Anonymous
map-marker Dallas, Texas

Horrible customer service!!!!

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Paradise marine has got to be the worst boat dealership on this side of the Mississippi. The service manager named Travis should be fired and send packing, Travis told us after getting our boat worked on multiple times by them for the same issue, you can leave and never come back wont hurt our feelings at all When threatened with a lawsuit Travis went to grab another manager whos name I wasnt able to get stated get in line with the rest we dont *** care!!!
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User's recommendation: Never

Anonymous
map-marker Biloxi, Mississippi

New Outboard Motors

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I recently purchased 2 Suzuki 150 hp motors from Paradise Marine. My experience was nothing short of outstanding. Brad Shults was an amazing Sales Rep for Paradise. He was very professional, courteous, and friendly. The service getting the motors mounted was outstanding and they did an amazing job. I can not find anything wrong with Paradise through the whole process. Thank you Paradise Marine and Brad for outstanding service and sales.
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Anonymous
map-marker Foley, Alabama

Shock

My first contact with Paradise Marine was over the phone. I called the sales department and was transferred to Jarett due to the nature of my question. I work in insurance and was calling on behalf of a customer he and I share (because that is what you do when you provide good customer service). I was shocked at how rude he was to me! He told me my problem was not his problem, but I could send him an email and hung up on me. I did send him an email and he did help us out, but I made sure I told our customer about his behavior. I will absolutely never shop there!
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Charlie S Kju
map-marker Gulf Shores, Alabama

Will not stand by repair work!!! 1K bill at another dealer to fix their mistakes.

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Paradise Marine Center - Will not stand by repair work!!! 1K bill at another dealer to fix their...
I bought a 2 year old 95K boat that I was told had a full factory warranty on the engine. They performed a repair leaving several cut wires and wires improperly installed, causing a catastrophic engine failure. Although the fixing local dealer here in GA showed me personally all the problems that Paradise marine caused, they are refusing to help me and GENE Myers, the owners even had the Audacity to suggest that I cut the wires on my boat!!! How ABSURD and CHILDISH. Why in the world would I cut wires on my own 95K boat??? I am now faced with nearly 1K repair bill to fix their mistake- Paradise Marine center is blaming the boat manufacturer for cutting wires in the harness inside the rigging tube, WHERE I have a repair bill from 3 months previously where Paradise marine repaired the rigging tube! This company does not stand by their service and will do anything to blame someone else for their mistakes. Be wary in buying anything from Paradise Marine In Gulf Shores, AL.
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Loss:
$969
Cons:
  • Horrible repair job and the attitudes of the owner
Reason of review:
Bad quality

Preferred solution: Full refund

3 comments
Guest

In addition to my previous rebuttal, Mr. Spencer continues to trash Suzuki Marine online about them not honoring their warranty, when there was nothing that they were responsible for. It was all either a dealer issue which we admitted and corrected or a boat builder assembly issue.

Charlie S Kju
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1478155

Gene Myers is a liar. His service department cut a wire in the rigging tube (I have the work order showing where repaired), yet he blames the boat manufacturer.If he would have simply fixed what they broke, there would be no issues. Suzuki was no help in protecting their consumer from a shady "authorized" dealer...

Guest

My name is Gene Myers and I started Paradise Marine Center in Gulf Shores, Alabama in 1994. I feel the need to set the record straight and respond to Mr.

Spencerโ€™s complaint about our dealership. The best way to offset this slamming is to present the facts and let people decide for themselves, if we are the devils he portrays us to be. The best way to do this is to provide the information on what transpired, and folks can then have both sides of the story. Unfortunately, Mr.

Spencer has left out much information to make his case very one sided.Mr. Spencer purchased a brokerage boat that we were selling for a customer. It was a used boat not a boat that Paradise Marine had in inventory. We were acting as a broker for the seller to the buyer Mr.

