free boat storage!

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The motor guy

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So I keep my boat at a storage facility and they are never in the office when I come by and they never answer the phone. I pay 6 months in advance and honestly I can't remember when I paid last. I suppose I could go through my credit card transactions and find it, or look for the receipt, but what do you do in this situation?
 
Just catch them as soon as you can...maybe they are just busy lately....unless the place is going under or something.....
 
I would be looking for a new storage area. If this is an indication about how they do business, I am wondering how they are doing paying their creditors.....
 
A few more details are needed here. When did you last pay?
I like the idea of writing them a letter. Send two. Send them "return receipt requested" and have a copy. This way you can demonstrate your willingness to pay (if it comes to that).

YOU might get a letter citing your payment delinquency. The place looking like a ghost-town might be entirely immaterial to any judgmental party which may become involved.

There could be some internal upheaval (death in family, divorce settlements) and the operation might be dumped into the hands of an agency which could endeavor to correct or update things real fast and hard.

Get your property out of their control.

You could flag down a local power company guy (or neighboring business) and ask if there are any signs of life at the storage space.

Does your "contract" with this marina/storage place include insurance? If there was a fire, would your craft be covered? Since you're well past due, would you be contractually excluded from coverage.
Late payers are commonly excluded from coverage. This arrangement lowers the marina's premium.

The weirder it goes, the sooner I'd remove my boat from the equation. You can always make amends afterward.

This is where the cost of transporting the boat to yet another site plus paying rent there is weighed against the cost of the boat. Is abandonment of the boat OK with you?

Sounds like you don't use it at all.

Secure your stuff. Even though they're not the IRS, don't let them come to you. Step up. BE THE MAN!

Telling your friends on BITOG about it is a good first step. Now do something.
 
I hate to say it, but this type of thing is typical in the boating industry. Boating businesses tend (on average) to be small, family run, and not very well run. The person in charge of billing probably lost his cell phone behind the seat in his pickup. In any case, I bet there is some work you could do on the boat (isn't there always?). Hang out working on your boat for a bit and see who else shows up at the storage facility and ask them what the story is. Can you mail them a certified letter asking about it? Then you would have proof that you asked. By the way, I like this aspect of the boating industry--small personalized service if you find the right facilities. My boatyard guy has my number on his cell phone and I have his--I can call him any time and he picks right up--often in the middle of doing something, but I can always find out exactly what is going on.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Mail them a letter


Yep. Certified, delivery receipt.
 
I went back and looked at my credit card records, looks like it's due this month sometime. I sent them an email, so we will see what happens. I had to copy and paste the address into my own email, cause their little email setup on their website wouldn't let me send anything. At least I'm not late yet... I do remember the guy saying email was the best way to get in touch. They weren't really too concerned about late payers if I remember right, since the guy admitted to not being organized at all. He was like well if you say you tried calling a bunch of times we will wave any late fees..... idiots. I keep the boat here cause it's farther away from the water in case of a hurricane, plus they're half the price of everyone else.
 
Ok so I contacted the owner by email and he's saying I'm a month behind and tacked on all these late fees, while I have the receipt in hand in which I paid 6 months in advance and it shows it's due on the 18th of this month.
 
I had a similar situation where I was dealing with this nice older guy. Then the daughter stepped in and started running things. Super pretty but as mean as a bat.
 
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Ok so I contacted the owner by email and he's saying I'm a month behind and tacked on all these late fees, while I have the receipt in hand in which I paid 6 months in advance and it shows it's due on the 18th of this month.


Did you send him a photo of the receipt? Sounds like his record keeping is almost nonexistent.
 
Go get your boat. If cornered, say you're taking it for the weekend.

Next fall you can see if he's cooled down or not. If you have paperwork proving you're in the right, you are.
wink.gif
 
Just to update everyone. He finally got his ducks in a row and realized I only owe $18.00 to make it so I'm paid until the first of June. Now he still doesn't answer the phone so I can pay him via credit card. I really like this place cause it's cheap and far enough away to not get flooded in a hurricane, but I don't know what else to do. He gave me the total to pay for 6 months, but I won't pay him unless I get a receipt, which is why I go down to the office. He doesn't have an online site to pay. I'm thinking about writing an email saying you won't receive payment until I receive a phone call in person from him.
 
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