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PostPosted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 2:59 pm 
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I went to demo Hobie Mirage drive this morning at a local dealer here in Sarasota, Fl. I would like to purchase locally but can save $300.00 if I purchase online at Austin a Canoe and Kayak, which had great customer service for an online store.
I like to support local business and understand if I have issues with my new Hobie purchase it needs to be resolved from my dealer where I purchased the boat.

Will I get the same customer service if I had a problem purchasing online through ACK as I would locally?

$300 is huge savings

Thanks


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PostPosted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 4:23 pm 
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Location: High Point, NC
They offer great customer service. No problem there.

Have you factored in shipping charges? Can you come out on $300 savings?


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PostPosted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:35 pm 
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List price is $1,999 both online and local shop. But question is if i have a problem with my hobie am i going to have to deal with ACK or can any local hobie dealer assist me. Also how big of a inconveince is it to deal with warranty issues from an online dealer compared to a dealer you purchased locally from? Is saving the extra $$ worth it?


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 7:48 am 
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Any Hobie dealer can and should assist you in the need of warranty work. However, you're apt to find that they may be a little happier to do so if you're actually one of their customers.

I generally try to buy from my local dealer if possible, but due to their small Hobie stock and lack of various models I have often wound up having to buy online. ACK is one of the places I have bought from.


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 8:36 am 
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Location: Oceanside, California
Hobie dealers are not "factory" owned stores and are not "obligated" to service warranty issues if not purchased from them. Your obligation as the buyer is to contact the dealer from who you purchased the kayak.

Demoed locally? Buy locally.

Fyi... shipping from ACK is $159 and discount is on accessories only.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 8:48 am 
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Location: High Point, NC
Matt makes a good point - your local dealer has some time invested in your demo ride. To utilize their demo boat and staff and then buy elsewhere certainly isn't illegal or anything, but could be seen as somewhat lacking in consideration for the time and effort they lent you.


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 8:56 am 
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I think my biggest concern would be freight damage. Kayaks shipped via truck LTL (less than a truck load/by themselves) are much more prone to damage. We ship to dealers by truck loads. LTL gets shifted from one truck to the next (cross docked) at freight hubs and would be handled a lot on the way. Transiting with all kinds of freight. Kayaks are odd shapes and fork lift damage is common because the freight guys are not going to carry it from one truck to the next.

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Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 9:05 am 
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Matt, spoke with ACK rep and she also followed up with an email.


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 9:22 am 
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Tom, I totally disagree with you.

First of all I called ahead of time to schedule an appointment to demo the Revo 13, when i arrived they told me that they did not have anyone available to assist me, but if i wanted to load the revo up on my own vehicle and take to the demo location, i could do that. I was very frustrated with lack of customer service. REALLY, i had to load and use my own vehilce to take it for a demo.

I will shop elsewhere.


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 10:57 am 
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They did allow you to use their boat to demo... that is something.

I think the dealer there is a pretty good one.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 12:05 pm 
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Joined: Sun Apr 20, 2008 6:18 am
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Location: Sarasota,Key West FL
Aggie61 :
Personally I think you are making a serious serious mistake buying a Hobie online vs your local dealer. We have heard several terrible horror stories of people buying online and shunning their local dealers.
As far as avoiding sales tax goes, I am totally against that, the sales tax you pay goes towards the local improvements for such things as the great kayak parks we have in Sarasota, great boat launches, without these tax revenue these things go away (nothing in this world is free).
I have bought 7 Hobies from the Dealer you mention in Sarasota (Economy Tackle), they are the best and most knowledgeable people I have ever met and bend over backwards when it come to customer service and satisfaction. Typically when you buy a boat from them (and most dealers), they will all typically give you discounts on accessories.

Getting a personal demo like you did is not ordinary for them, and kind of out of norm. They typically have monthly Demo days once or twice a month, where you can go out to a local kayak park and try out any of their boats. This is the preferred way to do it (that's what we did). We tried out 3 or 4 different boats and ended up buying an Oasis, and a Revolution, but we tried out the sport, the outback, and a couple others, then decided which boat fit our needs the best. You kind of need to do that because everyone is different sizes and have different needs, and there are quite a few differences between different boat types that are not apparent until you actually try them. I can give a perfect example, when looking at the revo in the store, we thought it too narrow and unstable, and had our eyes on the Outback. We don't fish or anything so all the Outback's specific fishing features would have remained un-used. Once we rode both boats it became apparent that the Revo was much more stable then we anticipated, and way faster than we ever imagined (like a rocket), where the outback though it appeared more stable, ended up being much slower and harder to maneuver in tight spaces, so we decided on the revo. If we had not gone to Demo Days and actually driven all the types and spoke in depth with the experts we would not have been happy.
I can give you a dozen examples of them going out of their way to make problems easy and painless for us. Another example is when I tore the hull on my TI, I was at the launch pulling the TI onto shore, the dealer happened to be ten feet away demoing another TI with another customer, he saw me pull the boat about 8 feet, and saw the rull rip. He was on the phone right away and a new replacement hull was on the truck (from Hobie) the same day, and a few days later they called and said the new boat was ready. They had assembled the new boat for me and checked everything out, they even loaded the new boat onto my car and we left from there to our other house in Key West, our vacation was saved. They didn't have to do that. Another time I broke the weld on my scupper cart frame, I took it in, they just took another frame off the shelf, set it all up, mounting my wheels, and checked everything out, and I was on my way in 10 minutes, they didn't have to do that either. I recommend them also for any type of repairs like kayak welding, re-stringing rudder systems, fixing Mirage drives, just about anything kayak related, they are very good and knowledgeable.
I spend quite a bit of time in Texas, and have been into ACK's store several times with my friends buying boats, I personally I trust these guys way more than ACK.
The best part is they are just a phone call away for advise, If I have a problem with a misadjusted rudder line or something, I just call them and explain my problem, they explain exactly what to do if I want to adjust it myself, and always end the calls with, hey if you still are having a problem after doing this or that, just bring it in.
Personally I think your making a huge mistake.
Bob


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PostPosted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 12:54 pm 
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Thanks for taking time to provide input, many people have highly recommended Economy Tackle and Black Creek a Outfitters in Jax. I understand the pros of buying locally and am all for supporting local business. I will take your advice. Maybe avoiding major issues not worth saving a couple hundred bucks.


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PostPosted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 8:39 pm 
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Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2013 8:22 pm
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Location: Valle Vista, CA (SoCal)
I say buy local. Over the life of your boat, a healthy relationship with your local dealer will save you much more than the $300 you'll save buying online. I'm reminded of the old Fram commercials..."You can pay me know, or pay me later."


Longbikermike
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Valle Vista, CA


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PostPosted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 9:20 pm 
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Joined: Tue May 08, 2012 8:16 pm
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Location: Tampa, FL
x2 on Economy Tackle in Sarasota being a top-notch group of knowledgable professionals!


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