West Marine Getting Worse

[Liam Wald]

Originally Posted by bobconnie

All I can say is if I spent the money for a couple of hundred ft of chain and a 4 or 5 hundred dollar anchor at any of the local marine stores here in Louisiana, they would sure as heck be delivering it to my boat ! Of course they are only a few miles from my boat! and WM is over 30 miles away! But if they were just down the bayou, they would still never deliver this order! I just bought a Manson anchor from a local store for a little less then WM so I bought local !! All Im saying some of you folks probly drive by local marine stores on your way to WM.maybe yall need to try them out ! ya might be very happy ya did !!

Now that you mention chain...
I remember a few years ago buying a 150 ft piece of 5/16ht at West. When I got down to my dock and laid it out to mark it, it turned out to be 130 feet.
They said, no problem we will give you another 20 foot piece.
I said, well actually my intention was to have it be all one piece.
They looked at me like I was just trying to be a giant pain in the ass.
I had to wait a couple of days for the next Port Supply truck but they did deliver the 150 foot continuous length.

[Wrong]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

Still trying to rationalize this I see. How are you making out with that argument at Lowes, Walmart, Target, your local grocery store, your own place of employment???

Aside from the substantial legal complexities which you ignore, the cost which ultimately goes back to us consumers increases.

I haven't heard many folks here suggest WM, or any other retail chain, raises their prices to accommodate your pipe dream.


Clearly, you don't like WM. Try being a shareholder and you'll see the light.

Actually, reflected in W.M. prices are costs for doing business, including insurance. If it were any way they couldn't make any money. Many of the costs including insurance are probably eligible for tax deductions.

Talk about ignoring stuff. Your posts reveal you have not actually read and comprehended most of mine.

Anyway, my interest in this conversation has run its course.

One last thing to say.

Heard of Port Supply? It is a wholesale division of West Marine. LOL, wholesale customers normally submit orders by phone, and nowadays maybe even over the net.
Then their order is DELIVERED by Port Supply!

Imagine the liability involved here. Port Supply trucks all over the nation being driven over dangerous roads to do what? DELIVER PRODUCTS SOLD BY WEST MARINE!

Better reassess your stock holdings in West Marine before somebody gets hurt and their lawyer goes after West's deep pockets!

Just goes to show how little importance West Marine puts on cruisers like you and me. They won't even take our $1,000 purchase back to our boat 5 minutes away!

[Sir Rondo Normal]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

Actually the extended warranty on my Chart Plotter paid for itself and then some.

99% of the time I don't buy them. I'm glad I did on the CP.

And, I haven't had bad experiences at West Marine.

The reason I say that they are a ripoff is not really because they may be bad but more because back in the old days, you used to get good products with a good warranty and manufacturers were far better at servicing or replacing products than they are now. Nowadays, we're expected to pay extra for a warranty? I know, I know, I know, it's better than the manufacturers warranty BUT that's only because in far too many cases, the manufacturers warranty has been engineered to outlast a poorly engineered product by days or weeks.
Bottom line is, it's getting damned hard to find quality nowadays and warrantees and service are a reflection of that.
This is not a rant about WM, it is a generalization. Obviously there are exceptions to any generalization.

[ReMetau]

Wow 12 pages of rants about WM? I don't know if this was mentioned or not since I wasn't about to read 12 pages of rants.

To the OP: You didn't have to use your extended warranty on the pump. The WM associate should have replaced your pump using the manufacturing warranty leaving your extended warranty in place.

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by Wrong

Pure Bunk! I'm crying crocodile tears for West Marine and corporate America. You speak as if consumers and the way they view products, companies and their good or bad service doesn't count. Yes, West Marine may disappear, sooner than later. But it's the nature of capitalism their void will be filled. Maybe by an on line company like Defender who recognizes there is profit to be made in brick and mortar stores too. Companies that pay slave wages and provide no benefits don't deserve to survive. There is a too large contingent in the sailing community with whom price doesn't matter. It is the 'deep pocket' sailors who are destroying the sailing environment for the sailor with middle class resources. Even moreso for those with less. Nay, there'll be no sympathy from me for the corporate devils.

