Maintenance cover

[karanight]

I bought a new sail away and after one week there was a continuous beep from the engine controls, so I stopped cruising and contacted the company I bought from and as it was a Friday, they said I would have to wait until Monday before they could send anyone out. I then noticed there was very little 12 volt power. I phoned the company and told them I had no 12 volt power and couldn't even get water because the pump wouldn't work without the power, but I got the same response.  So as I had CRR included with my insurance I contacted them and they came out and after checking the alternator the guy said and it was broke.  I contacted the company I bought from again and told them and still got the same response.  The guy from CRR said that as it was on the domestic side it wasn't covered with my policy but he told me that they could arrange it to be fixed for £165 plus parts.  I contacted the company again and asked if I get CRR to fix it, would they reimburse me and the fella that I spoke to said he would try to get it approved but he didn't get an answer.  In the meantime the CRR guy said I would be OK to cruise to a marina and that It wouldn't do any harm but the batteries wouldn't be getting charged, and then at the marina I would be able to charge the batteries, which I did.

What I want to know, is there cover that I can get where I can get cover where the whole engine including the domestic side would be covered and also where there would be no call out charge, (I was charged £50 for the call out)

[Alan de Enfield]

3 minutes ago, karanight said:

What I want to know, is there cover that I can get where I can get cover where the whole engine including the domestic side would be covered and also where there would be no call out charge, (I was charged £50 for the call out)

 

 

I don't know of any such service on the inland waterways.

What I would suggest you do is to go on a boat maintenance course and learn how you can do the basic electrical stuff so that you will be able to identify the fault, repair it and the "biggy" which is the management of your electricity.

 

You are now responsible for not only using electricity, but you are also responsible for the generation of electricity. As you have learnt, electricity does not just arrive when you flick a switch.

 

It is a very big learning curve, but the longer you dealy in learning how to be self sufficient the more expensive it will get - you can ruin a £500 battery bank in a few days if you do not manage them properly.

 

Good luck.

[LadyG]

Welcome to the world of boating.

I would think you need to demand payment for the replacement, having given them an opportunity to replace. Sale of Goods Act might cover this. Most companies would sort the problem assuming you have paid rather a lot, and a new alternator is chicken feed in the big scheme of things.

[matty40s]

The engine, alternator and battery bank should be covered under warranty, so if Collingwood cant fix it over a weekend and ruin your battery bank, then they have to replace those as well.

 

[karanight]

If they don't agree to fix it on Monday I'll get CRR to do it for me and send them bill. If they don't pay, I'll take them to the county court, that's what is more likely to happen. They left me stranded at the side of the canal with access to drinking water so I don't think they'd have a leg to stand on. I don't want it to go that far but if needs must I will

The reason I was asking about the AA style cover is for when the guarantee is up.

An engine is a lump of metal to me. I know to check the oil and water everyday and now I've also been shown to check the tension on the fan belt. but that's about it

 

[Tony Brooks]

For future reference. A new boat will almost certainly have twin alternators, so if after you have started the boat you pop a jump lead between the engine battery and domestic battery positive terminals and take it off as soon as you stop, then the remaining alternator will charge both banks.

2 minutes ago, karanight said:

If they don't agree to fix it on Monday I'll get CRR to do it for me and send them bill. If they don't pay, I'll take them to the county court, that's what is more likely to happen. They left me stranded at the side of the canal with access to drinking water so I don't think they'd have a leg to stand on. I don't want it to go that far but if needs must I will

The reason I was asking about the AA style cover is for when the guarantee is up.

An engine is a lump of metal to me. I know to check the oil and water everyday and now I've also been shown to check the tension on the fan belt. but that's about it

 

 

Unless you do learn how to maintain the boat PDQ you are very likely to find boating is very expensive. It really is a good idea to do a course, but best ask for recommendations. I don't know about nowadays but in the past some were of very poor quality.

[karanight]

4 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

pop a jump lead between the engine battery and domestic battery positive terminals and take it off as soon as you stop, then the remaining alternator will charge both banks.

An electrician said the same but I didn't have jump leads and couldn't get any where I was.  I'll get some though for the future because I never know when I might need them

[Tony Brooks]

2 minutes ago, karanight said:

An electrician said the same but I didn't have jump leads and couldn't get any where I was.  I'll get some though for the future because I never know when I might need them

 

Very wise. Make sure you get good quality ones with lots of copper strands in the middle. Some are not much more than ignition leads. I make mine up using welding cable and large clips.

 

I am afraid I would have been scavenging for things like fencing wire or discarded mains cable and use all three cores.

[PeterF]

You can join RCR at a higher level than is included in your insurance, but this costs may be £200 annually. Then there is no call out fee. But even with the higher cover they still do not cover the domestic alternator, but once out they can usually fix for a fee.

