Greetings.. I am seeking a few final sources of good advice before becoming a former boater.
The situation is this.. I'm good at taking care of and diagnosing mechanical things and my work never EVER needs to be redone, but I'm pretty used up now. I've observed providers of marine services around my marina for several years and come away severely disgusted with the business practices I see, the general level of skills at work, and the low level of delivered quality. As a businessman, the things I see all comprise immediate walk-aways. The first evidence you don't do what you say you're going to do... gone. Trust matters. No warning shots. The nearly total non-existence of anyone with something good to say about you... gone. You clearly don't see being trusted as part of your business philosophy. You tell someone they need a $10k rebuild without even setting foot on the boat when it's a $42 lift pump... dead to me. Etc. Etc. Etc. I've been taking notes. As have my more business-savvy and mechanically proficient dock mates. There is....... literally...... nobody anyone who can find their butts with both hands recommends for anything.
I have made the effort to engage in ways that also protect me. My company does business on multiple continents and avoiding lousy service providers on larger projects has its own methodology... progressive validation of the quality/biz practices working your way from small projects that don't sting too much if the guy's a bum up to the high-dollar jobs. Never front-end load the trust unless you love getting screwed. Trust is always earned.
It appeared the only remaining option is the marina. Though the chant from my dock friends is difficult to ignore... "do NOT use the marina!!" idiot that I am... decided the stories about the marina just cannot possibly be true... not that many. No business who manages to stay in business would ever remain satisfied with that kind of word of mouth. So in November I asked them to talk to me... nothing. In December I asked..... nothing. Must be great to be that rich. In Feb I tracked down one guy who was/is VERY much conscientious who split the work discussions with another. I had some things I wanted to do with the first, in conjunction with a specialty provider of services from outside. Marina guy #2 strung me along for months... "I'll get you numbers this Friday"... "I'll get you numbers this Friday"... "I'll get you numbers this Friday"... Screw him. This guy pulled the pin on the grenade taped to my season because his slacker communication and follow-thru with a paying customer blew up the project I had that external service provider lined up to do since Feb. The window for that project effectively closed while I waited for the marina guy. Invest in both jobs or invest in none and quit.
It is LIFE-SUCKING and infuriating to try and juggle/manage the staggering half-a$$ing one has to push thru as a boater. It transforms boating from something that's supposed to be fun to something that perpetually tempts you to write a book about how crappy some kinds of business are practiced. The "I told you so's" among my friends at the dock are 20' deep now and they don't even try to hide their laughter... and clearly I deserve it, though my life experience still tells me tolerating this level of customer disappointment is IRRATIONAL and fully counter to any business' best interests.
So how to react... when you encounter stupidity or crappy business practitioners or garbage quality... you don't just turn the other cheek because that encourages more. You owe it to the universe to discourage more of the same. I cannot lower my dignity or these rules of engagement enough to just say screw it... It would 1000 kinds of wrong to give these guys my slip fees... or to keep my word of mouth to myself. I cannot begin to understand why a business owner wouldn't do everything POSSIBLE to capture the slip fees I WOULD HAVE PAID ANYWAY... the work revenue I RIDICULOUSLY TRIED TO GIVE TO THEM... and prevent yet another now very negative word of mouth to be in circulation WHICH I HAVE NO REASON TO KEEP TO MYSELF. But.... in 30 years building building/growing that company and working with Jesuit-like devotion to figure out the things that make it the best, what not to do and how to treat people, I've seen PLENTY of crap businesses and business practices and marine services is the king of that hill. I can definitely name a handful of solid individuals in marine services, it's beyond bizarre how lame the business, the integrity and the quality is.
I don't appear to have any good options that are consistent with my beliefs of screwing bad practitioners right back with my wallet and my story when it's time. My only "plan" is to leave the boat on the hard until I can bring myself to a final decision, for which I'm doing some of my due diligence here to see if I can find another idea for the option list. I can't USE this stupid thing without 2 important and pricey mods... do both or do neither are the only acceptable paths, and again, I did the right things to be in the queue for both at the end of last season. There are 4 other important maintenance items my body just cannot do as well and they are definitely "yard type" items. I'm used up and incredibly can't find anyone credible who wants the revenue. And by the way, *I'm* not the AH here... I was THE GUY who among the people I know at that marina actually made the effort to try them in the face of that daunting word of mouth. I'll pass how that philosophy turned out when the time comes too.
Any good ideas out there about how to remain in boating without either rewarding slackers or applying more lube and thinking happy thoughts? Like my boat.. not so enamored of the fog of slackers lining the shore.
