I like the boat but...

[Jagged Edge]

Donzi provides no customer support. They provide no way to contact them.
The dealer, RV World in Nokomis, FL gave me delivery of the boat without a pre-delivery check. Just handed me the keys and said good luck. I am glad I had that luck because the stop cock drain plug was barely screwed in... I was wondering where the water was coming from. I've contacted them about some warranty repair issues 3 weeks ago and have gotten no response at all from them. I had a Donzi 2001 23zf with the dealer in my area before RV World and they in the two years I had the boat they never did any of the warranty repairs and the boat was sold with them still needing to be done.
It's like you buy a Donzi, and if you have a problem your really up the creek.
JE :mad:

[Murphy]

Interesting... but unfortunately not a new topic. It's enlightening to go the the NADA Guide website and look at all the boat manufacturers listed there. When you click on a specific brand, nine out of 10 times you'll find they are out of business. The scrap heap for boat manufacturers is huge. Right now in this economy, I have to believe most are struggling to stay solvent. The Donzi brand run in the boat world has defied all odds. My concern is that this customer-unfriendly behavior suggests a much deeper problem. When someone buys a high dollar boat and it breaks, the maker should do back flips to make it right. National marketing is a high dollar investment that gets flushed in no time when promises aren't kept. More seriously, a customer-unfriendly position reveals lack of strategic leadership and clues new investors and buyers into trouble to come. It is, in short, business suicide.

Murph

[Jagged Edge]

Donzi should spend more on customer satisfaction then on promoting Donzi girls. The girls are nice but take care of business first. I went to a Donzi owners meet and thought I was at Hooters with my trucking buddies. There were all these owners with their wife and kids trying not to stare at all the skin on parade. I am glad I came alone. Customer service would make me a happy customer the girls only put a grin on my face and I can go to Hooters for that for only the price of an order of wings.
JE

[Bryan Tuvell 33ZX]

JE, what Donzi did you buy?
One has to wonder why no checklist and why you accepted these terms.
Bryan

[Jagged Edge]

Bryan Tuvell 26ZX:
JE, what Donzi did you buy?
One has to wonder why no checklist and why you accepted these terms.
Bryan It's a 18' Classic. At the time I thought it was in the stack of papers they gave me only to find out afterwards it was blank. I've bought so many new boats over the years (5), I just got careless thinking everything was done as before.
JE

[Donzi Blackhawk]

JE,

Give me a call, I'd like to talk to you.

(941) 780-2886

Bryant

[Cuda]

It cost less to keep the business you have than to advertise for new business I think. A happy customer is the most cost effective advertising you will ever have. And much more believable.

[DonCig]

Cuda, you speak words of wisdom that are far greater than your age!

[NeedSpeed]

Yep. Nothing new about lack of customer service in the boating industry. It's a shame but these days, it's easier to let your local court system decide if the manufacturer has an obligation to correct problems with their product. At the very least, you will get someone's attention when they are subpoenaed to appear in a court room.

Here's a suggestion for those looking to buy. Get a used boat and have a good survey done. At least you know what you are paying for. When buying 'new' boat we all expect it to be defect free. Unfortunately, all boats will have defects and the manufacturer will usually avoid repairing because it cuts into his margin on the product.

As far as getting warranty work done....I feel your pain. Been there done that. Remember, you do have options (BBB, Consumer Affairs, Court System, even Boat/US). Be persistant. Be ready to fight for your money. Got to tell ya....this really takes the joy out of owning a 'new' boat. frown

[Cuda]

I kinda feel the same way. I'd rather by a used boat that someone else had to fight to get the bugs out. I'd rather ride in my boat. :)

[Jagged Edge]

I've had in the last 15 years
18' Regal (used)
26' Cruisers Inc
32' Cruisers Inc
34' Silverton
46' Viking (used)
32' Baja
23' Donzi
18' Donzi
Warranty service was:
Both Cruisers Inc boats were great, the Silverton was fantastic, the Baja good, and both Donzi boats non existence warranty service. The first Donzi a 23zf was bought from a Donzi dealer, Perico, who owed Donzi money so Donzi would not cover the cost of waranty repairs, so I the customer paid the price. I went with the 18' Classic because I was able to make an even trade with the 23' ZF, thinking it would not happen again... wrong.
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~netdirectinc/DSCN0532.jpg
Good looking boat though.
JE

[RickSE]

Donzi relies on and expects their dealers to provide good customer service. If they're not doing that I would let Donzi know. I think Donzi is starting to get sick of bad dealers who don't follow through once the sale is complete, thus giving Donzi a bad name. Donzi is working on the problem.

