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View Full Version : Disappointment with Donzi Customer Svc.



mjpcowboy
11-13-2002, 08:46 PM
I have a 2001 33ZX purchased new in Nov. 2001. When I picked up the boat I noticed some flaws in the paint and gel work that would need to be fixed even before taking it out.

Since all problems were minor cosmetic issues, my dealer suggested that I use the boat for the summer to see if any other things would need attention so I could have everything fixed in one trip before I was ready to put it away for the winter. Pictures were taken at the time of delivery and I took it home.

As expected some additional items with the gel coat and interior came up during the summer. I made an appointment to bring the boat to my dealer in the Lake of the Ozarks in the beginning of October so all repairs could be done and the boat could be put away before any snow flew. The dealer and repair shop doing the work were ready to begin immediately as they knew my boat had always been kept inside after each use. Everything was set up to have the boat back in a few weeks. My dealer sent the paperwork and all additional pictures to begin work.

Everything was completed except for one minor detail, Donzi had not approved the work to begin. It has been over 5 weeks waiting for Donzi to authorize the work while the boat has been sitting outside for more time than it has the entire year. My dealer and I have made daily calls to Don Pride and Kathy Muller the manager of customer service and still do not have authorization to begin work. I have heard every excuse from a change in management at Donzi to needing approval from a committee that meets only once a week due to the dollar amount of work that needs to be done to my boat. They even sent a factory representitive up to take pictures of their own since they tried to use the excuse that the pictures did not show enough detail to make a determination.

Please don't get me wrong I am not upset at Don or Kathy as I know they do not have the authority to authorize the warranty work. I am however with the people at Donzi that do have the responsibility and authority to stand behind their product. I expect the Donzi to stand up and approve the work to be done in much less time than has already gone by. I know people that have spent much less on a new boat from other manufactures that have had very quick turn around time for warranty approval. If Donzi doesn't want to cover warranty work then they need to take a little more pride in their work before thier boats are sent out to their customers as a finished product. This is my 3rd new Donzi since 1999 and I am afraid it will be my last unless they take better care of their customers after the sale.

I love the performance and looks of my boat however I have spent far too much time and effort to get this issue resolved. I hope this is a isolated case and does not represent the care Donzi gives their customers. I am really sorry that I could not write about my great expierence with Donzi customer service. :confused: :confused: :confused:

Mark Albers
11-13-2002, 10:03 PM
(Something) Cowboy wink

When it comes to warranties
I can only say to be patient
In the business I am in
I often get involved in warranty issues with our building products
I go out, meet the customers, take pictures, and send in samples
But
They dont allow me to make the judgement

Most companies have procedures and people are instructed to follow them
In my case their might be a definite problem with our products
But
Final approval must come from the testing labs

I would imagine that Donzi will stand behind their product

After all they are on the verge of a new wave of prosperity

Mark 311 :cool:
Sarasota - - - W F O (close to the factory and far from a dream)

Bryan Tuvell 33ZX
11-14-2002, 04:33 AM
Rick, keep us posted.

My boat is at the factory as I type. I will wait for it's return to judge and comment on my experience.

I had local work done on my last Donzi to the sum of several thousand and Donzi stepped up and took care of the bill, it took about two weeks too get the approval but it was worth the wait.
Bryan

Shanghied Again
11-14-2002, 05:17 AM
Keep on there back, But Donzi has been pretty good with me. They are a little slow on warranty work, But ist better then my buddie and his 38 Formula, That keeps getting excuses on why there not fixing his boat!

Darrell
11-14-2002, 09:15 AM
Rick:

Stay on your dealer, it's his job, the sale does not end when you pay for your boat. He's the one that orders new boats from Donzi, and they need to please him also. I work a Cadillac / GMC store and we try to handle all claims the same day. We are the go between for customer and the factory, and can get the factory to cover grey items if need be. I can't understand if someone that has bought 3 new boats in 3 years, they are not putting your claim on a fast track for approval.

However I have only had to use my Z-care one time on my 2001 26zx, but they where very quick to help me. I contacted my dealer and a week later the parts were at my door.

Good luck, I feel that Donzi will make it right.

