What should I do?
 

I was just wondering what you all think I should do. I have had problems with my 2001 302 since I bought it and they have never been taken care of. Baja finally took the boat in November to the factory and they told us that it would be fixed by spring. Well spring is here and nothing has been done to the boat yet. I can't even get a phone call back from them. I posted a thread last year and the following quote was the opening of the thread. After talking to Baja last year I was confident that they would take care of the problems even though they had been dragging there feet all last summer --I had the boat at one of their dealers for over 8 weeks with essentially nothing done by Baja. Anyway is time to call an attorney or what? Can I have all of you guys flood Baja with calls demanding that my boat gets fixed? I just don't understand how they can run a business this way. I am 23 years old on my second Baja already and thinking of trading up after only 2 years again. I traded my first one after only a year. If I keep this process up I will have bought 5-6 Baja's by the time I am 30. Why would they treat me like sh!t and make me want to buy another brand simply because of service.

Sorry so long I just need to vent. :mad: :mad:


QUOTE]Originally posted by Ironmanwb
I finally got Baja to come and look at my boat. They have already done some "minor adjusting" (ie adding 2 inches to a strake on one side and sanding out a 1/8 hook in the other) to the hull but the boat still lists to one side.

They want to take it back to the factory and do some more "adjusting". I bought the boat new and they seem to think that refitting the hull of the boat does not lessen the value of it. I think that I should get some type of compensation for their mistake. I didn't know I was getting a scratch and dent boat --- I thought I was getting new boat.


Sorry for the rant but I have been dealing with this problem for over a year. Please write back with what you think I should do and if you think Baja owes me anything.


Thanks,

Aaron


PS. For those of you who don't know I have a 2001 302 w/ 454 mpi mags. I bought it new last year. [/QUOTE]

Lots of looks no responses I am I out of line?

Ironman

You sound pretty bummed out. I bought a 2001 302 and just loved it. Just traded for a 38 Special to be delivered April 17th. The 302 had 496 MAG's and ran 69-71 depending on water, load, gas , etc. The boat always listed a little to port and I had to compensate with port trim tab. Wasn't a big deal. What engines do you have and what's you top end at what rpm. Mine topped out at 4700- 4800 rpm's with Mirage three blade props. With 4 blade props the best I could do was 66 but it sure jumped out of the hole and hung on the corners. The dealer you purchased the boat from is your best bet of getting service through so it's worth a little work(compliments& butt smacking) to build a good relationship. I've heard of hulls with hooks but their fairly rare. Wish I could help more. Good Luck. I've had good luck and service through my dealer.:confused:

Thats a bumb deal. Have you tried to contact any personnell in operations? ie. regional manager, vp, president. if that doesnt work you have the lemon law. Any further you would have to go to the BBB. Beware if you start with the BBB you may not reap any bene's. Just my 2 cents

Bajabuoy

I have 454 mag mpi turning outward and they run around 4850-5100 rpms with the 3 blade mirages. Just curious were your props turing in or out.

I have been in contact directly with baja. I bought the boat from national marine and they have not helped at all I called and called and they only came out to the boat once and it was never fixed.

I would continue to pester the living chit out of Baja and National Marine it is BOTH of their responsibilities. If they continue to do nothing I would document all correspondence with them and post it in the bad business section here on OSO....that should get some response. You can post it as 2 separate issues, one being with Baja the other with National Marine.

If they continue to not respond you may have to try the BBB or some type of other recourse. If they treated me this way there is NO WAY I would do business with this manufacturer or dealer again. The sole purpose of having a dealer network is that you compliment each other...otherwise why not sell direct. It sounds to me like you are getting hosed by both of them.

Also, how pushy are you? I know I reach a point in situations like this that I absolutely lose it...then I am an absolute A**hole and I will get some kinda response...be it what I want or not. I'm not recommending this route but eventually enough is enough :hothead:

Just my .02

I remember your issues, Ironman, with the listing from your previous posts. I'm surprised it's taking so long to get you resolution. Either Baja is stumped as to what is wrong and don't know how to fix it or they just don't have the time.

