OSM Off-Shore Marine

This is in response to ID Complaint number ***On April 29, 2015, Ms*** came to our office to
inquire purchasing a boat lift from usI asked specific questions such as; dry weight of boat, fuel capacity, and
beam (width)This would determine the correct lift for their boat which was
a 5000# vertical liftWe discussed
pricing and options from two different manufacturersOne was for an *** ***., 5000# vertical boat lift and the
other for a *** 5000# vertical liftAs there is a significant price difference between the two, with
*** being higher, Ms*** chose the *** ***She was anxious to move forward with the
purchase of this lift as she and her husband had gone before the *** *** Yacht Club for permission to
put a lift in the slip they were rentingShe was concerned if we didn't act fast, the club would change their
mindShe asked if we could come down and look at the location for placement of the lift and take some
measurements as she was not sure of the water depthI explained to Ms***, Mark, my business
partner and co-owner of OSM would, but I did not know how quickly he could get down there as he had other
customers and jobs scheduled ahead of herAt this time no money had been exchanged for the liftShe was
anxious to move forwardAfter leaving my office she headed back to her slip and she and her husband took
their own water depth measurementsIn the meantime, I spoke with Mark about the potential of the sale and
where it was going to be installedHe said he didn't think that would work as the channel has too much muck,
though when he got time he would go and look into itIn the meantime, Ms*** called back that same
day, the 29th and said she and her husband hit solid ground at four feetI questioned her and expressed
Mark's concerns of the potential problems she may haveI told Mark of her measurements, he was skeptical
and was concerned about their measurements
On April 30th, Ms*** showed up at my office to purchase the *** *** liftWe again expressed our
concernsShe still wanted to purchase the liftI placed the order with *** *** *** ***., on
May 1st(they are the wholesaler for *** ***products.) She also purchased a wheel assist from
*** a different company which we had to wait on delivery of thatI received the lift on May 19thMs
*** called several times after her purchase to see when we would be able to install the liftI explained to
her we were waiting on the wheel assist from *** and we had other customers scheduled ahead of
herFor 1/years our policy on installations is based on first come first serveThis was also explained to
her during the purchase of the liftThe lift was installed between May 20th and the 28thNot days later as
was statedWe were currently on another job, while we were waiting for materials we made arrangement with
the ***s to meet and install their new liftWhen Mark arrived he talked with *** and again
conveyed to him his concerns that this was not an ideal place for a lift like thisMr*** who too is an
engineer ask Mark what could be done? Mark suggested putting 2" x 12" boards down for the lift to sit on as it
may help disperse some of the waitThis was not a guaranteeMr*** went and purchased the boards
We lowered the lift into place and it immediately began to sinkWe raised the lift with our work boat and under
the supervision of the ***s, we secured the lift to the permanent dock structureThis installation typically
is a two hour job from start to finishThis job took over hours with four of our crew that dayLater that day,
the ***s called to say the lift had begun settlingMark instructed them to remove their boat immediately
and as soon as he finished with previously scheduled installations he would come down and see what steps
were necessary to correct thisIn the meantime, the ***s ordered a different wheel assist which also had
to be orderedUntil this product was delivered we continued installing other customers products
Mark came up with a solution to keep the lift from settlingHe also spoke with an officer of the Yacht Club
board who conveyed he too had issues there when driving a pile in for one of the docks because the muck was
so deepThe two of them came up with a solutionWe emailed ***'s our suggestions and in the
meantime, Ms*** called excitedly to tell us she and her husband had engineered a solution and fixed
the problem themselvesShe boasted we would be very impressed with what they had done to keep the lift
from settlingFor the rest of the summer their lift was in working order for them to enjoy the boating season
Late August, we received a call on a Monday after ***s had used their boat and lift over the weekend
One of the bunks brokeWithin less than an hour Mark and an employee went down to their lift as he knew
what the problem wasMark brought bunks to temporarily replace the broken one so they could continue using
their boat for the rest of the seasonThey wanted nothing to do with the bunksThey were adamant they were
sold the wrong lift, and told Mark they would design their own bunk systemThey did not want to listen to any
explanations
*** *** is having problems with their new bunk design and this was not the first bunk problem we had
encountered this summerWe replaced a couple of other bunks for customers who had the same issue as the
***'s were havingThose customers were extremely happy we accommodated them so quicklyOnce we
realized there was going to be a problem with these bunks, we contacted both *** *** and *** to
discuss our concerns and suggested what was needed to add reinforcement to their current designAs I
explained in the letter to Ms***, I have sold many *** lifts over the years including the 5000# model
and we have had no problems with their product or bunk system until *** switched over to manufacturing an
aluminum-vinyl bunk rather than the carpeted wood they had previously used*** *** realizes they have a
flaw in their design and are working to strengthen their bunk systemI also spoke with ***, *** ***, and *** regarding the strength of a V-Rack Lift verses a straight rack liftEach confirmed neither is
stronger than the otherIt is the bunk system that is used with that cradle to accommodate the boatThe
***s are under the misconception that a flat bottom boat uses a straight rack lift and a V-hulled boat uses
a V-Rack lift, this simply is not trueThe conversation never took place as to a V-Rack lift vsa straight rack lift
The model we discussed is the model I sold herThis was the LSV 50120B vertical liftIt was a VERTICAL lift
that was discussed*** *** does not manufacture a V-rack 5000# liftLooking through the *** manual, the
assembly instructions show the lift to be a straight rack cradle
I referred her over to another Engineer who knows the product he is manufacturing, *, with ***,
IncThere is absolutely nothing wrong with her liftIt is not damaged nor is it under rated for her boat sizeThe
shear point she keeps referring to has nothing to do with the cradle and the integrity of the cradle is in tack and
was not damaged do to the weak bunk and bracketWe tried to explain it is a flaw with the *** *** bunks
After several minutes of conversation ***s said they would engineer their own bunks using woodIf there
is a flaw with the lift, then why would they continue using it? They must realize it is not the lift otherwise why
would they engineer bunks to use
*** ***and *** *** *** ***., will stand behind us regarding this situationI hope you will
consider OSM's side in this matter and I will be more than happy to provide their contact numbers for further
follow up
I have also included the original letter to the ***s
Thank you for your considerationWe hope this matter will be resolvedWe have provided quality service for
almost yearsWe have been successful do to our integrity, knowledge, service, and honesty. Regards,Kimberly C, Sr., VP