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Old 02-06-2016, 01:17   #31
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Re: Beneteau USA Factory Delivery Problems

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Originally Posted by ingrid75 View Post
Jim Cade, I realize that beneteaus are built on an assembly line, very much like a toaster. And I don't expect that a lot of time or care goes into knocking one out. There is a reason why the serious cruising community refers to them as 'bent-in-twos" or "bent-up-toys" but there is always the possibility that a hold up on a essential component has stopped the line. Why does everyone always have a conspiracy theory? "Some rich guy bribed the company to build his first!" Etc.
I'm certainly glad it's not my new boat/dream that you're talking about like that.
If Beneteau were giving boats away 98% of the people on this forum would be down collecting theirs in the morning.
Seriously
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Old 02-06-2016, 02:55   #32
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Re: Beneteau USA Factory Delivery Problems

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Originally Posted by ingrid75 View Post
Jim Cade, I realize that beneteaus are built on an assembly line, very much like a toaster. And I don't expect that a lot of time or care goes into knocking one out. There is a reason why the serious cruising community refers to them as 'bent-in-twos" or "bent-up-toys" but there is always the possibility that a hold up on a essential component has stopped the line. Why does everyone always have a conspiracy theory? "Some rich guy bribed the company to build his first!" Etc.
So, ingrid, do you think that the production line has halted entirely, that there are NO Benies being delivered during the waiting period? Could be, but I personally doubt it. I'm not hoiking a conspiracy theory at all, just believing that for some reason the OP's boat was delayed whilst others were being delivered, and that he is justified in being POed.

And I'm not knocking Bennies specifically... they ARE built on an assembly line, with a lot of robotic input. They brag about this in their ads. It is hard for me to believe that some missing widget is stopping the whole line's progress. When the delay periods are far longer than the actual build time of an individual boat, it is hard to resolve that this is other than a scheduling change... what else could it be?

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Old 02-06-2016, 07:02   #33
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Re: Beneteau USA Factory Delivery Problems

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Originally Posted by ingrid75 View Post
Jim Cade, I realize that beneteaus are built on an assembly line, very much like a toaster. And I don't expect that a lot of time or care goes into knocking one out. There is a reason why the serious cruising community refers to them as 'bent-in-twos" or "bent-up-toys" but there is always the possibility that a hold up on a essential component has stopped the line. Why does everyone always have a conspiracy theory? "Some rich guy bribed the company to build his first!" Etc.
“Built for the masses” was the rub of so-called “serious cruisers” in the late 60s and early 70s. Fiberglass boats were a joke, and those who were serious only sailed woodies. Now the rub is on “production” boat: no way are they serious boats.

Early producers of fiberglass boats had no idea what they were doing. Hand laying up solid figerglass ½” thick with all kinds of air pockets and inconsistencies. Now, the so-called “serious cruisers” are saying that those are the serious boats, not like those “toasters” or “plastic fantastics” built today.

Visit a factory, or not. Keep loving your “built for masses” boat of the 60s or 70s, or not. But, what is the point in rubbing the PERSON who just purchased a brand new boat, made in the USA. Would you prefer he purchase a double-the-weight, aged boat, possibly from you?

The OP simply asks for some insight into why his boat is late. I don’t think he wants a further rub on how bad, possibly his largest investment of his life, is. I pretty sure he doesn’t want your insight about the quality of his boat, most likely because he investigated and researched his boat more than he has researched anything else in his life. But, your comments must be more experienced, simply because of what? I’m curious, seriously. However, if your post is back at me, you obviously missed the point of this post, just as you did the OP’s post. So, to save you time, I will simply block your posts so you can move on to the next unsuspecting PERSON to rub.

