harral brokerage update

[larkshall]

Why am I beginning to think that Rugby is the Hades of boating??

 

I think part of the problem is that many marinas, the newer ones in particular, are owned by people who do not have a customer-service background, for example farmers/landowners who see boaters as an easier option and faster buck than farming. The concept of a "customer" is clearly something quite alien. If they were competing in any other business environment they would probably go out of business pretty quickly. We boaters do tend to be a rather compliant lot, but I guess for the majority a marina is nothing more than a long-stay car park. So far in my boating career I've been in four marinas and can honestly say there was only one of them which genuinely put the customer first. In the first marina I was at several years ago I was summoned to the "headmistresses office" one morning because the people on the boat next to me had complained about my children running up and down the pontoon making a racket and the volume at which I had the TV on. Fine, except I don't have any children and didn't have a TV at the time, either. Rather than admitting her mistake, the "headmistress" told me "you have been warned"!!

 

 

Hmm Rugby, isn't just the Hades of boating Incidently were some of the less desirable inmates of Rugby School not locals (Tom Brown's Schooldays)

[Ray T]

Not all the canal business in the Rugby area belong to :Why am I beginning to think that Rugby is the Hades of boating??

We regularly have any work, blacking etc carried out by a yard not a million miles from Rugby and are very pleased with their work.

 

Having sampled the efforts of a few marina engineering works in the area, who we were totally dissatisfied with, believe me, if we thought the yard we go to wasn't any good we would never have returned.

[davidc]

That's me that Ange is referring to.

 

This effing place has had my boat for over five weeks now and in that entire time (while charging the seller £50 per week hard standing for the privilege, mind you) has managed to replace the stern gland and re-affix the propellent, within the last week, and he was paid in advance in cash.

So finally we booked the crane for this coming Friday and the yard finally got round to calling in a guy to do the gas lines (there is a leak somewhere.) for the BSS.

 

The yard insisted they bring in their own gas person, who apparently decided to take out all of the gas lines and replace them with new rather than find the leak. However come mid afternoon monday, he basically upped sticks and said he had something else to do somewhere else and would be back next week at some point to finish it. Probably...

 

I arranged a replacement gas man to go in and finish the work in time for a bss and licencing, insurance etc before craning this Friday. The crane is booked and paid for (as the yard knew all along while dragging their feet) my notice is given in my flat, I have a hotel booked and paid for for thurs/ fri, train fare paid, movers arranged, my whole life is up in the air and I am haemorrhaging money left and right.

 

However when the new gas guy called the yard today to ask permission to work there, he was told in one sentence that 'we're doing the gas with our own man, you can't do it' and hung up on.

 

So I phoned up and put all of this to the yard man, who basically ran out of arguments when faced with his ongoing failures, lies and guarantees, again refused to allow my gas man to go and do the work his man had walked out on, and then told me 'the boat can be craned in on Friday and the work done later.'

I pointed out there was no way on God's green earth that the boat I am just about to put every penny I own into, is going back into water with no bss, no licence, and no insurance, in the hope that he will get the work done sometime this year if I am lucky. At this point and out of arguments with which to come back at me with, he told me that in his opinion 'I am not the owner' and he would not speak to me.

 

The seller then tried to call him (This was about 9.30am) and continued to do so every half hour from then until 6pm, and had his calls ignored. Calling from another number got him hung up on.

At 6pm the seller went down the boatyard and found it closed, and went to the guy's house and waited there for an hour but the guy never showed up.

 

I am as mad as a bag of spiders at this point, so sorry for the slight thread jack.

 

Anyone in the Rugby area who is considering having work done on their boat please feel free to pm me for these people's details to make sure no one else ends up in the same mess as I am!

 

 

I’m I right in thinking that in one of your threads you said seller had played for certain items to be repair , which turn out not to be the case, was one of them the gas, if so have you tried talking to trade standards at the local council .

[WotEver]

I’m I right in thinking that in one of your threads you said seller had played for certain items to be repair , which turn out not to be the case, was one of them the gas, if so have you tried talking to trade standards at the local council .

Poor lass is running out of time... the boat's being craned in in two days.

 

What she needs is a very large man with a big stick...

 

Tony

[Chloe]

Thanks everbody for your advice. We have certainly got a lot to think about. We'll probably hand our notice in, like a great number of boaters seem to be doing!

[Starcoaster]

We've had to put off the cranage from friday so that dumb and dumber can finish the gas work...

I don't think we can go to trading standards because he isn't saying he won't do it, he's just saying he won't do it right now (or at any time convenient to us, really...) Also though he made plenty of firm promises to the seller (and in front of me) about what would be done and when, there's nothing to confirm that...

Frankly if the gas work doesn't get done this coming money I am worried about what will happen as I've lost money on hotels, train etc, and the seller is losing money and more to the point, his temper...

[davidc]

We've had to put off the cranage from friday so that dumb and dumber can finish the gas work...

I don't think we can go to trading standards because he isn't saying he won't do it, he's just saying he won't do it right now (or at any time convenient to us, really...) Also though he made plenty of firm promises to the seller (and in front of me) about what would be done and when, there's nothing to confirm that...

