I want to share my experience as a first-time boat buyer, and how the staff at Wher-Rena took care of me, from first contact by phone to face-to-face / final paperwork. I live in NC, several hours away from their dealership on the south end of Lake Norman. I had been searching for a boat to buy for me and my family for at least 6 months, scouring and devouring any internet boat listing, from local classified ads to various marine dealership inventories to Boattrader (even multi-state searches). Even though there are tens of thousands of boats for sale at any given moment, I would typically come up with only a few listings that would pass scrutiny for the features I was seeking. I was even considering traveling to other states such as TN, KY, or FL to get the right boat. In late August 2014, Wher-Rena posted a pre-owned boat that "checked all the boxes" in terms of my search, including (but not limited to): premium brand name deck boat, OB motor with low hours / known for its performance and long-term reliability, minimum length 20 ft, floor plan that would seat 10 people but also make fishing / watersports easy; and of course, a price that wouldn't break the bank.
After contacting Wher-Rena to get more information, I made an offer that was verbally accepted the next day (of course Wher-Rena was selling the boat on behalf of the owner, so it took a little time to coordinate the deal). I then placed a deposit to hold the boat in my name until I could physically get to the dealership. I later found out that immediately after I placed my deposit, another interested buyer showed up on site, wanting to buy the boat (with cash?). I am pleased to share with you that the staff at Wher-Rena did the right thing by me and my family -- they politely told the 2nd customer that the boat was already being held because of my deposit, even though they obviously would have benefited financially by making an immediate sale.
The next day, when we arrived at their dealership to inspect the boat and perform the sea-trial, a knowledgeable and courteous salesperson named Keith took us out on the water on Lake Norman and taught us all about the boat's features & how to use them, along with tips and advice for safe boating. After about an hour and a half on the water, we were ready to head back to the dock and complete the sale.
As timing would have it, when the boat was re-loaded on the trailer, one of the support rails on the trailer collapsed, making the trailer much more of a risk for traveling as the boat would have been unbalanced & leaning to one side. Knowing that we had a long trip to get the boat back home, the staff at Wher-Rena did something that blew my mind: they switched out the damaged trailer for a much newer, sturdier one with surge brakes and a heavy-duty double axle -- all without changing the already-negotiated price. This easily could have added another $1k to the bottom line, especially since the difference between the quality of the two trailers was very obvious, and significant.
To say that I was satisfied with my purchase, my boat-buying experience, and the service we received from Wher-Rena would be a drastic understatement. In fact, I was overjoyed at being so warmly welcomed into the boat-owning community.
At the risk of embarrassing a couple of folks at the dealership, I wanted to publicly thank Keith, and recommend Keith and Jeff as some real "stand-up" guys who, in my experience, go above and beyond to take care of the customer. Well done, Wher-Rena! read more
