Defender Marine / West Marine

[LindaFlorida]

Well unfortunately Defender Marine was recently bought out. I have ordered many items in the past 7 years. Great pricing! This morning I was researching for a price on the Dometic TW12 SaniPump Discharge Pump.

Defenders price $477.99 and West Marine $469.99. Wow!

Hopefully Defender will adjust their pricing.

I found the same pump on Marine Parts Source $339.99 plus free shipping. Looks like this company has good reviews. Hopefully I found a good company to deal with in the future.

 

[mvweebles]

Anyone surprised? Disappointed - yes. But not surprised.

 

[bottomscraper]

Yup, Defender now is making WM look like a bargain. It's a shame, we used Defender for years. I don't expect them to last long.

 

[FWT]

With a new boat on order I've been a steady shopper for a while.

I'm no fanboy of West, and get it why no one here feels the love.

But from the second the Defender news hit you could count on West being cheaper. Fisheries for me has been hit or miss. When its a hit its a good deal. But more often a miss.

West has become very oriented on running sales. If what you need allows you to patient and wait for a sale its an even better deal.

Just know that West has no central order warehouse. Order 5 things at once and you can count on getting no less than 3 boxes from different stores in different states. Packed by store staff, sometimes well and sometimes poorly. Nothing packed so poorly yet I've had to return due to damage.

I've been in 3 stores within the last year. All a disaster. Its a good bet they won't have what you want. The store is dominated by clothing, none of it looking interesting to me. A decent size boat shoe section but not one selection I'd own, and in anything close there is no inventory in normal middle sizes with all of it being very large or very small. They need real help on the store side of the business.

My two cents.

 

[sunchaser]

During this Amazon era everything is available online or at some local chandlery location. We’ve found Marine Sanitation in Seattle to carry everything for on board sewage related and much better than WM or Defender ever was in this regard.

WM’s demise is no different than what has affected shopping malls - internet ordering. I’m for one glad they’re both gone from their old style uncompetitive ways.

 

[kthoennes]

I don't get the rationale or business model. Unless you live near the brick and mortar stores (Waterford) and need it *now*, in this world of online commerce, if your prices are higher than competitors, how do you survive? In a separate thread we're talking about replacing carbon monoxide detectors. Most marine stores are out of stock or back-ordered or simply no longer carry a particular style of 12 volt, hard wired CO detector, but oddly Home Depot has 54 in stock for a relatively low price. What do I care, I'm having them shipped, I'd buy them from Bed, Bath & Beyond or Fred's Used Tire store as long as I get what I need.

I don't get it.

 

[Shrew]

I'm a short drive to Defender. The problem with West Marine is they never have anything in stock. Just about everything is in stock in Defender.

 

[soin2la]

I found the same pump on Marine Parts Source $339.99 plus free shipping.

But was it really the same pump?

 

[SeaDogAK]

For the first time in years, I just ordered something online from West Marine after checking all the sources I could find. Prices were all pretty close, but everyone else either was out of stock or wanted an arm and a leg for shipping to Alaska.

It came super fast and exactly as ordered.

 

[mvweebles]

So.....Defender's pricing isn't as good as it once was, but I used to pay a lot in shipping which is now free for orders >$99. That's worth something.

The other thing I liked about Defender is they seemed to have a really good selection, and not just the standard stuff. Do they still? That too is worth something.

I remain unimpressed with West Marine. San Diego is one of their flagship locations. Trying to order for pick-up is awful. I have tried 4-5 times to order online for store pickup and every single time has been a time-sink of epic proportions. Their inventory systems seem woefully archaic. Really reaks of a Venture-Cap owner trying to squeeze the last dime out of a dying company (think Sears, Bed/Bath/Beyond, Linens & Things, etc.).

Comments?

Peter

 

[kthoennes]

Boy, whenever I'm in San Diego, I go straight to San Diego Marine Exchange, a real marine store. I was in that West Marine a few blocks away last year. Not a close call. Unless I want a Hawaiian shirt or docksiders or a drink cooler. That's a WM flagship store? Maybe I was in the wrong one.