Darrell

KRAVEN
11-14-2002, 10:26 AM
I to had warranity concerns on my 2002 18ft.scorpion powered classic but DONZI has stepped up to the plate.My dealer went out of buisness leaving me high and dry however Don Pride made arrangements with a qualified fiberglass shop in my area and repairs are being made as of this writting.I based my purchase on DONZI'S reputation as well as product,so keep the faith.Good things do come to those who wait.
KRAVEN #1 Scorpion 18

roadtrip se
11-14-2002, 10:43 AM
I was wondering how your situation was working out Kraven. Pretty quiet for quite some time...
Good luck and keep us posted.

Todd

Bryan Tuvell 33ZX
11-14-2002, 01:05 PM
That is good news KRAVEN.
I heard from Donzi again today, we are on track and are working a pick up date.
Tony V is doing a great job for us.
So far so good.
Bryan

mjpcowboy
11-14-2002, 04:07 PM
Update on progress.

Got off of the phone with Kathy Muller. Not a good coversation. Approved only half of the needed paint and gel work. So much for spending nearly $14,000 on a paint job. Donzi would not approve the fixing of white specs in the paint. Part of which is overspray and the rest appears to have been air bubbles in the paint. In one area of the flag, a grease print from someones dirty hand is forever set in clearcoat. Donzi said these items are normal wear and oxidation? I don't think so. To my knowledge, thier field representative felt everything should be covered with no problems.

Interior should be approved. I'm not going to hold my breath though. I think I have a long battle on my hands. My dealer has been helpful and they have a large amount of time already invested with this boats warranty issues. I just called them and told them they are going to have to lean on Donzi for me.

No call from Steve Simon - Kathy returned my call on his behalf. Kathy told me there is nobody I can appeal to. She went on to say that Donzi is doing me a favor in fixing 2-3 inch stress cracks in the windscreen. Stated this is normal wear. I know for a fact there have been other windscreens fixed on other Donzi's - did they do them favors? Seems like a design flaw to me.

I'll keep you informed but am very unhappy with the current progress. With the problems I am having and the response I am getting from Donzi, I feel I purchased a mass production boat for a custom boat price.

I hope I can write later with a happy ending to my woes, but my gut feeling is that this may be far from a possibility. :confused:

HyperDonzi
11-14-2002, 04:39 PM
Bryan, Did you have any problems getting it in? If so, you kept it quiet. Kraven, good to hear after all that, they finally are fixing her for you!

Bryan Tuvell 33ZX
11-14-2002, 09:27 PM
HYPER, no problems getting her in.

Like I tell my teenager, get a GREAT education and never buy a boat!

Ride in Dads.... Less worries/expense.

Bryan

NAILS
11-14-2002, 09:46 PM
Just thought I would also add to this topic. My boat was bought through the same dealer in the Ozarks with the same gel coat problems when I bought the boat this spring. The dealer told me the same story (which I have no problem with the dealer) wait until fall and we can fix the problems. The boat was taken from Des Moines to the Ozarks (a 6 hour drive) to have the items fixed. I followed up with the service manager after a couple of weeks and he told me they were waiting on Donzi to ok the work. Five weeks later I contacted Donzi to find out what the problem was in getting my boat fixed after all Donzi has this great Z-Care that they make people believe is the best thing since sliced bread. By the way I now call it Z-WE DONT CARE due to the impression I get from Donzi. I left several messages for Don and was finally called back after leaving several unanswered messages. I got the same run around about the change in management, the weekly meetings etc. When I asked Don if this was a problem with the dealership I was told "NO" they did everything that they were supposed to. According to Don everything had been ok and they were going to notify the dealership to have the items fixed. When I talked to the dealer I was told Donzi was not going to cover some of the items. I have not seen the list of what is not going to be covered yet but I'll keep you posted.

Makes me too wonder if I bought the BEST boat. I know people who bought Baja's who havent had this much problem with the manufacturer.

Barry Phillips
11-14-2002, 10:57 PM
Don't get me wrong I love my Classic 18 and would like to get a 22, but I saw the same flaw in the finish on the last 2 22s I looked at. The flaw seemed like air bubbles in the raceing strip on the rear motor hatch, both boats had flag blue colored strips. Maybey Donzi should hire a new finsher, it's not like they are building a 1,000.00 units a year. I can understand blemishes from shipping mishaps, but the 2 boats I looked at should have not left the factory with such obvious flaws. Perhaps the quality control person needs glasses. By the way my regional dealer is also a Cobalt store and the quality control on Cobalts is dam near perfect. And the price is just about the same. If I was not such a Classic nut, I would consider a a Cobalt.

