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Author Topic:   Jihad Against Navico Now Ending

glen e posted 06-01-2009 10:13 PM ET (US)
If you missed it, I recently posted that Navico--owners of Lowrance, B&G, Simrad, Eagle and Northstar--had less than stellar customer service. And was quickly accused of having some ulterior motive. Not really, it just sucked. And as I work for an authorized dealer of Navico and every other brand ever mentioned here, I was reporting my experience, nothing else. Wait times on the phone were excruciating, sometimes as long as 45 minutes.
I am happy to report that they have taken a huge step to solve this by providing direct dealer hotlines so the dealers can get answers for customers rather than calling and getting in the sme line as the customers they are trying to help. Last week Navico opened up two major help desks for dealers and the wait times are respectible. In the last week I have called 3 times and never waited longer than 5 minutes or so. In addition, the AMERICANS in Oklahoma on the line are knowledgeable and very helpful.
How does this help the average Joe on the street? Because now the customer lines are less crowded as the dealers are not there. That and the dealer can get answers when you call
Congrats Naivco, and thanks for listening, we really do like your products.
SC Joe posted 06-01-2009 10:18 PM ET (US)
Glen-
You should call and ask about Northstar GPS products.
If you call 3 different times in a row, you'll get 3 different answers for the same question..and none appear correct.
glen e posted 06-01-2009 10:25 PM ET (US)
They are definitely still trying to sort out all the brands under one roof. The other thing I have found is many individual parts have been grouped into assemblies that cost more. For example the Simrad AP pump used to be pump and motor for 500 each, now all you can get is the assembly for 1100. Certainly done to condense on hand inventory, a sign of the times.
The other thing happening in the biz is all mfrs are carrying a lot less stock. We routinely have backorders from Garmin, Furuno and Raymarine as they are lowing stock levels and doing much more "just in time" shipments. This is real different than 2008.
jimh posted 06-01-2009 10:47 PM ET (US)
Since I am not in the business of selling marine electronics, I don't have a stake in the game of how well a particular manufacturer supports its dealers. It might be of interest to some to peer behind the curtain and learn about the manufacturer to dealer relationships and protocols, but I don't think it is an overriding concern for most consumers of recreational marine electronics.
As I have explained already, I found the high frequency with which this topic has been introduced into otherwise unrelated discussion to be somewhat unusual and perhaps indicative of a campaign or intentional introduction of the topic.
The integration of so many brands under one corporation will likely result in some changes in the way they operate, and perhaps more so with their dealers than with their retail customers.
As I said before, free support is like free beer. I do enjoy free beer and when it is cold and tasty free beer, even better.
glen e posted 06-01-2009 10:51 PM ET (US)
Very typical response from you Jim, I expected nothing less.
jimh posted 06-01-2009 11:18 PM ET (US)
Glen--Does that mean you will buy me a beer next time I visit?
SJUAE posted 06-02-2009 04:33 AM ET (US)
glen
Thanks for the feed back as you promised, a little sooner than we all expected.
Regards
Steve

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Author	Topic: Jihad Against Navico Now Ending
glen e	posted 06-01-2009 10:13 PM ET (US) If you missed it, I recently posted that Navico--owners of Lowrance, B&G, Simrad, Eagle and Northstar--had less than stellar customer service. And was quickly accused of having some ulterior motive. Not really, it just sucked. And as I work for an authorized dealer of Navico and every other brand ever mentioned here, I was reporting my experience, nothing else. Wait times on the phone were excruciating, sometimes as long as 45 minutes. I am happy to report that they have taken a huge step to solve this by providing direct dealer hotlines so the dealers can get answers for customers rather than calling and getting in the sme line as the customers they are trying to help. Last week Navico opened up two major help desks for dealers and the wait times are respectible. In the last week I have called 3 times and never waited longer than 5 minutes or so. In addition, the AMERICANS in Oklahoma on the line are knowledgeable and very helpful. How does this help the average Joe on the street? Because now the customer lines are less crowded as the dealers are not there. That and the dealer can get answers when you call Congrats Naivco, and thanks for listening, we really do like your products.
SC Joe	posted 06-01-2009 10:18 PM ET (US) Glen- You should call and ask about Northstar GPS products. If you call 3 different times in a row, you'll get 3 different answers for the same question..and none appear correct.
glen e	posted 06-01-2009 10:25 PM ET (US) They are definitely still trying to sort out all the brands under one roof. The other thing I have found is many individual parts have been grouped into assemblies that cost more. For example the Simrad AP pump used to be pump and motor for 500 each, now all you can get is the assembly for 1100. Certainly done to condense on hand inventory, a sign of the times. The other thing happening in the biz is all mfrs are carrying a lot less stock. We routinely have backorders from Garmin, Furuno and Raymarine as they are lowing stock levels and doing much more "just in time" shipments. This is real different than 2008.
jimh	posted 06-01-2009 10:47 PM ET (US) Since I am not in the business of selling marine electronics, I don't have a stake in the game of how well a particular manufacturer supports its dealers. It might be of interest to some to peer behind the curtain and learn about the manufacturer to dealer relationships and protocols, but I don't think it is an overriding concern for most consumers of recreational marine electronics. As I have explained already, I found the high frequency with which this topic has been introduced into otherwise unrelated discussion to be somewhat unusual and perhaps indicative of a campaign or intentional introduction of the topic. The integration of so many brands under one corporation will likely result in some changes in the way they operate, and perhaps more so with their dealers than with their retail customers. As I said before, free support is like free beer. I do enjoy free beer and when it is cold and tasty free beer, even better.
glen e	posted 06-01-2009 10:51 PM ET (US) Very typical response from you Jim, I expected nothing less.
jimh	posted 06-01-2009 11:18 PM ET (US) Glen--Does that mean you will buy me a beer next time I visit?
SJUAE	posted 06-02-2009 04:33 AM ET (US) glen Thanks for the feed back as you promised, a little sooner than we all expected. Regards Steve