Im interested in a new Sterling. I have read and heard that the customer service with Gambler/Sterling is not good.Not trying to start any trouble.I would like to hear from the people that have them please.
Thanks Botto.
Im interested in a new Sterling. I have read and heard that the customer service with Gambler/Sterling is not good.Not trying to start any trouble.I would like to hear from the people that have them please.
Thanks Botto.
<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by Botto Spivak »</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">Im interested in a new Sterling. I have read and heard that the customer service with Gambler/Sterling is not good.Not trying to start any trouble.I would like to hear from the people that have them please. Thanks Botto.</td></tr></table>
You will always hear from those who were not satisfied, but hardley hear from the hundreds that have never had issues..... Never had any bad dealings with them,,,,
I would look a little deeper into the quality of the boats and not some gripes from a handful of people that you can never please
I had a few questions about stuff when I first bought my gambler and they were VERY helpful
'01 Gambler DE Intimidator
250 Merc Pro XB
Although there are isolated cases where service may have not been up to par, if you look around you will find those with every boat mfg, car mfg, and truck mfg. For several months I worked as a salesman for a dealer that sold Ranger, Pro Craft and Gambler. I can assure you we had problems with a couple of those boat companies....but not Gambler. It happens once in a while, for what ever reason. I will give you an example of how Gambler treated me:
I was fishing a tournament in Florida and I went by the plant just to say hello, with boat in tow. Bob told his shop foreman to take a look at my boat and see if there was anything that needed to be updated. When I left, I had new bilge pumps, and aerator pumps free of charge. Plus, they washed and buffed the boat out for me! Once when I sit down on a cypress knee and cracked a section of the hull, I took it to the plant in Florida where they repaired the crack and sent me on my way....free of charge. I lost a lower unit one day fishing a tournament on Lake Toho in Florida. I called Bob and he had a boat brought to me, full of gas and ready to go. I have zero complaints with Gambler, Bob Ackerbloom or Sterling. In fact, I consider him a long and trusted friend.
I will say this, if you're a good spokesman for them, they will bend over backwards to help you when you need help. If I went back into tournament fishing today, there is no question what boat I would run. Now, I likely never will again for I sing in a gospel group and we travel a great deal. But some day soon a Sterling will be parked in my garage.
I would expect that Gambler's customer service has improved over the past while.
The Gambler boats (and now the Sterling) are definitely of the highest quality, there's never been any doubt about that.
But there have been far more than just a handful that have been displeased with their customer service in the past.
And Ben, you're a personal friend of Bob's; I would expect that you would have been given preferential treatment; others weren't.
I would say this about Gambler Customer Service from my own experience and experiences with friends who have owned them in the past.
Gambler makes boats that dont need service. IMO the best built boat out there that holds up in the long run. I would not want to own another brand and would buy another if/when my current one quits running.
However it seems if you dont live in Florida and you need service then well it might be a little tough. Buy from a good dealer that has been around and they can take care of you I am sure. Mike on here works with Gambler and is a great guy who will do just about anything for you but it seems you dont get any answers unless it comes from him.
Before I bought my Gambler 3 years ago I was also nervous about the service, especially since I live in Canada and bought from a dealer in Florida. All I can say is that the team at the plant have been fantastic! I have had a few minor issues with a faulty trim tab etc. and whenever I called they took care of my matter immediately. If I needed a part it was shipped the next day air express. I fish tourneys up here and with our short summers cannot afford to miss days so their quick responses were very much appreciated. I would not/will not hesitate to buy from them again and still absolutely love my boat. It has exceeded all my expectations on ride, quality, fishability etc. and from what I can tell the new Sterling is even better (although I really like the Gambler name on the side!)
They bent over backwards looking for parts to my 98 209 that were stored in the wharehouse. Most other boat companies would have said sorry cant find them or dont have them in hopes you would eventually by a new boat. I know this happened for a fact with my buddy who had a Triton. They wouldnt give part #'s for certain fittings on the deck nor would they give the color codes for his carpet ect... He eventually tracked the info down on the internet and ordered them from the company that made the stuff for Triton and sold the boat. He did wind up getting anouther boat but it wasnt a Triton. He is now a proud owner of a Gambler.
<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by crm1322 »</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">I would say this about Gambler Customer Service from my own experience and experiences with friends who have owned them in the past.
Gambler makes boats that dont need service. IMO the best built boat out there that holds up in the long run. I would not want to own another brand and would buy another if/when my current one quits running.
However it seems if you dont live in Florida and you need service then well it might be a little tough. Buy from a good dealer that has been around and they can take care of you I am sure. Mike on here works with Gambler and is a great guy who will do just about anything for you but it seems you dont get any answers unless it comes from him. </td></tr></table>
LMFAO
As Al indicated, Gambler's reputation of old is rather well known. I think they make one of the finest boats on the market and I hope theyve made improvements in their customer service.
Ben...some of us know you and your association/relationship with Gambler, Al nailed that one!
<table width="90%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 align=center><tr><td>Quote, originally posted by crm1322 »</td></tr><tr><td class="quote">However it seems if you dont live in Florida and you need service then well it might be a little tough. Buy from a good dealer that has been around and they can take care of you I am sure. </td></tr></table>+100 Besides,,,,, its usually components that break or fail on the boat,,,,, All the Big names,,,, from electronics to latches,,,, so its not that you have to special order parts straight from Gambler, would make warranty work easier from a dealer.....
Botto.....I bought a new 09 2200 and picked it up from a dealer in Fl. I had a couple of issues with the boat and Gambler called me and asked me to bring itby while I was down there. i was greetedby Bob and team and an hr later he had us in his private little lake fishing. The couple of times I had to clal the plant or a few littel things, they were all over it. I sold the boat becasue I culdn't get used to the dual consoles, but I would not hesitate to buy another gambler/sterling.
Mike
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