Warranties
New boats and accessories offer the promise of problem-free operation and peace of mind. Unfortunately, today’s boats are very complex systems of parts, and occasionally even brand-new components can fail. And, when things go wrong, the warranty can be invaluable. This scenario is well understood by many consumers who have purchased big-ticket items in their life.
Two key areas of the warranty process oftentimes overlooked are the manufacturer and servicing dealer. Manufacturers can take a short-term transactional view and work to wiggle out of warranty related obligations, or they can take the long-term customer loyalty view and be accountable, moving forward quickly to address the problem at hand. As you can imagine the same general construct applies to the local service team – either they can review the evidence surrounding the problem and quickly petition the manufacturer for factory part replacements, or not.
Clearly, the true strength of a warranty depends on the positioning of the manufacturer and dealer. If you’re planning a large boat-related purchase, do your best to sound out the manufacturer and dealer on their typical warranty-related responses. It will be time well spent.