SO-SLO

Barry Phillips
11-14-2002, 10:58 PM
Don't get me wrong I love my Classic 18 and would like to get a 22, but I saw the same flaw in the finish on the last 2 22s I looked at. The flaw seemed like air bubbles in the raceing strip on the rear motor hatch, both boats had flag blue colored strips. Maybey Donzi should hire a new finsher, it's not like they are building a 1,000.00 units a year. I can understand blemishes from shipping mishaps, but the 2 boats I looked at should have not left the factory with such obvious flaws. Perhaps the quality control person needs glasses. By the way my regional dealer is also a Cobalt store and the quality control on Cobalts is dam near perfect. And the price is just about the same. If I was not such a Classic nut, I would consider a a Cobalt.

SO-SLO

loanaranger
11-15-2002, 09:55 AM
I think you guys should hang that darn salesman of yours, it is all his fault.

Seriously though it is very frustrating to read and hear about these complaints. As a past salesman of Donzi's for over three years I grew to love and respect everything Donzi stood for in the past, present, and future. Something I didn't realize at the time I was selling Donzi's is how much pressure we had to keep on Donzi to get our warranty work approved. This meant that I, as a salesman, had to keep pressure on my boss, my service manager, and so on and so on. It didn't do any good to any of our relationships in a very tense competitive boat market at the ozarks. This also took away a lot of time that could of been spent on selling more Donzi's and introducing more people to the Donzi family.

Since I left I have had at the least five customers on this site complaining about Z-care and warranty work since I left the dealership. All of these people are my close friends, and in no way will it ever jeopordize our friendship, but as you can read it is effecting the way they think of their Donzi.

This post is not to toot my own horn for selling Donzi's and taking care of my customers. Hopefully maybe the right person will read this post, and realize how much potential business they are loosing. Certainly we all understand that things take time, and it is of upmost importance to always be patient, but some of these claims have been known for six plus months with nothing still done. Our dealership was the number two dealer of Donzi's for the past couple of years, and we had no problem putting pressure on Donzi, but is that really the way you want to get your work done.

Like Rick said, if you are going to not honor Z-Care or take it away in the future or say it doesn't cover gel coat or this or that, or whatever the latest story is please take care of your boats as they come out of the factory. I could talk all day about different boats we received from the factory, and what shape they were in, but that is certainly not the intention. Please just get your warranty department up to speed with the rest of your company. Take care of your customers that you currently have, and watch the repeat business soar.

After all this it is certianly still my opinion that Donzi is the best built, best performing boat being built today. Everytime I come across one I can't believe the beauty, most things they do are perfect. Just got done winterizing a 38 daytona that I am out in all the time, but it still stops me in my tracks everytime I see it.

Sorry it is so long, haven't posted for awhile so I had to make up for lost time.

Barry

mjpcowboy
11-15-2002, 10:57 AM
Just to let all of you know that I don't have any unrealistic expectaions of Donzi, here is what I have asked for:

Donzi has indicated from pictures that some of my gel coat issues are due to wear and sun even after the dealer and a fiberglass shop have told them they are defects in the workmanship. This boat is taken out of the water (no salt)after each use, dried off, waxed frequently, no war wounds, and stored inside in a private storage unit. The only time it is in the sun is when I am in it. Keep in mind that we are only talking about three spots that they are fighting as well as replacing the windscreen (fairing), the key is the location since they are involved in the main graphics of the boat and will take some skill (thus time "money") to fix.

I have asked that Donzi to send up a factory rep. which I will meet to go over every issue involving my boat. I am absolutely convinced that if they see the bright white spots in the middle of my flag on the top cap and the grease under the clear coat in the side they will agree that this a workmanship issue. They also need to admit that there was a design flaw in the windscreen (fairing) since I have had problems with all three ZX's I have owned in this area and currently have several long stress cracks and screws working their way through the windscreen. They have changed the design and now no screws are necessary to attach it. If they are unwilling to replace the fairing then I want them to stand behind their recommended patch for a period of time beyond the initial year. If they do not want to extend the warranty on the fairing they need to replace it. All I ask is that they objectly look at the boat and determine that these are indeed warranty issues.

