First, consumer caution on "good" reviews (often placed by employees, family, friends); negative…read moreones can represent less than 5% of the disenchanted, who can't be bothered and need to move on (or are too embarrassed to admit being "had").
HMY boasts 15 locations. Really? Jacksonville is actually a rented post office box in a mall UPS store. If looking for the Bahia Mar office in Ft. Lauderdale, lotsa luck; the two valets AND the main hotel desk had no idea where their office was, and couldn't find it in their directory. Another Palm Beach location had NO office, just a tiny marina with no one around. Miami Beach office was in a tired mini-mall behind a restaurant/bar. Newport's Christie's Landing office was locked but a note on the door said they were down on the docks (really? In January?). The Charleston office was unlocked (front door and 2nd floor office door, no one present, waited and read for an hour; no one returned, left after 5 pm with doors still unlocked (after dark).
I bought a boat through the Charleston office (a "double-ender" in that no other broker was used). That salesman later offered to take my like-new Livingston catamaran dinghy with steering console, almost new 15-hp Mercury (4-stroke) and all tanks, cables, gear as the boat was dragging from davits and I had to keep piloting north. I asked about it later and he said the motor (hardly used, under 50 hours) needed some repairs. He never contacted me again until I asked, saying he "then helped his friend to it" although the broker always had my phone number, address, email. Stored the boat in his backyard, said I could pick it up anytime. Boat without the motor (and both had been set up with each other) was little value without the like-new motor. I had paid for both and all the related gear, connections and HE earned a commission on that too. It was literally stolen from me knowing I was back in Nova Scotia, likely saying it was abandoned. It was not. They had suddenly gone silent to get the deed done (obviously lying on the state forms) for his friend (an electrician, who'd done work on my big boat and was instantly paid). Friend helping friend and screwing customer. HMY offered me an insulting 25-hundred, which I refused. They're NOT the company geared to "do the right thing." It wouldn't have cost them (Moynihan) a penny; just take the cost to replace the entire rig out of that Charleston salesman's commissions. (I heard he was elevated to manager!). BEWARE!
On New Year's weekend I ran into a Stuart HMY salesman who wanted to know what was going on, said he'd looked into it (seemed like a good guy) and PROMISED to get back to me on the following Monday (two weeks ago; he had my number). We then shook hands on it. He didn't. What does THAT tell you about HMY? NOT quality people, and their legal history might also verify that. Look it up. BEWARE!
After that terrible experience (theft, really) a St. Petersburg HONEST yacht broker heard what'd happened and summed it up: "actions and companies like that give the rest of us in this industry a bad name!" (There are some good boat brokers out there and I've dealt with some.)
If you think I'm just an old quack, I did investigations for the Connecticut State Police years ago; ex US navy, broadcaster, civic volunteer, member of local police board, constantly give back.
