Boat Delivery Date Question

[kveille]

Should a boat dealer be able to tell you an estimated delivery date? I ordered a Nautic Star 2110SE about 7 weeks ago and delivered a deposit check about 6 weeks ago. I was told that it would take about 6 weeks to come in. I called the dealer twice and asked for an update, but they keep telling me they are waiting on the manufacturer and it will take about a week to make the boat once construction starts. I got quotes from a few other dealers who had dates that the boats would be ready around this time, but they were slightly more expensive. Is it normal for a dealer to not to get an estimated delivery date that they can share with the customer?

[2ndamendment]

Yes the dealer should be able to give you an estimated date. As the date givin draws near, the dealer should be able to supply you with a more accurate date range of 3 or so days.

[kveille]

That is what I thought. I will have to follow-up with them.

[PaulMyers]

Originally Posted by 2ndamendment

Yes the dealer should be able to give you an estimated date. As the date givin draws near, the dealer should be able to supply you with a more accurate date range of 3 or so days.

^^^^^ what he said ^^^^^

[wishin i was fishin]

Hey Keville, I ordered my 2110 around the same time you did and was told 6 weeks delivery if we had the order in before the 1st week of July. the dealer called me this weekend and said he has a "spray date/production date" for my boat and we finalized the options since they will not change anything after the date. Dealer said he should have the boat in a couple of weeks, 1 week ahead of schedule assuming a "couple" means 2.

it would be beneficial to with the dealer to see when they ordered the boat. if it was after the 1st week of July, you may be in for an +8 week wait. rumor is the 1st week of July is when Nautic Star releases the new year offerings to dealers and dealers usually hold orders till then. the disadvantage of this is all dealers usually place large orders at the same time and order fulfillment tanks.

I hope this is not the case with yours.

[swamp_stalker]

Maybe it is just my bad luck, but I quit giving deposits to order things that are not in stock. Every time I do, it takes much longer than I was originally told. Seems like once they have my money, and I am locked into the purchase, all of the initiative for the seller to earn my business is done and over with.

I just bought a new Lowe boat even though i would have preferred to have a custom aluminum boat built to my specifications. But, I was afraid that once the deposit was handed over the delivery date would have gone out the window and I didn't feel like dealing with that.

At the very least, I would have something in writing specifying a deadline for delivery or the dealer has to refund my deposit.

[1234567]

Amen. I understand people have to have a deposit. I will never do that unless I get a set date on when my S*** will come in or I get that $$$$ back. Waited 4 weeks on a trailer that was supposed to be there in 3 days.

[blackmamba]

The dealer is at the mercy of the manufacturer. If you paid in full I would be worried or aggravated but if you gave a deposit and you still owe a big balance believe me the boat dealer wants that boat to come in and out to you as soon as possible so he can get paid in full. Don't take it personally and piss off the people that will be taking care of any warranty issues or routine maintenance on your new investment... I know you're itching for the new boat tho. Congrats!

[Salty]

Originally Posted by blackmamba

The dealer is at the mercy of the manufacturer. If you paid in full I would be worried or aggravated but if you gave a deposit and you still owe a big balance believe me the boat dealer wants that boat to come in and out to you as soon as possible so he can get paid in full. Don't take it personally and piss off the people that will be taking care of any warranty issues or routine maintenance on your new investment... I know you're itching for the new boat tho. Congrats!

Good advice right there.

[swamp_stalker]

The last purchase I made that required a deposit was an outboard motor. Dealer said I would have it in 4 days. After 7 they hadn't even ordered it yet because they wanted to wait until they had a large order so they would save on delivery fees.

In my opinion, as a paying customer, it is their job to make sure and not piss me off. Not the other way around.