If I were you I would pay close attention to how my issues are resolved before you decide to purchase a new Donzi. Every boat and boat manufacturer will have some problems with their product, the main difference is how well they stand behind it. I am optomistic that if Donzi looks at the defects in the boat they will in fact stand behind their product, however when you are told a decision is final with no ability to appeal from people who have no idea what the problems look like, it does not make you feel they are doing the right thing. You can't tell me that a manufacturer such as Donzi does not build in a "slight" margin on a boat that retails for over $275,000 for warranty work.

Hope to have this resolved soon. Rick frown

BillR
11-15-2002, 02:06 PM
Reading this is disturbing. One would think that when you spend more money to step up to a Donzi, you would also step up to a superior product with "red carpet service."

Kinda like buying a Lexus vs Toyota.

The Z care warranty is built into the price of the boat. Therefore consumer is the one footing the bill and should not have to "DEMAND" service that he already paid for. Thus Donzi owners pay for warranty when they pay for the boat, you should expect quick and responsible claim service.

HyperDonzi
11-15-2002, 02:28 PM
Quote--
HYPER, no problems getting her in.

Like I tell my teenager, get a GREAT education and never buy a boat!

Ride in Dads.... Less worries/expense.

Bryan

Parents are all the same frown

Bryan Tuvell 33ZX
11-15-2002, 02:54 PM
HYPER, your welcome to drive my boat any time, your enthusiasm and desire to learn about boating (especially Donzi's) is comendable at your age.

RICK, keep us posted on the 33ZX.

BILLR, I feel I get that kind of service! I just occasionally lack patience.
My boat is on track.
See ya soon.
Bryan

roadtrip se
11-15-2002, 03:39 PM
Bill R,

Remember me? Todd from Texas. Had a great time boating and partying with you and the PowerQuest guys at Bryan's blow out.

What really impressed me with the Hampton Roads Group is the general spirit of good will that shows irregardless of the brand of boat you chose to run. You guys get together, run what you brung, and hang around and swap notes about it afterwards. I was so impressed with this club that I put in for a transfer to Norfolk, but it did not come through.

You and I talked in great lenghth about why you bought your PowerQuest and it is a beautiful boat. You appear to be knowledgable about PowerQuest and the ins and out of the brand. What you are not knowledgable about is the ins and outs of a Donzi.

So your remark comes from a position of ignorance about Donzi. Secondly, it goes against the spirit of the Hampton Roads club of which you are a member.

I am not discounting that these folks have issues with their Donzis. We are hearing one side of the story and Donzi normally takes care of their customers.

Power Quest owners should probably just butt out!

Todd

Barry Phillips
11-15-2002, 04:43 PM
To the X sales guy who thinks that we are a bunch of complainers. The dealership from which I purchased my 18 parted ways with Donzi several years ago because of warranty issues. In short they where loseing money on repairs. Since than Donzi is on it's 3rd dealership in 2 years, what gives? My boat was set up pretty well when I took delivery in 97. The only blemish being a buffer burn on the deck, obviously to repair a flaw in the finish. I was able to take it out with 1000 grit wet dry and 3M polish. Overall I was happy with the condition of my boat. I do not think the dealer should be wet sanding out factory flaws in the jel. The dealers should not have to provide quality controll for the factory. The last Classic 18 I looked at listed for 38 grand, thats a lot of bread for an 18 footer, so the build quality should be dam near perfect, and not hit or miss. I have seen new classics which are perfect and others that I would not accept delivery on . One of the 22s I was referring to was at the 2002 NY Boat Show.

SO-SLO

BillR
11-15-2002, 04:50 PM
Hey Todd glad to "banter" with you.
First of all, I think you took the context of my post ALL wrong. I am NOT bashing Donzi.
NOR am I making any type comparison to my brand of boat.

Let me try to expain what I meant.

