“Question,was it the owner of the company that personally said the extended warranty was included or was it a salesman that told you?”
Yes, The man who personally finalized the price, told me the motor would be covered by the extended warranty (under the Yamaha program) and sold me the boat was the business owner. The people who I talked to before him told me that he was the owner and the only one who could negotiate on price. It’s a small business - not a lot of people work there.
I have welcomed his side of the story and have talked to three different people who work for the business on the phone (at least a dozen calls over 2 months) and once face-to-face. The result has been the same - several times they said that the owner is working the issue and “he said he’ll call you tomorrow.”
He has never called. If he did return any of my many calls and say sorry - but we didn’t participate in that Yamaha program and your motor won’t be covered I would at least say well he screwed me but he’s owning up to it.
I know that I won’t get any satisfaction from the dealer and (based on my experience so far) seriously doubt that Yamaha will get it resolved.
On the one hand, hopefully it will never be an issue because Yamaha makes a quality product that won’t need any warranty work in five years.
On the other hand the dealership owner personally assured me (many times) that the motor would be covered for two years beyond the standard three year warranty as part of a Yamaha promotion. According to Yamaha customer service, they sell the two year extended warranty for $725.
“The dealer has to sign up for the extended warranty program and participate in the cost,not an excuse just how it works.”
Yes, I asked Yamaha customer service if the dealer incurred a cost to participate in the program and they said yes they do. I asked if Sutton Marine of Aiken, SC participated and they said no - we don’t have any record that they did. I understand that the owner also owns at least one other business in Aiken
I agree Yamaha makes great products (I own one) and chances are you will never have a problem with it if properly maintained, I work with many new car dealerships and know that most manufacturers have in place rebates or other incentives for the dealers to come on board for special promotions and i assume that Yamaha is no different in that regards, however the dealer does have to sign up to participate in those programs, were there any signs or brochures or placards that advertised that promotion at his dealership or was it just word of mouth, from the salesman then backed up by the owner, i was thinking if enough people called to inquire about the situation then they would be more aggressive to resolve it,right now time is your enemy, the longer you wait the more time it takes to resolve, and at this point, it may be that too much time has past and we all live and learn , i hate it for anyone to be promised one thing then find out something different, and like you said if he just owned it or offered something in return, ie. gift card, free maintenance or just throw you a bone, , you are not the first disappointed consumer and you will not be the last, as long as dealers are allowed to continue this type of business practice, and who knows maybe the dealer honestly thought that it was a free promotion from yamaha and when he found out it cost him up front he decided not to participate, but he needs to convey that and make some sort of resolve… in my opinion
Some People Create Their Own Storms And Then Cry When It Rains!
Aiken is a small town with a lot of local people who know a lot of other people. I know because I am from there. give the newspaper a call and maybe channel 12 with y
our story. I think that I know the dealer and would not do business with him from way back. also; it is only an $80 cost to take out a claim in small claims court. that might be the ticket. good luck.
I talked to Yamaha customer service again today. I called and asked for Tim Haney as Capt. Jess recommended. The guy at this office in Kennesaw, GA didn’t know who that was. I again explained how the dealer promised the Yamaha extended warranty and was now avoiding my contact. The guy at Yamaha was courteous and sympathetic but had the same response that they have very little influence over the independent dealers. I did the best I could to be good to him knowing that he didn’t have any clout in the Yamaha hierarchy. He said that all calls are logged and he was reading about my previous calls. He then said that he’d pursue it with the dealer and I told him “good luck and you’ll have to talk to the owner if there’s any chance to get any attention.”
The way he described the system, I feel there is little to no hope that this will be resolved in my favor.
I am chalking it up to a lesson learned and will warn others against doing business w/ Sutton Marine in Aiken, SC.
I have submitted a review w/ Angie’s Review and a Yamaha customer satisfaction survey. I also intend to do a review on the Better Business Bureau.
FF, you should do a complaint at the BBB. Angie’s list is good for paying customers on their site. BBB is free. If they treat their marine costumes the same way they treat their u Haul customers I would look at spending my hard earned money elsewhere.
A wise man once said “Do as I say not as I do” Good advice when I tell you that.
I wonder if there is a way to find out how many of their (YAMAHA’S) other customers of this particular dealer also may have been misled into thinking they have the extended warranty. If there are others then the dealer probably will be looking at a class action or possible criminal charges. Does Yamaha have information on others that bought from this dealer and can/will they share that information? Might be worth looking into. It may well be that you are not alone… just the first to find out.
I didn’t ask Yamaha if they had any other complaints against Sutton Marine. They said that customer complaints and ratings in customer surveys can add up and eventually cause Yamaha to cut them off as a dealer. I am sure that they have to be really bad before Yamaha cuts off a money maker.
I will post a complaint w/ the BBB also.
I have been searching to see what other businesses this individual owns but haven’t found a good resource. I know he also owns the Precision Tune on Pine Log rd. I won’t be going there either.
Sutton opened a place here in Lexington but it did not last long. maybe a year or so and that was all that it took. kind of like the jim Hudson commercial. “try it once and you’ll never forget it”. boatersand fishermen have some long memories and no problem letting it be known who does not do right. nothing wrong with making a profit but stand by your promises or just say that you cannot do what the customer wants.
as a Yamaha dealer myself, Yamaha is correct
they have no real control over what we do
they can apply pressure in the way of cancelling a dealer if they do not comply.
as for the extended warranty, that is a Yamaha program, but it is based on dealer participation.
the dealer has to sign up for the program, which is VERY easy, it takes about 2 minutes online.
however, it isn’t FREE. the dealer pays a reduced price to Yamaha and simply buys you an extended warranty.
just to let you know where the dealer is, at this point, he cant offer you the program Yamaha was offering.
BUT, he could get you a 2 year extended warranty, and it would cost him about $400.
Do you have anything in writing that shows you were suppose to actually get the extended warranty?
Unfortunately, he didn’t put anything in writing. I’ve pushed it with dealer and Yamaha and have learned exactly what you’ve stated. Although, this is the first I’ve heard the dealers cost.
I have given up because Yamaha has stated that they can’t help and the dealer doesn’t return calls etc. Short of camping out and confronting the dealer, I cannot get a contact with him. It’s not worth that.
I will continue to warn others by telling my story at the BBB etc. and will never do business with Sutton Marine, Aiken, SC again.
Do to your struggle, if you call my store and ask for me directly, I will sell you the extended warranty at my cost. that way you get the benefit of the extended warranty at a reduced price, and you wont have to deal with the guy you are struggling with.
