Mid Missouri Marine

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/29) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted] (Owner)
Contact Phone: [redacted]
Contact Email: [redacted]@gmail.com
Mr. X brought boat out Feb. 2, 2015. He requested that we diagnose why boat wouldn't start/run. We diagnosed and the motor was...

waterlogged (submerged in water and locked up). After diagnose he paid $1500 cash up front for parts. After he paid us, we pulled the motor and went through it. Gave Mr. X a quote to replace what was broken with new parts, but instead he decided to purchase a used long block on craigslist to replace the motor with. We gave Mr. X estimate to replace the motor with the one he purchased. He said go ahead. There was no date given when the boat was to be completed. He told us not to worry about the time; he knew it was a big project. We met him halfway to pick the motor up. We tore that motor down to make sure that the motor was up to spec and correct. We replaced the rod bearings, main bearings, and re-ringed the pistons and assembled with external parts from other motor. The first problem we ran into was the new motor had Vortec heads instead of SBC Chevy heads. This mattered because the intake would not bolt up. The cheapest route was to replace intake instead of the heads or carburetor because the old motor had a 4 barrel carb and the motor he brought to us had a 2 barrel intake. Replaced the intake and dropped the motor into the boat. The next issue was the fuel pump did not work. Replaced that with new fuel pump. The third issue was that it would not turn over, replaced the starter and motor turned over. The next issue was no spark so had to go thru engine harness and electrical and got spark. We started working on the lower unit, it needed bellows, gimbal bearings, water pump, and resealed. We gave Mr. X and estimate on the lower unit, and he said to go ahead. After work on lower unit, the next step was gel coat, but Mr. X said that his wife cut off funds and not to worry about gel coat. We cut labor by 6 hours for not doing gel coat. We had one days work left in tuning and timing the boat, which we would of did on Thursday, and he wanted to pick it up on Friday. Thursday morning he called and said he was picking up boat. He asked if it would be done and we said we would try to complete it by Friday. He was very unhappy and came out on Thursday instead. The boat was not complete when he picked it up. When left the shop, the motor was starting, running, and pumping water. The boat needed tuned and timed and cables hooked up. He came out and hooked up his boat, gathered old motor parts and his engine stand, which he had told us we could keep, but we gladly gave them back. He paid 1700 cash and then wrote a check for $600.00, which left a balance of $703 unpaid. When he was here he did not express his unhappiness. The next day we got call from the bank and the check had been stopped. We contacted him and he argued that the work was not completed. After several rude texts we asked him to pay the 600 or that we would turn the check over to the prosecutor. He texted several more times and we told him to quit harassing us. The work was not complete, and he knew that and we wrote it on his invoice that it was not complete. We asked him to pay the 600 to take care of bad check. He came, paid 600 cashier's check and wanted all parts from boat returned. We gave him all the used parts and he left. He did not say much when he picked up boat, besides that he was getting an attorney.
Resolution: He did not communicate his unhappiness until after the check bounced. He did not give us an opportunity to make the boat right. We do not feel that paying someone else is a resolution to the problem. We would have been happy to finish the project. We gave him a reasonable price to do all the work, which would of cost triple at another marine shop. If he would like us to finish the project, we would be happy to if he brings it to us and agrees to pay the 703 remaining balance and the 9 returned check fee. We will not warranty the work unless the balance is paid in full.