Spencer. It was originally bought by the seller from us new February 2016. When he purchased this previously owned boat he agreed to purchase it โ€œAs isโ€. He specifically signed the agreement a second time acknowledging an additional clause that stated the following.

When this box is checked, I understand that the unit I am buying from you described above is being sold to me โ€œAs isโ€ and I accept the entire risk as to the quality and performance of this unit and that I did use my own judgement and inspection.Mr. Spencer made arrangements to come down to our dealership in Gulf Shores, Alabama and test drive the boat and purchase if satisfied with the sea trial. After the test ride on February 10th the only issue we found on the sellerโ€™s boat was that the trim would not go down from the binnacle control but would do so on the motor pan. There were also some issues with some flaking powder coat on the rod holders and leaning post.

At that point he agreed to buy the boat and gave us a deposit to hold the boat. He would come back to pick the boat up in a few weeks. We let him know that we would have to diagnose the trim issue and would have to sub out the powder coat repairs to an outside vendor. We contacted the seller and got his permission to do the powder coat at his expense.

We told him we would also be getting back to him on the trim issue once we diagnosed but he assumed it might be a warranty issue or a minor repair.A diagnosis by our service department on February 22rd found that there was no trim down circuit going to the engine from the control box. The tech unbundled the wires under the console during the troubleshooting process and found nothing under the console that was causing the issue. He then found the problem in the snorkel tube where the main engine harness pigtail attaches to the main boat harness from the control box. There were several wires that had been sliced by what looked to be a razor knife during the original factory installation, possibly when cutting the cable ties that bundle it in the crate.

The open areas on the harness had finally corroded and lost continuity. This harness is a very complex harness and very expensive, it should never be spliced. We will not splice an engine harness due to possible problems down the road. We contacted the seller and he said that he would not pay for the harness replacement as it worked when he brought the boat to us.

That was not good to hear.Being that we were now in between a rock and a hard place we made the internal decision to pay for a new harness rather than kill the deal with Mr. Spencer. We would absorb it from our brokerage commission. Dealer cost on that harness was $531.00 and we had an additional 3-4 hours in shop labor.

We ordered the harness on February 22nd. The powder coat guy picked up the boat the next day to start those repairs and it was returned to us on March 1. The salesman got with Mr. Spencer and scheduled a pickup of the boat on March 2.

The powder coater was late getting the boat to us and the repair window was tight. We had to have another tech install the new harness and he was not involved in the original diagnosis. He was actually finishing up on the job when Mr. Spencer arrived.

He ran into some issues with the harness communicating and Mr. Spencer was had to wait until I felt he was good to go and all issues were resolved. He relayed to me that he would have preferred a Yamaha and was not real confident in the Suzuki. I told him they were great motors and this issue had nothing to do with Suzuki.

It was an install error. I also offered to him his money back if he wanted to unwind the deal. He said no and that he would wait for us to finish. A few hours later the technician reported to me that we were good to go and there were no more issues.

All of the codes went away and the engine was communicating properly. Mr. Spencer left with the boat and headed to Atlanta.Several days later we got this email from Mr. Spencer concerning some engine issues he had after using his boat for two days.

It was running poorly the first day and was intermittent. On the second day it would not shift and it was getting error lights, he had to get towed back to the dock. We asked him to take it to a local Suzuki Dealer and keep us in the loop stating that the motor was still under warranty and if it was an issue we caused we would take care of it.Mr Spencer took it to a local Suzuki dealer. A few days later we spoke with that dealer and he seemed to not have a good handle on the repairs.

We asked Mr. Spencer to pick the boat up and take to Grass Shack in Lake Lanier. We were confident that they were better equipped to find the issue and more knowledgeable. We paid a $207 bill to the first repair facility and Mr.

Spencer took it to Grass Shack for further diagnosis.A few days later I got a call from Jean, the main service guy at Grass Shack and we brought him up to speed on what we had done. Technicians always like to have as much info as they can to solve problems. He mentioned that the way the boat battery cables were run were not to his liking. I told him we did not rig the boat and that it was factory rigged and that is how they came from the factory.