 

[Comodave]

It used to be a good store. We kept a boat in San Diego when we lived in Tucson. They had good service and reasonable prices. I could call and have them order something for me. I would swing by when I got to SD and they would have it waiting. Not so much anymore…

 

[mvweebles]

Boy, whenever I'm in San Diego, I go straight to San Diego Marine Exchange, a real marine store. I was in that West Marine a few blocks away last year. Not a close call. Unless I want a Hawaiian shirt or docksiders or a drink cooler. That's a WM flagship store? Maybe I was in the wrong one.

SDMX is still my go-to in San Diego. A really great store. They have really helped me out a few times during the refit. But sometimes their inventory isn't great. I've noticed certain common sized shaft zincs are out-of-stock for months, same with some electrical breakers. I have access to wholesale pricing from them so pricing is fine, and service is great. Old-school chandlery.

"Flagship Store" is a generic term for a location that the home-office highlights as one of their premier stores. The Rosecrans West Marine 1/2 mile from SDMX is one of West Marine's premier locations. They have a separate parts-counter in the back, and a rigging shop there too. Still, I have always been disappointed ordering from them. Long wait. Online order for in-store pickup is a joke.

Peter

 

[Spike]

But was it really the same pump?

I've been a fan and customer of Marine Parts Source for 10 years now and can pretty much guarantee that it's the same part at a better price. I'm not sure how they do it but any Raritan product is cheaper than from Raritan. Many other items are priced the same way and most with free shipping. The only disappointment I've had is that they have stopped allowing warehouse pickup. Their FL. warehouse is about 2 miles from my house but they still have to ship and I get it the next day!

I've also found that West Marine pricing has become more competitive. Maybe they actually listen to the reviews they ask me to fill out....nah.

 

[Hyperion]

West Marine skipped the last Miami Boat Show. Does not bode well.

 

[nwh10]

A couple of weeks ago, I was shopping for an VHF antenna and mount. Defender had the lowest pricing, and yay - free shipping for orders over $99. Until I read the fine print and got to the checkout. They wanted $251 to ship that 92" antenna common carrier from CT to VT. This apparently in spite of the fact that Shakespeare intentionally reduced their 8' antenna a few inches to keep it economical to ship. I called Defender - and waited on hold for ten minutes - to give them a chance to correct an obvious coding error. Nope, wouldn't do it. I took my business to Hodges Marine.

Defender's website has taken a steep trip downhill since its redesign. Saved items weren't migrated to the new system, and I have no idea what they were. Wouldn't it have been clever to email customers ahead of time to give them a heads up? The categories and searching is messy, and item descriptions are nowhere near the quality they were. Very sad.

 

[Comodave]

West Marine skipped the last Miami Boat Show. Does not bode well.

That isn’t a good sign. Step over a dollar to save a penny…

 

[CharlieO.]

I've noticed my credit cards offer discounts at West Marine, one was $30 back on a minimum $100 order and one was just a straight up 15% off.

Also West Marine is having a sale - 6/1 - 6/20 - 10% off most stuff. Use Code SAVE10 at checkout.

So you combine stuff like the sale and CC offers can add up to pretty good savings.

DO NOT expect overnight shipping from West Marine even if you pay for it. I paid substantially more for overnight shipping on a fuel valve and it didn't even leave their shelf for 3 days with me calling everyday asking when it was going to be shipped.

 

[psneeld]

A couple of weeks ago, I was shopping for an VHF antenna and mount. Defender had the lowest pricing, and yay - free shipping for orders over $99. Until I read the fine print and got to the checkout. They wanted $251 to ship that 92" antenna common carrier from CT to VT. This apparently in spite of the fact that Shakespeare intentionally reduced their 8' antenna a few inches to keep it economical to ship. I called Defender - and waited on hold for ten minutes - to give them a chance to correct an obvious coding error. Nope, wouldn't do it. I took my business to Hodges Marine.

Defender's website has taken a steep trip downhill since its redesign. Saved items weren't migrated to the new system, and I have no idea what they were. Wouldn't it have been clever to email customers ahead of time to give them a heads up? The categories and searching is messy, and item descriptions are nowhere near the quality they were. Very sad.

