Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/27/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

   I am rejecting this response because:  As before I will address each statement.

  1) I have verbal communication with ** and text to Semper that the gel coat repair was a insurance job. As stated before (and there is a picture of the check) the Ins. co sent me a check for @ $1,900. The actual amount was $1,893.85. Again ** was my person of contact for this job and he was aware of the insurance contact and case #. As stated in text to Semper The insurance co would pay for overages if justified. With that i am owed $106.15. It is up to Semper to work with the insurance co to recoup. 

  2) I never stated that the upholstery was a insurance claim! Please prove I ever said that. I asked for a quote and never did I question the amount. As Stated on your quote "rear sun deck and rear seat" not the worst cushions but the whole seat. 

  3) I asked for a repair quote. I wanted to know how much they would charge to repair vs me trying to repair. Never asked or said to anyone there that I wanted it done as cheap as possible. I stated to **** on our 30min phone call that the reason i went with them was because they are a Master Craft dealer and I thought they would do a higher quality job than their neighbors.

  4) This statement contradicts their own paperwork. Quote clearly states rear sundeck and rear seat, not "only 2 damaged lower cushions" I was not contacted at all or have anything in writing or verbal from ** about matching as close as possible. The first time I heard anything about having a hard time matching the existing upholstery was in the 30min conversation with **** after the job was done.

  5) Why didn't you do the back seat as quoted then. Or , at least call and say something if it was as you said " anybody with any experience knows"  That's because your 35 year upholstery guy did not do this job. I'm sure he would have told you to call the customer or just did what the quote said and do the rear seat.

  6) Who charges storage when working on some one's boat? I brought my boat in as requested and picked up as sone as I was able. I don't think a few days with no prior warning is bad. There was a couple text and phone call that I thought was being pushy with no prior warning that my boat might be done in a few days.

  7) The cover was in pristine condition and only mishandling could of caused those pieces to break. 

  8) I had paid as requested before seeing the boat and knew it wouldn't do any good the tell **** anything else because she was not my person of contact. ** was and I asked her to have him call me when he gets back in next week from having a baby. He never called me. 

  8) It looked a little odd but without ** there to talk to it did no good to say anything else.

  9) I did say that most of the wrinkles came out but also learned from a real boat upholsterer that should have been done before I got it with a heat gun. Something a 35 year upholsterer, that you said did this job, should know. Sound more like what you told me over the phone that it was your 3rd choice guy that did the job for you. It still doesn't address the mismatched stripes and seams.

  10) Same response as 9. Never said free of wrinkles /defects. I said " tightened up" but also told you about the miss aligned strips and seam witch you have never responded to. There are pictures and text proving that.

  11) You acknowledge thee wrinkles but not the other concerns in the same text to you.

  12) I have text complaining about the upholstery March 28th. I never declined to have one of the rear seat not done as I never wanted only 2 of the 3 sections of the sun deck done. Again , the contract stats sundeck and rear seat!

  13) I have no idea were they get this statement. They are the only one i had quote the upholstery repair.

  14) The bottom line is there are flaws in the workmanship and they did not fulfill the contract by not doing the whole back seat.

  15) I asked for reupholstery of the rear sun deck and rear seat. I did not get that, I got something that they even stated no experienced upholsterer would do upholster 2 of the 3 seats next to each other! My expectations are what they said they would do and have not.

  16) If you look back in the texts I have **** is the one that stated and continues to stay in the he "said she said world" A lot of what Semper is stating is not facts. I have texts proving over and over that they are lying. 

   If you don't want to work this out as you stated to me in the 30 min conversation we had, then just say so now and I will peruse other avenues. I am tired of the false statements and you not doing what you contracted to do.  

  why they didn't put the L from ********* lettering that came off from the damage. I had told ** it was in the boat glove box. She replied I don't know. As I went to pull off the canvas cover over the cockpit, I asked her why some of the pull tabs for the rear tarp tie down loops broken off. She did not know. I looked at the upholstery and it looked a little wrinkly and noticed gaps between the sun deck sections. I asked **** to have ** call me. ** never called me on Wednesday. I came in On Thursday and ** said he was instructed to not bring my boat back in by the owner Mark. Since then, I have had multiple conversations with **** via phone and text and he has not yet resolved any issues. I took my boat to another upholstery shop, and they said it was a bad job. Pointed out how sun deck strips did not match, seams not straight, cushions not filled the same and they did not redo center rear cushion. Sent pictures to **** and still no resolution. Overage on gel coat-$106.85.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/31/2023

  Customer dropped of boat on 1/3/23 and signed work order #**** (see attached).  Nothing on work order says or mentions anything about insurance claim.  It says: JOB#1 Customer requested inspect gel coat JOB#2 Requested estimate for re-upholstery of rear sundeck & rear seat and separate estimate for full interior.

  On 1/11/23 I called ***** and verbally gave him the estimate, as well as emailed it to him.  JOB#1 clearly states the estimate does NOT include any decals or letters.Quote was for $2,000.  JOB#2 quote was for re-upholstery engine hatch and lower cushions $1,900. Full interior cushions $6,000.