Fact: Donzi is one of the more expensive prodution boats, thus it is a "premium" brand. ie: Lexus.
Fact: Donzi touts it's z-care package as a MAJOR reason to step up to a Donzi. The Z-care is (for lack of better explaination) a type of 3ed party extended warranty.
Fact: That warranty is built into the price of the boat.
Fact:mjpcowboy is having trouble with his faring. Donzi knows the fairings are troublesome, thats why there have been a few design changes and a recent totally new design. Since the problem is a known problem, why is mjpcowboy having an issue?

Most consumers when they spend premium dollars for a step up product that advertises a fabulous warranty as a selling feature, expect superior warranty "experience". Not the usual crap the marine industry as a whole is guilty of.
Therefore, it is unfortunate that situations like this arise. Since the consumer is ultimatly footing the bill, for something he essentially paid extra for it in the first place; should get premium warranty claim service.

Now in contrast; I have two good freinds; Bryan Tuvell and Donziman2 that have received wonderful customer service from Donzi. Their experiences have been positive and should be the norm.

BTW: You (and some of my freinds) may be VERY suprised about my knowlege of the ins and outs of Donzi. Since I personally know some of Donzi's factory reps; one that is with the company and one that has recently left. It appears guys in the marine business just move around. . . . .

Again, sorry if you (or anyone) thinks I am disparaging Donzi. That is not my intent.

roadtrip se
11-15-2002, 07:08 PM
Okay Bill let me try this one more time...

You do not own one of these boats. Have you ever owned a Donzi? I have owned Chapparals, Fountains, and Donzis. I have known and experienced these companys and their respective warranties. I am qualified to comment on their warranty policy.

I know people who work for or sell
Cigarette, WellCraft, Hustler, and Eliminator, but
I have never owned one and can not comment from a position of knowledge on their warranty policy. You shouldn't either unless you have personal ownership experience.

I have worked in the car business my entire adult life and understand the economics of high line warranties, the nuances of handling customer expectations, and negotiation. We just don't know the whole story here and it is ignorant to jump on the customer advocacy band wagon without having all of the facts. I have seen Lexus customers take advantage of warranties...

Finally, I am immediately suspect of anyone who turns to a public forum, especially an advocacy board like this one, to air their gripes. All they have done for themselves now is put the other party on the defensive and limited their possible choices in a negotiation. A warranty is just a promise. How both parties work with the agreement is where good business and relationships are built. In my opinion, a public forum is no place to air one's dirty laundry. We have courts for this stuff if necessary.

I enjoy the banter Bill, but you really shouldn't have weighed in on this one, and the next beer is on me.

Todd

HP 600SC
11-15-2002, 07:46 PM
Todd....well said! I totally agree.....seems like
people shoot themself in the foot by trying to leverage their position in public forums!!
Seems like everyone loves to fuel the fire too!
Even when they dont know what they are talking about. :rolleyes:

harbormaster
11-15-2002, 08:36 PM
Todd, no offense and I still luv you .....

But
Bill R has a point. He is just making a generalization that applies to all products. I don't think he is attacking the Donzi brand.
It does not take a Donzi owner to see someone one getting what appears as questionable customer service.

I hope i don'r piss off anyone at Donzi for this,
BUT
If I spent 275,000 dollars for a product You would expect the company to provide service in a QUICK and expedient manner.

If they did not I would hook that sonofab*tch to my truck and pay a personal visit with the boat to the factory.

Tony
11-15-2002, 08:54 PM
This is some of the best reading I've seen in a while. Both Todd and Bill state their cases with excellent intelligence, tact, and verbosity. While I am leaning towards aligning with Todd, I did not find Bill's post to be overly anti-Donzi as Todd apparently did.

This is fun banter, and I like it...because I trust that this board will maintain a civility that is lacking on other sites.

Maybe if we get another fabulous bull market I could afford to buy a brand new Donzi, thereby experiencing their customer service first-hand!

Good luck Cowboy on your warrenty work...keep us updated.

BillR
11-15-2002, 09:50 PM
"But Bill R has a point. He is just making a generalization that applies to all products. I don't think he is attacking the Donzi brand.
It does not take a Donzi owner to see someone one getting what appears as questionable customer service."

