Dodgy Deva - Named & Shamed

Jono Garton · 16 December 2003, 19:33

Last week I found a bargain on boatsandoutboard.co.uk a Brand New, Boxed, 2003, Mercury 115hp outboard - £4500

So phoned up, Sales director confirmed everything on the advert. So paid £500 deposit.

Turned up today with trailer on, to pick it up, found it lying in the corner of a workshop, leaning against a wall. Condition - well scratched, not boxed or palleted, stamped 2002 not 2003, you could clearly see it had been fitted on a boat.

Ho w mas was i?

So got my money back and cleared off in a temper.

So Deva Marine of anglessy live up to their nick name Dodgy Deva.

Bittentobuggery · 16 December 2003, 20:00

Quote:

Originally posted by JAHNO
found it lying in the corner of a workshop, leaning against a wall.

I take it the Sales Director was lying in the corner of the warehouse (he should have been !) and the motor was leaning against the wall.

Write to Trading Standards and get them to investigate and also complain to boats and outboards so that they won't accept further placements from Dodgy Deva.

Write to Dodgy Deva, stating that they knowingly misrepresented this product and insist that they reimburse you for your (genuine) fuel costs.

Have they got a phone no. and a website. RibNet members may wish to get in touch...!!!

If you do nothing, they'll con somebody else...

All the Best

Brian

woot · 16 December 2003, 21:38

I too have recently have problems with Deva. I wanted to buy an SAS hitchlock which they were advertising at a very good price. I got the product I wanted in the end but only after about a month and a dozen irate phone calls, having twice been sent an inferior sustitute which I returned to them immediately. In the last irate call I told them whilst their level of incompetence and blatant attempts to palm me off with inferior products were amusing in a Monty Python sort of way, they would get bored before me as they were paying the postage at £5.50 per time. The next lock to be sent was the correct one. Needless to say I would not recommend them to anyone for anything and will never use them again.

Richard B · 16 December 2003, 21:53

Interesting!

A few years ago, I worked with a chap who had a part share in a ski-boat kept on Anglesey. The syndicate had the boat serviced by every marine dealer on the island in turn (never returning to the same one), and he reckoned that there wasn't an honest trader amongst them. He'd even got to the point of making sure that every service was paid for by Visa... so that he could get his card company to resolve the dispute for him - with 100% success.

All info passed on in good faith. Don't know if your "mates" at Deva were included in this little motley crew or not.

MeMe · 17 December 2003, 07:34

My boss bought a brand new Binliner from them about 18 months ago and does nothing but bitch about the very poor after sales service he gets. KEEP CLEAR.

Jono Garton · 17 December 2003, 22:04

on the other hand, they did give me my deposit back with no problem.

MeMe · 18 December 2003, 08:11

back pedaling you yellow belly, just because you know someone will email them advising them to look here and see you've started a hate campaign.

Windchill · 18 December 2003, 08:35

There is much anecdotal evidence of Deva's shady behaviour locally. However, there ARE good dealers on the Island, particularly Dulas Boat & Caravans.

Unfortunately, due to the value of the ads they place, I fel you'd be had pressed to get any web site/publication to drop Deva.

Rogue Wave · 18 December 2003, 08:58

Quote:

Originally posted by MeMe
back pedaling you yellow belly, just because you know someone will email them advising them to look here and see you've started a hate campaign.

I was gonna say that but I couldn't spell back piddling

Don't forfet the Whiteshooz protocols either

Daniel · 18 December 2003, 17:10

Jono, was this a 2 or 4 stroke, i'll see if i can get you a good price.

Jono Garton · 18 December 2003, 18:53

got a 75 4 stroke now, cheers anyway

Tim M · 24 April 2006, 10:54

Seems Deva Marine are back to their old tricks. I saw an ad for a 115 Merc, advertised at an amazing price. Phoned them up, and like Jonno paid £500 over the phone as a deposit. Sent a cheque the next day for the rest. That was on the 5th of April (19 days ago). When they got the cheque I got a call saying that I had sent them £500 too little. I was in a shop at the time I assumed I had made a mistake. Bloke phoned me back five minutes later and told me he forgot I had paid a deposit so all was fine.

Annnnwaayyyy, Easter came and went. I had half assumed the engine to be delivered on the Friday before Easter (the deva bloke said it might be if the cheque cleared in time) but alas it wasn't. Fair enough I thought, if they don't dispatch it until the Tuesday after Easter, it will be here either on Wednesday or Thursday, that is now last week. Of course, it didnt! Phoned Deva up and was told the person I needed to talk to was unavailable and that she would phone me back shortly. She never did. This happened a further 2 times over the next 24 hours. By this time I was more an than a little irate. Phoned them up and asked for the manager. He sounded like he really hadn't got a clue what was going on. He told me he had been away and had JUST got back in the office. Said he would call me back and tell me what was going on. I said no whey not again, so he put me on hold while he went to find out. Came back a moment or two later and said that the engine would be dispatched the next day (Friday) by 24 delivery, and that it would be delivered on Saturday morning. He also told me they hadn't sent it sooner because it had taken them 2 hours to get it on a pallet and wrap it up. Absolute rubbish: the engine was already packed up (in the photos that they sent me before I bought it) so all they had to do was stick a bit of bubble wrap around it and then send it.

Anyway waited in most of Saturday hoping that the damn thing would arrive. Once again it didnt (do pallet companies even deliver on Saturdays??). I thought to my self its been nearly 3 weeks now, it MUST come today (Monday). It's now 11.52 and it hasnt. I phoned Deva about 20 minutes ago to find out WTF is going on. I explained the situation to a lady, who said the lady I needed to talk to was off sick today. She took my details and told me she would phone me back in a minute to tell me when the engine would be sent. I bet she doesnt!!!! By her own admission she didn't know what was going on in the office....

Dodgy Deva indeed!!!

Tim M · 24 April 2006, 13:06

It gets even better:

Two hours later since they said theyd phone me back and I decided to call them yet again. Spoke to a bloke (who knew my name so they must be getting p**sed off with me now) who GARRENTEED the engine would be here today. Five minutes later the woman from this morning calls me back to tell me the same thing (organised office). When I start ranting on about their service she says "sorry your breaking up" (yer right). At this point I hung up.
Soo....the engine has about 2 hours to get here. I wonder if it will......

Jono Garton · 24 April 2006, 14:11

give me a call.

you know your engines a yank import dont you?

Tim M · 24 April 2006, 14:15

I didn't know that; what makes you think that it is?

ADS · 24 April 2006, 15:39

Hope you get it sorted Tim

GED · 24 April 2006, 15:47

I live in the middle of north wales boating area where there are more boat dealers and chandlers than you can shake a stick at, so why do the local established boaty people prefer to buy their engines and have their boats serviced over 60 miles away in liverpool power boats......makes you think

Tideway · 24 April 2006, 20:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jono Garton

Last week I found a bargain on boatsandoutboard.co.uk a Brand New, Boxed, 2003, Mercury 115hp outboard - £4500

If it was the 2 stroke Optimax, then a lucky escape, twas a stop gap engine at the 115hp size and the one we had was heavy, noisy, thirsty and sounded like a bag of spanners. We may have been unlucky, but we went straight back onto Yams for the next boat.

t

Tim M · 24 April 2006, 23:47

The engine has finally manifested it'self. Its the bag of spanners version I fear......

More to come shortly.....

ADS · 25 April 2006, 00:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim M

The engine has finally manifested it'self. Its the bag of spanners version I fear......

More to come shortly.....

Is it a 115 efi, or a 115 opti Tim?