  Spoke with ***** on 1/13/23 @ 4:32pm. ***** approved gel coat estimate for $2,000.  Not once did ***** mention insurance claim.  ***** also approved re-upholstery estimate for $1,900 to recover engine hatch and lower cushions.

  When the boat was ready to pick up, we messaged ***** asking if he could please pick up boat that day.  ***** responded he could not pick up until next day.  We messaged OK, but please we need the space for other scheduled boats.  ***** was then very rude. (see attachment), all because we asked him to pick up his boat.
  

  The day ***** picked up his boat I met him at the service counter to collect money and close out work order.  I then walked with him out side to open the side yard gate and show him where his boat was.  When ***** went to remove his boat cover a black bungie piece came off in his hand. He stated his boat cover was only a couple years old and what happened.  We did nothing to his boat cover, besides put it on his boat to keep the interior from getting dirty and exposed to the elements.

  ***** then asked why didn't we put the letter back on the side of the boat after the gel coat repair, that it was in the glove box.  I told him I was unaware of any letters in the glove box and that the estimate clearly stated it did not include any letters or decals.  ***** did not complain about his interior at this time and left with his boat.

  ***** did send messages about his upholstery, complaining the seats re-upholstered do not match the existing upholstery.  The boat is 17 years old and the original vinyl material is no longer available. We did the best we could with matching the upholstery.  We did not do a complete interior re-upholstery and we did not purchase new seats, but simply had his existing cushions re-covered per our estimate.

  We have tried talking with *****  to see if he would give permission for us to give his contact information to our upholstery person, and rather than give permission, all he has done is continue to complain about cushions that were NOT re-upholstered.  He has even stated the interior after being int he sun is good (see attachment).

  At this point I feel there is nothing that will make him happy.  He was quoted for $1,900 and received a $1,900 upholstery job.  I can send more pictures if necessary.

   

  **** *****
  

   

   

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/09/2023

  Customer requested quote for only one item that could qualify for insurance claim; the gel coat repair.  The gel coat quote clearly states does NOT include any decals or letters.  This was provided to ***** in writing. This is a unnecessary complaint.
  

  17 year old upholstery is not an insurance claim, it's normal wear and tear. ***** stating he was willing to pay more money for the job because it was covered under insurance, is a untruth.  ***** wanted it to be as inexpensive as possible, only the worst damage cushions be recovered.
  

  Customer requested quote for lower unit & keel damage that was severe and needed repair.  Customer declined to have any work performed on lower unit and keel.  If this would have been an insurance job, he would have opted for this repair, rather than be cheap.
  

  Customer requested quote for partial upholstery (rear deck only and 2 damaged lower cushions).  These cushions had pulled seams, sun damaged areas they were the cushions he requested to be covered.  He was informed the match would be as close as possible to the 17 year cushions.
  

  Anybody with any experience in marine or automotive knows you cannot recover a single cushion, without recovering all the cushions if you want them to match. He was given a quote for the full interior, but declined.  Upholstery only partially done will never match the other cushions not done.  Such as side panels, arm rests, front seats, bow area etc...

  Upon the completion of the work, customer did not appreciate being asked to please pick up his boat. Making a statement that it's been here for a month.  Customer was not charged for storage while quotes and work was being performed.  Customer was only called once job was completed and was asked nicely to pick up his boat. Complaint not required.
  

  Upon picking up the boat, customer blamed us for his cover, or tarp as he called it.  Yet we did nothing to it. Yet we did nothing but put it on his boat for the protection of the boat.  Unnecessary complaint.
  

  ***** inspected upholstery and accepted upholstery upon picking up boat on February 10, 2023.
  

  ***** started new complaint that upholstery had wrinkles and expected it to be like when his boat was new,  He provided vague pictures of boat from 15 years ago stating how plump his cushions used to be.
  

  After discussion ***** stated upholstery was free of wrinkles/defects after he put it in the sun.  On May 20th he stated he took his boat out.
  

  We acknowledged his satisfaction.

  On May 20th ***** started a new complaint that the new upholstery does match the existing 17 year upholstery.  The upholstery was not replaced because ***** declined to have it recovered. Nor will it match other items in the boat.
  

  At that point no further discussion needed, as customer is unable to be satisfied under any conditions.  Semper Speed & Marine is not a ********* dealer and will not be able to provide new factory upholstery ever.
  

  We are confident that ***** previously contacted a ********* dealer to get boat interior estimate, but surely price would be in the range of $12K-$16K if even possible for a 17 year old boat.
  

  We quoted $1900 for partial recover and completed the work  as agreed. Bottom Line! 
  

  Semper Speed & Marine unlike most every other dealership in the state, does not discriminate against customer will boats over 10-years old.   Industry standard is to refuse work on any boat over 10-years old for exactly these reasons.  In today's world it is increasingly  difficult to meet some consumer unrealistic expectations, we did our best for this man.

  We are choosing to leave out the he said/she said cloud, that ***** wishes to hold over this case.  These are the facts.