Need Advice?

[Eyefish2]

I own a 1998 Tracker Targa 2000 with a 200 merc EFI. I bougth the boat from a PWT pro. I got the boat in September 1998 he got the boat the end of July from the factory. I live in the north so fishing season doesn't last all year. I keep the boat in a heated garage in the winter. The motor burned up with-in the first month of the PWT pro having it and a new powerhead was put on by a certified Merc mechanic. I fished in 1999 and the boat seemed to run well most of the time but didn't perform as well as I thought it would. Had it looked at a few times but nothing was found. In the spring of 2000 the boat started to act up, couldn't get it on plane and couldn't get rpm's up under load. I was told by one mechanic the engine was shot, another mechanic found that Merc had put an opti piston in an EFI powerhead. Merc sent out a new powerhead but wouldn't pay for the labor of finding the problem. I wasn't too upset as it was only $70 dollars and I thought my problems were solved. I took the boat that fall and the problem was worse than before, couldn't get it on plane or above 1800 rpms under load. Merc said it was the trigger plate which they wouldn't pay for because the motor was out of warranty. So a few hundred dollars and one winter later I thought the boat would be ready to go. I took it out this spring to try the new trigger plate but same problem. Merc had the mechanic run a few tests and found the switch boxes are testing bad so they sent two new ones at $180 a piece. Both new ones tested bad so merc said they must have sent 2 bad switch boxes so they sent 2 new ones again. Still not fixed. Merc is now saying the problem is the diagnostic tools the mechanic is using. They have charged 20% restock fee on the electrical parts and don't want to take the last switch boxs back. I have called merc to see if they were willing to take care of some of the problem and they are saying tough @#$( it's out of warranty and besides we gave you a new powerhead. Well I have missed two tournaments and not sure how many more I will miss. I have fished out of the boat for 14 days in the last 2 and 1/2 years the rest of the time it has been in and out of the shop. The mechanic isn't sure what the problem is and it is getting more expensive as we go. They want to try the computer but at 1200 dollars and no return policy by merc I'm not sure what to do.

Does anybody have any suggestions on how I can get some help from Merc. Am I out of line expecting Merc to help out? Would the lemon law apply to a boat motor as it does to a car?

[Juls_WI]

Once again, the old certified letter to the president of Mercury might be in order. You seem to be a well mannered, level headed, well spoken gent who just might get this taken care of if you go to the top and not deal with the folks on the "floor".

A certified letter will mean it will be read by the person who HAS to sign for it, and in this case, that would be the "big guy".

Keep your head, like you have shown here, and I think (I hope) you can get this resolved in a timely fashion.
It's a real bummer what you have gone through, and I don't know If I could have shown the same control you have.

Good luck!

Juls

[Box]

I'm assuming you have checked, but do make sure that your mechanic is Merc certified on the latest dignostic tools. It is funny (as in weird) that Merc would say the mechanics tools are not up to par.

If it is only (!) $70 for diagnostic, maybe brining it for a second opinion to another mehcanic might be worth it.

Good luck and I hope you are up and running soon!

Box

[Jim O]

WOW... I agree with Juls, you are displaying great dicipline in
conveying the facts and no emotion. If you cannot get satisfaction from the dealer and Merc. we are all in big trouble.
From what I am reading, Merc and the dealer have made some decisions by confering with each other over the problems. If they have made bad decisions and used poor diagnostics, the dealer should stand behind its work(or lack of same, as it turns out) With all the patience you have shown over the last two+ years, I would hope that the powers to be a Merc would get involved. They should have some concern with their dealer network providing proper service.
Jim Ordway

[eyefish2]

The first bill was only $70. I haven't recieved any bills for the last 3 months. I paid over $300 last fall for the trigger plate which merc said would fix the problem, I have a feeling I didn't even need it. The mechanic is a certified merc technician and he is stumped. Has gone throught everything he can think of.