I've read recently that Baja is totally sold out for 2004 and can barely keep up with production. Which is a good thing, but may be what's preventing them from providing attention to your boat.

Sorry to hear, though. I do not think that you are at all out of line. I would be calling them every day to bother the crap out of them. It is unexcusable, in my opinion, to leave you high and dry this long as well as promising a fix date that they could not uphold.

As a refresher, what was causing the list? Was is apparant when sitting still or just when underway?

i have had issues with baja myself, and wil not own another baja after my 342. baja has always had a reputation for poor customer service. some people praise them, but for the majority they are awful. there were hopes that they would improve when acquired by brunswick corp, but that did not materialize. the threat of you not buying another boat from them is trivial at best. as baja daze has quoted, they are sold out for 2004, and really do no care about you. take your lumps, and use this as a lesson, and dump your boat. i am not saying some other company will be any better, but baja certainately is not the answer for you. good luck...

Daze

It only happens when underway. From planning to about 4300 Rpms if I trim out the drives. But I can't always run 4000+ rpms and have the bow in the air. If I don't trim the drives out it will list even at WOT. I can use the tabs to trim it out but I have to have the right tab half way down to correct it.

They never promised me a specific date but they did say that they would have it done in early spring. The engineers that took the boat out last year said it had a hook and they could fix it at the factory. I know that they are extremely busy right now. In fact I am getting help from the new Dealer in the area Fox Chapel of Port Clinton they have been great, and I know that Fox Chapel has been helping Baja do water test and diagnois problems for them. I just want my boat back. I am thinking about moving up to a 33 ol or a 342 mabey evne a 36ol of the price is right. But I can't trade the boat if has problems and if I don't have it in my possession.


I have not called them everyday yet or gotton rude with them but I am at my boiling point, that is why I am posting on here. I have to vent or I will explode.

I know the feeling. :)

Thanks for the response. I hope that with the help of your dealer, this gets resolved sooner than later.

I jsut found out that all of the Baja Customer service people are out of the office until Friday at a service conference in Cleveland. I guess I won't get to talk to anyone for another week.

Maybe I should make a suprise visit to the conference and give a little speech on how to piss customers off. Oh wait they are masters at that already.

Ironman
Here's some food for thought. On my 302, when the trim tab indicator was at the #5 position the tab was actually level with the strake. In order to have any effect on the boat trim, I had to move the trim tab beyond the #5 positon. Anything above that on either tab had no effect on boat attitude. Another thought is the the "x" demension may be different for one of your engines causing the boal to list. If Baja said the hull has a hook, I sure would believe them, especially if they agreed to fix it. I don't recall if the props turned in or out but it was the standard setup as purchased. When I bought it, the dealer specified a high"X" demension for top end speed, at least that's what they told me. Also, it sounds like you live fairly close to the Baja's Bucyrus plant and could drop in on them. Have you thought of trying that tactic? Hope you get your boat back soon & fixed the way you want. Good Luck and keep smiling. :)

I have dropped in on them and it had no effect. What I am really pissed about is the fact that we had a meeting with baja last august and talked about all of the problems and what was going to be done about them and when. I feel like I wasted my time going down there. I am frustrated beyond belief right now. I just read on the Teambajamarine web site that other boaters are having listing problems and baja has not fixed their problems in even a remotely timely manner or called them back either. WTF maybe I should have bought a boat with a beak or that smokes!

Someone remind me why I gave that company my 100k to be treated like chit.

I think that you need to quit taking your frustrations out on the board, and go up to Baja and tell them that if they cant fix it, you will contact the BBB, that they have ample amount of time to fix the problem!!!!! Better yet if you have low hours, request a new boat. Look lawyers know great ways around these things, and there is a such thing as the lemon law and it doesnt apply to just boats. Also lawyers will sue for "pain and suffering", quality neglet, indangerment to personel, think if the boat listed hard it could drive you into the bank. There are so many legal statements and settlements that they can accomplish that its not even funny.

