Bass Pro Shops Service Turnaround?

[dartcase]

So at the end of June I called BPS to set up my annual service. The person I spoke with said the first available day to get my boat in was August 4th. I really thought about doing it myself since it looks pretty easy on the new boats. But being the first time I thought I would let them do it. Well I took it in there on the 4th of August and as of today September 6th I still dont have it. Last week I tried calling them 3 or 4 times and left them a message and finally on Friday I got someone to answer and they told me there was still 3 boats a head of me. So as of this Tuesday it will be 5 weeks. I dont see why they cant put you on a list and give you a 2 or 3 day notice to get your boat in. Does this seam to be normal procedure?

[Pat Dilling]

Wow, since the service is primarily on the Mercury motor I think I would look for another Mercury dealer that is more responsive.

[z7extreme]

You got screwed my friend..

[Dogfish_Jones]

My local BPS on a basic service will set up a date and time and they will service your engine while you wait. Now, if there are any problems found they may keep it to do further testing or waiting on a part.
I’ve even called them on some minor issues and they told me to just drop in and they will look at it then.

[remaly181]

5 weeks!? Go get your boat. No reason they should have it more than a few hours on scheduled maintenance.

[jasonG]

All dealers around me operate the same. It’s all first come first serve and never was told a lead time under 4 weeks. Then after they look at it if anything needs to be ordered you wait that much longer. I use a independent mechanic I trust because of all this. I can always schedule a appointment and most times can pickup boat later that day. Problem is that doesn’t help with warranty concerns

[C0MRAD]

Whenever I take my boat or vehicle in for service I always make it clear that I will drop it off when they are ready to work on it. I won't let it sit on their lot for weeks while they work on other boats/vehicles.

[BMCD]

Some will let you schedule it. I refuse to leave my boat for more then a week waiting on normal service.

[goaltender8]

The BPS in Chicago is the same. Drop the boat off to get the clock ticking. No scheduling appointments.

[remaly181]

The BPS in Chicago is the same. Drop the boat off to get the clock ticking. No scheduling appointments.

Which is just complete b.s. My BPS is the same way which is why they don't get my business, and they won't get it in the future. I will be going through Pro's Choice IF i buy another Nitro. These are fishing boats, and, for most, can only be used at certain times of the year. Just what you want - have a bass boat sitting in the dealer lot for 5 weeks during the summer months.

[jasonG]

Which is just complete b.s. My BPS is the same way which is why they don't get my business, and they won't get it in the future. I will be going through Pro's Choice IF i buy another Nitro. These are fishing boats, and, for most, can only be used at certain times of the year. Just what you want - have a bass boat sitting in the dealer lot for 5 weeks during the summer months.

I completely agree and pros choice is a good dealer but there’s no guarantee after you make a 8hr drive to them they can fix it on the spot. Then there’s the expenses of the travel. I played that game. If it’s not a emergency the good thing is we kinda have a off season when I can make that trip.

[Dogfish_Jones]

Plus, you have to remember, the boat they are working on at the moment was also a boat at the bottom of the line when they brought it in.
I understand the frustration, I've been there myself, but everyone has to go through the process of waiting in line.
Think for a moment if your boat was finally pushed in to be worked on after a week setting there and Mr. "Right Now" came driving up with his boat and they stopped working on yours to fix his. I think that would rattle your cage some.
We have to remember the world does not revolve around our schedule.

[remaly181]

Plus, you have to remember, the boat they are working on at the moment was also a boat at the bottom of the line when they brought it in.
I understand the frustration, I've been there myself, but everyone has to go through the process of waiting in line.
Think for a moment if your boat was finally pushed in to be worked on after a week setting there and Mr. "Right Now" came driving up with his boat and they stopped working on yours to fix his. I think that would rattle your cage some.
We have to remember the world does not revolve around our schedule.

Not my point at all. The fact they don't schedule is the bs part. Why on earth would anyone want to leave their boat for weeks on end? I am not asking them to be at my whimsy. A couple of days is fine. I asked them to give me a call when they were close and they said they didn't do that.They told me to drop it off and they would call when it was done. I asked when that would be and they said anywhere between 2 and 5 weeks. Unfortunately, you don't know about these kind of things until you purchase the boat. No dealer I dealt with prior to BPS operated this way. Again this is for warrantied, recommended manufacturer's service.

[Dogfish_Jones]

Not my point at all. The fact they don't schedule is the bs part. Why on earth would anyone want to leave their boat for weeks on end? I am not asking them to be at my whimsy. A couple of days is fine. I asked them to give me a call when they were close and they said they didn't do that.They told me to drop it off and they would call when it was done. I asked when that would be and they said anywhere between 2 and 5 weeks. Unfortunately, you don't know about these kind of things until you purchase the boat. No dealer I dealt with prior to BPS operated this way. Again this is for warrantied, recommended manufacturer's service.

