Crazy service lady at Tracy Boat Center

Anyone else encounter this witch of a woman?

She is apparently in charge/owns part of the service side of Tracy Boat Center.

My buddy tried to drop off his V215 yesterday for some very minor issues, and she gave him the 3rd degree. His boat is like a month old and she gave him a hard time over issues like: the depth finder is malfunctioning, and a light hesitation when throttling up. Warranty issues that should be taken care of, but this lady grilled my buddy over it - acting as if my buddy had no clue about anything boat related. He ended up getting frustrated and yelling at her (telling her they need to fix the problem).

I don't know about all of you, but when I am 1 month out from dropping 45 large for a boat, I expect/demand helpful, friendly customer service, especially on warranty issues.

He has encountered this woman before as well. About a year ago she interrupted him and a salesperson talking about a board that he was looking to buy. She made the salesperson (mid sale) go do some menial task leaving my friend alone.

I have other friends who have had run-ins with her in the past as well. I am just wondering if these are isolated or if others have had similar problems.

I've heard rumors, but never had any experience myself. I live in Tracy, but when I bought my V215, I went to Marine Center up in Sac. Worth the drive for the service I get.

mb

Mark,

That's a tough sell considering he is about 1 mile from TBC.

Even if I lived next door to the place, i would NEVER give them MY money if they YELLED at me. This is discressionary income, and not something we need to keep us alive. They should know that our money can walk ANYWHERE we CHOOSE since they are not the only place that sells "fun".

They need to learn who is the real boss.

Clue: it is not the "owner" of the shop, but the person that writes the checks that payes the owner's profit!

His first clue should've been when the salesman bailed on him for some "menial task"

my .02

I think he yelled at her.

Troy, the salesman (for the wakeboard) bailed on him because she ordered him to do so.

The boat sales people are all really cool and helpful, so what he did a little while ago was talk to the sales manager about this problem. Usually going that route eliminates problems as the boat sales side is what brings home the real $$ for the dealership.

End result for him is now he will deal directly with the sales manager for all issues and not the wicked witch.

"as the boat sales side is what brings home the real $$ for the dealership"

Not sure about the boating industry but the automotive industry makes more money through the service bays than selling cars.

True in automotive industry, but without a sales dept the service dept does not exist. Can't service a vehicle if nobody sold one in the first place.

I think in the boating industry its the other way around, or at least in the wake boat arena.

Give us her name and we can start prank caling her.

Has anyone used Liquid Wrenches in Livermore?

Looks like we also need to stay on Merc but to fix these prolbems

Louis, I heard from someone in that area that they had a really good experience with LW.

Scott, yea, but from my Merc experience these problems are isolated.

I have talked with 5 people now with the same prolbem

I have used LW, they are great, all indoor shop so your boat is never left outside. The guys there a great and they get the work done when promised.

About four years ago we were looking at a new boat... went to TBC... needless to say we bought a Centurion because TBC would not give us the time of day!!! Four years later and we have a MC, a story in it's own!!! But we bought from Cope and McPhetres, and had nothing good to say about them except for the sell. Now we go to liquid wrenches--they are awesome!!! You tell them that you have a problem and they say "yeah, heard of that before" or "never heard of that but we will see what we can find," instead of the "realy, your boat is doing what??? no never heard of that."

If I ever bought a boat again, it would be from SkiWorld because of the customer service provided by LW!!!!!!

Chris: The hell with prank calling her, just everyone keep voicing their problems with TBC and this service person in general and I will print it out and fax it to them.

People like this should not be working in an industry where you spend 45000 in a shot. You should be treated as if you just bought a new Lexus or BMW - receiving the same level of customer service.

anybody got the number for liquid wrench? I couldn't find it online.

1-925-961-1670

Well, looks like there is no need to fax this to TBC, apparently they have already read it!

I used to truck my boat all the way out to Tracy Boat Center for service from the South Bay until my last experience. I was having a 100 hour service, steering cable replaced, and depth finder installed. A one week scheduled project took three weeks, boat came back infested with ants, that apparently did not put the cover on it for some period of that time (I left it covered when I dropped it off). It was coated in a layer of dirt and grime. There were dirty foot prints all over the floor and greasy hand prints all over the interior. Wire shavings and debris were spread throughout under the dash from the depth finder installation, which by the way, never has worked right.