Honestly, if you can afford a 100k boat, surely you can afford a 3k lawyer. Think about it, he will get you the 3k and then some in return in the long run. I really do think that you have given them enough time!!!!! Think about it, it has almost been a year. They are booked for production this year. Do you really think they are going to drop their future sales and commetments to fix a boat for which they have already paid for?

I feel for you and this whole matter is really a bunch of bullchit. I hope that you get this matter resolved.

Good luck. Just my .02

gzzz. I should have had spill chk done, and I really should not drink and type. Thats dangerous.:confused:

Iron

Dump it. Call your dealer Rep or a Baja Customer Svc Rep and tell them that if they compensate you fairly for your POS you will try another Baja.

If they balk at that offer, get a lawyer involved.

Thanks for all the input. Its nice to know that I have all of you behind me. I am giving them until monday of next week to give me a response and a date of completion. If that is not done I am going to play hard ball. I have only one of doing so-- If this whole thing gets wrapped up with lawyers I probably won't have a boat for the summer. Well like you said Mobilecal its time to get nasty on the phone and take my frustrations out on them.

Thanks ya'll

Here's what I would do,

Don't lose your cool, don't fly off the handle. Write everything down from here on out and try hard to recall all the converstaions, dates, etc...that you have cooresponded with National and/or Baja. Try to create a nice, descriptive timeline as accurate as possible of what has already taken place..all the way back to purchase date, purchase price and salesman' name.

Then, bug Baja for another 2 weeks, call 2 times a day like clock work. Demand each time (politely) to speak with the highest ranking employee possible. Calmly explain your situation to the highest ranking rep you can, when you talk to them ASK THEM THEIR FULL NAME AND HOW TO SPELL IT...Hehehehehe (nobody wants to get in trouble with their own name all over it :) )...do not waste too much time talking with people who are not in the hiearchy. Do not take talk. Only react to results. They have talked enough, it is time for action.

If at this point you still have no results, simply consult your attorney and ask him/her if they will send a letter to Baja and National (drop the names of the highest reps you talked to...) stating your case and intentions. It is amazing what an attorneys letterhead will do. My attorney will write letters for me to people who do not pay invoices. He charges $25 a letter...it works like a charm;)

Good luck, stay calm and be professional. There is alot of value (boat) on the line so react accordingly.

Good luck, surely sounds like you are getting hosed. Keep us posted.

Thanks Allan

Well I already have a pretty good record of phone calls ext. I have taken notes and even kept phone records.

The reason I have not lost my cool yet is because I don't want my boat getting tied up in some nasty lawsuit. I think within the next week I should make some progress. Also the attorney thing is coverd. I have two great friends who are vicous attorneys and I worked for a law firm that had 90 of them many who woudl do this pro bono for me.

I don't want it to come to that.

I'll keep you posted.

I just got off the phone with Baja and supposedly they are working on it. Allan talked to the engineers that ran the boat last year and now he knows that the listing problem I had is real and the hull must be fixed. He said that he is going to call this afternoon and give me an update. He said he was not sure what was going on with the boat becuse of being in cleveland all week but that he would check on it and give me a call back . If he doesn't call I will. I am going to call every day twice a day until I am satisfied that it is getting fixed.

Man I really don't understand this?

I have had three Baja's and the dealer took care of every issue on the first two and when they were cancelled after I bought the 36 I found the factory to be very cooperative and bend over backwards to see that all issues were handled.

Look luck, I could not imagine going through something like this?

I have much the same experiences.

Ironman, sounds like you are making some progress. Sometimes all you need to do is find the person in the org that has a clue about customer service. Hope that has happened.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.:)

I have had a few more conversations with Baja and I am confident that they will take care of the problem. There has been a lot of miscommuniction between us as well as a customer service rep who did not do his job and is no longer employed. I don't want to bash Baja I love there boats but have been frustrated with a worthless dealer--that is no longer a Baja dealer---and one bad Baja ex-employee.

