Not sure how many of you on here have boats, but I had mine serviced and winterized by Atlanta Inboard. I did it last summer when I sold the vehicle I used to tow the boat back and forth to the lake since I could not afford a slip after the divorce and did not know how soon I would be able to sell the boat. Over the winter the block cracked along with the water cooled exhaust manifolds. For whatever reason the tech FORGOT to drain the block and the exhaust even though it said that he did on the work order. Their response? Sorry, not our problem, it was more than 90 days ago so it is no longer covered in our service warranty! So now it is on me to pay for their mistake. Looking at a couple thousand in repairs for a new block, new manifolds and lord only knows what else. Crappy. So if you have a boat...don't take it there! I could not believe a major service center like them would not stand behind their work..or lack there of.
Yup. If you paid them to store your boat properly and they didn't, I doubt they have any legs to stand on. Threaten court.
Started with BBB. I have used them in the past with no luck whatsoever, but at least it might alert other customers before the same thing happens to them. As for the lawyer or magistrate court, I am up in the air. Really since I started the boat and ran it, I have no proof that it was not started over the winter. It is purely their word against mine. I really have considered court, but it is pretty much a coin flip as to who the judge will believe and here in Georgia, they can do a countersuit up to $15,000 if you lose the case. For me that is a lot of money... If I had some better proof that I never started the boat it would be great. The unfortunate part is that at this point they say they did it, and that I must have run the boat. I say that I never started the boat and they forgot to drain the block. But as it stands, it is my word vs theirs really. If they lose, they are out some labor hours to their mechanic and a couple parts totaling less than a grand. If they win, they can turn around and sue me for attorneys fees, etc. I thought about it and it is just not worth the risk financially. Sucks, but that is my line of thinking at this point. They are allowed a lawyer and I am sure, being the sized place they are can afford a good one. Me, not gonna happen, hell a lawyer would be more expensive than the repair to the boat. The only good part is that I have another GM 350 block that I got years ago for a project that never ended up happening. I am hoping the block is still ok and usable. Now getting the motor out of the boat is another situation entirely, lol. So my main campaign at this point is to make sure no one I know has to go through the same thing.
Yeah, thought of that, never tried it before, but I thought maybe 4x4's and ratchet straps or something. The good part is it has nice convenient lift points built into the motor. Bad part is this is no little subaru motor, lol this is close to 1000 lbs fully built.
your best bet is to start asking around different marina's... see if anyone else has had the same problem with this company. If so the two of you could fill against them, giving you a much stronger case.
Great point Doug! I had not thought about that. I might have to get on the horn and make a couple phone calls.
I'm sorry to hear this man. Good luck with the repair and thanks for the heads up. I have a few friends that have boats and you can bet they will be hearing about this!
There ya go! I can see how construction people might use one. I may have a buddy that has a lift strong enough in his garage that is on a beam...he's going to check the rating on it. The engine is HEAVY!! It is rated at 880 lbs from the factory. Thanks for the thoughts guys and for spreading the word. That is about the best I can hope for now until I find someone else who has had similar issues from Atlanta Inboard.
WEll, no one found as of yet, talked to a couple places in the area so far. BBB is not going well. They are of course denying any responsibility and saying that it was outside their warranty parameters.