M.W. Marine, Hales Corner , WI.

[Ryan "Fritz" Relien]

I thought I would post a summary of my recent buying experience with MW Marine. In mid Jan. I made a call to MW Marine to inquire about the availability of a 2000 model Ranger 620 VS. I spoke with Dick Wannaset. I don't know if thats how you spell his name. Dick told me that he would Fax me the info and prices right away. Two hours later I was seated in a boat that would soon be mine. In the next month I made no less than a dozen phone calls to MW Marine with a question about something and every single one of them were answered immediately or my call was returned at the exact time they said it would be. Every time I walked in the door the employees smiled said hello and offered there assistance. I was introduced to several employees and they remembered me when I called for information. On one occasion my dad and I were in the area and we stopped by for something, at that time Dick came out of his office and took me back to see my boat as they were rigging it. He seemed as excited about it as I was. This may seem like something that is a given, however in the purchase of my last two boats {at other dealers} I felt as though I was bothering them. Every time I contacted these people it was great!!!!! At no time was there any pressure to buy and every thing was very relaxed.
Finally the big day arrived and I was going to pick up my dream boat. This was probably a exciting day for my wife also, because she new I would be in the garage with the boat and not in the house talking about it constanly.
When Dick took me to see it fully rigged it looked great. Every detail was taken care of, every wire was tied together, every hole drilled was covered with a decorative wire chase. No loose ends anywhere. Everything was explained to me with a smile and they took there time explaining.
A few days after I picked the boat up and brought it home I realized a book of instructions was missing. One phone call and two days later it was in my mail box.
I also had a minor wiring problem that I couldn't fix myself so I called Mike in the servise Dept. Mike asked for directions to my house and sent someone to pick my boat up and tow it back to Hales Corner to repair it. Thats a four hour round trip. Then I was asked if I'd like it back that night? To which I replyed " the following morning would be fine". I HAVE NEVER HAD THAT LEVEL OF COSTOMER SERVICE WITH ANYTHING IN MY LIFE!!!!!
As I continue to write this I can't believe how happy I am with the purchase my wife and I made at M.W. marine. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE AT M.W. MARINE, AND ALSO MY WIFE NANCY, WHO MADE MY DREAM OF OWNING A BOAT LIKE THIS COME TRUE. THANKS ALSO FOR A GREAT BUYING EXPERIANCE. YOU HAVE EARNED A LIFE LONG COSTOMER.

[Fish'n Fool]

I'm glad to hear that yuou have had such good service for them. I work at another dealer and I have the greatest respect for them and their crew. not only are they helpful to their customers but they set a standard that others should follow, and that is honesty and integrety good luck on your new purchase and that only makes learning your boat more enjoyable because you know that you have a dealer that will stand behind you

[Juls_WI]

Fritz, that's great to hear you had such a good experience over at MW Marine. Doesn't surprise me a bit though. They are great folks over there. If you don't mind, I'm am going to print this out and stop by and give it to Dick. He will be happy to know you are so pleased with your boat! (which I'm sure you have already expressed to him, but it doesn't hurt to have something to put up on their bulletin board for a good testimonial..;-))

Have a great day, and don't sit too long in the boat today..the wife might get jealous..hehehe

Juls

[Fritz]

I Don't mind at all, Juls.

[Hans]

If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters.

Hans

[steve(IL)]

Hey Juls - Print a copy to hand to the guy who owns the uncovered late model Lund w/ 18" of water & ice in it - sitting less than 50' from the entrances to the service area and back of the sales showroom. There were some Rangers uncovered also. The people that own those boats would probably appreciate copies too.
That's what I saw when I was there about two weeks ago.

[Just thinking?]

Could it be that the owners of these boats didn't
buy covers?

[steve(IL)]

Covers or not, they never even bothered to pull the plugs on these boats - or crank the parking jack up to help them drain better. I don't know how these boats got to be this way, but my conscience wouldn't allow me to neglect them like that. Who would buy an $18K - $30K boat and not put a cover on it? Maybe the cover is under all the snow and ice.... never got put back on by service? Keep in mind that the service and sales guys are walking past them 8-10 hours a day, 6 days a week. It seems inexcusable to me and in sharp contrast to the post above.

[cisco]

I hope the guy who buys a 14' aluminum with 9.9 hp motor and trailer gets the same curteous and attentive service. At a boat show last Saturday I saw a "show special" price tag on a Ranger Fisherman complete rig of $41,000 plus change.

Nonetheless, I'm delighted to hear you have had some great treatment. Too many vendors forget they would have no business without consumers.

[Jesse-WI]

Hey Steve,
I agree that common sense would suggest something might be wrong, but the simple truth of the matter is that there are a lot of people on the planet that have none. People do dumb things all the time. The news is full of it. So why place blame on business without facts?
The powerhead on my 200 Mariner was replaced there a couple of years ago. If your motor needs work, I highly recommend them. I have had zero problems with the motor.
Maybe the cover is at home and these are dead beat customers that owe money. Maybe they are used boats being sold real cheap. Perhaps this is the special $10 storage location? Where are the owners to these boats? What are their opinions? It would seem to me that the boat owners don't care or else their boats wouldn't be sitting there. I see expensive things not covered all the time. How many times you seen a 15K plus boat with a $100 cover. Where's the common sense in that? Perhaps their attorney told them not to touch them. In today's world I'm sure there is at least one legal reason not to.
I'm a paying customer with a very nice Lund in this area. This is the only dealer I will use and I have 2 or 3 others that are closer. My boat was used and I did not buy it there. Looks can be deceiving. I've been in the service department watching their people spend 20 minutes helping someone with an old motor that only needed a $3 part.
My father's small repair shop in down state Illinois is a complete mess, I find that inexcusable based on Chicago business experience. People still keep coming back because he knows his business, fixes things the first time, and charges very reasonable rates.
I suggest you listen to their customers and not necessarily your eyes, but then again maybe I can get something done a bit sooner since they will have once less customer. You seem like someone that expects to get what you pay for, based on my experiences with them; your money will be well spent if done at this dealership.

