Shipping issues with Trick Marine
 

Has anyone else had any issues with Trick Marine. I have a friend who has been trying for over 4 weeks to get the correct bezels he ordered and the complete Hyd. steering system he ordered. He ordered the bezels on 4-18-07. They sent him bezels and some were not the right size. I took many phone calls and until today to get the right ones shipped. He was shipped his hyd. steering and only half of the parts were in the box. He still has not seen that!! Memorial day is here and over a month has passed since he started working on this because of parts. Has anyone else had issues like this?:mad:

yea . . i went through his drive through and didnt get fries with my value meal . . .plus i had to wait at the end of the railing :mad:







sorry to hear this i'm sure Fred will make it right

Uh no.

Now your gonna start getting alot of PM's too from people who won't post on this thread. Good luck!!!!

No he won't Russ ... he's not a paying member ... no PMs :evilb: :D But anywho :)

Did you get the tape yet??? Come on now ....

L8R
Chris

Showed up today..........and you wrote your name on the band like it was your underwear in Kindergarden!!!!! :eek: :drink:

Whose steering did ya order???

nope, never had any problems here

Never a problem what so ever.

Got all my stuff right on time and faster then I thought for my Lifelines. Might not be his mistake could be the manufacture drop shipping. Things just happen, he will make it right!!!

I've ordered through fred probably 4 or 5 times. Stuff always seemed to arrive faster than i expected, and it has always been what i ordered.

I ordered some stuff and it was delivered faster than I expected.

I have heard around the web that if it is in stock, out the door it goes. If it is not on the shelf, takes significantly longer. That is all hearsay and I don't know how Fred runs his business but my experience was great.

Not a problem here. Order threw him a crapload of times last year (have the stack of receipts to prove it! LOL) and no major problems.

It is much longer if it a non-stock item as it is a delay from the manufacturer. They were great at having it dropped shipped directly from the manf. to my door step tho.

Why didn't your friend post then?

Jon

no problems here, ordered many times from Fred

We are having a slight problem at the moment . but thats all I'll say

Here`s my .02 on this thread :

First off, I`ll admit that I`ve never bought anything from Trick Marine. I know he`s a sponsor on several boating sites, but for whatever reason I`ve never ordered from them.
Secondly: Exactly what purpose do you think this thread will serve ? Please tell me what you are expecting to gain by posting this information ?
You ask "Has anyone else had issues like this?" If someone posts on here that yes, in fact I have had problems, what will you get from that info ?

Not trying to start a controversy here, but I just get tired of seeing these type threads about someone whining or complaining about something like this. Get on the phone and call THE SUPPLIER. That should help a lot more than whining on a website.....

Good point, and if not satisfied, cancel the order and order from someone else.

If there are shipping problems at Trick, hopefully they will be corrected soon. This is the second time this week someone has brought up this topic.

Give fred the benefit of the doubt,, Im sure he would do the same for you.

No problems, but Donman makes an excellent point. Unless, of course, your purpose is to sound like a 15 year old girl that didn't get invited to the dance. ;)

99% of the time this type of issue has nothing to do at all with the company the product was purchased from. Many parts are not stocked and there are often delays this time of year getting the parts from the suppliers quickly. Its kind of like taking your boat to be serviced on the first 80 degree of the day and realizing you are not the only one. Or going to the ramp tomorrow and realizing you are not the only one who enjoys boating on holiday weekends.

Often times parts are shipped from the manufacturer direct to the purchaser (drop shipped) meaning Fred or whoever you bought from didn't get a chance to look in the box. They also just moved locations in the past month meaning they likely don't have everything 100% to speed and stock levels 100%.

I deal with people every summer who come on vacation and think they are the only ones who want to go parasailing on Friday afternoon and suddenly its my fault they didn't plan ahead and book early.

You want the best speed and service for your boat, don't look for it between the month of march and june because every single person with a boat is pulling the tarp off at the same time. If you want parts right away you should plan accordingly. When you don't you should be prepared to wait in line like everyone else..

His computer is down. Simple as that. He did get the bezels and Fred was finally trying to get everything straightened out and shipped.

Well after many calls and being told that parts were shipping and then not showing up when told putting you get tired of working the normal means. Trust me we are smart enough to call and work with them first. I think 4 weeks into it shows plenty of patience. Putting a thread like this may help by getting noticed at the supplier. It COULD affect his business negatively by making other think twice about ordering thru them. It COULD help him positively if he finally takes care of the issue and then that will also be posted on here. As it stands now Fred has finally said the parts are not at his office. Until now he said they were sitting there and "going out today". He said this afternoon he was trying to find the missing items to get them shipped overnight but have not heard if he did. We are hoping he did since it has been 4 weeks with the boat down and Memorial Day is here.

