Beneteau USA Factory Delivery Problems

[kazak]

Hello:

I am reaching out to folks on this forum, who have ordered a Beneteau sailboat in the past six months. I hope you have had your boat delivered, my Oceanis has been on order since December, and already been twice delayed - MONTH FOR MONTH!

I have been getting the runaround from the factory. Additionally, I did find a comment posted to Beneteau's Facebook page from a woman who ordered her Oceanis 35 and has been delayed three times - the last time for six weeks.

For those interested in a new Beneteau, I STRONGLY advise you think twice before ordering. At this juncture, since the delays I have seen are month for month (supposed to be April, delayed to May - then supposed to be May, now delayed to June), I do not have any expectation of actually seeing a boat out of the factory, though I have been told mine is in process.

There are many angry words I have already exchanged with my dealer who seems to be helpless in this process. I would appreciate any thoughts any of you might have, to help me figure out how to find out what is going on and/or how to press Beneteau to be more transparent. I see this post and thread as a start.

Also, I would appreciate hearing any stories from others who have order a Beneteau since January 1st, and in the same "boat" I am in. Please email me directly if you choose not to post here. Thanks in advance.

[Polux]

That is due to what? more demand than the factory can provide and bad management regarding a waiting list?

[Rarest Iowa]

Kazak, I hope this isn't taken as a troll, but I'm curious: is your anger based on anxiety or legitimate fury with Beneteau? If I was buying a new-from-factory boat, I'd probably be pretty anxious to finally set foot on my vessel, much like I was when I bought my first "factory-new" car. Maybe they're backlogged or understaffed, but are you legitimately worried about anything regarding quality, or is it just that they're keeping you from the water?

[Vasco]

Over my sailing years I've ordered two boats to be delivered from a factory. Both were delayed, if I remember right, a month or two both occasions. When buying my third boat I got a bit smarter. Bought it from a dealer's stock, and that was a Beneteau. The dealer installed all the "options" I ticked off on the order form. I saw the boat before I laid out a penny.

[SofiaB]

Bavaria Vision 46delayed by 30 days. Ordered last Nov

[kazak]

Polux - the only response I ever received to the question "why?" was that the delay is due to more orders than anticipated and a lack of qualified factory employees.

Look at it this way, though. For a factory which puts out on average, one boat per working day (250 per year), to be delayed 2-3 months is an enormous backlog, which if it existed when I first ordered my boat, should have been conveyed to me when I was first told when to expect mine to be delivered. I was given no such advice.

Rarest Iowa - I do not at all see your question as troll; it is very legitimate. After all, what is there to be angry about?

Here's what I am angry about. Several days before my first scheduled delivery day, I was told by my dealer I needed to be ready to wire money to the dealer's account. I set up everything to do so, including closing on a boat loan and liquidating certain investments, as I had planned to do. I also signed my slip lease. The day before my boat was to be shipped from the factory, and the day before I was ready to make the wire transfer to assume ownership, the factory informed the dealer the boat would not arrive for another 5 weeks.

Four weeks after the first delivery date and a week before my new delivery date, I asked the dealer to call the factory (because he had not heard from them in the interim) and find out if my boat was going to be delivered. Three days later and 4 days before the second delivery date, the factory informs the dealer the boat is not going to be delivered for another 4-6 weeks.

So my new delivery date is mid-June. I have been paying interest on a boat loan I did not need to secure for another two months, minimum. I have been paying slip fees on a slip I did not need to secure for another two months, minimum. In my view, the lack of the factory's transparency and communication about the delays has cost me real dollars. While the costs are certainly small next to the cost of a new boat, they are real, and they could have been readily avoided had the factory be forthright with early communication to the dealer about delays in manufacturing.

Had the factory kept me well informed of the delays, I might have been upset, but I agree with you, I probably had no right to be "angry". After all, if I had known what was going on, I would have been more appreciative of their struggles to balance schedule delays with a quality product. But, I also would not have been out several thousand dollars (and counting), which could have been totally avoided.

I don't know what to expect when the dealer calls the factory next week to see if a mid-June delivery date is still good. But based upon Beneteau's track record to date, and another buyer's being told last Saturday, that their boat was going to be another 4-6 weeks out (their 3rd delay), I don't have a great deal of hope.

So yes, I do strongly advise folks purchasing a Beneteau, to find out what's going on with Beneteau manufacturing. While I have been told it is the large number of orders they have received and the lack of qualified personnel to build boats, 2-3 month delays on a factory line putting out 250 boats a year has to be bad for Beneteau's cash flow, and certainly something I would have expected Beneteau to figure out how to resolve more quickly than the 2-3 months it has apparently already taken them to resolve.

[Abgreenbank]

Is it not normal to do a factory visit to see the progress of construction, or was it not offered?

Regards

Ab


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[robert sailor]

When a builder of anything treats their customers this way it is a clear sign of unprofessionalism. It sends a message to the customer that we do not regard you as important to us. Anyone these days with half a brain knows that the worse thing you can do is ignore a customer. Message to the customer, if you get treated this way at the beginning of your relationship with this company don't expect it to get better later. They are giving you a clear window into how they do business.

[Orion Jim]

I've only ordered one boat from the factory, that was an Ericson back in 1978. It was delivered when it was promised. You would think you could track your hull number through their production process similar to tracking a FedEx delivery. They need an IT solution to keep their customer base satisfied.
In the end I would want them to take their time and do it right. There is no excuse for them slipping promised delivery dates without some detailed information getting back to the dealer or owner.

[MarkSF]

I believe it's striking season in France. Usually runs from May to the end of August.

[kazak]

Ab - I was invited, and did visit the factory - in mid-March. At that time, the hull was finished, the electrical, plumbing, mechanical and woodwork was completed, and the deck had been attached and sealed to the hull. What remained was to complete installation of the deck hardware, the electronics, install the keel and test her in the water tank. At that time, I was told that was about 3-4 weeks more on the line. So, yes, I did have a factory visit, and yes, the boat was 3-4 weeks from factory completion. It has now been nearly 11 weeks since that time.

[Rarest Iowa]

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.

[Robin3]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

I believe it's striking season in France. Usually runs from May to the end of August.

Is it strike season in the USa too? it is Beneteau USA involved here not France n'est ce pas?

[KadeyKrogen38]

If you have not already discovered it, all marine boating support is far less professionally done and we have come to expect from other industries.

Just wait until the mechanics you called and scheduled fail to show up when they said they would or even let you know they may be delayed. Then work is hardly ever finished on time or as complete as you would expect.

This is the nature of our boating world. Welcome to your future of frustrations.

[homerobarros]

Kazak, What is the Oceanis model we are talking about?