G
The situation is this.. I'm good at taking care of and diagnosing mechanical things and my work never EVER needs to be redone, but I'm pretty used up now. I've observed providers of marine services around my marina for several years and come away severely disgusted with the business practices I see, the general level of skills at work, and the low level of delivered quality. As a businessman, the things I see all comprise immediate walk-aways. The first evidence you don't do what you say you're going to do... gone. Trust matters. No warning shots. The nearly total non-existence of anyone with something good to say about you... gone. You clearly don't see being trusted as part of your business philosophy. You tell someone they need a $10k rebuild without even setting foot on the boat when it's a $42 lift pump... dead to me. Etc. Etc. Etc. I've been taking notes. As have my more business-savvy and mechanically proficient dock mates. There is....... literally...... nobody anyone who can find their butts with both hands recommends for anything.
I have made the effort to engage in ways that also protect me. My company does business on multiple continents and avoiding lousy service providers on larger projects has its own methodology... progressive validation of the quality/biz practices working your way from small projects that don't sting too much if the guy's a bum up to the high-dollar jobs. Never front-end load the trust unless you love getting screwed. Trust is always earned.
It appeared the only remaining option is the marina. Though the chant from my dock friends is difficult to ignore... "do NOT use the marina!!" idiot that I am... decided the stories about the marina just cannot possibly be true... not that many. No business who manages to stay in business would ever remain satisfied with that kind of word of mouth. So in November I asked them to talk to me... nothing. In December I asked..... nothing. Must be great to be that rich. In Feb I tracked down one guy who was/is VERY much conscientious who split the work discussions with another. I had some things I wanted to do with the first, in conjunction with a specialty provider of services from outside. Marina guy #2 strung me along for months... "I'll get you numbers this Friday"... "I'll get you numbers this Friday"... "I'll get you numbers this Friday"... Screw him. This guy pulled the pin on the grenade taped to my season because his slacker communication and follow-thru with a paying customer blew up the project I had that external service provider lined up to do since Feb. The window for that project effectively closed while I waited for the marina guy. Invest in both jobs or invest in none and quit.
It is LIFE-SUCKING and infuriating to try and juggle/manage the staggering half-a$$ing one has to push thru as a boater. It transforms boating from something that's supposed to be fun to something that perpetually tempts you to write a book about how crappy some kinds of business are practiced. The "I told you so's" among my friends at the dock are 20' deep now and they don't even try to hide their laughter... and clearly I deserve it, though my life experience still tells me tolerating this level of customer disappointment is IRRATIONAL and fully counter to any business' best interests.
So how to react... when you encounter stupidity or crappy business practitioners or garbage quality... you don't just turn the other cheek because that encourages more. You owe it to the universe to discourage more of the same. I cannot lower my dignity or these rules of engagement enough to just say screw it... It would 1000 kinds of wrong to give these guys my slip fees... or to keep my word of mouth to myself. I cannot begin to understand why a business owner wouldn't do everything POSSIBLE to capture the slip fees I WOULD HAVE PAID ANYWAY... the work revenue I RIDICULOUSLY TRIED TO GIVE TO THEM... and prevent yet another now very negative word of mouth to be in circulation WHICH I HAVE NO REASON TO KEEP TO MYSELF. But.... in 30 years building building/growing that company and working with Jesuit-like devotion to figure out the things that make it the best, what not to do and how to treat people, I've seen PLENTY of crap businesses and business practices and marine services is the king of that hill. I can definitely name a handful of solid individuals in marine services, it's beyond bizarre how lame the business, the integrity and the quality is.
I don't appear to have any good options that are consistent with my beliefs of screwing bad practitioners right back with my wallet and my story when it's time. My only "plan" is to leave the boat on the hard until I can bring myself to a final decision, for which I'm doing some of my due diligence here to see if I can find another idea for the option list. I can't USE this stupid thing without 2 important and pricey mods... do both or do neither are the only acceptable paths, and again, I did the right things to be in the queue for both at the end of last season. There are 4 other important maintenance items my body just cannot do as well and they are definitely "yard type" items. I'm used up and incredibly can't find anyone credible who wants the revenue. And by the way, *I'm* not the AH here... I was THE GUY who among the people I know at that marina actually made the effort to try them in the face of that daunting word of mouth. I'll pass how that philosophy turned out when the time comes too.
Any good ideas out there about how to remain in boating without either rewarding slackers or applying more lube and thinking happy thoughts? Like my boat.. not so enamored of the fog of slackers lining the shore.
G