I went round and round with Defender when ordering fuel tanks. Yes they seemed to become bad at internet sales (which when catalog sales they were one of the first and best). They kept telling me they had to ship them freight as UPS wouldn't. Their cost was like $200 or more for shipping. Of course they did have great pricing but not with shipping.

Found another place the only wanted $10 or so more for the tanks and only $35 for UPS shipping.

So after multiple calls back and forth over yes or no on UPS to both places...I chose Eastern Marine (I think) out of Delaware and 2 days later the tanks showed up in big boxes through UPS for almost $150 dollars less than Defender.

I found every item I ordered for the last 15 years or so as internet shopping caught on, shopping different online store was a valuable tool and saved each one in my favorites. Some for pricing, some for having rare stuff in stock.

 

[rslifkin]

Defender used to be the 80% store in my mind (for 80% of the things I needed, they'd have it and at good pricing). But they're definitely not as good since the buyout (and the website isn't either). As far as other sources go, different stores seem to have different strong points. Some will have a great selection of certain types of items, but not so much for others. Or they have great pricing on some stuff, but another item is more expensive than West.

 

[2savage]

I started buying from Defender when they had their original store in New Rochelle NY. I do see pricing being less competitive than before but the service is still excellent.

Being a premium member I also get special pricing on most things I buy. To date I must have spent over $40,000 with them. But, that is over 35 years.

 

[TJM]

Defender has definitely gone down hill. I really don't understand where the mind set is to buy a very successful company and "improve" it. I am not sure if it is the financial mindset to just flip dollar bills? What happened to the voice of the customer? In my eyes, these buyouts are destroying brick and mortar stores in favor of the internet. Defender used to have great technical help. I live 10 miles away and it was a monthly pilgrimage. Very sad,

 

[Don L]

Few business go out of business just from higher prices. All these years people have complained about West Marine prices and they haven't gone out of business. When they have what I what in stock I don't normally care if the price is a little higher if I need/want it now (I have learned to go online and check before driving over)

WM will ship something to local store for free. That lots of times gives them the price advantage now days.

I used to get stuff from Defender, but don't think I have ordered anything in 2 years now

 

[Shrew]

Interesting about Defender and shipping. According to the folks in the store, they are attempting to move to a more 'online' model, like Amazon. Amazon's model is:

-> Availability
-> Fast Delivery
-> Free Shipping

Anyone can do expensive and fast delivery.

 

[psneeld]

Interesting about Defender and shipping. According to the folks in the store, they are attempting to move to a more 'online' model, like Amazon. Amazon's model is:

-> Availability
-> Fast Delivery
-> Free Shipping

Anyone can do expensive and fast delivery.

They were at one time one of the first and the best...somehow they fell behind a little to far.

I remember finding out about them back in the late 70's early 80s ... they were like the Sears catalog of boating at that time.

 

[Hyperion]

Little known fact, WM will match "sold by amazon" prices at the store.

 

[psneeld]

Little known fact, WM will match "sold by amazon" prices at the store.

Never at the stores I was at...had to br another brick and mortar store within so many miles.

I have heard of some where the managers followed that very temporary corporate policy a lot longer and may do it on their own...but never in all my visits. Maybe because I have mostly gone to WMs in busy boating towns.

 

[Hyperion]

The onesI go to are the main one in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. So far they always match. So long as it is sold by amazon and not some other vendor on amazon.

 

[SIBERNUT]

Buying parts- I shop on Ebay a lot, but compare prices. I have found if you "watch" an item for a week or so and don't buy, the seller will offer a "special deal"
Be patient.

 

[psneeld]

The onesI go to are the main one in Miami and Fort Lauderdale. So far they always match. So long as it is sold by amazon and not some other vendor on amazon.

I apologize...seems like they have changed their policy since I last asked...guess I stopped awhile back so I have no idea how long this has been their policy... but I see the 50 mile radius stil exists...

https://pricematchpolicies.com/west...Match Price, 1-800-262-8464 1 more rows

"They only price-match local retail stores within a 50-mile radius & Amazon."