Thanks Skiers Choice, NOT

So in typical big business corporate fashion, Skiers Choice decides to pull the Supra line and warranty service from the dealer I bought my Supra from. Seems they got a case of the a$$ because the dealer decided to sell the Malibu line also. This dealer has sold a ton of Supra's. In my opinion, Malibu is a different price range and provides a different style wake. No harm, no foul. Here's the real crappy part. They didn't tell the dealer they were pulling this until they handed the sales and service off to another dealer, which is an hour and a half farther away. Sounds like a good enough reason to check out a Malibu or roll on over to a Nautique which I've been trying to talk my wife into anyways.

Any of you big wig dudes from SC want to comment.

I think you can get the powertrain serviced at any indimar dealer.

I could see if they were selling Moomba and Malibu, but to say Supra and Malibu don't directly compete is ludicrous. Price isn't too far off and a boat mfg doesn't decide what dealer to sell to based on wake shape. I understand you are bummed you can't get service any more, but the dealer asked for that one.

I'm sure if they were to look into their selling agreement a compete clause was stated, so the part about not informing them has more to do with them not fully understanding their agreement. <---granted that's just a guess.

Randy, where abouts are you located??

Randy
Do you know if the dealer gave any notice to SC that they were going to pick up the BU line. More than likely they did not. In wich case I don't think they deserve a notice from SC. Thats just MO.

Same reason you don't see any Chevy,Ford lots.
Dealer probably knew it was coming and just did'nt tell any of their customers.

I don't see the big deal here, and I doubt your dealer is being totally honest about how much he knew. Why would you tell someone you're about to lose the line when you're trying to unload inventory? Why would you own up to the fact that you knew if they come back asking WTF later?

Sounds like your dealer just decided to switch to Malibu. I would be surprised if any of the other big brands would do any differently.

^^^^Agreed, I highly doubt your dealer is telling you everything...two sides to every story.

your dealer is telling you want you need to hear to stay loyal....can't blame your dealer for tryin to keep his customers.

I agree.... you are probably just venting, but does not sound like SC did anything you should be upset about..... maybe your dealer did though....
who knows the real story....

I probably will never know the whole story, but they are still allowed to sell/warranty Moombas.

Big Heavy, Supra wake loaded similar to Nautique with adjusting the wake plate-Yes
Supra to Malibu- Sorry.

tj- Winston-Salem NC. If you're in the area, you know the dealer in Greensboro.

Took 5 minutes after letting my wife know, to start looking to dump the Supra. Don't get me wrong, we love it. No local support equals garbage to me. If I find out it was the dealer, Malibu isn't even an option which is fine with me. Been looking for an '04 or '05 210 anyways.

JFYI - having a local dealer doesn't guarantee anything if you're buying used. I bought my Malibu second-hand from the original owner, who bought it from the local dealer, and I've been told to pound sand by them on two separate issues I've had. They are under no contractual obligation to service the boat at all if they choose not to.

Randy,

The dealer in Greensboro works on my Centurion and they don't sell them. I think you are going a little overboard on this one. Just because a dealer doesn't sell that or this brand of boat doesn't mean that they won't work on it. Don't dump your Supra just because we don't have a dealer in this town.

It's a game with the boat mfg. The dealers only know for a year at a time if they will sell that line of boats. I would hate to try to build a business on that. The reason Malibu became avaliable because the dealer in Burlington took on the Tige line.

trace, didn't buy used.

Hanger Pilot, they are not an authorized Supra warranty repair facility any longer. They can not get warranty parts. SC stuck it to them.

Billy,

Everyone drives a car, not everyone owns a boat. Let the Ford/Chevy crap go.

World's smallest violin playing, well you know...

Lost the Skier's Choice dealer here in the OKC metro last year. Closest dealer is now in Dallas, only 3 1/2 hours away. Get over it dude.

If you think about how many Supra related products are there on the boat?

Engines, gauges, heater, etc. are warrantied through the manuf. Malibu uses Indmar, so the majority of warranty items engine wise can be done at that dealer.

I just had some Indmar warranty work done on my 06 Malibu 247 by the local MC dealer (only 5 minutes away vs. 1 hour. The same MC dealer also did a trailer warranty since the failed part was from UFP.

If the dealer wants to still make money and save face with his customers he will work with you.

When it comes to hull warranty or something specific like that, that is when you will need to hit up the Supra dealer.

I was just mentioning the used service aspect because you had mentioned interest in 04/05 210's.

Builders don't typically just drop quality, decent performing dealers. If your dealer decided he could move more units and gross dollars by switching to malibu from SC, then you should direct your anger towards him. If SC dropped him due to CSI or market share issues, then it's still mostly his fault he didn't perform with the brand. If he was maintaining market share, had a good clean relationship with his floor line bank, and his CSI scores were decent and SC didn't have to run and cover his a$$ on warranty issues, then it would seem he got the shaft from SC.

95 out of 100 times, a dealer is going to grab malibu over SC if it comes available in his territory. Malibu's marketing and sales support, as well as market share numbers, should mean an increase in dollars when the two brands go head to head.

In very few geographic areas would any of the big 4 allow a competing brand to be on the same showroom floor.

meathead, I understand your point fully, but this dealer sold a ton of Supras. Not sure why they decided to take on Malibu, but it wasn't because they were starving for Supra business. I'm still waiting for the SC dudes to come on here and explain themselves. They monitor this site very closely and I haven't heard or seen one of them yet.

I doubt they are going to share that kind of info on a public forum. You would have had better luck calling SC then starting this thread. I'm sure Rick .T has more important things to do then explain his business decisions to WW.

