One Star -- Safety and Customer Service Should Come Before Blame…read more
I genuinely wish I could give zero stars. What was supposed to be an enjoyable birthday outing became one of the worst customer-service experiences I've encountered.
Our reservation was 7-9 p.m. GoBoat emphasized arriving by 6:40 to avoid losing rental time, so we arrived at 6:15 p.m. After approximately five unanswered calls and watching groups who arrived after us get boarded first, we finally departed around 7:12 p.m. Our boat wasn't even fully prepared--the top covering we purchased had to be installed after we reminded staff.
Jamal provided basic operating and route instructions, which we followed. However, no joint pre-rental inspection of the boat, electric motor, or propeller was conducted with us, so its condition was never established to us before departure.
At approximately 8:12 p.m., while following the instructed route, another passenger and I heard/felt something underneath the boat. It was nighttime with low visibility, the water was not transparent, and debris was present. Immediately afterward, everyone noticed the motor/propeller making a noise it had not made previously.
We immediately reported it rather than continuing the outing. Jocelyn placed the boat in neutral and steered toward the dock. Jamal and Miles were genuinely concerned and assisted us back safely, and I appreciate them.
Unfortunately, management's response was entirely different.
General Manager Steve immediately blamed us, stated we should be financially responsible under the waiver, and came across as rude, accusatory, and condescending. The owner, Roberto, also attributed the damage to us, discussing the expense of propeller repairs and stating they hadn't "even reached the surface" of what repairs could cost.
Yet neither management response began with the most important questions: Is everyone okay? What happened?
That bothered me more than anything.
We followed GoBoat's instructions, promptly reported the problem, stopped operating the boat, and had never been shown the propeller's condition beforehand. Jamal also told us we weren't the first group this had happened to. I am not claiming the equipment was previously damaged--I simply disagree with immediately assigning fault without first investigating what happened.
GoBoat ultimately decided not to charge us, but maintained that we caused the damage. By the time everything was discussed, it was approximately 8:43 p.m., making their offer to restart on another boat impractical due to our other obligations. We effectively received about one hour of a two-hour birthday outing.
Roberto promised a gift card for our unused time, valid through October 31. As of this review, we still haven't received it. Frankly, the gift card is the least of my concerns because this experience has made me reluctant to operate another GoBoat.
For a business putting customers on the water, SAFETY SHOULD BE PARAMOUNT. Management should first ensure everyone is safe, determine what happened, inspect the equipment, and then determine responsibility--not immediately blame customers and discuss how much they'll potentially owe.
I appreciate Jamal and Miles for their assistance, but the delayed/unprepared departure, unanswered calls, lack of a joint pre-rental inspection, lost rental time, immediate presumption of fault, management's tone, and lack of initial concern for our safety made this an exceptionally disappointing experience.
The mechanical issue could have simply been an unfortunate occurrence. Management's handling of it is what earned the one-star review.
DON'T GOBOAT, GO ELSEWHERE!