Thank you Harbormaster! YOU got my point. I was not bashing Donzi, nor do I intend to bash Donzi. That is not me!!!!! I think that people that bash or disparage other people's pride and joy, are frigging idiots!!!!

mjpcowboy stated that these flaws were evident when the boat was purchased. He states the Donzi dealer ageed these flaws were there, but wait until the season is over and fix whatever else pops up. So if a dealer agrees there are problems and the customer agrees there are problems, why would a MFG (ANY mfg) of a premire brand not service a customer quickly. Instead it "appears" that he not getting his problem resolved. He said "My dealer and I have made daily calls to Don Pride and Kathy Muller the manager of customer service and still do not have authorization to begin work. I have heard every excuse from a change in management at Donzi to needing approval from a committee that meets only once a week due to the dollar amount of work that needs to be done to my boat. They even sent a factory representitive up to take pictures of their own since they tried to use the excuse that the pictures did not show enough detail to make a determination."
Yet it sounds like the dealer AND customer are being put off.

Now if I take a Ford into the dealer because my paint looks funny, the dealer would make his professional judgement, and if we both agreed the paint looked funny, I'll be Ford would solve the issue quickly.

Todd, I too am wary when things like this are brought public, but there are some pretty SOLID facts here. (and the selling dealer is behind mjpcowboy) In addition there is another Donzi dealer on this thread stating: "Something I didn't realize at the time I was selling Donzi's is how much pressure we had to keep on Donzi to get our warranty work approved." For example, take mjpcowboy's windscreen! The MFG knows this is and has been a problem area on ZX's, so why call it normal wear and tear? They have fixed this problem area on other boats. Fix it on his too!!!!!

There is no boat (or product) that is 100% perfect. When it does break in warranty, it is a MFG's responsibility to fix that product quickly and properly so the customer is happy with that product. After all, word of mouth advertising is something money just can't buy.

Again the superior customer service my freinds got from Donzi should be the norm and consistant.

BTW: I too have had many boats, Wellcraft(2), Baja, Scarab, MFG, Checkmate, & PQ(2). Wellcraft is terrible on customer service/warranty repair. But since I've owned 2 (3) Wellcrafts, and I know the "ins and out's" of Wellcraft and that they wouldn't stand behind their product, so what! What difference does it make? I really don't see your point in having to own a Donzi to understand a warranty. If a boat is truely in need of warranty repair, it should be fixed timely. The marine industry is terrible on fixing things "timely". Try to get your Mercruiser "whatever" fixed in a week. I have been waiting since 7/4 to have some gel coat repaired from where another boat ran into me. This is not a factory issue, but a "marine" issue.

Bryan Tuvell 33ZX
11-15-2002, 09:55 PM
My dad had TWO famous family sayings!

1. Never FxxK-up a $50 drunk on a $5 meal.

2. How much do you need to DRINK to READ between the lines.

I hope all works out for Rick, Kraven and myself included, at present the Factory is taking great care of me, as they have for the last 3 years and two Donzi's, they have some issues in production and warranty stuff, but who doesn't.

And if I feel I am unjustly treated I will also voice my input, others could benifit, my goal only.

A friend hoped to return his boat to his manufacture this week, guess what, they don't have the staff in the winter or something like that to do his repairs, a name brand boat.

And EVERYONE knows I love my Donzi! :) She is a true preformer in the snot/rough stuff.

BILLR, I certainly respect your input, thanks.
You still owe me a ride!
See ya soon.

ROADTRIP, did you get my email about Christmas gifts?

Bryan

BillR
11-15-2002, 10:21 PM
Bryan: "2. How much do you need to DRINK to READ between the lines."
Looks like YOU are trying to read between the lines and thinking I am implying something derogatory with Donzi. That is totally NOT the case!!!! Nor would I get on the "DONZI" forum and publicly bash Donzi when you and Dman2 own Donzi's AND are my freinds.
Please forgive me if you think my post sounded anti-Donzi, that was not my message.

BTW: The freind Bryan is refering to has a PQ. They (as most boat mfg's do) slow down in the winter and slim down the staff until Feb when sales pick back up. Therefore he now has to wait to get some work done on his boat.

Sound familiar? Yup the marine industry needs to wake up.

It is likely none of us are the owners of boat MFG's. I know I'm not. I'm just a consumer and with out me they won't exist. But MFG's read these posts and it helps to air problems in public so the MFG can get the message and take corrective measures. THAT will benefit us all.

mjpcowboy
11-15-2002, 10:21 PM
roadtrip se.
No disrespect meant, however you don't know me or my situation.

