www.iFourWinns.com

This would be my confirmation to ask for that deposit back.

Things will never be good between you & the dealer after this. No matter what price you pay or whatever is thrown in.

_________________

H210SS 6.2
F150 Platinum

Agreed. I would just stop in there with your paperwork and ask for your deposit back.

That really shouldn't be a big deal for them. A refund should take 5 minutes.

Depending on how you paid - you might also dispute the charge to make sure you get it back.

Time to walk away. That sort of behavior is ridiculous.

_________________

2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

I am still so surprised that there is a FW. Dealer treats a customer for a new boat this way. How are they going to survive in this economy?
I am sorry to hear about your experience but it is time to walk away.

_________________

08 H260 VP 8.1Gi DP.....Previous
2013 Crownline E6 Merc 8.2MAG BIIIX, DTS/SC

FW will survive just fine, assuming the correct people are notified about this. The dealer, assuming this kind of thing represents their usual approach to handling customers, will likely not survive.

_________________


Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

2nd attempt posting this.

I called back and got the GM this time.

Basically, He said his hands were tied and that the boat registration was already filed, so he couldnt replace the show boat with a new boat.

When i asked if it was common to send a purchased boat to a show, he said no and said that the boat really wasn't at the show that happened after, but was at the show that happened before we signed purchase agreement. The funny part is i don't recall seeing the boat at that particular show cause we were there. The 210 we sat in was blue not red. and my pictures of the show - don't show the red 210. Of course i didn't get to call him out on that since i didn't review pictures to after call.

So he offered 1100 if we just kept the boat.

I had hoped they would do more at this point, I think i have to step it up a notch.
Because this is really a load.

_________________
2008 H210:
- Two tone Navy Blue, Silver and Yellow
- 5.0GXi/SX 270hp
2006 Dodge Ram 3500 4x4 5.9 Laramie

c5er --- is the boat paid for in full and everything already, or have you just put down a deposit?

_________________

2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

Stupidly we closed on loan a few weeks earlier.

They said our loan had to be signed off with 14 days of sales contract to get the boat at the % off we agreed to. I would have never done anything like this with anything else, dont know why I trusted these guys.

Never realized I'd run into trouble with a supposedly reputable boat dealer.

_________________
2008 H210:
- Two tone Navy Blue, Silver and Yellow
- 5.0GXi/SX 270hp
2006 Dodge Ram 3500 4x4 5.9 Laramie

Heres the contact info I have for four winns, anyone else have better info?

925 Frisbie Street
Cadillac, MI 49601
1-231-775-1343

_________________
2008 H210:
- Two tone Navy Blue, Silver and Yellow
- 5.0GXi/SX 270hp
2006 Dodge Ram 3500 4x4 5.9 Laramie

I would get FW involved and see if they can do something. Their failure to disclose to you that they had used a boat for a show that you ordered to purchase just doesn't seem right to me.

I would expect that if I ordered a new boat, it would come off the truck, be detailed, and put into my posession without any side trips before I signed papers.

_________________
-Rob.


Current boat: 2011 Yamaha AR210
Previous boat: 1998 Horizon RX 4.3GL SX

Oh wow.

Now they have your money AND the boat!

It might be an interesting call to your bank to claim fraud with bait & switch. I would think it's reasonable for the dealer to expect payment within 14 days IF the boat is in their posession -- but to tell you (or lead you to believe) that you are buying a brand new boat -- but in reality you got a boat show boat --- that is considered fraud.

Is there any chance you could map out a timeline w/ dates of how the whole transaction worked out and the dates of the boat shows? I'm having trouble understanding how the events of all this took place.

I don't know what % off MSRP you already got... but 1100 may or may not be a good deal. Another option would be to have them throw in the 2+4 warranty...

If that extra 1100 takes you to around 30% off MSRP - it may be tough to squeeze them out of much more. You may just make them detail the crap out of the boat and fix every little thing on it.

This is a tough situation..

_________________

2008 318 Vista -SOLD, but I am still around!
All Night Long, Seattle WA

Tough situation indeed to be in for sure.

Our dealer held our boat for a month and a half without so much as a deposit, so I don't buy the whole "gotta pay for it now" routine unless the bank rates were at some special promotion that was ending at a certain date. Even that doesn't mean that the bank has to pay the dealer right away, it just means that you have agreed on a rate on your contract with the bank.

In any case, the payment should not have gone to the dealer until your delivery date. Can you verify if the bank/lending institution has paid the dealer yet? I would get in touch with the bank and discuss the situation. I don't believe that this is out of the realm of fraud either... Maybe it isn't to late to stop the process???

_________________
2009 H180 w/3.0 Merc
Homebuilt Minimax Hydro
2011 Zodiac Cadet 310

C5, PM sent.

_________________


Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

If you arent happy with the 1100 off than you may want to check with some legal counsel on your options. If you signed both the purchase agreement and the loan docs weeks ago than you technicaly owned the boat weeks ago. The lender has already sent the funds to the dealer and has already secured the show boat as their collateral on the loan. On YOUR loan. The only way to reverse that is obviously for your dealer to repay the loan plus any interest and fees than transfer title back into the dealers name. Than you can start over with the purchsae process. May be far fetched but seems like the only legal option if the loan has already been secured by your show boat. This is just my 2 cents though and is based on my experience as a lender. Although I lend on apartmetnt complexes and commercial properties, the fundamentals are probably the same on boat loans. Unless there is some sort of escape clause which I doubt. Either way I hope you the best and hopefully FW or the dealer will step up and be able to help you through this.

_________________
2007 Four Winns 220SS (Sold!!)
2006 Toyota Tacoma

Most definitely would be done with the dealership and on the phone with FW if it were me. I assumed you'd been documenting all along (I shouldn't assume that) so if you haven't you should most definitely start now. Keep a notepad and get each person's name, job title, their direct phone number, an email address, etc. and get the process started. I would most definitely try to get ahold of your regional rep with FW.

Again, good luck. This is a bunch of garbage that you would even have to put up with this.

_________________
Paul
2007 Four Winns Horizon 220
Mercruiser 350 Mag MPI w/ Bravo III Drive
2004 Ford Explorer Limited (V8-AWD)
Pomme de Terre Lake (Southwest Missouri)

Apologies for going back in topic but I was reading back on the first page and both 230Mike and Pet575 mentioned the Bow Tie Down Strap. I have never used one - first I have heard of it. I guess its no different than the aft - except it hooks to the bow eye and then the trailer frame?
My previous boats all used the winch strap and a safety chain that loosely hooked into th ebow eye.
Originally started out as a good topic as I suspect mine should be delivered in 4-6 weeks.
Hope you have had better luck today c5er - shame such a time as to be thrilled turned to *!%#* on you.

_________________
2008 Four Winns 210 5.7 GI/SX
2007 GMC Sierra 2500 Crew
1966 Fed-Up Wife