I am sure he is a good person and we know many peolple who have bought from them and that is why this order went to him. He shipped the wrong bezels the first time. Not a huge deal, mistakes happen. But it took 4 weeks to get the right ones shipped. The steering came with parts missing. Again, he kept saying the parts were on his desk but only now tells us he is waiting on the parts from the manufacturer. Not trying to make a huge deal and BASH the guy, just wondering if this has been the norm or if it is the exception. I am sure if any of your boats were down for four weeks after you have installed part of the new hyd steering you would be getting frustrated as well.

Good post. Many of the marine retailers want Trick out of business - PERIOD. Fred has brought a business model to the industry that has pissed off many of the good old boys. Personally, I will do whatever I can to support Fred. When I was racing in '99 to '01, I paid out the azz to get things from most of the major parts guys (some of whom are sponsors here). There was no respect, no concern for fairness.................just, here's the price - pay up!

Fred has tried to serve you, the typical powerboater, with more respect, and to earn your business by giving better pricing. It drives the bigger marine retailers crazy, and I suspect that they have complained to the manufacturers that they both represented. I won't bother telling you about marine retailers that I don't trust, but there are many. I will tell you that I trust Fred Cecil, and I fully believe that some of the recent posts about "lack of service" have a hidden agenda.

Maybe I should share some stories about dealings with..........

I havn't posted alot, so no one really knows me here, so if you dont know me from other sites, dont get totally livid, but I am brutely honest... This being said:

I have seen a couple of threads about Fred in the last couple of weeks, I Dont get it, why are these people having such problems, I have had numerous orders, never a problem, lots of others have had the same. Is it the person complaining that really has the issue or is it Fred?

It is now spring, what have these guys been doing the last 6 months? Lets see, oh yea, WINTER!

It just seems in life, people who are trying to stirr the pot, are generally the ones that are looking for the "special" things in life and won't/can't take no for an answer, so attitude gets in the way, and smarts get left behind.

"My friend" is total BS... people should handle their own problems...

Just a side note: last week we visited Fred at his new shop during bike week, I found it very well run, great person to meet, along with the staff. Yes many of the parts are straight from the supplier, so before you jump to conclusions, call...

Oh yea, we did discuss a couple of the posts from last weeks problems, when you get the real story, many of the "posts" facts have been tweeked by the complainer, invoices that were ordered on line, with out all the parts, now requested, and many other small issues, and how do you suppose they cover their own problems, bash the guy trying to get them...

JMHO

Fred has always been a great guy to deal with, always takes my calls, and he delivers.
I'm sure he will make it right.
Dean

I'm glad to see that someone with some real knowledge of Trick just posted, (Phanton & Bajaholic). The "big" guys out there are not happy when someone comes into their ballpark, and sells only high quality products, and at a lower price than they do. Everything that I've bought from Fred has come within 3 days.

I've seen 3 or 4 complaints about him, and dozens of good stuff. How many places can you say have that ratio of customer service? and when you look at the marine industry as a whole, there is a lot more negative than positive. At least as far as Trick goes, it has changed for the better.

Well first of all I am sorry this has got so many people wound up not our intention. As far as me saying "my friend" and you thinking is is BS sorry but it is not my boat. I have just been trying to help him with it and his computer is down. And yes you are right, Winter has been here for the last six months and not everyone can have a nice warm place to work on them over the winter. I do not know about you but we were not into working on the boat in freezing weather and uncovering each time to just get to the boat. I no more then you can imagine what this boating industry is like from March to June and hearing from your customers about getting their boat in the water. And again, not saying that he is a bad guy, do not know him! Just tired of the run around and would have liked a straight answer much eariler so the parts could have been found in another manner. Called several times over the past few weeks and kept being told parts were sitting there and shipping today. Ordered Hyd. steering and parts were missing from the box. Not something we forgot to order and trying to get something for nothing.

Those who know me will tell you that I am not doing this to "stir the pot". I am also in the distribution/service industry and know what it is like to be on both sides of the fence. I can tell you that I do treat my customers in the same manner I want to be treated. I rather give them an answer they may not like then no answer or one that may not be completely true.

Said enough and will hopfully post good results in the next day or so since I believe in giving the whole story and would love to say how he went out of his way so the boat could be on the water this weekend.

I've purchased a lot of parts throughout from Trick.
Never had a problem in which Fred hasn't been able to get straightened out for me.
Which were far and few.
+1 Trick Marine

You're welcome Biotch ... sounds like you're talking from experience :eek: and remember no one was ever supposed to see that ... guess you can ignore my last PM :eek: :D :drink:

First off, I think the above is an absolutely rediculous reply to this post.

I have ordered from Trick and had absolutely great service. :drink: The parts came immediately, and when one part came with a minor inperfection, the new one was in my mailbox within 2 days.

That being said, it drives me up the wall when someone does have a legitimate issue, and some of the peanut gallery here decides that just because they personally had good service, the poster of the new thread must be a liar, cheat, pot stirrer, undercover agent of the "industry", etc. etc.

