The first part of this will be the issues I had with my transaction... the second section will be the "good news" and I want to say at the start that the service was friendly and in the end - everything worked out okay. I am unsure that the "challenging" aspects of my transaction were the result of any sort of "mistake" made by the part of Voyager Marine; you be the judge.
I purchased a Tohatsu Outboard motor, brand new for recreational use. I purchased the motor (and other items) for a weekend trip that was coming very near. I admit, I procrastinated a bit... and made the purchase one week before the maiden voyage of my brand new 16 foot inflatable and 20 HP Tohatsu.
01 - registration: when I went to register my boat, after spending an hour and a half in line, I got to the counter only to discover that I needed the "hang tag" that came off of the engine to show it is four stroke and compliant with use in California. Since I did not want to risk delay/loss using the US postal service, I made the hour long drive (two hours both ways) to Alviso to get the "hang tag".... back to the DMV the next day and another hour and a half in line... boat (with engine) registered with success - (five hours and gas) later.
Ultimately, buried in the owners manual, was copy of what I needed - in my hand the whole time. So is this Voyagers "fault"? I feel like as the dealer, they should have known what was needed to register with the DMV and at least have been able to tell me that the documents I needed were buried in the manual before suggesting I drive back to Alviso? you decide.
02 - The engine was not tested using the gas tank and line that came with it and as a result we were stuck on the lake with a malfunctioning motor. Without drawing out the story of how this messed with our vacation and inconvenienced the other family we were boating with... we spent hours trying to troubleshoot the motor at the lake. To make a very long (and emotional) story short, the brand-new hand pump in the brand-new fuel line turned out to be bad.
A trip to a near-by West Marine solved the issue and we were able to recover our vacation and the motor ran great (after two days without the boat / intermittently trying to troubleshoot it). So the question becomes, should Voyager Marine have tested the actual gas tank and line that came with the motor out of the box? I don't know... but had they, they would have realized there is a problem. Again, a very gray area....
03 - my third and final issue is really the price of the accessories I purchased which included a $116.00 three gallon fuel tank that is about double the cost of an equal tank at other retailers. The life vests were priced okay...
I just fee like if I am dropping almost four grand someplace that I should get everything I need to complete my transaction (DMV documentation); and that everything I am buying has been fully tested and that I get a decent deal.
None of these things occurred in my opinion. I paid absolute full price for everything and am unsure I received the same level of service I would have received at another Tohatsu dealer.
The above being said I would like to repeat that none of this is the result of "direct action" on behalf of Voyager Marine... more like the result of in-action and that can sometimes be just as bad. In the end, and to finalize this on a good note... the staff was friendly, they obviously are competent and honestly, just the trip to Alviso, California is worth a trip to Voyager Marine. V.M. is not a fancy place.. work gets done there and you can tell. They had what I needed in stock, were professional, and that all counts.
I really want to thank them for the transaction and would love to someday hear their point of view... If I need anything in the future, I am hesitant to make that trip again unless I have a warranty issue with my engine - which I repeat is working great with the replacement "pump" in the fuel line. read more