[MtB]

1 hour ago, karanight said:

An electrician said the same but I didn't have jump leads and couldn't get any where I was.  I'll get some though for the future because I never know when I might need them

 

Pretty soon would be my guess! 

 

You are at the base of a really steep learning curve, grasshopper. 

 

Your first lesson to learn is boat is not like a car, where you can call the supplier and expect them to jump to attention. You are very much on your own and you need to learn how it works or eventually you will conclude boating is "not for you". 

 

Yes you can take them to the county court but you'll soon tire of filling out all the forms, repeatedly. 

 

 

 

 

[Quattrodave]

1 hour ago, karanight said:

If they don't agree to fix it on Monday I'll get CRR to do it for me and send them bill. If they don't pay, I'll take them to the county court, that's what is more likely to happen. They left me stranded at the side of the canal with access to drinking water so I don't think they'd have a leg to stand on. I don't want it to go that far but if needs must I will

The reason I was asking about the AA style cover is for when the guarantee is up.

An engine is a lump of metal to me. I know to check the oil and water everyday and now I've also been shown to check the tension on the fan belt. but that's about it

 

 

Woah, easy tiger... as far as I understand from what you've written they haven't said they won't fix, and chances are they'll fix at no cost, they just can't get anyone to you within 48 hours.  Not entirely sure you'll take them to the County Court either, but anyway I'm not going to argue with you...

 

Here's an idea, why not learn and understand your new home so you can diagnose any issues your self, and there will be many many issues!

[MtB]

1 minute ago, Quattrodave said:

 

Woah, easy tiger... as far as I understand from what you've written they haven't said they won't fix, and chances are they'll fix at no cost, they just can't get anyone to you within 48 hours.  Not entirely sure you'll take them to the County Court either, but anyway I'm not going to argue with you...

 

Here's an idea, why not learn and understand your new home so you can diagnose any issues your self, and there will be many many issues!

 

 

Well said. You put if far better than I did, one post earlier! 

 

 

[Pie Eater]

Get to know who your neighbouring boaters use in emergencies.

[LadyG]

1 hour ago, karanight said:

An electrician said the same but I didn't have jump leads and couldn't get any where I was.  I'll get some though for the future because I never know when I might need them

Make sure you get heavy duty not the cheapos

[Stroudwater1]

4 minutes ago, Pie Eater said:

Get to know who your neighbouring boaters use in emergencies.

This ^^ - many boaters will have jump leads and are often more than happy to help out in the sort of situation you were in. do get some decent ones and you never know you could help the next boater in trouble. 
 

Is your boat brand new or just new to you?  

I would try being firm but polite and maybe chat with the RCR and see if they can contact the boat maker with their findings.

It does sound odd to have an alternator pack in so rapidly? 
 

 

 

 

[LadyG]

2 hours ago, matty40s said:

The engine, alternator and battery bank should be covered under warranty, so if Collingwood cant fix it over a weekend and ruin your battery bank, then they have to replace those as well.

 

They may well not mention the battery implications, and as those are magic boxes to most people, they may just fob OP off, it's hard enough to be sure what's happening today without having a record of what they were doing when fully charged.

RCR which is River and Canal Rescue is the nearest you will get to an AA, however, some people don't like what they get!  ...

 Stephanie of RCR is very good at marketing her business. Bottom line is that they will help you if they can.

I tend to use local people, proper businesses, but it's a bit of a lottery unless you get personal recommendations .

Look at @Tony BrooksBrooks

website, he's got all the T shirts!

if this is a new boat you should have some useful documentation. It's time to do a bit of study.

Edited May 14, 2023 by LadyG

[Paul C]

You are definitely covered under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (if you bought as a private individual, eg not a company etc). Whether they honour this in a timely fashion, is another matter. But you're covered for the costs, with caveats. They have a right to repair, replace, refund. They also have to cover delivery costs both ways - so I'd imagine they'd send someone out to the boat, rather than getting it delivered back to them and vice versa. They don't have to agree to a 3rd party repair but if the push came to it, see below, they would likely be unsuccessful to not honour a reasonable cost of repair.

 

How did you pay for the boat? And I'm going to guess, it was total price > £30,000, in which case Section 75 won't apply, but if any part of the boat's cost was paid with credit card, then you could lodge a claim with them but timeframes apply (ie a min time they're given to try resolve it themselves, then a max time you must claim before it times out). Similar rules exist for debit cards but they're not as well protected.

[LadyG]

15 minutes ago, LadyG said:

Make sure you get heavy duty not the cheapos

PS when dealing with companies I use email to confirm any discussion or agreement, just to make sure both parties are clear.

Edited May 14, 2023 by LadyG

[MtB]

33 minutes ago, Paul C said:

You are definitely covered under the Consumer Rights Act 2015

 

Unless they can demonstrate user error.