I'm just not sure where to go from here. I will make some more phone calls and see what happens. I agree Juls a certified letter may be in order. One would think that a boat motor with 2 new powerheads, 1 trigger plate, 1 new water pump, 4 new switch boxes, and 8 sets of spark plugs would run like new.

Does anybody have any phone numbers or names of individuals that might be able to help at Merc?

THANKS

[Dakota]

I had similar problems with a new camping trailer last year, after wasting three months with the dealer I contacted the manufacturers customer service manager, one phone call from them and all problems were taken care of, so if you can't get your dealer to stand behind his work, get in touch with Mercury Marine customer service, insist on talking to the manager. If that doesn't work I would send the registered letter to the president. If that dosen't work park your boat in front of your dealers business with a big sign that alerts potential customers to poor sevice they could recieve after buying from them, I garantee this will get results. Good luck

[EYEFISH2]

I can't fault a dealer because I bought the boat from a PWT pro and he got it from the factory. I wish I had a dealer to back me up on this. The dealer I have been using has been as helpful as can be expected for not buying my boat from them. This seems to be one of the problems from buying a boat from a pro fisherman. I told one of the merc customer service agents I got the boat from a pro and he told me that was my problem. He said they don't know how to take care of boats and don't care about the motors. That pretty much ended that conversation! I have been trying to find the name of the CEO or anybody directly under him but I'm not having much luck.

[waterfowler]

Here is what I've come up with for contact info. These are the big wigs at Brunswick, who own Mercury Marine. This is a long list and I apologize.

Officers


George W. Buckley
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Peter B. Hamilton
Vice Chairman and President - Brunswick Bowling & Billiards
Victoria J. Reich
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
William J. Barrington
Vice President and President - US Marine Division
Kathryn J. Chieger
Vice President - Corporate and Investor Relations
T.J. Chung
Vice President - Strategic Planning
William J. Gress
Vice President - Supply Chain Management
Kevin S. Grodzki
Vice President and President - Life Fitness Division
Peter G. Leemputte
Vice President and Controller
B. Russell Lockridge
Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
Patrick C. Mackey
Vice President and President - Mercury Marine Group
Dustan E. McCoy
Vice President and President - Brunswick Boat Group
Richard S. O’Brien
Vice President and Treasurer
Clifford M. Sladnick
Vice President - Acquisitions
Cynthia M. Trudell
President - Sea Ray Group
Judith P. Zelisko
Vice President - Tax

Board of Directors


Nolan D. Archibald
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
The Black & Decker Corporation
Director since 1995
Dorrit J. Bern
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Charming Shoppes, Inc.
Director since 2000
Jeffrey L. Bleustein
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Harley-Davidson, Inc.
Director since 1997
George W. Buckley
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Brunswick Corporation
Director since 2000
Michael J. Callahan
Financial consultant and former Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
FMC Corporation
Director since 1991
Manuel A. Fernandez
Chairman
Gartner, Inc.
Director since 1997
Peter B. Hamilton
Vice Chairman
Brunswick Corporation
President - Brunswick
Bowling & Billiards
Director since 2000
Peter Harf
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Joh A. Benckiser, GmbH
Director since 1996
Jay W. Lorsch
Louis E. Kirstein Professor of
Human Relations
Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration
Director since 1983
Bettye Martin Musham
Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer
Gear Holdings, Inc.
Director since 1993
Kenneth Roman
Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
The Ogilvy Group
Director since 1995
Robert L. Ryan
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Medtronic, Inc.
Director since 1998
Roger W. Schipke
Former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
The Ryland Group and The Sunbeam Corporation
Director since 1993

Board Committees

Executive Committee
George W. Buckley - Chairman
Michael J. Callahan
Manuel A. Fernandez
Jay W. Lorsch
Roger W. Schipke

Human Resource and Compensation Committee
Roger W. Schipke, Chairman
Nolan D. Archibald
Jay W. Lorsch