I think it was just one bad dealer and one bad employee that has made my experience so poor.

Baja has resolved both of these problems and are working with me to correct the problems.

Thanks for all of the support and feedback.

I was just at Port Clinton today and saw the boats at Fox Chapel. My boat is stored Very close to there.

Baja has been doing a little house cleaning of staff and distributors, especially under the Brunswick ownership.

As far as National Marine is concerned I have nothing positive nor heard anything postive about them. The place itself is scary to look at. They no longer have Baja (last info I got)

Give them a chance to make good on the boat.

The alternative (law suit) is more expensive and aggrivating than what it's worth.

May I suggest a comprimise? Get your bottom fixed and blueprinted. You will pay a little extra but will add value and speed to your boat.

PM or e-me.

bajalion

I just want the boat fixed and after talking with Baja last week I am sure it will. I just hope that it gets done soon. I definitley do not want to get into a legal battle over the boat and then not have a boat all summer.

As far a baja. In the last 2 years they have made some great changes in the org and are building much higher quality than even a coulple of years ago. I think soon they will have a great reputation and a great product.

Talked to Baja today. There is a hook on one side of the hull that they are going to take out then retest the boat.

I am much happier now that I have a customer service rep that actually calls back and lets me know what is going on.

I'll keep ya'll posted on the progress.

Good news, glad they are stepping up. Thanks for sharing.:)

Talked to Baja yesterday and supposedly I could have my boat back as early as next weekend.

We'll see.

Yuocould always be like blisterboy ;)

Iron....I'm glad things are progressing for you. The first problem in your case is National Marine. Total suck ups when you're buying and then the next day it's "what was your name???" Don't count on them for anything, especially not now because they don't sell Bajas anymore.

When we went through this last summer we were as frustrated as you are. We were diligent with calling. Not so much to be a PITA, but because that was our boat and we wanted to know what was going on.

It went back last fall. Repairs were made. At times we again needed to make countless phone calls, but they did get back to us, they did work on the boat and we did get it back.

The phone calls work...always being pleasant. I think they'll take care of you. They did us. I'll let you know in the middle of this summer how well. ;)

Thanks Bonnie,

I have been in contact with them for the same reason. I just want to know whats going on with the boat. I am supposed to get it back soooon but we'll see. I have been happy with the communication as of lately. I think that Baja has had some personnel problems and they are slowly sorting it out. And I have to say it has to suck for the remaining good employees because they are getting all the problems that the sh!tty ones who were fired never fixed. So they are getting hit double time with their own problems and all the ones that were never solved by the person who took them on at Baja. That is what happened to me.

Well, if they bring the boat back to you, be REALLY NICE to the guy that brings it. He's a wonderful man. We got to talking about poker runs and boats and I swear I could have talked to him all day.

Good luck and keep calling....they're on it, but you don't know that unless they give you an update right???

I know, I've been there. :)

You're killing me with the signature... LMAO!!!

The saga continues.... but hopfully comming to an end this week. I am supposed to get the boat back this week but onece again we'll see. I'll keep ya'll updated.

Well, it's next week now....how did it go? Did you go get your boat?

No boat yet but I have to admit they did tell me that finishing it by the end of last week was a long shot.

However, I talked to them Friday and they said that they have a schedule for the boat and hopefully on Thursday it will be done. But again they are not guaranteeing that it will be done then. They told me that they want to be sure that it is perfect when I get it back.

I'll keep you updated.

Welllllll, how about now??

Sorry Bonnie


Not yet they water tested the boat last week and it was sill off by a small margin and they are trying to get it perfect. I guess they know that after all the time that they have had the boat and talking to me they know I will not accept anything less.

I'll keep ya updated.

While it's frustrating, the good thing is that they are being thorough and want to give you their absolute best. That's comforting.