So I felt really bad...

[JPA Cate]

There's an old story that goes sorta like this:

When someone with experience and little money meets some with little experience and who has money, pretty soon, the one with the experience has more money, and the one with little experience has a new experience to add to his "purse".

zboss, I think waiting to take the guy aside somewhere other than the marina office would be about the only way to do it, as GILow suggested. FWIW, it may actually be better to let nature take its course, people tend to learn from experiences that are profoundly negative. It is just that it makes us feel good when we are able to "help."

However, if "help" is more or less forced on a person, often he or she will resent it, and not want it even if kindly offered. We people are weird critters. ;-)

Ann

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Wotname

What would you want someone to do if you were the young uninformed guy?

Originally Posted by rwidman

What would you want if you owned a business and were trying to sell something to a customer and another customer or bystander butted in and tried to discourage the customer from buying your product?

Hmm... interesting response that raises several issues IMO.

The OP certainly had a feeling of what he should have done but didn't yet he was looking for what others thought. My response is that if one can't decide which course of action is more appropriate, then one need only to look inwards in order to select the course of action most consistent with one's own moral compass. Note that I haven't made a judgement one way or the other. So in the OP's situation and the roles were reversed, would the OP want an outsider to butt in or not. Once he knows whatever he would want, then that will be the right action for him to take and that may not necessarily be what you or I would do.


The issue with the what the business owner may want is immaterial and unrelated to the OP's question (IMO).

However since you have brought it up and hopefully with the OP's indulgence to allow some thread drift, let me respond

As a previous business owner myself, I am very very clear what I would want in this situation although I can't speak on behalf of other owners.

I would simply want the best outcome for the customer. If the customer does get the best outcome that suits his/her individual needs, then that customer may become my customer and will return over and over again. However, if my available product is unsuitable for his/her needs, then I (or my staff) should tell him/her so and direct them to some other place armed with enough knowledge to get what they need. The most likely benefit to me is that the customer will appreciate the both the honesty and help and still recommend my business to their friends. I had always tried to operate the business in such a manner and had found it to be successful. I accept there may have been better ways that I did not try and with better than 80% of the local market share, I didn't care to experiment with other techniques.

[S/V Antares]

Tall story at best...

1. If the kid had 10 k when he got there it would be gone in a month.

2. If he had any info or knowledge about boats this would not happen.

3. Any youngster with a few bucks would get a crappy apartment and blow the remainder on booze dope and a bicycle with a "Stuff happens" sticker

[Pelagic]

I would have left it alone.

I never assume people are stupid and in there own set of calculations, will hopefully come to the right conclusion (for them).

if not.... Nothing I would say now would change the inevitable and become a more meaningful learning experience than I could ever give.

[FSMike]

zboss -
You say slips there are about $3,000 a month, then you say their rate is $44.00 a foot. To spend $3,000 a month your boat seeker would have to purchase about 68' of boat.
Let's get a little realistic here.

[Island Time O25]

How is this kid any different from people who'd rather pay $44/ft than to anchor a few hundred yards away for free?

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

There's an old story that goes sorta like this:

When someone with experience and little money meets some with little experience and who has money, pretty soon, the one with the experience has more money, and the one with little experience has a new experience to add to his "purse".

zboss, I think waiting to take the guy aside somewhere other than the marina office would be about the only way to do it, as GILow suggested. FWIW, it may actually be better to let nature take its course, people tend to learn from experiences that are profoundly negative. It is just that it makes us feel good when we are able to "help."

However, if "help" is more or less forced on a person, often he or she will resent it, and not want it even if kindly offered. We people are weird critters. ;-)

Ann

I think there are a wide variety of people, but in general terms with regards to taking advice, it seems to me that there are two kinds of people: those who are open minded and willing to learn and take advice for what it is, and those who don't listen and must make mistakes for themselves in order to gain wisdom. I'm sad to say it seems like there are more people who need to learn the hard way than those willing to listen to experience and reason.

The good news is with the technology advancing and HD video cams and action cams selling for less than $100, there are more and more fools filming their adventures in "gaining wisdom" for the rest of us to watch and enjoy!

[rwidman]

I was in a local marina here in Key West registering (and paying) for a dinghy dock for a week. The guys working the office seemed decent enough except that KW slime that seems to stick to just about anything, although it may be me, who knows.

In any case, this kid, maybe 25 or 26 comes in behind me and says to the guys behind the counter... "I want to buy a boat and live on the dock here, how does that work and do you have any boats for sale? I have 10,000 dollars do you think that is enough?"

Of course, the shark behind the counter says "I don't know, there are not a lot of boats around here for sale but maybe you can look at the one in XYZ slip. You want to sign a lease and take over the slip right?" Slips here are about 3K month.

I almost dragged the kid out of there but I just let it be... should I have said anything or would that have been just too nosy?

Another way of putting this is:

"I was eavesdropping on a conversation that didn't concern me and didn't like what I heard. Should I have butted in or minded my own business?"

I think walking away was the best action. The "kid" is smart enough to know if he can afford $3K a month slip rent.

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Another way of putting this is:

"I was eavesdropping on a conversation that didn't concern me and didn't like what I heard. Should I have butted in or minded my own business?"

I think walking away was the best action. The "kid" is smart enough to know if he can afford $3K a month slip rent.

He was at the counter, the kid came in behind him, literally putting him IN the middle of the conversation. Yes, it's a pet peeve of mine, people expecting to get helped BEFORE the counter person has finished helping the other person. Yeah, you're special, but not that kinda special. Wait your turn.

So a kid walks into a store and immediately tells everyone in earshot he has $10,000 in his pocket.

Question: Is he really the smartest guy in the room?

I'm thinking if he ever gets charged with a capital offense, the first thing his attorney is going to argue is diminished mental capacity after his first conversation with him. But that's just me, everyone has a different definition of what's normal, or retarded.

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

What would you want if you were the head of an evil corporate empire that was ripping off its own customers solely for the greed of the handful of "assistant vice presidents" and the shareholders, and you didn't want anyone to know the truth that what you were selling for $1,587 only cost $0.14 to make including shipping, handling and tax?

Stu,
I have a feeling your favorite author in college was Mao Tse Tung . . . Power to the People! Down With Evil Capitalists! Mine was Thomas Mann. Good luck, good sailing, Viva La Revolucion!

[zboss]

Originally Posted by FSMike

zboss -
You say slips there are about $3,000 a month, then you say their rate is $44.00 a foot. To spend $3,000 a month your boat seeker would have to purchase about 68' of boat.
Let's get a little realistic here.

I think most slips are on the larger size. Also, that $44 is for a no-finger, no amenity slip. You get off the boat at the stern or the bow. You pay a lot more for a finger pier.

Here they charge for the slip your boat fits in and what they have available, not the size of your boat. So if you have a 41 foot boat and all they have available is a 50 foot slip (or they won't put you in a 40 foot slip), you are paying for every foot of that 50 foot slip.

[Celestialsailor]

Yes....but what would Gandhi do?