Marine mechanic etiquette

[JPA Cate]

Simonthepom:

I apologize for making incorrect assumptions.

Given that he's European, charging European rates, and still not providing decent service, I suggest you do as the gentleman above suggested: cut this guy loose, and either try to follow A64pilot's suggestion, or find another mechanic. Assuming you have a way to do it yourself, let the imagined sense of satisfaction of completion lead you on.

Good luck with it.

Ann

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by simonthepom

I think you're making some wrong assumptions here. He is not a local, he European and charges practically European prices, so there is an expectation of high quality work. He makes a VERY good living here in Panama (he told me himself what he makes annually). We will have spent almost $3k with him for various goods and services, one of which being new solar panels and support so we don't have to rely on the generator so much. We do however need the generator to run our watermaker, an investment i'm not willing to waste simply because a qualified mechanic can't get the genny running!

Re the non OEM rings, they are Toyota rings that are 1mm too large, however he ground them down to the right size, let's see... He is supposed to be here today, but as usual a no show and no replies to messages (this has been going on for 8 weeks).

Also, I've lived in Australia for 15 years, so think I'll be right re how to interact with other humans. On ya Ann!


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"We do however need the generator to run our watermaker"

I know a bit of bad form here, but another weakness of AC driven watermakers, no genset, no watermaker.
That being said, I've broken a few owners parts now and then myself. I would never charge the owner for the replacement. It's the price I pay to be in business and to achieve customer satisfaction knowing that both repeat business and good word of mouth is how I grow and stay in business.


Halden Marine Services – Marine Watermakers, Solar Panels, Wind Generators

[a64pilot]

Most AC watermakers can be run off of an inverter and run your engine with its alternator.
I think though in his case I might be considering a Honda EU 2000.

[sy_gilana]

That is not a complicated job. Sounds like he has too much going on. Not enough attention to detail. I have heard of similar "mechanics" or "technicians" in this area, I wonder if its the same person.
All rings, new, old, OEM, or pirate MUST be checked individually in the cylinder they will be used in. Sounds like he is a busker.

On the other hand, cruising is not supposed to be like this, and sometimes its best to take it on the chin and move on...

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Tellie

"We do however need the generator to run our watermaker"

I know a bit of bad form here, but another weakness of AC driven watermakers, no genset, no watermaker.
That being said, I've broken a few owners parts now and then myself. I would never charge the owner for the replacement. It's the price I pay to be in business and to achieve customer satisfaction knowing that both repeat business and good word of mouth is how I grow and stay in business.


Halden Marine Services – Marine Watermakers, Solar Panels, Wind Generators

Tellie, you should volunteer for one of the human cloning programs going on, for we sure could use a few more like you in the world!!

Good man!

Jim

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Simonthepom:

I apologize for making incorrect assumptions.

Given that he's European, charging European rates, and still not providing decent service, I suggest you do as the gentleman above suggested: cut this guy loose, and either try to follow A64pilot's suggestion, or find another mechanic. Assuming you have a way to do it yourself, let the imagined sense of satisfaction of completion lead you on.

Good luck with it.

Ann

Regardless of nationality, there are very few individual contractors in the W Carib who will stand behind their work (a few will, but they are rare). Ive seen this same sad story many times. Usually only better boat yards will take accountability for work done thru them.

I agree, you are very unlikely to get any satisfacrion, cut him lose, and find a better mechanic.

Most foreigners working as individual contractors in the W Carib are working illegally....hmmm...there may be more than one path to "satisfaction".

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by rwidman

If the mechanic breaks a part he supplied, he would have to replace it.

If the mechanic broke a part you supplied, that's a different story.

There is a lesson here: Let the mechanic, shop, etc. do the entire job (including supplying the parts) and they will be responsible for the whole job.

I don't see what the difference is. In both cases, the mechanic broke the ring. Part of being a professional is NOT breaking stuff. IMHO, the mechanic should pay for anything and everything he breaks. I'm amazed at the stuff you people put up with.

I know people with $35K to $80K racing engines. If it breaks within 6 months or so, the engine builder will pick up the car in some cases, rebuild the engine at no charge, reinstall it, dyno tune it and drive it back to the owner, sometimes over the weekend.

Now I'll admit that is exceptional service, and the business is booming because if it. But at the very least, anyone who wants to call himself a professional should stand behind their work, and that means being careful with the customer's parts and property and replacing anything he broke.

There's also a marine diesel mechanic out of L.A. who will drop his fork in mid meal and take a boat out to Catalina to fix a customer's boat overnight so they can leave in the morning.

I sold a battery watering kit to a guy who didn't know what brand of batteries he had. The kit didn't fit. He sent it back and I sent him a kit to fit Trojan batteries, which is what he said he had. Those didn't fit either, he had T-105 plus, which are different from any other battery. I sent him the parts to fit those and I paid for all shipping both ways. Wiped out my profit margin on that system and the next one I sold, but if that's what it takes to make a customer whole, that's business.

If you settle for anything less, you got what you settled for.

[socaldmax]

At least once a week I fix something - electronic, electrical, door lock, engine, something. I thank my lucky stars that my parents made me fix everything in the house as a young boy and I ended up working for public works at 12 as a summer job fixing doors, replacing windows, sinks, faucets - all of the normal stuff any handyman would do.

