Fish-Hawk.Net

Good day everyone,
Given everyone’s comment on other posts I figured I would start a new one to see any ideas and recommendation on how to improve the service experience. I’m always looking for ideas to make things better. I will try to respond to all your inquires in a timely manner and I apologise in advance for any delays.

I figured a good way to start would be to answer “mikemicropterus” questions…
# 1 How many years have been in business or are they new owners of a already existing business??.
•Dan and I are the new owners of Orleans Boat World & Sports for now 3 ½ years, formerly known as GG Lalonde.

#2 See how old the oldest mechanic is and look for his/her certificates he/she has attained. Do they have a Master tech?? Are all the techs certified or did they just hire them?? How many family members are on staff??? Nepotism can ruin a good business, just like it does the government.
•our oldest mechanic his in is 50’s and he’s certified by Mercury and BRP
•we have 2 master tech on staff – they will be going back on training this year to improve their knowledge. I am also working on increasing the number of master tech’s we have on staff.
•All junior tech’s on staff are working on getting certified and will be attending classes this year.
•We have no full time employees that are family related.

#3 See how many young techs they employ
•2

#4 Is the shop clean and organized ?? All the special tools on site???
•The shop/yard is organised and cleaned on a regular basis
•We have all the required computers/software required. As far as the tools are concerned we spend a given amount of money every year to purchase new tools and replenish lost tools.

#5 Does the shop participate in any outside activities, i.e. sponsors for other non business activities??
•Yes we do, we not only sponsor Renegade and Ultra bass but we also sponsor many local organisations

#6 Is the owner there and do they have any personal issues????
•Both Dan and I are always here

#7 Ask for a list customers who have been there a long time not just new customers and not just the customers who buy expensive boats.
•Available on request

#8 Do they service only their own customers or do they service walk-ins in the same fashion??
•We service all boats/engine, not only ours

#9 Are they only sales orientated or are they service orientated? Some shops are only interested in new sales.
•We are sales and service oriented – on the sales side I have both Myles and Luc that are top notch and on the service side I have Lorne who as a great reputation when it comes to outboards and Pic who caries the same reputation with inboards.
This is also why I’m creating this post.

All organisations are never perfect and could always improve; we are always looking at ways to better improve the customers experience side of the business. However since acquiring the business over 3 years ago I have very quickly realised the 2 biggest road blocks. The first one being that finding qualified tech’s is extremely hard and also finding people who want to become marine tech’s is just as hard. The second issue that I’m up against is parts supply from my suppliers; even if I carry a huge inventory of parts you can never have them all in stock. This year Mercury as changed the way the supply us with parts and it’s just a nightmare.
As I mentioned before I’m always looking for positive feedback and ideas.
Thanks
Marc

the ideal service center is a place that gets you in and out in a prompt time that there mech are clean and tidy and yes certified and does a good job but now in the marine feild you have to make your living in two- three months so you go ninety all the time so yes you do sometimes have issues and make mistakes and yes in the marine business it is sales driven so tech are being pulled from one job to another and yes it is very hard to find techs and keep them because for alot of techs it is seasonal work and u.i does not pay the bills in the winter for myself we sell brp product so we are steady all year long but there still is alot down time which cost the dealer ship but like i said it is hard to find good techs so once you invest in them you want to keep them
my two cents

Ok, How about reimbursing the poor chap who is out $800 because of your screw-up? You do that and I would consider bringing my boat to your shop.
brufan.

x2 to brufan~

brufan wrote:Ok, How about reimbursing the poor chap who is out $800 because of your screw-up? You do that and I would consider bringing my boat to your shop.
brufan.

Why do you assume that it was solely OBW's screw up?

From DougV's report
"I recently had my volvo serviced at Orleans Boat World - serpentine belt replaced as per volvo engine hour recommendation. After the belt was replaced thought I'd take my boat out for quick spin....near disaster."

it is my understanding that the serpentine belt wraps or snakes around all devices requiring rotation. If it is the same principle as in a car. the belt is a certain length just large enough to wrap. If the water pump wasn't bolted on the belt would have popped off right away or would not have fit. The motor would have had problems starting.

As well once a boat is loaded on a trailer is it subjected to all sorts of bumps and jolts just by being towed. Anything could have occurred while trailering.

Personally I think DougV should have spoken to OBW before posting.
One last thing - every engineer I know would have changed the belt themselves as they believe they know more than anyone else.

CN wrote:...One last thing - every engineer I know would have changed the belt themselves as they believe they know more than anyone else.

First they would have to read the white paper... then blog about how poorly written it was.

Perfect service center:
Deals with someone at the counter within 10 minutes of them standing there.
Deals with every customer the same way, if they are buying a 9.9 motor or a bass boat.

These are things I have personally found lacking at OBW. I did not feel ANY love in the hour and 15 minutes I wasted being there and left feeling like I was wasting their time trying to buy something from them for under $10000. Wasted 45 minute trip....

Perhaps the luck of the draw...

My purchasing is done on-line... If I ever need service... likely go to Gauvreau in Masham.

Merci!

Craig

CN wrote:

brufan wrote:Ok, How about reimbursing the poor chap who is out $800 because of your screw-up? You do that and I would consider bringing my boat to your shop.
brufan.

Why do you assume that it was solely OBW's screw up?

From DougV's report
"I recently had my volvo serviced at Orleans Boat World - serpentine belt replaced as per volvo engine hour recommendation. After the belt was replaced thought I'd take my boat out for quick spin....near disaster."

it is my understanding that the serpentine belt wraps or snakes around all devices requiring rotation. If it is the same principle as in a car. the belt is a certain length just large enough to wrap. If the water pump wasn't bolted on the belt would have popped off right away or would not have fit. The motor would have had problems starting.