I have invested a great deal of money and time into a boat which I expect to have a cetrain amount of "quality" built into.

I don't "air my dirty laundry in a public forum" unless I have just cause. You all can defend the policy of Donzi as much as you would like but I have just cause, just call Lake Port Marina in the Lake of the Ozarks. You don't pay as much as I did for this boat and expect anything more than a superior product. I think you would feel different if you were in my shoes. Don't jump to conclusions, I have obviously supported Donzi or I would have not puchased 3 in the last 3 years.

Just watch watch what you all are buying. I hope Donzi steps up to the plate and takes care of this problem. I ask for all of your support as I would give it to you. Thanks, Rick :)

Gritz
11-15-2002, 10:26 PM
Only one question and I will be out of the conversation.
If the problem existed when you bought the boat (as acknowledged by you and the dealer), why did you not get an agreement for resolution when you paid the big bucks to take the boat home? frown

mjpcowboy
11-15-2002, 10:37 PM
Gritz, I did!!! That is the issue I have with Donzi. They are very quick to deliver a boat with a great deal of promises, however when it comes time to correct some problems they look at it differently. Everything except the windscreen was a problem when I picked up the boat, and it was documented. This forum will not get me anything!!!! I just hope you are all smarter than me and get everyting fixed before delivery. Again, I hope Donzi does the right thing and stands behind their finished product. I will be the first one to get on here and praise their service which I am due. I know you all think all I want to do is complain, however you are wrong. Donzi MFG please do the right thing and fix my boat properly! Hope to meet all of you soon on better terms. Thanks, Rick

Crazy Horse
11-15-2002, 11:17 PM
Rick et al,
Rick I think that you are right on target with this. I wish you well...

I think that once the dealer (who sold you your boat) acknowledges that there is going to be a warranty claim then they should just fix it. You should be out boating and surfing the Donzi Girls site and the dealer should be worrying about getting paid by Donzi. And I think that is pretty much the bottom line on this. I do not know if Donzi is slow to approve the work or slow to pay for completed work but it should not affect you. I run my business like that and only represent manufacturers with the same point of view.

Peace but loudly,
Horse

PS: Woodsy Von Donzi in this thread where art thou?

mjpcowboy
11-15-2002, 11:20 PM
Thanks Crazy Horse for the support. Hope to meet all of you at AOTH III with a fixed paint job. Rick

mjpcowboy
11-16-2002, 08:37 AM
You are right I am going to lean on the dealer. My bill of sale is from Lake Port Marina not Donzi. I am just trying to make it right so I don't have to fight any battles in the future. When it is all said and done, I expect my dealer to stand up and get it fixed. Thanks,

Hardonzi
11-16-2002, 08:40 AM
Heres my 2 cents worth,you decide.I live 30 miles from the factory and under no circumstances will they let me bring my boat for a bulkhead separating from the sides,they said it is cosmetic not structural,but my dealer is out of busines with the Donzi line so I can't get any satisfaction there.I have 2 seats in my 22zx that are broken underneath,can I bring the chairs to the factory to be fixed? NOPE.(This is the third attempt for them to be fixed with me paying for repairs with the dealer as they said "NOT COVERED". What is covered-get ready for some fancy wording. So when I saw all this chatter going on and some people thinking some are purposely bashing Donzi I thought I would give my views. On the positive side Z care did replace an entire outdrive for me after some ugly haggling with the adjuster.They always try to make it operator error.I know they won`t do that again,so the adjuster hinted "MAKE THIS ONE LAST" I think Bryan T gets the better service because they know the damage he can do here and the persistance they will have to bear.Bryan,this is nothing negative to you,all I am saying is that you will down right get ugly with all of them if they don't live up to their word,and some of us just refuse to go to that level,to get something done that should be normal cust. relations.Why should anyone have to get hot under the collar for problems that are easily addressed and resolved. It seems the more difficult they make it for you,that you will just tire and live with it.

harbormaster
11-16-2002, 09:53 AM
I am moving this thread to the "Ask The Factory" section. This will be closed here but still open in the factory area.