Quote:
Originally Posted by MalibuResponse
Thank you for the input. Most of the suggestions, including a new boat, were set forth by the customer per his request, with the exception of further instruction which we offer often, to many customers as we want them to have a positive experience. There was in no way shape or form poor customer service on our part which I think has clearly been explained and I find your comment insulting.
|
You found my comment as intended.
If I were the OP, and the OPs description is accurate, I would have been insulted by the suggestion that the problem was attributable to something other than a design oversight/error. Let me ask the following:
1. If I were docking the subject boat in relatively calm conditions, and I “slid in”, gently gliding the rubrail along a vertical piling/post, would the vertical post hit the bimini hardware?
2. If the answer to the above is “yes”, do you believe that the protruding bimini hardware is “properly designed”, and if so, why?
In my opinion, if the bimini protrudes beyond the rubrail, there is a reasonably significant design error that could cause injury to persons or property. If the bimini does not protrude beyond the rubrail, then the OP has misstated the facts, and they should be corrected. Please tell us the facts as it relates to your opinion of the bimini and rubrail geometry.
Ultimately, if the design is appropriate, I believe you should go to bat for Cobalt, and explain to the forum why the OP has a boat that conforms to industry acceptable standards. If the design is not appropriate, in my opinion, you should have gone to bat for your customer.
Regardless of the level of design deficiency, your remedies included operational instruction, a new boat, or the phone number to Cobalt. I’d suggest that another remedy would be to alter the existing bimini, at the expense of your dealership, the manufacturer, the customer, or some combination of the three. You’d probably have a happy customer, even if they had to “chip in” a few bucks. As it stands now, the exclusive Cobalt dealer on Winni is contending with negative posts on a public forum.
I’ll be curious as to how this turns out.