ComplaintsforSmoker Craft Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  01/26/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We have an aluminum boat that we purchased in ** that SmokerCraft manufactured. We had this boat for two boating seasons, and the first time using it in the 3rd year, rivets became loose in the bottom of the boat. We consulted with the place where we purchased the boat, and they informed us that all warranties went through them. We were never provided a copy of the warranty at the time of purchase, and it was not on SmokerCrafts' website. The boat and marketing materials all say there is a lifetime warranty on the hull. We assumed everything would be covered to stop water from coming into the bottom of our boat that started leaking on June 18, 2022. We delivered the boat to the repair facility in ********* on July 9, 2022. For the past 7 months we have been told many stories, made many calls, and were told our boat repair is only partially covered. We have been hung up, yelled at, and given different information. We believe our boat was shipped to ******* in November, and we have not heard from anyone since we last emailed them. I have asked for pictures of the work completed, as this is a life safety issue, and have gotten none. Given that this boat has been gone for 7 months, we do not trust that they are completing the repairs in a manner that will ensure our safety. SmokerCraft told us in October that rivets coming out of the hull is normal wear and tear and we should expect this in the future (this was provided in an email). I believe their marketing materials violate ********* ******************* laws. As consumers, we would not have purchased this boat if we had known the riveting issue and the minimal warranty on them. This repair requires the entire interior to be removed and is extremely expensive to fix. Additionally, consumers should be protected from repairs taking excessive amounts of time. We assumed a month or two; we are in month 7 with no end in sight.

  Business response

  02/07/2023

  I have sent the information over to  ***************************** today.  As I stated in the information to *****************, ******* sent the boat to ************* which had a long lead time.  The boat went back to ************** and Customer had contacted us complaining of the time frame her boat was kept (which is not in our control)  she also stated that there may be a safety issue.  Please refer to what I have sent ******************  We offered to bring the boat back here to go over the repairs that Anchor had done. the boat was inspected and all repairs were good.  (Please refer to the reasons for the rivets coming loose)

  Boat has been sent back to ******* for the customer to pick up.  It has been back there for quite some time.  As a matter of fact I just received an email from *** at ******* he had let them know to pick up their boat and received an email from ***** stating she was waiting on this outcome.

  If they no longer want the boat, they can get with ******* and trade it in or sell outright.

  Please review the information sent to *******************

  questions please let me know.

  Thanks

  Ginger

  Service Manager

  Smoker Craft, Inc.

  Customer response

  02/12/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:  ******'s letter lacked any facts and was written to deceive customers about the nature of their product and the warranty.

  
  ******'s letter states that the retailer is entirely responsible for repairs to their warranty issues. While SmokerCraft tries to subjugate its responsibility to the dealership, the warranty belongs to SmokerCraft as it is their defective product. Additionally, SmokerCraft was responsible for the delay in the repair, not ****** Marine. Below is an outline of calls and emails sent regarding the repair. Not all calls were documented by *************  I have 11 email chains saved to files, but it would only allow me to upload 4. I did not want to spend more time rebuilding the email chains into 4 emails. I also can provide copies of the marketing materials regarding the warranty that we received when we purchased the boat. 

  
  6/20/22 From ****** to ****** Marine Attached are pictures of damaged rivet
  6/24/22- ****** Marine Waiting on SmokerCraft to approve the repair
  6/30/22 ****** Marine warranty repair approved. Plan on a week or two for repairs
  7/5/22 From ****** to ****** Marine please schedule 1st available appt
  7/5/22 ****** Marine I need to order the paint and rivet before the repair scheduling. Please hold boat
  7/15/22 From ****** to ****** Marine Called Anchor, and they won't start the repair because the parts are not there. When are they coming?
  7/18/22 ****** Marine I hope to see the parts this week
  8/3/22 From ****** to ****** Marine - Any update on the parts from SmokerCraft?
  8/20/22 ****** Marine Parts arrived, and the boat was delivered to *************
  9/16/22 Call from ****** to ************* was informed that the boat was torn apart and needed more parts from SmokerCraft because the wrong parts were sent
  -  Dates not documented, but multiple calls were made to ****** Marine about the parts. ****** had to call SmokerCraft many times to get all the necessary parts sent
  10/5/22 ****** Marine more parts are needed. SmokerCraft says they were sent and will be fixed in about 3 days.
  10/6/322 ****** called Management at ****** Marine about the problems with the boat and the repair. Expressed concerns about the boat's safety, time, and quality of repairs.
  10/6/22 Email from ****** referring ****** to SmokerCraft for concerns. ****** was told to call *********************. Told that SmokerCraft is about 2-3 weeks behind in shipping parts
  10/16/22 From ****** to ****** Marine please forward the complaint to SmokerCraft expressing concerns about the safety of the boat
  10/17/22 ****** Marine Email sent to SmokerCraft; please call *********************
  10/24/22 ****** call to ********************* was told the missing rivets were normal wear and tear and not fully covered under SmokerCrafts's warranty. Told the repairs from Anchor were safe and complete. ********************* hung up on ****** when she expressed that she may want to seek legal counsel
  10/24/22 ****** received a copy of the warranty from SmokerCraft
  10/27/22 ****** to SmokerCraft email asking for buy out of the boat and notification that complaints would be filed
  10/27/22 ****** Marine rivets have arrived at Anchor, and repair should be complete by 11/2/22
  10/28/22 SmokerCraft expresses confidence that the boat is fine and will be fixed soon
  11/03/22 ****** Marine the boat is fixed
  11/03/22 ****** called SmokerCraft, expressing safety concerns about the boat and wanting the boat to be sold back to SmokerCraft. SmokerCraft refused and agreed to ship the boat to ******* for inspection.
  11/03/22 ****** emailed SmokerCraft expressing that the boat needs to be winterized and sent to SmokerCraft for inspection. Requested evidence of winterization due to freezing temps
  11/05/22 ****** to ****** and SmokerCraft follow-up on winterization
  11/14/22 ****** informed SmokerCraft that the boat was ready for shipment
  1/25/23 The boat was received back from SmokerCraft 7 months after the repair request was initiated. ****** offered to hold the boat until the lakes are unfrozen
  2/6/23 ****** informed ****** Marine that they are awaiting additional information from the BBB and ******* ************************* prior to scheduling the inspection of the additional repairs.
  