Audit and Finance Committee
Michael J. Callahan, Chairman
Dorrit J. Bern
Jeffrey L. Bleustein
Peter Harf
Robert L. Ryan

Corporate Governance Committee
Manuel A. Fernandez, Chairman
Bettye Martin Musham
Kenneth Roman

[waterfowler]

Also try this site for more info

http://www.brunswick.com/

[GullGuide]

Eyefish,
What really surprises me is that the dealership and/or Merc would even help you out in the first place. You did not buy the boat or motor from them, so in reality they are not responsible for anything. Sounds like they have gone out of their way to help you, which is amazing.
Since you bought the rig from a private party, I'm not sure if you actually have a leg to stand on as far as service goes form any source. Usually once the boat leaves the hands of the original buyer, all warrenties are void and anything that goes wrong is your responsibility. Unless you buy from a dealer who gives you a warrenty on a used rig, that is the biggest problem in buying used.
Sorry to say but it might be the case of let the buyer beware and I'm not sure Merc will help you any further, if they do, hats off to them since they really are not under any obligation here.
Good luck though
>"////=<

[Smitty]

I do have to respectfully disagree with one part of your response.
"You did not buy the boat or motor from them, so in reality they are not responsible for anything. ".. If this was considered warranty work due to the mistake that was made on the original rebuild, as a Mercury Service/Warranty center I feel they are responsible to provide service regardless of where you purchased the motor.
I agree that they may not put you at the top of the priority list if you didn't purchase the rig there (right or wrong), although many "new" customers can be gained with good service.

In this case however, it sounds like the ball is in Mercury's court and the dealer is doing his best. If Merc deemed it was a warranty covered failure and the engine has still never worked, it should still be a warranty item until it is fixed. Now if something else breaks after that, I would guess that's a different story.

Best of luck.

[EYEFISH2]

GullGuide,

If you are looking for work, I'm sure Mercury would hire you as a customer service rep. They have a lot of people with the same type of attitude. Here's how I feel personally. If you buy a product, especially one that cost what a boat motor does than the manufacture should stand behind the product. Come on the motor is only 3 years old and has had 2 power heads replaced. I have fished maybe at most 40 hours in the last year and a half because it was in the shop. Is it possible that the two bad powerheads had adverse effects on other parts of the motor? As far as a warranty being transferable, I filled out a card the day I bought the boat and sent it to Merc. The information I sent transfers the warranty into my name. I would hope all marine shops that do service work would give you the best service possible if you bought the boat from them or not. I only hope you don't own your own business.

[mf]

i had the same trouble. i bought a rig from a pwt pro and in one year the crank shaft was gone . i fought with yamaha , a dealer,and got nothing. i dont blame anyone for this not the pro , pwt, the dealer or anyone but YAMAHA. i have a freind who also has a yamaha that had the same exact trouble . yamaha gave us a crank shaft out of GOOD WILL .they know they have a promblem with these motors but it is easier to give a crank than it is to recall all yamaha motors .the oil pump STOPPED PUMPING OIL WITH NO WARNING ALARM .WITH NO OIL THE ALARM SHOULD OF WENT OFF{IT DIDNT }IT COST ME 40000.00 DOLLARS TO FIX A MOTOR THAT WAS ONLY 3 YEARS OLD .AT ALMOST $12,000.00 FOR A MOTOR AND NO FACTORY BACK UP IS CRAZY.I HAVE A FIRST COUSIN WHO WORKS FOR A VERY FAMOUS NASCAR TEAM WHO LOOKED OVER THIS MOTOR AND THEY ALL AGREEED THAT THE OIL PUNP STOPPED WORKING AND FRIED THE MOTOR .SO GOOD LUCK, YOU HAVE GOT A FIGHT ON YOUR HANDS.YOU MIGHT WANT TO CALL YOUR ATTORNY GENERAL AND TALK TO HIM . HE MIGHT PUT SOME PRESSUE ON THEM TO HELP YOU OUT ALITTLE