Randy, hi, welcome to America we practice capitalism here. Deals change. As meathead said it's not just about selling boats, its about the returns they get from selling one brand over another. Personally I hope SC doesn't respond to you on here, calling them out on a public forum about another mans (the dealer) business is low IMO. You should have called them directly and handled the situation as a concerned customer. They probably have a perfectly good solution for you.

If you have an issue with SC send them an email expressing your concerns. I've talked to a couple of real people there they have been very helpful. Got a returned email from Rick T himself on a holiday, thought that was alright.

Unlikely you'll get the real story but maybe they can offer an alternative solution. I would not want to drive over 30 minutes to get to any dealer, don't have that kind of free time.

Complaining on the internet never really accomplishes anything unless it's a last resort.

Aaron, if you have better luck getting in touch with someone more than the receptionist, please share your secret. That's as far as I've ever gotten in 4 years. Rick should take notice in this day in age with gas prices, people dumping boats and the competition. I've never been one for saddling up with someone who doesn't anti up. For the record, by boat sports Wetsounds and as forgetful as I am, Tim seems to be on here quite regular backing his product and making sure the customer is happy. Tim, please call 1-800-no-contact-at-skiers-choice to give them some customer service lessons.

Randy
I have talked with Rick once and a couple of people under him. I have had nothing but excellent service from them so far. No secret though. I just ask for who ever I need to speak to and they transfer me. It was that simple for me.

Randy,
You are getting one side of the story (the dealers). I would not blame this on Supra. This is 100% on the dealer. As mentioned above , The dealer had a chance to pick up Malibu and he probably knew full well by doing that he was going to lose Supra. In defense of Skiers Choice, why would they stay at a dealer that will promote the #1 manufacturer along side it. Here is how the Sales pitch goes" Well our top brand is Malibu, our next level down is Supra and then at the bottom we have Moomba"
Why would a company put up with that.

In instances like this in any Business there has to be some consequences, and for that dealer he got his license pulled to sell and service Supra Boats.
Your problem is with the dealer!!!

Have a sit down with your dealer and see if he will tell you the truth about when he knew he was getting in Malibu and when he knew he was going to lose Supra. I guarantee you he will not tell you the truth because he knows damn well he was selling Supra's to make money and get rid of them to make room for the Malibu's.

I see this happen in Business all the time, and 99% of the time it comes back to the decision to switch ( Manu, Vendors, Products..etc....)which falls into the Decision Maker lap ( dealer).

Good luck but I suggest barking up the Dealers tree to get to the bottom of it.

Randy,
Take a deep breath and go back to business 101. If SC was able to drop the dealer that quickly, they obviously violated their contract, as a distributor/rep of SC. SC is not the bad guy here, the dealer is a douche if he really thought he could flaunt a contract. I would highly question having anything to do with a dealer who is that either that stupid or that unethical that a highly ethical manufacturer like SC would drop them that (seemingly) quickly. Understand, I would assume this played out over many months.

I found out my dealer got dropped a month after I bought my boat. He knew for 4 months...

For what it's worth, he can still do warranty work for the boat which is good and I take it there, but what a bad taste in my mouth.

The rep for the boat company said I can take it wherever for warranty work and they will back me up. I'm happy about the boat manufacturer, not the dealer. I'll bet your situation is really the same so I wouldn't say SC, but your dealer is at fault.

Randy, sorry for all of the problems that you are having. Their were many reasons that your dealer picked up Malibu, one being that a guy from another dealer decided to go to yours because his dealership was going belly up...hard. He then picked up a job at your dealer and he brought Malibu with him, which started a huge chain of events and drama. Supra had a right to be upset, Being that they were moved in on overnight by Malibu just because of a sales rep. You know how many times I inquired and looked at a Supra?....Three.You know how many times I got a call back from your dealer...none until they got the Malibu line, then they called me. That's why I ended up with a Nautique and will always be Nautique.

Unfortunately their were more reasons and problems as to why Supra pulled out so quick. This really is a dealer issue and not SC. They knew this was coming sooner than you think.

you ride belews?

Alright, let me start off by apologizing first to SC and to anyone I offended on here. I'm on vacation yesterday, just chillin' out, call the dealer because my Perfect Pass and speedo are dead only to find out I'm out of luck. I try to remain calm, but I can get amped in a hurry especially when a few beers are involved. This forum was no place to take out my frustrations.To make it worse, we're headed out for vacation in a couple of weeks with the boat. Not good. I realize it was the dealer and not SC. Hate that because their service manager is top notch and will go out of his way to make you happy. The owner and manager are a different story. I love the boat and SC has gone out of their way for me before. I would have done the same thing in their position also. Maybe a letter from them or the dealer with a little heads up would have been cool. At least that way I could have planned on an alternative place to go. As far as them doing the warranty work still, I was told that they are not allowed.

Gerald, I ride at Belews.

Randy,
Glad to see you step up and apologize. The post was turning into a trainwreck. I could completely understand being very frustrated, but it seems pretty obvious that your dealer is the one to be pointing the finger at. Good luck and I am sure there will be dealers jumping at the opportunity to pick up that territory with SC. Just a matter of time and you will probably have a good dealer there to build a relationship with. Good luck man!

Randy,

I have sent you an email to the address in your profile.

Sincerely,

Rick Tinker

Thanks Rick. Got it. You're a stand up guy after the trash I talked. My apologies.

We get a reply from the president of SC!

we have a moomba and am very happy with the boat and the support i get from my dealer, fortunately i have not had any issues that have not been resolved to satisfaction