 

If the OP simply doesn't understand how to use the product, this is not necessarily the fault of the manu.

 

 

AND...

 

If Matty is right and its a Collingwood boat, the OP will have a fight on their hands. Collingwood will have a decade of experience fending off claims from every other customer for perceived manufacturing faults. 

 

The OP has a flat domestic battery bank it appears to me. The question is why? Seems unlikely to me to be the boatbuilder's fault.  

 

 

Could be as simple as they've left the immersion heater on.

 

 

 

[karanight]

2 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

lots of copper strands in the middle

Like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145050495492?hash=item21c5aeea04:g:7wwAAOSwjX9kRlZj&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4JboPZFVuygicr7J6qhdqk4PhxisvFcX9JdNzkoxd5F6gF52yDF4inMdI2zjLcg0zz6fhmU%2FEi2TJ2Zmoqv2GCnOkqHomAPvAvL7s%2B04fm6qkvljhgpy0GpF7%2BsYVLQtHNmk4PWue%2FczhfNeq1mcxy5um3gE7QF2aB2XCbldB2iHvD7P7SMq3sE%2Fp05aKsKbXI0aNfxOBLElWrYlQ7PdoBVK0ELMvonSyyRwHCWU79ftgTWkgBxnnCvIaQNciKAzACAJvUpEMH8sapHWjHI6%2BZxazM%2FOcJkjFIpoR6Y%2FPlMa|tkp%3ABFBMoPLcwoNi

 

2 hours ago, PeterF said:

may be £200 annually

I don't mind the £200 but I would like the domestic bit covered.  I'm going to Crick and if they are there I'll see what they can do

 

1 hour ago, Quattrodave said:

Woah, easy tige

It would clearly be a last resort, and as for actually going that far, why not, I've been successful in the past with the CC. It's very easy to do, but as I said, it's a last resort and hopefully they'll resolve the matter amicably

 

[Quattrodave]

1 hour ago, karanight said:

Like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145050495492?hash=item21c5aeea04:g:7wwAAOSwjX9kRlZj&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4JboPZFVuygicr7J6qhdqk4PhxisvFcX9JdNzkoxd5F6gF52yDF4inMdI2zjLcg0zz6fhmU%2FEi2TJ2Zmoqv2GCnOkqHomAPvAvL7s%2B04fm6qkvljhgpy0GpF7%2BsYVLQtHNmk4PWue%2FczhfNeq1mcxy5um3gE7QF2aB2XCbldB2iHvD7P7SMq3sE%2Fp05aKsKbXI0aNfxOBLElWrYlQ7PdoBVK0ELMvonSyyRwHCWU79ftgTWkgBxnnCvIaQNciKAzACAJvUpEMH8sapHWjHI6%2BZxazM%2FOcJkjFIpoR6Y%2FPlMa|tkp%3ABFBMoPLcwoNi

 

 

 

£6.99 ?!?!?! Oh give up, how much copper do you really think you'll get for that.

[karanight]

It just looked like you said, lots of separate wires and 1000 amp, it sounds a lot to me.  I've no idea what I need.

Edited May 15, 2023 by karanight

[Pie Eater]

If you do want to purchase jump leads I would suggest you buy the extra long heavy duty type as you never know when you may need them.

[Momac]

I would say you can't necessarily expect weekend cover from the supplier of the boat.

But you can certainly expect them to correct the fault , which they appear willing to do.

 

 

[Tony Brooks]

9 hours ago, karanight said:

Like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145050495492?hash=item21c5aeea04:g:7wwAAOSwjX9kRlZj&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4JboPZFVuygicr7J6qhdqk4PhxisvFcX9JdNzkoxd5F6gF52yDF4inMdI2zjLcg0zz6fhmU%2FEi2TJ2Zmoqv2GCnOkqHomAPvAvL7s%2B04fm6qkvljhgpy0GpF7%2BsYVLQtHNmk4PWue%2FczhfNeq1mcxy5um3gE7QF2aB2XCbldB2iHvD7P7SMq3sE%2Fp05aKsKbXI0aNfxOBLElWrYlQ7PdoBVK0ELMvonSyyRwHCWU79ftgTWkgBxnnCvIaQNciKAzACAJvUpEMH8sapHWjHI6%2BZxazM%2FOcJkjFIpoR6Y%2FPlMa|tkp%3ABFBMoPLcwoNi

 

 

If you believe Ebay it implies 130 strands each of 0.30mm  but a reputable cable supplier says 126 strands each of 0.40 mm is rated at 110 amps. and that is £6 a meter.

 

They will be fine for joining the battery negatives for charging, but whether they will jump start from the domestic bank will be suck it and see. I simply don't believe the 1000 amps, although it may be true for a minute or two while the cable heats up.