Frankly if the gas work doesn't get done this coming money I am worried about what will happen as I've lost money on hotels, train etc, and the seller is losing money and more to the point, his temper...

 

 

I would still give trading standards a ring, there always say there cannot help unless people talk to them

I think he entered into a verbal agreement and has broken that agreement and I think he is responsible for any additional cost you occur but trading standards would tell you exactly where you stand legally

 

We have a saying shy Baines get nought

[Janey]

Welcome Janey, nice to hear from you again! I know that you had a positive experience there because I was there the same day as you, I remember talking to you about the (43 foot?) boat which you were buying.

Mike

Hello Athy, I remember you well too - you seemed to think I was being a bit of a chancer walking on the gunwale in a pair of high heels! I hope all is well with you and the boat you bought is giving good service. Our boat is just fantastic, and we're enjoying every minute of our boating lives.

[Athy]

- you seemed to think I was being a bit of a chancer walking on the gunwale in a pair of high heels!

Well, it's not something I would do.

Let's hope that Starry has the chance to do so soon if that's her bag!

[Starcoaster]

Mate, if I ever do get this bloody boat before I go bankrupt and/ or the seller is arrested for leg breaking, I'm going to be dancing in stiletto's on the gunnels, never mind walking!

[DaveG]

Mate, if I ever do get this bloody boat before I go bankrupt and/ or the seller is arrested for leg breaking, I'm going to be dancing in stiletto's on the gunnels, never mind walking!

Date, time and location please! Can we bring cameras?

[Guest]

Mate, if I ever do get this bloody boat before I go bankrupt and/ or the seller is arrested for leg breaking, I'm going to be dancing in stiletto's on the gunnels, never mind walking!

 

Claire (My daughter of 24 years) assures me these should be your weapon of choice....

 

[davidc]

Mate, if I ever do get this bloody boat before I go bankrupt and/ or the seller is arrested for leg breaking, I'm going to be dancing in stiletto's on the gunnels, never mind walking!

 

 

put me down for a ticket front row please

Edited October 19, 2011 by davidc

[Starcoaster]

Super, I'll take a pair of those! I used to love my clear heeled shoes until someone told me they were stripper shoes...

Mind if there's much more financial drama coming up I'm going to be investing in a pole!

[Ray T]

Super, I'll take a pair of those! I used to love my clear heeled shoes until someone told me they were stripper shoes...

Mind if there's much more financial drama coming up I'm going to be investing in a pole!

 

OOOOOOOOW I'm going all wobbley at the knees.

 

http://www.midlandch...s/Ash/E230.aspx

Edited October 19, 2011 by Ray T

[smudge837]

Super, I'll take a pair of those! I used to love my clear heeled shoes until someone told me they were stripper shoes...

Mind if there's much more financial drama coming up I'm going to be investing in a pole!

 

If you get a Pole at least you might get the gas fitted and any other odd jobs. I have heard they can be very hard workers.

 

Sorry about that but could not resist. I do hope this gets sorted for you soon. and it will make you love your boat more when you first tie up for the night and have a glass, sit back and think it's all yours.

 

cheers

 

Smudge

[Starcoaster]

Well my best friend is a solicitor and I have previously worked as a legal secretary and have legal bods I can call on for advice etc...

The problem from my side about doing this, is that my contract is with the seller, and yes, due to the boatyard he has broken the written contract we made and agreed regarding dates of work to be completed etc, and we have a written agreement about compensating accordingly should it not happen as promised.

Because I have lost money over the delays (had to extend my rental on my flat, lost train fares and hotel room pre paid for the initial cranage date, lost my deposit on a mooring as I could not take it on the agreed date or even provide insurance, bss etc to hold it, paid for an engineer for a day to come and check the work only to find it had not been done, and much more) I have held him accountable up to a point as we agreed, and he has been forced to discount amounts off the purchase price accordingly to cover my losses.

 

But now I see first hand how he is being messed about, and he is very fatalistic about the idea of being able to claim anything back from the yard (even though I have told him how to etc and suggested he should) I am loathe to put the thumb screws on him any more when it is not his fault that he has ended up in the hands of total cowboys, and he is also losing money over it.

 

But hey, we will see what happens I guess!

Edited October 20, 2011 by Starcoaster

[jonathanA]

gosh Starcoaster what a nightmare.

 

It seems like the seller is being a decent sort but is in the hands of some out and out scum, i think you should name and shame them on this site so all can avoid these people.

 

hopefully once you sail your boat away and put it all behind you it won't spoil your enjoyment

 

to be fair to Harral (to get back on topic) they did arrange for some minor work to be done at the sellers expense and I wanted anew BSS at my expense all done without any drama....

[Starcoaster]

We have indeed looked at just getting the boat on a lorry and chipping off, but as 80% of the work is now done and that which hasn't been done is already paid for, plus the cost of lorry/ cranage, we are holding off, although on Monday when I was spitting feathers I was going to go down there and carry it away myself lol.

 

 

Much as I would looovvvvve to name and shame them, it's against site rules, and also would be counter productive if we do end up taking up legal action.

However let me reiterate, if anyone in the Rugby area is considering having a 'professional' do any work on their boat, PLEASE feel free to pm me first!