Now, I can fix anything on a boat, including radios. All I need is a schematic and new parts. Engines are easy, especially older diesels.

Those of you who are looking forward to new common rail diesel engines should be cautious; they're needlessly complex and I doubt you'll find anyone but a factory tech who will be able to diagnose it much less fix it unless it's something really simple, like replacing an impeller or fixing an air leak in a fuel line.

[Siberianhusky]

Speaking as a tradsman, if I supply the parts/materials and something breaks I pay.
If I don't supply materials all you are buying is my labour. In other words you're SOL! I don't know anybody else in the trades who operates any differently. No control over materials - I'm not responsible.

[Midwesterner]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Simonthepom,

Apologize for having lost your temper with him.

In Panama, a mechanic is a professional. The caste system is a little different than that of England. However, he is not a wealthy man, more than likely, and even more less likely if he is a young man with a young man's expenses. You, with your pretty boat, are far wealthier than he, and he knows it; plus you have freedom (priceless, imho) that he doesn't. Unless you are extremely gracious with him, you'll be rubbing his machismo the wrong way, and that will be counter-productive. Remember this when you get to Australia, the tradesmen do not take kindly to any nation's whiners.

Ann

I believe that this is some of the best advice you've received here. You are in a country with more poverty and greater economic disparity than your home. If he is an employee of a large company his boss would have enough volume of business to make up his losses on the next couple of jobs. But it sounds like he is a small time private mechanic. The loss on this job could mean a week's or month's worth of lost income for him. He views you as wealthy compared to him, and you probably are.

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by Siberianhusky

Speaking as a tradsman, if I supply the parts/materials and something breaks I pay.
If I don't supply materials all you are buying is my labour. In other words you're SOL! I don't know anybody else in the trades who operates any differently. No control over materials - I'm not responsible.

And that, in a nutshell, is the difference between a tradesman and a professional.

A professional makes the impossible look easy, and never makes excuses. He always fixes it on time, and on budget. As I once told my boss who wondered why my hair was never on fire and I just calmly got the job done, "Ever watch the Ice Capades? See how easy they make it look? That's because they're professionals. Now go strap some ice skates on your 400 lb body and go out there and see how hard it really is. You'll come back with a fresh appreciation for how easy I make all of this look."

Just because someone has the job or says they're a tech or a mechanic, doesn't mean they are any good at it. When I taught advanced troubleshooting in a Navy classroom, 25% of the class failed, every class. We were available for one on one tutoring from 7am to 9pm, and still, they just did not have the mental capacity to fully grasp the advanced concepts.

I once fired a team of 4 surgeons who underwhelmed me with their credentials. Not one of them suggested arthroscopic surgery, and all 4 of them completely misread a stack of x-rays and MRIs. Mediocrity is everywhere, and it's unacceptable.

[socaldmax]

Something that I'm mindful of, and I think every business should be mindful of, is the ability to spread the news about a company, good or bad, via the internet.

Case in point, here we are, people from all over the globe, discussing the workmanship of this one mechanic. All we need is his name, and suddenly, he'll be getting a lot less business.

Both the racing engine company and the marine diesel company's businesses I mentioned earlier are booming, entirely due to word of mouth of satisfied customers via the internet. I feel their exceptional service would have guaranteed them success prior to the internet, but it just spread the word faster and further.

[simonthepom]

Originally Posted by socaldmax

Something that I'm mindful of, and I think every business should be mindful of, is the ability to spread the news about a company, good or bad, via the internet.

Case in point, here we are, people from all over the globe, discussing the workmanship of this one mechanic. All we need is his name, and suddenly, he'll be getting a lot less business.

Both the racing engine company and the marine diesel company's businesses I mentioned earlier are booming, entirely due to word of mouth of satisfied customers via the internet. I feel their exceptional service would have guaranteed them success prior to the internet, but it just spread the word faster and further.

And that there is a critical point that most marine providers in the Caribbean don't understand. We all spend countless hours researching products and services to ensure we get what we want. While the Internet in these parts is akin to dial-up in the nineties, it's still the easiest way to source information. All it needs is one or two negative mentions, and I'll look elsewhere. Like a lot of things in third world countries, education tends to be the root cause.


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[Siberianhusky]

Originally Posted by socaldmax

And that, in a nutshell, is the difference between a tradesman and a professional.

A professional makes the impossible look easy, and never makes excuses. He always fixes it on time, and on budget. As I once told my boss who wondered why my hair was never on fire and I just calmly got the job done, "Ever watch the Ice Capades? See how easy they make it look? That's because they're professionals. Now go strap some ice skates on your 400 lb body and go out there and see how hard it really is. You'll come back with a fresh appreciation for how easy I make all of this look."

Just because someone has the job or says they're a tech or a mechanic, doesn't mean they are any good at it. When I taught advanced troubleshooting in a Navy classroom, 25% of the class failed, every class. We were available for one on one tutoring from 7am to 9pm, and still, they just did not have the mental capacity to fully grasp the advanced concepts.

I once fired a team of 4 surgeons who underwhelmed me with their credentials. Not one of them suggested arthroscopic surgery, and all 4 of them completely misread a stack of x-rays and MRIs. Mediocrity is everywhere, and it's unacceptable.

Nice try, I do very high end restoration work and am in very high demand, I work on my terms or I don't do the job, my name on the finished product.

To quote "Those who can do, those who can't teach!"