marine getting worse

Unless you are buying something that is brand new first generation it doesn't make sense. Even then, it often doesn't pay. You either need to buy it on everything of nothing, nothing is often the better choice.
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Old 02-06-2013, 10:04   #66
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I just purchased a chart plotter at WM and also the warranty which was another $250 , the sales person said if anything goes wrong just bring it back for a new one, no questions asked. Well, two days later the chart plotter took a crap.

Called WM to see if they had the same model in stock because I needed to exchange mine...The person on the phone said I would have to send it back to Garmin ! WTF ! Guess I wasted $250 on a bogus warranty. So the warranty they sell you pays for them to send back to Garmin and is not a no questions asked exchange...I'm in the middle of a 1000 mile trip and I'm going to send my chartplotter back to Garmin to get repaired ? Yeah right ! Another reason not to buy anything from these crooks !
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Old 02-06-2013, 10:25   #67
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Re: West Marine getting worse

Again, sounds like another instance of needing to understand the warranty. Typical extended warranties apply AFTER the manufacturer warranty expires.

Regardless, if something is dead two days after you buy it, you should be able to swap it out with a replacement since it is clearly defective.
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Old 02-06-2013, 11:04   #68
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Re: West Marine getting worse

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Originally Posted by OnTour View Post
I just purchased a chart plotter at WM and also the warranty which was another $250 , the sales person said if anything goes wrong just bring it back for a new one, no questions asked. Well, two days later the chart plotter took a crap.

Called WM to see if they had the same model in stock because I needed to exchange mine...The person on the phone said I would have to send it back to Garmin ! WTF ! Guess I wasted $250 on a bogus warranty. So the warranty they sell you pays for them to send back to Garmin and is not a no questions asked exchange...I'm in the middle of a 1000 mile trip and I'm going to send my chartplotter back to Garmin to get repaired ? Yeah right ! Another reason not to buy anything from these crooks !
The very same thing happened to a Garmin plotter I purchased and died a few days later. I had no problem returning it for a new one.

Perhaps your problem is more a function they didn't have a duplicate in stock. Regardless, the warranty is the manufacturers, not that of WM. it is clearly stated in writing.
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Old 02-06-2013, 11:14   #69
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Re: West Marine getting worse

They are a corporation. They justify anything by saying that they have a responsibility to their stockholders to show large profits.
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Old 14-06-2013, 14:52   #70
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They've lost me as a customer years ago unless I need a bolt or shackle on a Sunday afternoon and Home Depot doesn't have it. Oh yeah and when I need a nautical appearing gift for the widow down the street. They stopped being a legit chandler about 2002 or so. Unless you have their buy-one-get-fourteen free you're over paying.
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Old 03-08-2013, 07:21   #71
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Re: West Marine getting worse

I think you need some perspective.

I am without doubt one of the lucky ones on CF.. I can drive to Defender. However I still use WM for a sizeable percentage of my purchasing because it is in no sailors interest for West Marine to fail.

West Marine is an invaluable source for cruising sailors. The sheer number of stores is a massive boon to those that cruise away from their home port and need parts, accessories, the internet, or even a "ship to" address.

I have found their help in such situations to be stellar.. allowing me to search/source on their computers, arranging for competitive pricing, getting next day delivery from other WM stores, and in one case a WM employee drove me the 10 miles to a hardware store to source plumbing bits. That sort of assistance, plus savings in transient fee by the store being local results in WM overall having saved me far more in time and $$$ than Defender has ever saved me here in Mystic.

That is why WM still gets a chunk of my local business

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I don't understand why anyone buys at West Marine..! Over priced products and as stated above, poor customer service. I've been out for years and won't be back.
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Old 03-08-2013, 07:48   #72
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Re: West Marine Getting Worse

I went into WM last week to look at the WM bosun's chair. The salesman advised me to head over to Mountain Equipment Coop and look at climbing harnesses. Picked one up for $60. More comfort, safety, 1/4 the price.
Bad salesman at WM? I don't think so, in fact, I'm more likely to spend money at WM now. I appreciate his honesty.
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Old 03-08-2013, 07:54   #73
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Re: West Marine Getting Worse

Extended warranties are a rip off! I will never buy another! In my one experience with HP(Futureshop), it was actually worse than the manufacturer's warranty. I had to threaten to throw the f'n printer through their front window to get them to ship me a new machine!
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Old 03-08-2013, 08:16   #74
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Re: West Marine getting worse

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Not to keep kicking a sleeping dog, but there was a time, before they took over Boat US, and before they went public, that they were the boater's best friend. Prices were good, employees were knowledgable and helpful, inventory was good. They stocked way more than most local stores. But now for the serious boater, they just add to the aggravation you experience when you need something to get up and running, and they just act stupid. But then again, they could just go the way of Circuit City, or follow the track ofBest Buy, Sears and JC Penny. No one should be too big to fail. They just pissed me off today.
This post pretty much says it all. I was hired at West Marine about 6 months before going public. The business model at the time I was hired emphasized customer service and employee knowledge/experience.

Once the company went public, the shift in emphasis was palpable. Hours were reduced for decently paid long time, experienced (sometimes older) and knowledgeable employees in favour of working school age kids with less knowledge and experience part-time because they could be paid less. The law prohibited hiring these youngsters for any other purpose than stocking, but were frequently used to work the sales floor instead of the older, more experienced and knowledgeable employees.

One manager not long before I stopped working there said the new company policy required "pointing" to the area a customer would find an item they wanted. Less time was to be spent with customers explaining products and their use. Whether this was more of a manager choice rather than corporate policy is unknown to me.

Handily, fall and winter were used to rid the store where I worked of better paid, full time employees.

After I took a transfer from one store to another as a full-time employee and later on circumstances led to my return to the first store - I was reduced to seasonal part-time after having worked for W.M. for three years. Lost my medical coverage and of course earned much less. Fall came and I was laid off with no first in line opportunity to return in the spring as a full time employee.

Of course you never really know where you stand in the eyes of a manager or company, but I always believed myself to be a valuable asset to West Marine. No significant personnel issues or demerits. My view is that like many other older employees, I became a victim of the "bottom line" mentality that places profit over everything else.

Like others, I only shop West Marine if I cannot find an item some place else or need it right now.
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Old 03-08-2013, 09:52   #75
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Re: West Marine getting worse

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mystic38 View Post
I think you need some perspective.

I am without doubt one of the lucky ones on CF.. I can drive to Defender. However I still use WM for a sizeable percentage of my purchasing because it is in no sailors interest for West Marine to fail.

West Marine is an invaluable source for cruising sailors. The sheer number of stores is a massive boon to those that cruise away from their home port and need parts, accessories, the internet, or even a "ship to" address.

I have found their help in such situations to be stellar.. allowing me to search/source on their computers, arranging for competitive pricing, getting next day delivery from other WM stores, and in one case a WM employee drove me the 10 miles to a hardware store to source plumbing bits. That sort of assistance, plus savings in transient fee by the store being local results in WM overall having saved me far more in time and $$$ than Defender has ever saved me here in Mystic.

That is why WM still gets a chunk of my local business
You must have a time machine, that sounds like the OLD West Marine.


4th of July weekend I called to see if the had a regulator for my grill. They had one, agreed to hold it for me until I got there the next day. When I got there, two young cuties at the register, and one young adult, all just hanging there. Asked for the part, they asked my name, Dave, and said they had one for Joe. Said they couldn't help me. Never looked for another or Checked inventory. I left, drove to a nearby boat yard and they had it, $5 less. Only reason I called is because the boat is an hour and a half away, and wanted to be sure of getting one.
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