[bob oh]

Wow! Bought had a heart attack Hans, I agree 100% with you. Will wonders never cease ;-)
Bob

[Beaver]

I bought my boat from and store my boat at MW Marine. When I stored mine I put six 25 gal plastic barrels in it before I covered it. At that time I noticed several expensive Rangers parked for the winter with no covers on them. Who would pay big money for a boat like that and not fork out the extra cash to cover and protect it? I figured when I parked my boat there that I was responsible for protecting it..not them. You`re paying for storage, not for a boat sitting service. Dick Wanasek and the rest of the guys there are top notch as far as I`m concerned. From buying the boat to repair and maintinance, they`ve always done a great job for me. If some people choose not to cover their investments, that`s not M&W`s problem. Beav

[Paul K. Wright]

I purchased my boat, a '98 MR. PIKE from Dick and we have been on a first name basis ever since. They are GREAT people to deal with. I live in west-central Indiana and did everything over the phone. I just wish they were closer and I didn't have to go through or around Chicago to get to them.

[steve(IL)]

The day I saw this, I did actually walk back into the service building and ask the first guy I saw - a mechanic - "what's the story with the Lund and other uncovered boats?". His reply "They're customer boats that people have not come to pick up". I said "It's full of water and ice - nobody pulled the plug. The tires look like they are about to fail". He just shrugged.

For arguments sake, let's say they are deadbeat customers. Maybe M&W will have to repo the boats. Then what? Put 'em out for sale this spring for some poor sap like me to come along and buy? I still don't see how neglecting these boats is defensible. Again, they didn't even pull the plugs on these boats.

[customer of M-W]

Ryan,
I have known Dick Wanasek ( owner) for years and there is a top notch staff there. My new Ranger gave me problems on my first outing last spring. When I took it back, Chuck G. who sold me the boat was there to meet me and so was Dick W. They (The service people) found the problem (fouled plug) and fixed it and got me on my way ( Now this was on a busy spring Saturday afternoon) They were professional, helpful, courteous and apologetic for my inconvience.
These guys know customer service. This was my third boat I bought from M-W and I had received excellent service on my former Aluma Craft and Yar Craft boats.

[Good Guy]

Customer drops boat off to be winterized in early Oct.
He is called 2 days later to come pick it up because it is done.
He does not come, despite saying he would be there in a day or two.
He is called again, 2 weeks later, and says he has been so busy hunting and all, but will be there day after tomorrow.
3 weeks pass. You call him again and leave a message on his answering machine that he really needs to come and get the rig because there is no cover for it, and the weather is getting bad and you need the room in the lot. Perhaps he would like the unit shrink-wrapped?
3 weeks later the customer calls to say that he just got your message, because he has been out of state. "No, he doesn't want it shrink-wrapped", because he will be there to pick it up in a couple of days.
2 weeks later, you call him again. Same crap.
Hey, if that guy made no provisions for leaving the boat for a long period of time, then he is the one at fault. A dealer can only do so much looking out for someone.
And...hey, that Lund you were talking about? This will be the scenario:
When we make our 12th long distance call to him, the guy will say "I'll be there next Saturday."...or some such.
Wanna bet?
See, the thing is, he doesn't NEED the rig right now, it is too cold and water too hard to use it!
If it was summer, then he would have been there immediately to get that boat !
Don't be quick to judge, there is usually more to the story
than what you suppose.
This happens again and again, at boat dealerships, not just the one in Hales Corners, which is a very good dealership, I have been told.

[steve(IL)]

All I said was they didn't even pull the plug and tilt the trailer. That would've taken two minutes. If I had seen that, I could've looked past a lot. Maybe it all happened just the way you described......then again, maybe not.

Ya' know..... the more I think about it.....I'm remembering something from my business law class some 20 years ago. I think the law says that you/me/everybody is under an obligation to provide reasonable care for something left with us - especially a business. I'm pretty sure that's correct.

If this is a chronic problem for dealers, they should post signs saying any boat not picked up within 24/48 hrs will be charged a daily storage fee of $XX. This would motivate deadbeats to come get their boats and cover the dealers cost of covering & storing a boat if need be. Seems simple enough. Virtually every gas station w/ mechanics & tow trucks has this policy in place.

[bracketpro]

hi ryan! you sure made a very wise choice of boat manu facturer and above all you made the most important choice the dealer correctly. we here at Y-NOT TECHNOLOGIES, the makers of BRACKETPRO. are very proud to be associated with MW MARINE.in our opinion they are true professionals. so our congrats to you ryan . take care ROBERT J IDZIKOWSKI OWNER

[ibfishn]

I'm glad you had such a good experience with MW Marine. It sounds like they have straightened their act out. Two years ago there was a couple people who post on a web site called Lake-Link.com who HAD alot of trouble with MW. The number of people on that web site who came out and talked about the same thing were unreal. The general consensus was that while they were great to deal with if you were buying a 30k dollar boat they didn't pay much attention to you if you were looking to spend 10 to 15k. Their were also alot of complaints about the follow up service and lack of attention. They lost ALOT of business because of that and I for one along with alot of other people will never set foot in there.