  The response from SmokerCraft states that they offered to bring the boat to ******* for inspection and that all repairs were good. In the email from ***************** on 2/25/23, there is a repair ticket from SmokerCraft that states that the bow live well had a bad leak and the front half of the boat had to be resealed.
  The last point that SmokercCraft made in their email was that the customer failed to pick up the boat promptly. The repair took 7 months,including the entire boat season. The boat returned from SmokerCraft in the middle of winter (lakes are frozen), and the storage facility does not allow mid-winter drop-offs.
  

  Our complaint about the warranty is that it is SmokerCraft's warranty and not ****** Marine's. Additionally, SmokerCraft is now stating the rivet repairs completed by ************* are no longer SmokerCraft's responsibility and would instead fall under ******'s warranty if they had offered a warranty for their work.
  SmokerCraft consistently tries to blame ****** Marine and ************* for the issues with the repair and warranty. The information provided by ****** is all factual, and documentation will be provided to both the Better Business and *************************. SmokerCraft is continually deceptive in its communication because they know its marketing materials violate state law. False and fraudulent advertisements are prohibited under Sections 24-5-0.5-3 and 35-43-5-3 of the ******* Code. A person who disseminates a false, misleading,or deceptive advertising commits deception, pursuant to Section 35-43-5-3,which is a Class A misdemeanor. The deceptive marketing is an issue for the *************************, while the horrific customer service and failure to uphold the warranty within generally acceptable safety parameters and time frames is an issue for the Better Business Bureau and consumers who may consider doing business with SmokerCraft.
  

  SmokerCraft has consistently attempted to shift blame to the ****** and *************. SmokerCraft's printed materials and website are deceptive in the way it portrays the warranty coverage from leaking in the hull. The warranty does not say there is an exclusion for damage to rivets caused by driving on large bodies of water with waves. Most fishermen expect that the SmokeCraft boat should be able to operate safely in these conditions.Since calling SmokerCraft, we are consistently being told that this boat should not be expected to be able to use on rough water. This is unreasonable for a fishing boat sold in *********. Consumers should be told of the warranty's extreme limitations, which start at 3 years and would cost consumers thousands of dollars in repairs each time a rivet needs to be fixed. The warranties should be posted on SmokerCraft's website. The limitations on rivets need to be included in marketing materials.
  

  At the end of the day, it is less about the cost of the repairs and more about consumers' safety. Design and manufacturing issues that cause massive leaking in the boat's bow are unacceptable. Consumers need to be informed to make safe choices if planning to operate in conditions that could include rough waters. It could be possible that some consumers would be willing to run that risk, but our family is not. We boat on the Mississippi River and large lakes, making this boat too dangerous for us to use. The information in their brochures and on SmokerCraft's website made us believe the bow was safe and that SmokerCraft would stand behind their product if something happened.Not only did they not stand behind their product, they expected the dealership and repair shop to accept liability for their actions. 

  To resolve our complaint, we are asking SmokerCraft to buy out the boat at its current retail value. SmokerCraft can then resell the boat at retail value and recoup the funds, less the marketing and processing of the sale.
  

  We spent 7 months trying to get SmokerCraft to do the right thing and spent countless hours moving this process along. We still dont believe this boat is safe and do not understand why SmokerCraft would reject this reasonable offer. 
  

  Business response

  02/21/2023

  I have sent further information to ****************** 

  Customer response

  03/01/2023

  I am rejecting this response because the boat was still leaking when shipped from ** to ******* for inspection. We were told the leaks were taken care of and the boat was safe, and it was not. In another email from SmokerCraft to ****** Marine, ****** stated that the repair should never have been completed at ************** At this time, our boat remains at ****** Marine because the lakes are frozen, and there is a lot of snow here. We still need to inspect the quality of the repairs visually. The final remedy offered by SmokerCraft is that we can sell the boat or trade it ourselves.Because the warranty is not transferable outside of a SmokerCraft dealership,the resale value is significantly impacted. SmokerCraft is well aware of this;any consumer who purchases would have no coverage.  SmokerCraft has a prorated warranty on all *******, which is the part that will fail on their aluminum boat, and nowhere in marketing materials do they disclose this. 
  
  

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