Prestige Trailer Collapsed under a Tige 2200i

[Original Wing Nut]

Good response Byron, Thanks for the rest of the story. I agree customer is wrong, Prestige did what they could. I don't understand why Bcky whatever wouldn't bring in the trailer. On my issues with my boat I took it immediately to the dealer. They had my boat for two weeks and said everything was fixed, I went to the lake with their service guy and discovered only half the items were fixed correctly. They have since ordered parts and have recieved the wrong ones so I still wait. I have told several people at the dealership that if things were made right all would be good. I will have my boat right and then will not be back. I have a local dealer that is 5 minutes from my place. He sold me a boat 18 years ago. He did not offer tige' but recomended it as a great boat, one of those guys that gives an honest oppinion even if he dosen't sell the brand. The local dealer will get my business because he always has and has been great. The dealer I bought the Tige' from over an hour away on a good day was just interested in selling me a boat, not service. I know the dealer has heard and read of my dissatisfaction, I have never heard from him. when things are right I will post as to what the status is. If they get it right I won't say they didn't, but for now they haven't.

[smendez]

Byron:
Thank you for your Explanation. Well done.

Tige MD:
I think you missed the point about Sam Walton.

His business model said - Satisfy the customer - no matter how right or wrong or in between they are and your business will grow. His business did grow.

Yes - Byron tried and tried to satisfy this customer to no avail. But the fact is that this customer is bashing his business.

Yes Byron has effectively shared his side of the story here. The truth is somewhere in between. Most likely closer to one side than the other. The fact is we may never know.

As he mentions, he wears many hats in his company. He's a busy man. His time is valuable. Posting his version of his story to try to do "Damage Control" has cost him considerably. Most readers of the post will unfortunately - even after Byrons explanation - will have some doubt - whether they admit it or not - about Prestige trailers. Sad - but true. Byron can't change that, you can't change that, neither can I. All that Byron can do is as I mentioned before - Damage Control.

Byron could try to sue for slander, which may include damage to his business name and reputation. He may even win in court, but the damage has been done. He may never even recover his attorney's fees, much less the real cost of this mess.

Now I realize that when you return your weed eater to Walmart they have a lot less to lose than paying for a new Prestige Trailer to satisfy a noisy customer - but in the end - when you add it all up, that trailer may have been well worth giving away.

Every business has the "Customer from Hell". It has to do with how effectively you deal with him or her.

[byron/prestige trailers]

Mr. Draginass,

I will be at TR a week from tomorrow, for the Crownline National Owners Rally. If you are out and about on Saturday the 18th, around 6:00pm, stop by the parking lot at Kimberling City Inn, say "Hey", and grab some food.

My wife, kids, and I wrap our vacation around this event and cook for all the folks, each year...no charge. We will be whipping up a mess of hotdogs and hamburgers for 600+ Crownline boatowners and a couple of more folks won't make or break our spirit. They don't care what boat you own, they just love the pastime and meeting new folks. Great bunch of folks, many of which have become close wonderful friends over the past 7 years.

Would be a pleasure to meet you. I'll be the one in a straw Jaun Valdez hat, sweating like a pig, and sucking on a Corona.

[Tige M.D.]

smendez, the point i was trying to make was, if the customer is always right and you are going to eat every problem the customer has no matter how right or wrong it is it will cost the company money and alot of it. if the employees you have are paid only minimum wage then there is a much larger profit margine for you to eat into. that makes it alot easier to say " sorry mr. customer, we will handle all your problems with no questions asked".

[Cheeky]

It's hard to make the Sam Walton analogy here. Wal mart deals in volume, it's easy to take that damaged weedeater back when you sell 100 more that day.

I am guessing, but if the leaf springs failed, perhaps Prestige would have sent new ones site unseen. Here, the guy is aking for a whole new trailer without sending anything. Thats tough to fault Prestige for, they are at least entitled to inspect the trailer to see why it failed and then decide how to compensate the person.

The house example was given. If you build houses and a client was unhappy, would you give them a new house without ever seeing what happened to the old one. You are more than happy to repair the house to make the client happy, but you would be unlikely to give them a new house.

[Tequilasun]

Byron,

I am quite sorry to say that I will not be around this weekend! I would have liked to meet you. But there are several Tige owner's out there, maybe they will make their way over and say hi.

Mr. Draginass!!! I like that too Mr. Cheeky

I agree with Mr. Cheeky, Wal-mart eats the cost of returns because they do an incredible about of volume. The reason they do an incredible amount of volume is because they were customer oriented. Remember the "Made in america" campain, they did that long enough for everyone to think Wal-mart was a great America supporting business, then they switched to foreign built products. They are in it to make the most amount of profit, and for them their profit model includes taking back items without questions (which has changed somewhat over the years) because they don't feel a great deal of hit from the loss.

I used to work security at Target, and their profit model is different, they don't allow those returns, sometimes they won't even allow things purchased in another Target store to be returned. We got a lot of "well, I'll just take it back to Wal-mart" Both profitable businesses, just working on a different model. And both doing a much greater volume than Prestige.

