Question for those that ordered new boats this season

[Ruune]

Thanks for the update Terry- its great to know that y'all are watching.

As most of us already know, any sort of departmental location move will put you out of commission and/or require that you operate in a limited capacity for a short amount of time.

I do know what its like waiting for a new boat, and cant imagine what 10+ weeks would be like! I'm sure that you'll take care of these customers, as the delay was a necessary evil, in order to expand your operations... and ultimately provide a quality product in a reasonable amount of time, and yet satisfy the market demand.

Looking forward to seeing whats in store for 2007, when I'll be in the market again. I've heard great things- however vague!

[Tequilasun]

Thanks Terry!

Seems like everyone was partly correct.


Glad to hear demand is outpacing production right now, helps in keeping our resale high.

[akdoc]

Terry,

That's great, do they have phones in Abilene?? A call from the factory would have been greatly appreciated given the extremely long delays. We traded in a boat and allowed the dealer to take it early expecting our boat to be here, now no boat and great weather. What is Tige planning on doing to help these customers who were lied to about production times and production slots. I guess all in all how important is return business? I know I won't be in line to buy a new Tige in a couple of years unless Tige really steps up to the plate and does something for all of us who still are waiting on boats.

[Ruune]

akdoc-
A lie would indicate that they knew that it would take much longer and told you otherwise. Thats a bit harsh, dont you think? I know you're quite frustrated (Believe me, I've been there before), but they will take care of you.

Honestly, I would attribute this to unforeseen delays as part of the move, and possibly simple miscommunication.

Bottom line- Tigé is going through growing pains... which is nice to see with a company that can proudly stamp "Made in the USA" on its entire product line. Its a sign of a healthy market, and that the company is unwilling to farm out cheap labor to other countries- which is commonplace today. Can I get an AMEN?

[NICKYPOO]

AMEN!

[dogbert]

Patience, grasshopper...one cannot always get instant gratification!

Actually, what might be interesting (and unique) would be to have an on-line progress update capability that's made available to you when you order your boat that includes picture progress during the construction phase. That way, if you so desire, you can follow the progress of your boat as it goes through the various phases of the manufacturing process.

Seems like a lot of folks anxiously await their new toys as if they were expecting the arrival of a newborn....why not capitalize that and offer it as part of the value-add experience. Coupled with superior dealer and factory service, you'd have a tough brand combination to beat. Of course, already having kick-*** boats helps, too

Just my $.02

[NICKYPOO]

I think that idea was brought up before. It's still a good idea. That is untill you see your boat sitting in the same spot for two weeks because they are waiting for something to come in so that they can continue the build. Then you get customers calling in to the factory wanting to know what is up, blah, blah, blah. Customers are such a pain in the ***.

[dogbert]

Originally posted by NICKYPOO
I think that idea was brought up before. It's still a good idea. That is untill you see your boat sitting in the same spot for two weeks because they are waiting for something to come in so that they can continue the build. Then you get customers calling in to the factory wanting to know what is up, blah, blah, blah. Customers are such a pain in the ***.

It's all about expectations. But at least you could provide real-time feedback on how long the process is taking. People don't like surprises, unless they are upside surprises.

[tjspacewrangler]

Thanks, Terry, for coming on here and providing some feedback. While I understand that the new factory, coupled with product demand, has made forecasting difficult this winter/spring, it would still go a long way toward overall customer satisfaction to have a representative from Tige call these folks who are waiting on boats.

The fact is, many people were told a date that has been far exceeded. While much of the delay was out of Tige's control, the customer has absolutely NO control over the building process. It's not out of the realm of possibility that some folks considered delivery time as one of many criteria when evaluating which boat to purchase. If other manufacturers are telling prospective buyers 12-15 weeks build time at the boat shows, and Tige reps are telling 6-8 weeks.......Well, which boat is likely to be chosen IF being on the lake within 2 months is of great importance to a particular customer? Of couse, in most cases there are a variety of reasons to choose a boat, and delivery time was not one of the most important (as well as in my case) . However, the fact that I've lost a month of lake time because my boat has taken 14 weeks to get here instead of 6 to 8 weeks still seems excessive, in my opinion. Thankfully, I'll have my boat tomorrow. Other buyers will still be frustrated and trying to wait patiently much like I did.

My suggestion to Tige is that, in the future, keep your customers informed. If delays are expected, PLEASE let us know. Although delays are sometimes unforseen, in this case it sounds as if Tige knew sales were going well. Somebody in Abilene had to be thinking...."Oh, crap! How the heck are we going to get all these boats out to people who have been promised boats in 6-8 weeks?".... In my case, a simple phone call from a factory rep (instead of my equally frustrated dealer) would have done wonders! Nonetheless, I appreciate everyone's feedback on this thread, and most especially the dealers and factory rep.

Of course, it still wouldn't hurt my feelings now if Tige wanted to throw in an amp or something to ease my pain!

[Tequilasun]

This is clearly a case where a little forward thinking and use of technology could have save a heck of a lot of face.

As TJ presumes, Tige must have known there was a general slowdown in the production times of their boats.

Why not tke the opportunity to be the great customer service company and put out a flyer to dealers, post something on their website, or post something here.

They could have put the same positive spin on it that Terry did, and plus it would have given TJ and others a little confidence that their boats were at least in progress.


BTW, I wish there was a web cam up in the factoy, then we could all watch the boats come to life!

*Edt: I just realized I more or less parroted TJ's post. What I was trying to get at is that though it may not be feasiable to notify each individual waiting on a boat, a general posting would have been nice for those folks.

[wrangler]

Originally posted by Ruune
Can I get an AMEN?

Amen and amen...

[spenchey2]

i think we ordered a week or two into december and it got here about the beging of last month. bad part is that it isn't in the water yet.

[Matt Garcia]

Amen! Dont forget to mention "Made in Texas" too!

[tbarrett]

I understand the frustration that you must be facing waiting for your boat to be built and delivered. I didn't mention that the most experience I have had in boating was that of a consumer. While accepting the responsibilities of the delays we have communicated to the dealer network concerning our efforts to meet their underestimated demand. The dealer should be your first point of contact and we have made extensive efforts to keep them informed. We have not experienced the delays that have occured in our history. I am certain that our 50% increase in production will take effect and remain in place for ongoing demand. I regret that some have missed a portion of their boating season. We do appreciate the feedback that is available on this forum. We are striving to improve in all aspects of our business.

Terry