Or, possibly it's not the boat, just the amount of money the OP has? How dare he spend so much; maybe he should just give it to you, the "masses", the "99%".
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Old 02-06-2016, 07:26   #34
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Re: Beneteau USA Factory Delivery Problems

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Bendy-toys is another one. We bought a 36.7 back in 2009 but it was already 90% complete at the factory. At the time we ordered the only thing left was installing the options. I place blame here on the broker, they already have their commission so why should they exert any effort? I had a similar experience from the San Francisco Beneteau dealer, the problem being the owner. About all the poster can do at this point is try and get some dealer concessions to compensate for his extra expenses.
Do you still have the 36.7? A friend of mine just purchased a 36.7 to race; he down-sized from a 42' Catalina. Perhaps the OP and other possible Ben owners could hear how your boat has performed and held up over the years, or possibly your thoughts on the quality of your boat. I tend to ignore all posts from non-owners about a particular boat. Thanks!
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Old 02-06-2016, 08:58   #35
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Re: Beneteau USA Factory Delivery Problems

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Do you still have the 36.7? A friend of mine just purchased a 36.7 to race; he down-sized from a 42' Catalina. Perhaps the OP and other possible Ben owners could hear how your boat has performed and held up over the years, or possibly your thoughts on the quality of your boat. I tend to ignore all posts from non-owners about a particular boat. Thanks!
SofiaB

We sold the boat back in 2013. We never did race the boat, just day sailed around San Francisco. The boat was fairly fast and had great feedback thru the wheel. It was delivered with a 155 jib IIRC and that was way to big for two older people to handle in the bay. It was very easy for the boat to be overpowered and to lose rudder control downwind, we had it happen to an instructor. There were some quality components on the boat such as winches, mast, boom, traveler etc. But the cabinets, liner, trim etc were Ikea quality and lots of things falling apart after just a few years. The only two things that would keep me from buying one as a daysailer are the tiny head/shower and the low ballast/displacement ratio. The European boats have a bulb that weighs around 250 pounds more than the US version, not sure why the difference. Some owners have added lead shoes to get the boat AVS high enough for offshore racing.
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Old 02-06-2016, 14:08   #36
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Re: Beneteau USA Factory Delivery Problems

To All -


Thanks for your insights and comments. As I am now to understand, I should be seeing my new Beneteau delivered some time mid to late June. I hope the factory does not miss this target.


A couple of things I do want to contribute back to this thread. First, and foremost, the issue I have with Beneteau is solely related to their inability to communicate effectively with their customer. In my case, beyond being frustrated and not having a boat to sail the past 6 months, the extensive delay cost me real money - costs which could have been avoided had Beneteau been more proactive communicating with me as a customer. As one observer pointed out, it makes one wonder what factory service (if required) will be like.


Second, this does not reflect upon my local dealer in any way, as I believe they were blindsided as much as I was. Talking with two other new customers, they believed their dealers were also blindsided by the factory's lack of communication about the delays.


Third, I think anyone being critical of Beneteau for their mass production of fiberglass boats, which they perceive to be of lesser quality than other handmade wood or metal vessels, really needs to revisit their understanding about sailboat construction. I have been sailing now for more than 50 years, in all types of boats - metal hulls, wood hulls, fiberglass hulls - and after visiting Beneteau's factory and observing their manufacturing, their process is second to none. They have mastered the art of fiberglass mold injection, which I believe is capable of producing a more uniform fiberglass hull, of higher strength, lighter weight, and higher integrity than any fiberglass body made by hand. With proper care and attention, these boats are highly dependable and will last many years, and will take care of their owners in even the most extreme conditions. That is why I bought a Beneteau.


Fourth, I did not check the hull ID when I visited the factory and saw the boat more than half-way constructed, but since I ordered a rather unique configuration, I have no doubt I will be receiving the one I originally ordered, and not another which was swapped in at a later date. I don't believe there was anything nefarious going on.


Fifth, as I have been told, the delays were not due to any manufacturing process issues, they were due to an insufficient number of qualified workers in the face of a large increase in orders. I can understand that; I have dealt with manufacturers and the manufacturing process before. However, as I said originally, the factory's lack of communication is the issue I have with Beneteau, and it is not clear to me - even if I do see my boat in mid-June sometime - that they have yet to figure out they have a customer relations problem.


Finally, to those ordering Beneteau's, make sure you understand you too may be impacted by these delays also, if they have not been resolved. And if they have, hopefully the factory has also figured out they need to do better with customer relations.
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Old 19-06-2016, 22:42   #37
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Re: Beneteau USA Factory Delivery Problems

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Ugh, Kazak. That sucks! Slips are not cheap in my neck of the woods, so that's really crap. And the loan piece, I've been there. Nothing worse than sitting on a large sum of money while paying it back.
Same thing happened to me. Order a Lagoon 450 and delayed 5 weeks for the promised july 29th delivery date.