[smendez]

To all:

I agree - The Walmart that Sam Walton built 50+ years ago is not the same Walmart we know today. My point was that he built and grew his business by sucessfully dealing with all sorts of people in all sorts of places.

Maybe the analogy was not that great. At any rate, it's not worth getting into a big discussion here among online friends. It only has the potential of never ending and / or upseting someone.

I'd much rather discuss how to sand swim platforms with Mr. Draginass while drinking beer

Byron:

Best of luck to you and to your customer. I really do hope that things work out for the both of you.

[Original Wing Nut]

Well Said Smendez. Do I need to sand my new Fiberglass platform to hang out on line with cool guys like Mr. Smendez, Mr. Cheeky and Mr. Draginass

[Cheeky]

Do you sand with the grain or against. And what is the best Deck sanding beer?

[joe8395]

On the west coast it's corona w/lime.

[Cheeky]

Do you need West coast graphic to drink the Corona while sanding?

[joe8395]

LOL

West coast is the best coast!

[Tequilasun]

While I think this thread is dead, I would like to quote a very famous animated American

"MMMMMM Beer"

[bcskypilot]

Wow how this post has grown… It’s funny I logged into the Tige site looking for advise on a new tower. Believe it or not… my tower snapped and I knew I could count on some good advice from you guys… By the way the tower is out of warranty but Metcraft has stepped up to the plate and offered to help fix it. That’s a company I will always talk good about… Anyways, while I was logged in I went to add an update to the original post I made about the trailer and boom… I have to say I was a little surprised and disappointed at the direction the post had gone. It may be my fault for not bring some type of closure earlier but wow…

I am doing no better by adding to this old post then Byron from Prestige did because ultimately we will never find out nor agree on what really happened to the trailer. He thinks the trailer was loaded improperly and I know for a fact that it never has been. We both have a completely different view of what, why and how things really happened.

The trailer first broke in 2003 on an evening I was boarding at the lake with my family and a friend. There was no wild party day on the water as some of you have thought possible. I backed my truck down the ramp and sat there while my friend pulled the boat onto the trailer. Byron described this moment as, “the guy powered the boat on and the bunks collapsed…” What he failed to tell you but what he knew from the original post on the Prestige site is that the Friend of mine who “powered the boat onto the trailer” was in fact an old Tige Rep from Atlanta. The trailer was in the water correctly and my friend, the old Tige Rep, loaded it properly. The bunks broke not just in the back but in the middle where most of the weight of the boat sits. Some of the welds broke and bent back, not forward. Anyone who knows me can tell you the how I take care of my boat and other toys. It’s to the point where most my friends think I have a disorder… The boat, nor the trailer have been or ever will be abused or mishandled.

I contacted Prestige looking for assistance knowing that the warranty had expired. Why? Well as a business owner I believe you do your best business only when you always try to do what is right. I stand behind the business that I do and I always try to do the right thing even when nobody is looking… In 2003 Prestige stood by the expired warranty instead of their customer and what I believe was a faulty trailer. They refused to fix or replace the trailer. It was out of warranty, 1 day, 3 years the end of a warranty is just that, the end.


Byron states that he offered to pick the trailer up here in Indy. At no time has this ever been offered. If you have already said hey nothing can be done, it’s out of warranty why would you then offer at your expense to come and get it? I was asked to bring it to Illinois or pay to have it shipped there though. The two boat dealers who used to carry Prestige locally wouldn’t even look at the trailer when I took it to them. Why would I not offer Prestige the chance to come get the trailer and potentially fix or replace it over the winter months that I wouldn’t be using the boat anyways? The boat is stored inside all the time I could have found something to put it on if you where doing all this at Prestige’s expense… With no help from Prestige or the old local Prestige Dealers on repairing or replacing the trailer I was forced to look for other options.

I worked with a great local boat dealer (MD Boats) in an effort to fix the trailer. The story then basically repeats itself… During the initial water test after the repairs, the trailer breaks again. This time I wasn’t with the boat, it was the dealer. I would still guess that it was properly loaded and unloaded though. This time the insurance company said they will pay to fix the boat under the original claim (Yes, collision… I’m not sure what else the 6K+ repairs would go under?) since they refused to total the trailer out the first time. Luckily, they would not repair the trailer again though… Instead, they offered $1,500 to total it. I did not get to keep the trailer after the insurance company totaled it out.