Worse, your remarks obviously demonize Capitalism (1.corporate America and 2., deep pocket sailors) since they don't fit your concept of fair wages/share the wealth, in the first case, and are obviously jealous of those who have benefitted more than you have by their labors-in the second example. Your knowledge of Economics and Capitalist Economies is non-existent and straight from Mao's famous "Red Book" that derided private enterprise and promoted the power of the State to the unwashed masses in Communist China. And,I'm sure those of your ilk would be happier living in Soviet Russia before the fall of the iron curtain where everyone worked for the state, the store shelves were always empty and Big Brother was always listening at your door. And boat ownership? C'mon, Worse.. . smell the coffee. Big business and profit are not evil. They are the key to success of every productive country in the world and the reason for failure for those countries who have none. If you don't like WM, don't patronize them. I'm sure your few paltry dollars will not be missed.

[Sir Rondo Normal]

OMG, LOL, before this thread is closed (for obvious reasons), I have to openly wonder why it is that whenever someone should suggest there are flaws in a capitalist system, someone else has to make the inevitable comparison to Soviet style communism.
Is your world really that black & white?

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by Wrong

Actually, reflected in W.M. prices are costs for doing business, including insurance. If it were any way they couldn't make any money.

Ignoring the fact these two sentences make no sense, you need to better understand the concepts of generic insurance vs liability insurance and indemnification for which no corporation would or should reasonably be expected to assume.

Talk about ignoring stuff. Your posts reveal you have not actually read and comprehended most of mine.

Naturally, it must be someone else at fault... Personal responsibility issues???...

Heard of Port Supply? It is a wholesale division of West Marine. LOL, wholesale customers normally submit orders by phone, and nowadays maybe even over the net.
Then their order is DELIVERED by Port Supply!

Imagine the liability involved here. Port Supply trucks all over the nation being driven over dangerous roads to do what? DELIVER PRODUCTS SOLD BY WEST MARINE!

You don't seem to be able to differentiate between shipping deliveries vs. some wild expectation that a part-time min wage earner should chauffeur you around or that any corporation would willingly assume such enormous liability?

Please come back after you more fully understand the issues as that is a prerequisite for intelligent debate.

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by OnTour

Explain how the mom and pop stores sell for way less than WM...I would think a large corporation like WM would be able to sell for less. My local mom and pop marine store is at least 50% less on most items compared to WM....Even Ace Hardware sells the same products for alot less.

OnTour, simply stated: the combined total of a business' fixed and variable expenses determines the price for which any item can be sold to make a profit. The greater the expenses, the higher the price. Mom and Pop may sell for less than WM since their expenses are lower, but I doubt 50% is a real number across the board. And, how many family owned stores really have the staying power to survive in the long run? Most small businesses fail within the first few years. The bottom line is that when a business fails to compete and get its necessary market share, it will go under. Just look at the destruction of small business in America in the last 4 1/2 years of those who didn't have deep pockets to survive our Recession. If you don't like WM's prices, shop elsewhere. Very simple. Good luck and good shopping.

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by Sir Rondo Normal

OMG, LOL, before this thread is closed (for obvious reasons), I have to openly wonder why it is that whenever someone should suggest there are flaws in a capitalist system, someone else has to make the inevitable comparison to Soviet style communism.
Is your world really that black & white?

And what is a better system that Capitalism? There has never been a Civilzation is the history of mankind that has risen to greatness without Capitalism. Just asked the Eastern Europeans who lived behind the wall, ask the Chinese under Mao and ask the Cubans under Castro that lost everything when Capitalism fell and Communism prevailed. Yes, Sir Rondo Normal, it is really that black and white. We Americans, Canadians and Europeans have just been too spoiled to know anything else but there is no better alternative. Good luck and good sailing.