I definitely will be upgrading to another Sanger again in the next year or two but will not be bringing my business back to Tracy Boat Sales. I feel bad for the salesmen. The guy that sold me the boat took care of me but the service quality cost them a future sale.

Shawn, do you remember who helped you in the service dept?

I don't specifically remember who and other than getting the run around for three weeks, I don't recall necessarily bad treatment when talking to them. I was just so disgusted with the condition of my boat, lack of compentence,and the length of time it took I just decided to walk away and take my business elsewhere.

My service manager at a dealership where I have my truck serviced has bent over backwards at times to keep me happy, and I didn't even buy my truck there. I am in the market for a new truck and I will most likely head to that dealership for my next truck. Too bad that some boat dealerships do not adopt a better policy of customer service let alone act like they even give a damn about their customers.

I use Liquid Wrenches in Livermore. Shoot me and email or post if you have any questions. They are the bomb. They have always done us right, just as Ski World has in Pleasanton and Castro Valley.

As far as the mean lady goes, I have heard from two of my Sanger buddies that they have AWFUL customer service. I think they also decided to take their boat out of town for service.

It's too bad, service is key in my opinion. I can't stand people who work in a customer service position and aren't customer service oriented. It's like, find a job that suits you. I have zero tolerance for bad service. I just fly off the handle.... can you tell?

it's sad to hear that people put so much money into a dealership and receive no sign of thanks whatsoever for supporting their dealership...It's sad to know that all they really care about is getting a boat off of their hands and into someone elses.. Unfortunately, in the area that i live in, most of the boat dealerships nearby seem to suck.. I know everytime i go to Mossdale Boat, i find myself running up and down the stairs looking for someone to help me :-/ disappointing!

Maybe to late to post this but I am happy to hear the word is getting out and I can't help but take this opportunity to vent! I would love it if this could get back to the Sanger Manufacturer as I feel VERY strongly about the service or lack of service out of TBS.

I have heard that the Sales Dept and the Service Dept are actually run independantly (two different owners entirely). If it is the same woman you have delt with (long blond hair) her name is Jennifer. I have never had any bad encounters with her, but have had horrible experiences with the rest of the staff.

Once was over a bent prop. They threw a fit about having to take my prop off and insisted that I take it off myself which required us to buy a prop puller. It takes all of 1 minute to pull off but this put them out too much. Strike one.

On another experience (another prop yes) I wanted to buy a new prop. They pulled out a box with the proper prop and when I inspected it I noticed a divit on the edge like it got hit with something. They not only had the nerve to ask for full price but told me it wouldn't effect the performance. This is all while I have them repairing my prop with a similar problem that without a doubt affected the performance. They treated me as if I was a dumb woman who didn't know anything. I may not know a lot about mechanics but I do know when someone is trying to pull one over on me. Strike two.

After refusing to take our boat in for service their ever again, we called the Sanger Dealership in San Ramon. They said since we did not buy our Sanger there, they would not service it. Yes, they turned down a $500 service! What idiots! We decided to try TBS again. The night before we took our boat in, my husband emptied out the boat and gave it a quick look over. The battery was fine. But magically, when we went to pick up our boat after being serviced the guy told him our battery was dead and tried to sell him a new one. My husband refused and drove the boat home. A few days later he went to recharge the battery and surprise the battery was not even there! They had taken our battery. I called them and all they offered was for me to come down and look in their shop for it. They would not replace it! Strike three!

Now, we would drive 3 hours if we had to to get our boat serviced because we refuse to give them any business. We live in Tracy and I will drive all the way to Pleasanton to buy a $10 item if I have to. I will not buy anything from them! I tell everyone I know these stories and they also go to SkiWorld.