The boat had run fine for over two years, and so did all of the others rigged exactly the same way. This was not the cause of the issue we were having, we had other issues. I told him and Mr. Spencer that we would pay for the engine harness replacement and his costs, including sea trial and the bundling of all console wiring.

I also texted Mr. Spencer on Saturday March 24th and told him we would pay for the engine harness replacement and wire bundling but not for any other wiring issues he felt needed to be corrected that were done when rigged two years earlier at the factory.The next day Jean at Grass Shack called me to tell me that he had discovered a broken clip on the main engine harness that we had installed that was allowing the connector to break contact with the ECM unit. As the boat moved and vibrated the clip would lose continuity and display all kinds of error codes and performance issues. Apparently, the technician who installed the harness did not realize he snapped the retaining tab on the ECM wiring connector.

That was definitely an issue we caused and we had to remedy and take responsibility for. We originally considered having Grass Shack unpin the wires from the connector and having them re-pin the connector, but decided it was better to send a new harness and absorb another $531 harness plus the labor.On Saturday March 24th I delivered the harness to a UPS store for expedited shipping to Grass Shack at Lake Lanier. The harness was received on Tuesday March 27th. Grass Shack replaced it on Wednesday March 28th and reported to me that all of the issues had been resolved which was good news.

I asked him to send me the bill so I could immediately pay him via credit card. He told me that Mr. Spencer wanted him to send me the bill for other work that he had authorized and expected us to pay. I told him that I would not pay this bill for rewiring the boat to and that I had not agreed to any such arrangement,.

I told him that he was welcome to send the bill to fulfill Mr. Spencerโ€™s request. I told him if Mr. Spencer wanted to improve the wiring on his two year old boat that was on his dime, not ours and had not been discussed nor approved by us..I spoke on the phone with Mr.

Spencer shortly afterwards and told him I was not going to pay for that additional work. He reamed me good and me being who I am, I counter punched. He claimed he found another cut wire under the console and had Grass Shack replace without sharing any of that with us beforehand. I would have disputed those allegations anyway.

The picture of the unbundled wiring he is circulating is from the cable ties securing it being removed by the first technician. Our technician who installed the harness on the engine did not realize the wiring had been unbundled during diagnosis and felt no need to go under the console since he was not working in the boat at all. I told Mr. Spencer I would pay to have the wires zip tied back up and we were billed for doing so.

He asked me who cut the wire and I told him that I had enough confidence in my master tech to know it was not how he worked. He asked who did, I said Charlie maybe it was you. I did say that but out of frustration in being hammered to pay an additional $900 bill for work he authorized on his own.We did the right thing, we did not take the cheap route and splice the original cut harness, we could have, and no one would have been the wiser. But I would, and as the owner, that is not how I want things done.

We absorbed the cost of the first harness to keep the deal together for Mr. Spencer and the seller. When we found out we broke that retaining clip we had a new harness to them within two days. We paid another $900 in repair charges to both of those Lake Lanier area repair facilities for these issues.

When we are wrong we will admit it, but we are not going to be bullied with threats to โ€œtrash us all over the internetโ€. I am smart enough to know that most people look at the big picture when deciding who they want to do business with and we are closing in on 25 years. This business was started from scratch working out of my garage with my brother. There was no rich uncle, no annuity, just hard work and the drive to please our customers and grow our business to where it is today.

I am enough of a realist to know that everyone is not going to be happy, but I am comfortable with the โ€œsilent majorityโ€ who do not bully on the internet. There is no PR department, just myself, my sons and a great staff who are not by any means perfect, but always try to be.