You should have gotten a customer satisfaction survey from the dealer i.r.t the sale and service provided. Every customer is supposed to get one and Donzi expects these to be turned in shortly after the sale. If you didn't get one I'd go back to the dealer and request one. I'd also call Bryant or Donzi Customer service. I'm sure either one would like to here your comments.

The last number I had for Customer Service was,
941-751-9224.

If all else fails go to a different dealer. There are dealers out there that will give you the service you deserve.

[Team Hula Girl]

Jagged Edge, I purchased my boat brand new from Perico Harbor also. I have had to deal with both Perico and Johns Pass Marina on warranty issues over the past year. (Johns Pass Marina is now my service department because Perico Harbor is no longer a Donzi dealer) HOWEVER, I HAVE NOTHING BUT GOOD THINGS TO SAY ABOUT DONZI CUSTOMER SERVICE. I have had to have some warranty work done on my boat a couple of times. Each time the issues were taken care of in a timely manner and to my satisfaction.

1st time was a Mercury warranty issue.
2nd time was an electrical issue.

I am currently working with Donzi customer service to see about getting some more warranty work done. They have been very prompt with responses to phone calls and e-mails. They have even sent a representative from the Donzi Factory to my home to visually inspect the boat. It has only been about 20 days since my first call to Donzi and I was on Vacation during this time and was unable to respond at times.

I believe that there are instances where customer service doesn't meet owners expectations. However, there are always two sides to a story. I Think owners need to rely on their dealers to assist them with their issues. A GOOD DEALER WILL HELP YOU ANY WAY THAT THEY CAN. I think alot of your frustration comes from the two dealers that you have been working with. Perico Harbor is no longer a Donzi dealer and RV World in Nokomis is a new dealer. If you have been dealing with George Moseley at RV World then that is the problem. I went in on Monday July 21st to inquire about moving up to the 35 model and was expecting a call from him. I had to call back at the end of the week only to find out that George doesn't work there anymore. Apparently he didn't leave any information about who he had talked to about anything. I believe that RV World will take care of any issues that you have. Just remember that they are new to the boat business.

John

[Jagged Edge]

Well, thanks to Bryant I got a call from Donzi customer service and I am sure all will be taken care of. Thanks Bryant. As for RV world don't get me wrong they are real nice people, but I cannot and will not except "new to the boat business" as an excuse for poor service. They know that if they sold you a 30+ thousand dollar RV it has to be prepped for delivery to the buyer. They also know what warranty service is. Not to provide either is not acceptable in the selling of RV 's or boats. The owner seems serious about selling boats but his people don't know what the boats are doing on the RV lot. To give you an idea on how they handle things, I purchased a trailer for the boat and went to pick it up. When I got there they put it on the truck hitch, pluged in the connectors and walked away never checking if any of the lights worked. I expected it because that's how they gave me the boat.
I am glad Donzi has stepped up to the plate and I am now sure all will be taken care of.
JE

[NeedSpeed]

Good to hear, Jagged. Keep us posted. If I hear more positive reports, another Donzi may be in my future.

[R.V. WORLD INC. OF NOKOMIS]

I WAS VERY UPSET TO SEE THAT YOU WERE UNSATISFIED WITH OUR OVERALL DELIVERY WITH YOUR NEW BOAT. AS I STATED WHEN I PERSONALLY CALLED YOU TO CONGRADULATE YOU, I WAS SORRY THAT WE DID NOT DO WHAT YOU FELT WAS A PROPER WALK THRU ON YOUR NEW BOAT. I ALSO HAD TOLD YOU WE WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO COME BACK TO YOUR HOME AND SPEND AS MUCH TIME AS NECESSARY TO MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS AND MAKE YOU FEEL 100% CONFIDENT WITH YOUR DELIVERY. YOUR DEFINETLY RIGHT, THERE IS NO EXCUSE BECAUSE WE ARE A NEW DEALER, BUT WE WILL DO WHAT WE CAN TO ACCOMODATE YOU. IT WAS ALSO MY UNDERSTANDING THAT WHEN YOU CALLED THREE WEEKS AGO FOR WARRANTY ISSUES,YOU CALLED OUR BOAT MECHANIC ON HIS CELL PHONE AT HOME, AND NOT OUR DEALERSHIP. FOR FUTURE REFERENCE, PLEASE CALL OUR DEALERSHIP SO WE MAY PROPERLY TRACK YOUR PARTS OR WARRANTY ISSUES. IT APPEARS YOU MAY HAVE CALLED ON AUGUST 6 TO ORDER THESE PARTS WHICH WE HAVE DONE SO AND OUR WAITING FOR A RETURN PHONE CALL TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM FIXED. PLEASE UNDERSTAND, WE ARE IN NO WAY SHUTTING THE DOOR AFTER THE PURCHASE. WE WANT TO BUILD THE REPUTATION OF BEING THE BEST OF THE BEST. THE ONLY WAY WE WILL EVER ACCOMPLISH THIS IS THROUGH CUSTOMER SERVICE. YOU HAVE MY PERSONAL CELL PHONE NUMBER AND AS ALWAYS, IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM,"PLEASE", LET ME KNOW. WAITING FOR YOUR REPLY TO SET UP YOUR APPOINTMENT.