We bought our boat at TBS and had a wonderful experience with the Sales Dept. They treated us great, gave us a good deal, and were very personable. Those guys love the sport and know what it takes to give good customer service. The sad thing is the "Service" Department doesn't have a clue what the word service means and run all the business out of there. I would love it if Sanger pulled out of there and moved their dealership elsewhere where a good Service Department could join a good sales department. I believe TBS gives Sanger a bad name!

Laurie:

Chances are people from TBC and Sanger will see what you just posted. I know for fact they are WELL aware of this thread - apparently it caused quite a stir over there.

The internet is a great thing. you can learn a lot from people's experiences of where to go, and where not to go.

i had a very similar service issue when i took my Nauty in to be serviced at Hammer Ski & Marine. I won't go into the details, as it'll only make my blood start to boil, but needless to say, I will never visit their service dept again...

I'm glad to hear they are aware of this post. I just hope they do something about it. Its a shame to have a boat store in your town and not support them. You can tell that I believe in supporting local business, I gave them 3 chances and that was a contributing factor in our decision to buy Sanger in the first place. Believe me when I see the "Under new ownership" sign out front, I'll be the first one at the door!

I bought a 2003 Supreme from TBS in summer of 2002 and like many of you have experienced bad customer service. It seems to me that they don't know what they are doing. In fact on one occasion Jennifer told me I should buy a Mercruiser service manual and do my own service/repair. Why would I do such a thing if it is under warranty? Every time I got the boat back from them, there was something else that didn't work. In fact the stereo unit fell out of the glove compartment due to a crack, and they had to replace the whole glove compartment. When I got it back the stereo was installed, but there was melted glue all over the glove compartment. I made them replace it again. Also, everytime I got the boat back it was a mess: dirty, new scratches on the trailer, screws, bolts, washers left in cupholders. Do Not take your Sanger or Supreme to them for service.

If TBC is in fact aware of this post and is monitoring it and making changes based on it, if they expect to maintain any kind of customer base, I would expect them to post on here either an appology or at the very least an explanation for their actions and any good, service oriented company would try to make all of these things right no matter how long ago they happened. Making mistakes right for the customer is what CUSTOMER SERVICE is all about. I am sure glad I don't have to deal with these guys.

Mark, that sucks. So where are you taking the Supreme for service now?

Jimmy Dager,

As great that would be to hear them apologize, it seems that they really don't care very much.. I can understand if Sanger or Supreme apologized, but to be honest with you, by the way they seem to be, i don't think we're going to get anything along the lines of an apology from TBC. If all of you do get an apology from them, i'll apologize myself for posting this!

wow...damn good thing i bought my boat elsewhere and took my 40k somewhere else the last 2 weeks

you should get a complant list going and give to to the dealer and get her fired!

My cousin worked for TBC for about 3 weeks and quick because he was tired of them telling him to do things a quick as possible reguardless of the outcome of the repair. Any time things were fixed on Warrenty they get to bill the hours to the Manufactuer so they get paid. It just sucks. For anyone that lives in the Tracy/ Tri Valley area THE BEST PLACE you can go is Liquid Wrenchs. I got my boat at Ski World and this is their Service center. The cleanest place I have ever seen, they are honest and since its an all indoor shop your boat will not come back all dirty and dusty. I put their number on the top of this posting. All I can say is that they treat me the way you should be after spending $47K on something. Like a person..... and they care about your boat.

Does Liquid Wrenches work on boats other than Mastercraft, since they are owned by Ski World? And will they do warranty work for Mercruiser?

I'm with Jimmy. If TBC is in fact reading this post, why haven't they posted anything? You'd think they wouldn't like their name being rung through the ringer and would be taking action to let us all know that they in fact do give a rats a.. that their "customers" are pissed. You'd think they would want to rectify these situations. This behavior (ingnoring the problem) is so typical of them!

Laurie & Jimmy:

Trust me they are definitely reading it - and so is Sanger. I just hope they treat this as constructive criticsm and use it to correct their shortcomings - ASAP!

My buddy is now running all his service issues through the Sales Manager (Karen?) and she has been very helpful. Things seem to be going well now except that they did not cover the boat overnight and there is now a layer of dust on it, but Karen is going to have that taken care of before he gets the boat back.