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Anonymous
map-marker Gulf Shores, Alabama

Too much family in charge ( sales manager)

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Went to buy a t&d camper cash in hand -$20k but after hearing the sales manager ( owners son) talk down to his salesmen in front of customers I decided to do my bussiness elsewhere !!! When i told him that he said that would be ok !!!
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Nazyia Mly
map-marker Gulf Shores, Alabama

Service / Sales

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Several months ago I wrote a review about the service I received at Paradise. I was extremely please with every aspect of the service on my Honda outboard. They kept me informed on what they were doing and the cost. When I picked up the boat the info was reviewed, again and all repairs were completed the 1st time. TODAY I PURCHASE A USED 2007 CENTURY W/TWIN 150 YAMAHAS FROM PARADISE FOR $48K. Jerred did an excellent job. The sea trails were not rushed. Several items were identified that didn't work correctly, but Jerred said he would have everything fixed (and this was a used boat). Jerred even found to 2.7% financing. I DON'T KNOW HOW IT COULD HAVE BEEN A BETTER EXPERIENCE. Dan Chavis danc@***.com
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Reason of review:
both sales and service were good
Anonymous
map-marker Michie, Tennessee

Paradise Marine Center Boat Repair Review from Michie, Tennessee

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I dropped off my skiff for 100 hour service on the motor. When I showed up my battery was dead due to master switch being left on, and the seals on my hydrolic steering had to be replaced due to running the jack plate and steering into the transom. None of which they owned up to. I picked the boat up on a Friday afternoon and noticed several of the mechanics were already drinking beers. Not what I was looking forward to from the mechanics. I would not recomend these clowns for any boat work. Dishonest is an understatement!
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Reason of review:
Poor customer service
1 comment
Guest

205 541-****

If you need to discuss

Anonymous
map-marker Nicholasville, Kentucky

Paradise Marine Center - Review in Boats and Bikes category from Nicholasville, Kentucky

Rip off company, overcharges, lies and takes customers to the cleaners!
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Reason of review:
Poor customer service
2 comments
Guest

No details -- useless post. And no, I don't work for Paradise.

Guest

Looks like someone had a bad day....next time you blast someone, count to 10, and spare all of us of your emotionally-laden post. If you're going to complain, please do it with some kind of substance and facts. We jump through hoops for our customers here at Paradise, but one thing is true....you can't make everybody happy.

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Anonymous

No followup on customer trying to purchase an Suzuki 150/175 reposer

Went to P M Gulfshores on Sat 27Sep14 wanting to reposer my 19 Cape Horn with a new engine. Finally located a sale consultant that was only able to give me an out the door quote on a Black DF150 Suzuki that he causually mentioned it didn't include de-rigging my boat which would be another 5-600 dollars. There was no one else to talk to about specifics that would close a deal on the right size motor for my boat. So, I gave my number and asked that they followup... To date not no phone call or even an email. So, last week I went to Posner Marine in Pensacola and discussed my boat with Jeff the owner and closed the deal on a White DF175 (which is the color I really wanted, and the HP for my particular needs). That motor is being installed as I write this. It is apparent to me that PM Gulfshores has more than just customer relation problems - Funny, because the day I went over to the Gulf Shores location my wife said that their facilities were so well manicured that they were only in it for the short money and didn't need Happy Return Customers.
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2 comments
Guest

The gentleman who posted this report just bought a brand new pontoon from Paradise Marine and is happy as can be. Given the correct opportunity, Paradise Marine will exceed your boat buying expectations.

Maybe he'll take his post down now that he bought a boat from us...??

Guest

I was able to find your contact info in our system, so I will be calling you personally this evening to apologize for your bad experience at our dealership, but I'll comment on here as well so people will know that we don't take reviews like this lightly.

First off...Saturdays are usually pretty crazy around here, with the 2-3 salesman scattered about, usually attending to customers or headed to the water for deliveries.

