T&T: Company exhibited very poor customer service

[Milt Baker]

Good advice, Peg and Jim!

If you really want to know what's happening with a vendor, just follow
the money.  The recession has savaged
so many boatbuilding companies that hundreds of companies like Diamond
Seaglaze and Raymarine who are
OEM suppliers have fallen on hard times.  Even if they would love to
provide tip-top products and customer
service, often they simply don't have the money to make it happen.

Want to know what's happening at Raymarine?  This piece posted a little
over a month ago on Soundings
Trade Only  provides a lot of insight.  When you're talking with the CEO,
you know what's really on his mind!

For the record, I've never dealt with Diamond Sea Glaze but I have 18 of
their windows and three of their
doors on my boat and have never had the kind of problems recounted in an
earlier post.  True, a bit of the
powder coat finish has disappeared from the aluminum but that's more a
function of the difficulty of getting
anyting to stick to aluminum than a problem with the company.  Overall, I
give their products an "A".  But
that's not to say that their quality control may not have suffered since
my windows were built five years ago.

--Milt Baker, Nordhavn 47 Bluewater, Burnt Coat Harbor, Swans Island, ME

Raymarine tries to shore up its finances
----------------------------------------

Posted on June 16, 2009

Raymarine says it's exploring equity fund-raising or a sale of the
business, and in the absence of either will

seek to secure additional medium-term debt facilities with its banking
group.

See Related Articles

  *  Raymarine rebate promotion runs through September

Last month, global sales were "broadly in line" with the expectations,
the company said in a statement last

week.  "In the U.S., sales have remained at depressed levels as both OEMs
and retail channels continue to

de-stock," the company said. "In the U.K. and the rest of the world,
sales were slightly weaker than expected.

Many OEMs are now shut for an extended summer break with indications that
they plan to restart production

right again in the autumn."

Given the decline, Raymarine has implemented a number of programs to
mange its costs, resulting in a

significant reduction in operating costs and a consolidation of all the
company's U.K. operations to one site,

the company said.

The marine electronics manufacturer says it is operating close to the
"limit of its current bank facilities,

limits."

Peg and Jim wrote:

It must be something in the water... I've been enjoying a very similar
situation with Raymarine. I am currently working with the Office of the
President, Mr. David Bimschleger. I will report to the list when I reach
the end of the tunnel, although the light seems to be dimming. Amazing
that
companies that are under sever financial stress in these economic times
are
so flippant about customer service.

If you have a financial advisor, call and have him/her use his corporate
research department to find the name and contact info for the
CEO/President
of Si-Tex America or the parent company. Then when you call, just ask the
guy to transfer you to Mr. So-and-So's office. Perhaps that will get
their
attention. Then if he hangs up, call Mr. So-and-So's, office!