Maybe this post was b.s., but maybe it was real. The great thing about the internet and this site is that you get to hear all sides to every story. Usually, based on what the person posts, it is pretty easy for anyone with half a brain to intelligently decide if the poster is full of s@$t, or if there is some merit to what they are saying. That is why it needs to be posted. If you feel that there are problems, you take your business elsewhere. If you think it is b.s., than you proceed with business and everyone lives happily ever after.

This isn't directed at Trick, but at those of you who blindly insist that absolutlely no negatives can be posted of anyone, regardless of the facts. The negatives serve a purpose, and the power of this website when a "reputable" supplier is in the wrong, very frequently forces them to make things right if it needs to be. Maybe Trick is right (as they always have been with me), but maybe they were wrong. That doesn't automatically make the customer wrong until the facts are worked out. Leave it at that, and don't kill the messenger....

...especially when you have no real knowlege of the actual situation.

Well put JROMY. I think that if you put some of these guys in his shoes they would all be doing the same thing. I have put some posts slamming guys on the board and let me tell you it has helped motivate those people to make thing right. So while you may call it useless whining it is not, often possitive results come from it.

Jon

Great post. I like to hear the good and bad stories, not a bunch of kiss asses chiming in like a love fest. I have ordered from trick and it has came to me. Thats is what is suppose to happen. I like to know the horror stories and the ones where the customer service went beyond expectations. That gives the people on here more info to decided who to buy from.

Trick Marine: 866 921 4553
My Personal Cell: 843 339 0023

Feel free to call with questions, comments or complaints. ;)

I rarely have the time to read the forums.

Good point JRomy. Made me rethink my position a bit.

JRMOY makes a great case. Completely valid and well stated. But there's a flip-side to it:

Should a vendor have to come on here and defend himself simply because an unhappy customer, whose complaint may or may not be valid, has access to a computer and the internet?

And if the vendor doesn't address the issue in this forum, are we supposed to assume he's in the wrong?

That's a "guilty until proven innnocent" scenario, and at least in theory it's not how we do things in this country.

The saying, "The customer is always right" is a great service philosophy. It is not, as we all from our own businesses, a fact.

Worth considering that, as always, with power comes responsibility.

good post

bottom line is you can't make everyone happy so decide for yourself

We're not talkng about just any vendor, Fred is all over this site pimping his trinkets.
It's a double egded sword and he gets plenty of praise and but kissing. Once in while your going to have an un-happy customer too.


In the end it comes down to being the busiest time of the year for the dealers and suppliers of marine parts. That's not an excuse, it's just reality. Most poeple don't order parts in October or November, they wait until they need to be on lake in May with 90% of the rest of us.:rolleyes:
Fred doesn't have a reputation for ripping people off, I'm sure with some communication with him he will make it right for you.
He posted his phone number, now give him a call and straighten this bs out.........

BadKachina,

Don't get me wrong. I wasn't defending Fred or any other vendor. My question was: Should a vendor have to come online to address every complaint? Not all complaints are valid ... I have no idea about the validity of the complaint in question on this thread.

And: If the vendor doesn't address the complaint online, are we to assume he's in the wrong? (I'd say not necessarily, but that's me.)

For me, the best course of action, and the best use of time, would be to first contact the vendor and try to resolve the situation before bringing it to the court of public opinion. But if I were still unhappy, you bet I'd bring it here, regardless of how liked or not-liked the vendor was on the forum.

I was rigging my boat back when Fred was just starting out. I ordered a lot of stuff from him and he made the whole process very easy. My parts came on time and Fred went out of his way to make sure everything was covered and at the best possible pricing. Whenever I called he answered the phone personally. Though we have not met personally, we shared occasional emails and phone calls on a variety of subjects.

Last year around this time I needed some parts. It was not a December project I could have planned. Of course I called Trick. The parts were supposed to be available and I was to receive them in a few days. Weeks passed before receiving them. It was probably an issue with the manufacturer. That's out of Fred's control. The problem was I called numerous times. My order couldn't be found, phone calls not returned as promised, "you should have it tomorrow", etc. Of course, I was spoiled and expected to speak to Fred directly but he was impossible to get ahold of. When I finally reached Fred I explained the situation and he took care of it - got my stuff in a few days. It was obvious from our converstation that he and his staff were swamped with work.

I hesitated to post this for many reasons. My business has also grown rapidly over the last few years and I fully understand the difficult position Fred is in. He's a victim of his own success. In my business we must deliver on time; it's our reputation. We've grown too big for me to address every project personally. I hired a person full time to do nothing but monitor projects and communicate with customers.

Problems are bound to arise, it's how you handle them that makes the difference. Bottom line, it's Fred's business and the buck stops with him. No excuses. It's Trick Marine now, not Fred Inc. If he needs to hire more people to get through the busy months then that's what he has to do. If the books are too tight maybe he needs to raise his prices so he can continue to provide the level of service we have all come to expect. I wish Fred continued success and I will order from Trick again.

Greg