It would suprise me if Sanger let this type of negative publicity roll off thier backs even though Sanger is not the problem, TCB is representing thier boat. Sanger doesn't get the credit they deserve and this type of customer service doesn't help.
Chavez, if you're about to 'drop 45 large' on a Sanger, don't change your mind. Sanger makes a great boat and I doubt you'll be sorry if you decide to buy one. I've never had any problems getting warranty work completed from the dealer or the factory, both have been easy to deal with.

The boating industry is too small for poor customer service. Hopefully T.B.C will change thier practices soon, assuming they do, it's too bad it takes thread like this to set it in motion.

B-

yeah i definetely agree with you Barry.. Just incase my previous post was misunderstood.. Sanger makes a great boat and it's too bad TCB is not doing a very good job representing their boat

I know that LW works on other boats but not sure on the Warrenty thing, Give them a call, they will tell you straight up.

I bought my boat from Salinas Valley Marine witch has a great service dept and I must say a great sales dept. Tim the owner will do what ever he can to make you a happy boat owner. James is the service manager. He dose the best job he can to make you happy. The service guys are the best I have found. After your boat has been serviced they wash and clean your boat so the next time you hit the water it looks as good as when you brought it in. The prolbem I have is my 2003 sanger is kept at Discovery Bay now and I have been looking for a good service dept in the area of Discovery Bay. I put about 50 hours a month if not more. And service and change the oil every 100 hours. With the price of gas now I dont want to take the boat all the way back to Salinas Valley Marine but looks like to get the best service I can. Here goes a road trip. (TO BAD TRACY BOAT CENTER YOU LOST A FUTURE CUSTOMER}

It is very unfortunate that boat owners have so much freet ime on their hands that they can sit around and complain. Typical. You people should be out on the water enjoying your summer, not ranting and raving like a pissed off old housewife.

Very profound first post james
but perhaps you should drop 40k on a boat and then go through the sorts of problems that TBC are causing for these boat owners.
I for one would be most appreciative of a heads up on issues like this if it was in the area that I lived in.
You really should pull your head in.

I wonder if James works at TMC or has friends that work their? MAKE YOU WONDER WITH THAT POST

hahah James they have all this free time because their boats are sitting at the shop waiting to be repaired at TBC !

Im glad thats not the case for me. Im getting a stereo installed in my boat so my crew dosen't half to hear me sing. And also Im not riding now due to shoulder surgery but I try to take my crew out every sat so they can ride and have fun. At least Im getting on the water and having fun watching them ride. It sucks I want to ride. Just want to say thank you to my crew for putting up with me right now you know who you are Teri,aline,byron eddie,gorden and the part timers

see all of you next weekend

Interesting first post James - seems you are probably an insider - or a friend of an insider.

Why is it boat service sucks SO BAD at so many places?

And, especially warranty work?

This is nearly criminal.

You gotta love someone who registers and makes a post on the same day defending this service center. Kinda obvious. I doubt we'll ever see another post from mr. bored or man.

Scott....I hope you're shoulder gets better fast! You definitely don't want the sweet ride gathering dust!

I too had bad experiences with TBC. I was going to buy a sanger, and ended up buying a VLX from Ultimate Water Sports in San Jose. Devin (sales guy) used to work at Salinas Valley Marine, and he takes his experience and desire to make buying a boat fun and not so hostile. TBC wouldn't even answer some basic questions on performance or options. The sales guys were good, but the service center was rude, unhelpful, and downright hostile when I wanted to find out information on Sanger boats and any maintenance problems customers have encountered. If they are reading these posts, get a clue! You have lost HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN BUSINESS, AND YEARS OF CUSTOMER LOYALTY!!!!! If you want to go under, you are headed in the right direction!

Hi Levi

the boat is still going strong every sat Im the driver and the flag bi-h. just not a rider till middle of june or july I hope

let me add myself to the list of unhappy patrons of TBC. Thank god i didn't buy my sanger there or i'd be pissed at their crappy cust. service

Well if you guys want to drive to Sac area Sterling Marine Center WILL take care of you.