I contacted Prestige after the 2nd incident by phone and email. I left messages about the trailer breaking again but heard nothing back. When I didn’t have my calls returned I posted on their site. The posts are still there for you to see what was really said… If you comment on this post one way or another and haven’t looked at the postings on the Prestige site then you really need to check it out…

http://members2.boardhost.com/presti.../msg/2212.html

[bcskypilot]

Some of it…


Hello,
In 1999 I purchased a Tige 2200i and a 98 BT22 Prestige Trailer. In August of 93 the bunk system on my trailer completely collapsed. The metal supports for the bunks had buckled and caused extreme damage to the underside of the boat. After talking to your offices we moved forward with the weld and boat repairs. Upon completion of the repairs the boat dealership went to water test the boat. While loading the boat back onto the trailer different supports buckled and bent causing similar damage to the bottom side of the Tige. I'm going on my 3rd season without my boat while I am waiting on repairs. Has this happened to anyone else? Any suggestions about the support brackets for the bunks??
It was followed up with concerns again about improper loading, the same thing I heard the year before.
I posted:

I didn’t mean for my initial post to reflect negatively on your trailers. I loved the set up my boat came with including the color matched trailer. It’s been almost two and a half seasons now that I have been without my boat and so far the only sure option I’ve found that will get me back on the water is to buy a new trailer… Before I decide on a Prestige Trailer I would like to know if others have had the same problems.
I understand your concerns about the in proper loading of the boat. I can assure you improper loading was not what happened to my trailer though. Your example of the carpet problems I would experience if it had been loaded incorrectly a number of times supports this. My bunk carpet was in excellent condition even after the collapse. You can add to it the fact that the person who was loading the boat the first time the bunks collapsed was an authorized Tige' rep. The 2nd time after the repairs where completed the boat collapsed under the boat dealer during the initial water test.
I posted on the site because I have had little success in fixing the trailer. I’m curios to see if anything like this has happened with anyone else and how they resolved it. I haven’t been able to find a dealer who will warranty the repairs after the problems it has already had and I would hate to imagine another $5,000 hull damage bill.

The picture story… I never said I was too busy to get picks… I had sent picks of the original problem the year before. They said they didn’t have them still so I went through the insurance agent to get them again.
I posted:
I sent pics of the latest problem. I am trying to get you additional pics from the insurance agent of the original failure. I've left some messages for you guys but haven't heard anything back...

After seeing how long it would take some manufactures to build a new trailer, I did talk to Byron about purchasing another trailer. The summer is short here in Indy and I hadn’t been on the water for a long, long time. He couldn’t sell to me direct but did offer to sell a trailer at a discount to the closest Prestige dealer. The dealer was in Illinois. After all the discounts and Lake Taxes where added up I was able to buy a new trailer for about $4,500. I could pay to have it shipped to Indy or pick it up in Illinois. It didn’t seem much like a good deal to me especially since my insurance was only paying $1,500. Remember that local dealer, MD Boats?? Well they came through and worked with Prestige to get a trailer built and shipped in a hurry. I’m not sure if I got a great deal, a little less then 4k for a trailer that has more then my old one had on it but I was able to get back on the water within a couple weeks and that made it worth it…

Here’s is a copy of the email I sent to Byron after I got the trailer thanking him for working through this. Yes, this email was sent to him before he drug me through the dirt on the post proceeding…
From: Brian Collier
To: contact@prestigetrailers.com
Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 10:41 PM
Subject:

Got the new trailer and have to say I love it. Thanks for working with MD Boats to make things happen. I do have a couple little things we are trying to work through and need some help.

The Tige' guides on both post have ripped. One is completely off, the other is almost there. They both ripped on the sewn crease. I checked locally to see if it could be sewn but no luck... Any suggestions?

Also, backing up hill even with the 5 prong adapter is a nightmare. The brakes lock up almost completely, am I doing something wrong? Finally, Mark at MD's is working on the lights for the right side. Not sure if he called you guys or not for it.


Thanks,


Brian


For the record, the guides where under warranty and where replaced right away. Thank you again Byron. For the lights, MD Boats fixed the wiring on the trailer at no charge to me or Prestige I believe.


So where is this really going… It’s not really doing anyone any good and you certainly have better things to do… I do as well. I spent this much time on this though because ultimately I am disappointed in the fact that I feel Prestige put more time into the posts that where made on this site then they ever did me during the problem. Even though neither Byron nor I where completely satisfied on the outcome of all this, he posted this after we had worked everything out best we could. Byron acts like Prestige went above and beyond to work this out. If the service was so good and you did all you say and could then instead of going “Popeye” on the post why not send me an email or call and say, "Hey... maybe we didnt agree on why this happened but we did atleast come to a final end. Any chance you can bring closure to the Tige site…" Maybe that's asking too much. It is what I would have done though as an owner of a company...

Again, we both have a completely different view of what, why and how things really happened. I didn't make my orignal post in an effort to drag anyone through the dirt. I posted on this site because I didn’t want to buy another Prestige if I found this was happening to others as well. I wanted to know what other trailer options may be out there… I received some great feedback from people and I really appreciated it. Heck, back to I wish I would have closed this post out with something some time ago... I'll be sure to follow up with the tower ending...

I’ll only have this boat for a couple more years at the most. I’ve kept it this long because I really do love the thing even with some of the issues. It looks great, has just a little over 300 hours, it runs like a dream and… During the time I have it my trailer, that also looks great, is under warranty.

Since Byron decided to post my name… Please keep Paramount in mind for any of your financing needs. We always put customer service first…




Brian
Paramount Investment Corporation
8445 Keystone Crossing Drive
Suite 204
Indianapolis, IN 46240
www.paramountmortgages.com