Trust me, I understand your frustration. It's just not boats, try a car/truck dealership. I guess I am a lucky person with my local BPS. They will schedule you a time and date for service. If they cannot fix it while you wait, then yes, you will have to leave it. It may be for parts or more work needs to be done.
I have had to go 3 times to my local BPS, all three times they fixed everything on the spot. Twice they just told me to come by on any weekday and they can look at it right then because it was something very simple and under warranty. Both times i was in and out in less than 30 minutes and they were very helpful and thanked me for bringing it to them for the repair.
To a car dealership, I just bought a brand new Silverado and needed them to look at why my 7 pin plug was not working with my surge brakes. I was told it would be a week and half before they could get me in. This truck is 2 weeks old too. It didn't make me mad, it frustrated me but I understand there are 1 1/2 week worth of work to be done before I can see them to just have them look at it.
** A mechanic friend of mine looked at it and found that there was no ground attached to the blue wiring, he grounded it for me and it works fine.**

[RGK456]

Some will let you schedule it. I refuse to leave my boat for more then a week waiting on normal service.

so how is the Katy store for scheduling?

[Mcjenson]

Trust me, I understand your frustration. It's just not boats, try a car/truck dealership. I guess I am a lucky person with my local BPS. They will schedule you a time and date for service. If they cannot fix it while you wait, then yes, you will have to leave it. It may be for parts or more work needs to be done.
I have had to go 3 times to my local BPS, all three times they fixed everything on the spot. Twice they just told me to come by on any weekday and they can look at it right then because it was something very simple and under warranty. Both times i was in and out in less than 30 minutes and they were very helpful and thanked me for bringing it to them for the repair.
To a car dealership, I just bought a brand new Silverado and needed them to look at why my 7 pin plug was not working with my surge brakes. I was told it would be a week and half before they could get me in. This truck is 2 weeks old too. It didn't make me mad, it frustrated me but I understand there are 1 1/2 week worth of work to be done before I can see them to just have them look at it.
** A mechanic friend of mine looked at it and found that there was no ground attached to the blue wiring, he grounded it for me and it works fine.**

the problem isn’t the wait to get it in, the problem is that they don’t schedule service/warranty work and expect you to leave your boat there for weeks without a time estimation.

my service department is the same way, just drop it off and they get to it whenever. I’ve been waiting to get my onboard charger fixed for months because I don’t want to go without my boat for weeks and no time estimates when I can get it back. Luckily it’s a minor enough issue that it can wait until winter slowdown.

[BMCD]

the problem isn’t the wait to get it in, the problem is that they don’t schedule service/warranty work and expect you to leave your boat there for weeks without a time estimation.

my service department is the same way, just drop it off and they get to it whenever. I’ve been waiting to get my onboard charger fixed for months because I don’t want to go without my boat for weeks and no time estimates when I can get it back. Luckily it’s a minor enough issue that it can wait until winter slowdown.

I ask my dealer his lead times, meaning when can he even look at it. I get an answer. Correct leaving it there for 3 weeks before they can look at it sucks. I would think a charger is something you could have already handled by calling the company directly.

[Mcjenson]

I ask my dealer his lead times, meaning when can he even look at it. I get an answer. Correct leaving it there for 3 weeks before they can look at it sucks. I would think a charger is something you could have already handled by calling the company directly.

Didn’t know that they would directly send parts on warranty without the dealer looking at it. Would I contact nitro or the charger manufacturer? The bank for my house battery hasn’t worked basically since new, I’ve been making it work by combining batteries to charger and occasionally sticking my own charger on the house battery but would be nice if I could just fix it myself without the wait.

[dartcase]

So last Thursday (5 1/2 weeks later) they called and said it was ready to pick up. So I went and picked it up that afternoon and they told me they changed the oil, lower end oil and removed all the bunk bolts and reinstalled them with silicone. That cost me 424.00 dollars which I don't know if that's good or bad. When I dropped it off I had the cover on it knowing it was going to sit outside for a while. When I picked it up the cover was still on it so I hooked it up to my truck and took it up to my place at the lake. We just got up here and took the cover off and right by the drivers side on the gel coat was some oil stains (Finger prints) and they won't come off. I'm sure at this point I'll just have to deal with it. You would think BPS would gve you the best available service you can get but I'm not sure that's the case.

[bassfisher444]

Local dealer here (not BPS) is the same way I have had my boat there for 2 weeks waiting on a quote for an insurance claim and they told me today that they probably won't get to it until next week. Anyone know why they don't give you a rental boat to use while your boat is being repaired like car dealers do? That would be a great idea.