The salesman you spoke with was quite new, only a few weeks on the job. Repowers are not cookie-cutter by any means and it takes some good knowledge to quote the job correctly, as there are many variables. With that said, rather than to give bad information and an incomplete quote, that particular salesman was instructed to quote only our current repower specials, which we have posted on our website. Those specials do advertise the fact that the price doesn't include de-rigging your current boat, which can vary based on the application.

He also was not setup to quote any white motors or anything other than the few specials we had running at the time. Where he failed miserably, however, was not getting your information into the proper hands to provide you a full quote. A repower specialist should have contacted you that afternoon or by Monday morning to discuss your boat, the needed controls, steering setup, etc. That obviously never happened, as your info never made it to the repower specialist, and on top of that, the salesman never followed up himself.

Yes, we keep the grounds clean and manicured, and we do that with the customer in mind. Everything we do around here is geared to provide a better customer experience. The drive-in test tank, the boat awnings, the huge service bays, the well-stocked parts department, etc. And, no, we are not in this business for the short money.

Paradise Marine was started 20 years ago in a driveway. Our first actual location had goats out back...real live goats. It took thousands of customers to get to where we are now, and the majority of those customers provide repeat business.

Regardless, the level of customer service you received was poor and the lack of a simple follow-up is inexcusable.

Internally, we will make an example out of your particular experience in an attempt to make sure it never happens again. We do a lot of repowers and take pride in bringing boats back to life. We certainly dropped the ball in getting you squared away, and for that we apologize.

With all of that said...you are going to absolutely love that new Suzuki.

They are awesome outboards.

If we can be of assistance in any way going forward, know that you can count on us to provide the level of customer service and communication that you, the customer, deserve.

Sincerely, Jarett Myers GM & Sales Manager Paradise Marine Center

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ninrfan D
map-marker Las Vegas, Nevada

Paradise Marine Center Gulf Shores Warning

Warning owner Gene Meyers voids sale of used boat for his benifit. I had a verbal Good Faith Agreement on a price and a view date with his sales pewrsonover the phone. He was going out of town for two weeks and the viewing was set for his return. I live out of state.Gene Meyers/GOD then uses my agrement to push his buyer and the price up to his buyer! Poor soul! He also cheats his employee out of a sale! What a boss! I was told that the boat was sold after I had air ticket and cash ready for transfer. After speaking to Gene Meyers he does not honar verbal agreements! But the agreement was good enough to use to close his deal! What a GOD act!
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1 comment
Guest

I have purchased 3 boats from Paradise marine over the years and my experience has been nothing but excellent

johnhigdon
map-marker Destin, Florida

Paradise Marine center, Gulf Shores

I took my boat in for a 200 hour service and told it would take one week. I am now still waiting 3 weeks later. I am pissed....!!! do not use Paradise Marine Center, Gulf Shores Ala. 6940A Highway North Gulf Shores, AL 36542 251-968-**** - local 888-968-**** - free I think if you tell a customer that one week is all you will wait....I believe it should be a week and not 3 weeks. I am still waiting for it and I am getting very mad and want to tell everyone I can about them so you do not get scammed by them as well.
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Loss:
$1000
2 comments
Guest

I am sorry that we could not meet the gentleman's time frame on completing his boat repairs boat service. The boat repair order was logged in on 10-2 and we finished all of the work 10-16, except for one quick cosmetic job which was awaiting a Yamaha part. This transpired over 10 working days, he was quoted 7 working days. There was also some Yamaha warranty work that had to be approved as well and that part was ordered during this process but not until the boat came up on the mechanic's work board. We may have been able to order that part sooner but we usually require the techs to look the repair over and verify exactly what is needed.

I would consider it a ripoff if we had put used parts on his motor, or did some shady work, but that was not the case. We got behind and for that I apologize, but we did not rip this gentleman off, in any way shape or form. We were just unable to do it within the time frame he was told.

Gene Myers

Owner

Paradise Marine Center

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-704696

I agree!!!! These people cannot hold to what their mouths spit out.

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