Paid for a New Furuno, Got an Old Furuno

[Blissboat]

Blissboat...

New to JAX. Please share name "certain marine repair shop" or PM me.

Thanks!

PM sent.

 

[RickyD]

We had our Furuno TZT black box replaced in summer of 2019 due to some persistent malfunctions. When we had continuing problems and decided to send it back to Furuno last month for diagnosis and repairs, we got an unexpected surprise.

Furuno ran the serial number to check for any possible warranty coverage and found that the unit that we had been sold as new in 2019 was, in fact, a 5-year-old used unit at the time it was installed. It had originally been sold in 2014 and registered to a buyer in Seattle.

I contacted the vendor that we had bought from to help sort out what I hoped was a mistake. There was no mistake, and they had installed a well-used black box in place of the new box that we had agreed to buy. We were charged full retail price (CAD $7K) for the “new” box and the invoice says new black box.

I eventually met with the owner and manager of the company. They made lame excuses including that I had “waited too long” since the transaction before I complained to them. They made it clear that they had no intention of trying to make it right, and apparently feel no responsibility or guilt for being caught doing this.

In the few weeks since this happened, I have had multiple people share other stories of negative experiences with the same vendor. I was new to the area at the time I hired them to do work, so I didn’t have the benefit of local references.

The moral to the story is do careful research before hiring a vendor or contractor for your boat (or elsewhere). Ask around enough and you will learn who is trustworthy and who is not. There are lots of ways to get ripped off, so don’t take anything for granted. Hire those that deserve your trust, and be careful out there.

Try taking your documents to small claims court. It says "New" and Furuno says "Used"

 

[Photoman41]

Report them

If the company is a Furuno dealer report them to Furuno.

I would also consider filing fraud charges against them.

 

[sndbowen]

Contact local police

Contact authorities and see if they will review it as fraud case and start an investigation into the complaint. Having a local police investigating may get the owner’s attention.

 

[guy with a boat]

I was ready to let this die but the vendor has been bad mouthing me in an attempt to cover up what they did.

Maybe they would like a chance to make their excuses in court. I’m going to have a talk with local law enforcement and decide where to go from there.

 

[sndbowen]

Law

I was ready to let this die but the vendor has been bad mouthing me in an attempt to cover up what they did.

Maybe they would like a chance to make their excuses in court. I’m going to have a talk with local law enforcement and decide where to go from there.

I had a dispute with a broker over a deposit and as soon as a sheriff show up at his home explaining he was going to have a arrest warrant issue if he didn't settle with me in 3 days. We got our deposit back. ($12,000)

Maybe worth a try.

Dorsey

 

[Captankirk]

This is clearly a case of fraud, which is a felony (for the amount you paid for the unit), and you should contact the local police department and District Attorney and get the case started. There is no statute of limitations (time wise) on this kind of illegal action.
Whether they resolve your issue or not, they broke the law! They should reap the repercussions of those actions!!

People like this just PISS ME OFF!!!!

 

[ronobrien]

I am not a big fan of the news media these days, but a local outlet might be willing to apply a little public pressure to the vendor.

 

[BandB]

I am not a big fan of the news media these days, but a local outlet might be willing to apply a little public pressure to the vendor.

If you can get the local writers or tv personalities who do those special segments or columns, it's very productive.

Otherwise, great small claims court use.