As well once a boat is loaded on a trailer is it subjected to all sorts of bumps and jolts just by being towed. Anything could have occurred while trailering.

Personally I think DougV should have spoken to OBW before posting.
One last thing - every engineer I know would have changed the belt themselves as they believe they know more than anyone else.

Perhaps they loosened the water pump to install the belt or didn't tighten it enough when re-installing it. Driving the boat for 5 minutes on the lake could have loosened it completely. Instead of admitting they might have made a mistake OBW says "we ran it for 30 minutes with no problems"....Ya right! But I agree that DougV should have spoken to OBW before posting. Perhaps they could have resolved the issue offline.
brufan.

Ran it for 30 minutes afterwards ?????

1 . Did you take $ 20.00 off the Customers bill for the gas you guys used...running it for 30 minutes..


2.Was the Tech in question Disciplined ????



FYi ...

I've been to OBW a couple of times myself and have had good service/ good pricing..

Marc, i commend you for making an attempt but as you can see, it can be a tough crowd.
i am also going to assume that everyone with a negative comment, on how the water pump came off, is a master tech. maybe they are looking for work cause we know some of them are too busy on here to go fishing.

Smart move creating a new thread so that the thread that discredits your business name begins to move further down the most recent post list.

You answers to Mikes questions

#2 See how old the oldest mechanic is and look for his/her certificates he/she has attained. Do they have a Master tech?? Are all the techs certified or did they just hire them?? How many family members are on staff??? Nepotism can ruin a good business, just like it does the government.

What does age have to do with it? Certificates and proven competency are the only measurable data that provides an indication of knowledge. I would much rather have someone with a passion for the trade do the work, than some grumpy old man.

#3 See how many young techs they employ

I don't understand the relevance unless it is to verify that the company is serious about investing in their future.

#7 Ask for a list customers who have been there a long time not just new customers and not just the customers who buy expensive boats.

You better have gotten permission from your customers to hand out their personal information. Read up on the privacy act before you do.

I think the post is about recommendations and how to improve service. For the record just because you know how to replace a belt dosen't make you a bad guy for paying somone else to do it. Maybe DougV has 5 kids and 2 dogs or has a limited free time to spend and changing his on belt might not fit that...
To OBW I feel for you it sounds like you tried to help a fellow out and something happened and you didn't get a chance to make it right before it was splashed out here,on Fish-hawk poor choice my believe. That being said the first 2 minutes after DougV arriving with the water pump issue is called the "moment of truth" this is were service providers should suck it up fix the problem be polite even when its hard and ensure the customer that nobody is perfect and mistakes or accidents happen.
The moment of truth happens when a customer walks into any store or service provider these first interactions with staff & customer are very important. It is why Wal-mart has greeters and there shelves are so well organized. This moment also happens when a customer tries to return a item the have purchased or are unsatissfied with service they have paid for. I would have fixed up the water pump for DougV and gave him a some sort of $20 gift card to a gas bar or restraunt or something to make him feel that you were truly sorry and I would have made him challenge his own decission of what he posted its called killing them with kindness. Although nobody can say for sure what made the pump come off, your shop had it last and DougV was a customer. FYI DougV's post didn't deter me from ever visiting your shop because I believe things happen and will in every shop and store in buisness, so when I do come I'll be looking for the that moment of truth to form my opinion.

just to clear something up Brad, 50 something is not old

moonshine wrote:Marc, i commend you for making an attempt but as you can see, it can be a tough crowd.
i am also going to assume that everyone with a negative comment, on how the water pump came off, is a master tech. maybe they are looking for work cause we know some of them are too busy on here to go fishing.

Do you need to be a master tech to know that someone messed up? Really?

Do you need to be a master mechanic that when your tire flies off on he highway to know that some one who changed your tires messed up?

Do you need to be a doctor to know that if you are being treated for appendicitis and you testicles are removed that some one messed up?

A belt is what we are talking about here... not talking about points that were set incorrectly off by a few microns or something here.

I'll pee in your ear Moonshine and tell you its raining because I am a meteorologist... so it MUST be true!



Craig

well Craig, i am just saying that people that don't have experience with this particular engine, can't really judge. do you know for a fact that the water pump needs to be loosened off to install the belt? maybe but i doubt it very much. you just have to loosen the idler. maybe dougv started to change the belt himself by loosening the water pump. then after realizing he was biting off more than he could chew he took it in to get it done right. either scenario could be the case but none of us was there. but you have to give Marc from OBW credit for looking for suggestions and comments on FH. seems like the mature approach instead of bashing them without giving them the chance to make it right first.

moonshine wrote:well Craig, i am just saying that people that don't have experience with this particular engine, can't really judge. do you know for a fact that the water pump needs to be loosened off to install the belt? maybe but i doubt it very much. you just have to loosen the idler. maybe dougv started to change the belt himself by loosening the water pump. then after realizing he was biting off more than he could chew he took it in to get it done right.

I agree with you 100%. I think that the post was a knee jerk reaction. Ill advised... and OBW should have been given a chance to make it right before smearing their name around on the net. About that, I think that you are bang on!

What I don't agree with is saying that one has to be a Master Tech to comment on it, or have anything intelligent to say about the matter.

moonshine wrote: i am also going to assume that everyone with a negative comment, on how the water pump came off, is a master tech.

I personally do not know spit about motors that big. Just the basics. Only two parties know the truth. We can only guess.

I just don't think that it takes a certification to guess.

... I guess...

Craig