THANK YOU,
MATT GERZENY

[harbormaster]

Matt,
Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Scot

[Team Hula Girl]

Matt, welcome to the board. Thanks for signing up and responding. I think having more dealers joining the registry will help them hear what owners true thoughts are.

I see that you are going to be a sponsor at the Hometown Rally. I look forward to seeing you there. If you haven't sold the 2003 35ZF, bring it with you.

John

[Cuda]

Matt, way to step up an be accountable! Everyone makes mistakes, it's how you deal with them that matters.

[Barry Phillips]

Thanks Matt for stepping up to the plate, more dealers should read this site. Unfortunately the 2 guys at Donzi who did, Nick and Mike Miller have left the company. Fact is this site is a great source of consumer research for Donzi and dealers alike. I owned a Classic 18 and now a 22 and have not experienced the negative warranty issues I have read on this site in the past, I have had few problems so far and the ones I did have were taken care of. The local dealer I purchased my 18 from no longer has the franchise. Donzi is now on its 3rd dealership in as many years. This greatly under-minds dealer loyalty. I did not purchase my 22 from my local dealer even though he had the boat I wanted in inventory. After many e-mails and conversations and a purchase agreement, which included a generous trade-in on my 18 from a PA dealer 6 hours away, I did not slam the door on my local dealer but he would not budge on price. I later learned he sold it for significantly less than I was quoted, the whole negotiation process was stressful and I feel a cause for resentment on both our behalf. I do not think this dealer would want to perform any warranty work on my 22, although I could be wrong. I have regretted the whole experience. The purchase of my 18 was much more positive.

SO-SLO

[Jagged Edge]

Well Mike from RV world came to service the boat. He replaced the drive trim gauge and checked out the water and oil temp gauges. I found out that the oil temp is not going to be to accurate because Donzi does not have the sender going into the oil pan so I guess that's how it's going to be, it's going to read 150 degrees instead of a true temp of 190. The water temp of 190 degrees still concerns me though. Merc says it's ok and you can run it up to 220 before the alarm goes off. We all know when the alarm goes off it's usually to late. No other boat I ever had, ran with raw water cooling at more than 150-160. What temp is every body running in their boat? I have a 350 mag.

Hi Matt,
I called the number given and I thought it was your shop.
I only have one other issue and that is the pre-delivery inspection. I was told it was done but all I have is a blank form. I was told to bring the form in and it would be filled out. I am sorry, but at this point just filling out the form does not assure me it was ever done, I hope you understand. I will call you to discuss the issue because the problem may only be my perception and not fact.
Thanks
Ron

[Jagged Edge]

The gauge may be way off because you can rest your hands on both risers and they are just warm not hot.
JE

[farmer tx]

Somebody on another thread on this same topic talked about the two sender or guage wires being transposed. You could check a wiring dia. and see what the color codes are.

Good luck,
Mark

[Jagged Edge]

farmer tx:
Somebody on another thread on this same topic talked about the two sender or guage wires being transposed. You could check a wiring dia. and see what the color codes are.

Good luck,
Mark It was my thread. It turns out that the wires are not crossed. The correct wires are attached to the gauges.
JE

[Barry Phillips]

My raw water cooled 350 never ran over 170 in the hottest weather, and in normal temps it ran arround 160. My 22 has a 496 Mag which is fresh water cooled. It runs in the 150 to 160 range. 190 to 200 is within automotive specs, cars run a lot hotter for emissions. If your water temp is really 190, this is not good for under hatch temps, boats don't have that constant source of cooling air passing through a grill. Higher under hatch temps is much harder on hoses and belts.

SO-SLO

[R.V. WORLD INC. OF NOKOMIS]

Hi Ron,
I will have Bob call you and set up a time that would be convenient to meet you at your boat and go over your inspection sheet to your satisfaction. Hope is well.
Thank you,
Matt Gerzeny

[Donzi Blackhawk]

Hey Matt,


Give me a call if you want to meet up and do some boating here in Sarasota. We get a few Classics together and grab some sights and something to eat.

(941) 780-2886


Bryant

[Jagged Edge]

Donzi Blackhawk:
Hey Matt,


Give me a call if you want to meet up and do some boating here in Sarasota. We get a few Classics together and grab some sights and something to eat.

(941) 780-2886


Bryant Hi Bryant
What do you think of the 190 water temp my engine is running in my '03 18 Classic (350 mag)?
Thanks
Ron