[Wrong]

Originally Posted by rognvald

And what is a better system that Capitalism? There has never been a Civilzation is the history of mankind that has risen to greatness without Capitalism. Just asked the Eastern Europeans who lived behind the wall, ask the Chinese under Mao and ask the Cubans under Castro that lost everything when Capitalism fell and Communism prevailed. Yes, Sir Rondo Normal, it is really that black and white. We Americans, Canadians and Europeans have just been too spoiled to know anything else but there is no better alternative. Good luck and good sailing.

This is not a debate as to whether or not capitalism is or is not the best economic system. The subject matter is much simpler that that. It considers how boaters react to over pricing and poor service where it matters.

Get a grip!

[Sir Rondo Normal]

Originally Posted by rognvald

And what is a better system that Capitalism? There has never been a Civilzation is the history of mankind that has risen to greatness without Capitalism. Just asked the Eastern Europeans who lived behind the wall, ask the Chinese under Mao and ask the Cubans under Castro that lost everything when Capitalism fell and Communism prevailed. Yes, Sir Rondo Normal, it is really that black and white. We Americans, Canadians and Europeans have just been too spoiled to know anything else but there is no better alternative. Good luck and good sailing.

My point was not that there is a system better but that when its flaws are exposed the defense is inevitably a shot at communists. Remember that the root word of communist is community.
It doesn't have to mean Red China or Stalin. You seem to think that the only choices are one extreme or the other. Maybe something in the middle would work better? I don't know and I'm not going to argue with you. I'm just sayin', that pointing to the big, bad Soviet Union is not really a good way of defending capitalism, except maybe to other capitalists.

There is likely good in both systems.

[SVNeko]

Shut it down

[Wrong]

Originally Posted by SVNeko

Shut it down

Why?

[Sir Rondo Normal]

Originally Posted by Wrong

Why?

Originally Posted by SVNeko

Shut it down

Someone must've said something that made sense

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by Wrong

Page and paragraph in "Mao's famous 'Red Book' you refer to please.

The artistic licence in your prose, if you want to call your bunk 'prose' is so huge everything you say is unbelievably total crap. And, I'm being NICE.

Consumers don't have to be rocket scientists or economic gurus in order to know when they are being screwed. You want to buy a piece of plastic to hold an oar that costs less than 5 cents to manufacture and is sold by a chandler for $19 go for it. You no doubt have "deep pockets" and don't care. By your accounting the consumer is invisible and seller totally entitled to charge what they want. Sorry dude, but it doesn't work that way and most companies that set prices too high will experience falling demand. Falling demand can lead to a company's insolvency because they can't make ends meet. But, price is not the only thing consumers consider - they notice what kind of service they receive or is missing. A company with prices set too high and provides paltry levels of service will soon fail.

Get a grip.

Well, Wrong, thanks for the kind remarks and the fact that you're being nice. If you have red Mao's Red Book, you would know that it was a guide to how a good Communist lives to serve his country. The reference to Capitalism occurs in Ch. 1- the Communist Party-- which describes the principles of Marxism and Leninism and Ch. 3-Socialism and Communism-- which details how the country should be developed. Where you derive my use of "artistic license" from this reference is quite unimaginable. Further, thanks for explaining to me your 8th grade level principles of market economics. It reminded me of a sourpussed elementary teacher, Mrs. Scanlon, who had a prominent mole on her nose with hair growing from its tip that made it nearly impossible to concentrate on the subject at hand. I felt that way when reading your response especially since your assumption is that I have no knowledge of market economics, either personally or professionally. The bottom line is that there is a class of people that have a "sucker complex" and believe that the world is out to get them as in your example of the plastic piece for your oar. No one held a gun to your head to buy it. You have Free Will . . . well, maybe not you because you are just a puppet being controlled by an evil government and greedy capitalists. In Capitalism, you have the power to vote with your dollar . . . even if it is rather limited as you have intimated about yourself. By the way, Mao's book is a very interesting piece of history and can be read in under an hour . . . unless of course you're still studying for that pop quiz in market economics on Friday. Good luck, good sailing and may the world be kinder to your gentle soul.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quotations_from_Chairman_Mao‎

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