I had bought airplane tickets to recieve the boat and prepaid a marina in europe for the summer.

Till know I did not received any compensation from Lagoon or a good explanation of the delay causes.

Extremely unprosfessional.
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Old 20-06-2016, 05:28   #38
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Re: Beneteau USA Factory Delivery Problems

Expect nothing from Lagoon, just enjoy the cat,they are a top product.


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Old 20-06-2016, 05:57   #39
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Re: Beneteau USA Factory Delivery Problems

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Expect nothing from Lagoon, just enjoy the cat,they are a top product.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

Can't believe I can not do nothing to recover some of the losses, not to mention the reschedule of my family vacations.

My relation is with the dealer only. I do not have even a contract signed.
Does it make any sense to hire a lawyer to try to recover the usd7000 between tickets and pre paid marina fee? {any experience?}

Kind regards, Pablo Elenter
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Old 20-06-2016, 06:22   #40
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Re: Beneteau USA Factory Delivery Problems

Typically your purchase agreement will exclude you being able to claim any expenses not agreed to in writing in the contract. Unless the broker or builder committed to a fixed and firm delivery date.

The factory delivers to brokers not end users. This seperates them legally from claimants. Brokers are also smart enough not to commit to unknown, potentially unlimited future costs.

For a relatively high volume manufacturer like beneteau i would expect them to be able to predict completion of a specific hull to at least a specific week. I'm sure they have the appropriate tools to manufacture in volume. You don't build a boat a day with MS project gantt charts and excel spreadsheets.

Are they experiencing critical supply issues, unplanned rework on batches of hulls or labor shortages or strikes? These are the big 3 issues that tend to delay mass production businesses. Force majeur is another but I haven't heard anything related to beneteau.

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Old 20-06-2016, 06:28   #41
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Re: Beneteau USA Factory Delivery Problems

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Typically your purchase agreement will exclude you being able to claim expenses. Unless the broker or builder committed to a fixed and firm delivery date.

For a relatively high volume manufacturer like beneteau i would expect them to be able to predict completion of a specific hull to at least a specific week.

Are they experiencing critical supply issues, unplanned rework on batches of hulls or labor shortages or strikes? These are the big 3 issues that tend to delay mass production businesses. Force majeur is another but I haven't heard anything related to beneteau.

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I did not have a purchase agreement signed. Although I have mails stating a firm delivery date.
I know France is experience some strike, but I'm angry in the way the delay is being handling and the fact that they offer no compensation...

Thanks for your insights,
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Old 21-06-2016, 05:46   #42
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Re: Beneteau USA Factory Delivery Problems

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Can't believe I can not do nothing to recover some of the losses, not to mention the reschedule of my family vacations.



My relation is with the dealer only. I do not have even a contract signed.

Does it make any sense to hire a lawyer to try to recover the usd7000 between tickets and pre paid marina fee? {any experience?}



Kind regards, Pablo Elenter

Dont bother, just grin and bare it, only lawyers will win if you go legal.


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Old 05-08-2016, 12:45   #43
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Re: Beneteau USA Factory Delivery Problems

We ordered our Beneteau Oceanis 38 in March 2016. We were told delivery was running 5 to 6 months. We did visit the factory mid June but our boat had not started construction. It was the next one to start according to hull numbers. Factory rep said it takes roughly one month from the date the boat is begun to completion. We were given a factory "x date" of Aug 22, 2016. That's the date it's supposed to leave the factory for shipping. I recently requested our dealer check on this and he said "no changes". We are hopeful this works and I certainly understand your frustration. Very little information has been forthcoming from our dealer and I did question them about this. They've told me this is the way it is usually done and that there will be more communications once the boat leaves the factory, is enroute and in the commissioning process. I do have frustrations with this but also realize some of it is due to being very anxious at the same time. You must have your boat by now and I wish you many years of wonderful sailing with her.
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Old 05-08-2016, 13:46   #44
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Re: Beneteau USA Factory Delivery Problems

HI,

Lagoon maintained the delay of 40+ days in my case.
Instead of using my brand new CAT, I rented one for my holidays, sent the bill to Lagoon for their reimbursement but did not receive an answer in spite of my frequent emails.

Really a bad emotional experience,
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Old 05-08-2016, 17:16   #45
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Re: Beneteau USA Factory Delivery Problems

Welcome to Lagoon


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