Still in business....?!?!?

[Stephan]

I went looking for a male 1/4 quick disconnect for my Tohatsu O.B. fuel line and this is what I found...
Defender...
View attachment 171608

To be up front, I do have a horse in this race.
I, too, have used SBO for items I've needed for my boats and I applaud their service. Excellent!! If I did not have a store full of marine equipment, that would be my go-to place for gear they offer and it is my go-to for gear I do not have.

I feel compelled to point out a less obvious detail that I noticed in the original post and one that I find occurring more and more as I compare items. Defender is the only fuel line connector among the list that is a true OEM part. The only one in the original posting that is actually from Tohatsu's Komegane factory in Japan.
Which part would you prefer?? Yup, that is what I thought There is a difference in quality.

Stay safe & warm everyone!!
Stephan

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

WM high prices use a convenience store model. If you need something quick it might be your best option. The match price is something that works if you bring a printed page or smart phone. Their house brand is intended to circumvent price matches (you can’t find WM branded stuff at other stores) and improve margins (often sacrificing quality, as in the example picture in the original post above showing inferior machining). But sometimes WM is the same as a branded item with a different label, for example; in the past I’ve bought WM bilge pumps that were identical to Johnson pumps.
They do have higher overhead than some other types of operators. And they do have some very helpful staff. Years ago I wanted a cruising guide for an area I didn’t have, and called a store near a port we could stop at, to see if it was in stock. The manager said they did, and when he learned we were out cruising (and didn’t have ground transportation) he offered to bring it to a dock after the store closed. No I didn’t ask for a price match that time.

 

[DAVA390]

Ive had to buy 3-4 Tohatsu couplers over the last couple of years, discovered early on the WM generic ones always leaked, have to buy Tohatsu brand ones.

 

[NYSail]

My West Marine will price match defender..... so I go in with a plan and walk out with good prices. Otherwise I buy from Defender.... arrives next day for me.

 

[dlochner]

I think their business model has shifted somewhat in a way I don't understand.

A few years back WM decided to focus on "Lifestyle" products rather than marine products. Thus, more clothing, water toys, paddle boards, etc. Annapolis Performance Sailing just went this direction too, hardware and rigging gone mostly clothing and personal gear. Their prices seem to have followed WM too. I just checked a price on an Ocean Signal MOB1, $339 at APS, $279 at Landfall Navigation.

 

[dlochner]

To be up front, I do have a horse in this race.
I, too, have used SBO for items I've needed for my boats and I applaud their service. Excellent!! If I did not have a store full of marine equipment, that would be my go-to place for gear they offer and it is my go-to for gear I do not have.

I feel compelled to point out a less obvious detail that I noticed in the original post and one that I find occurring more and more as I compare items. Defender is the only fuel line connector among the list that is a true OEM part. The only one in the original posting that is actually from Tohatsu's Komegane factory in Japan.
Which part would you prefer?? Yup, that is what I thought There is a difference in quality.

Stay safe & warm everyone!!
Stephan

This post is evidence that some marine stores try to stay in touch with their customer base.

Do we see Ken Seiple, WM's CEO lurking on a forum?

Thanks Stephan for weighing in.

 

[rgranger]

Do we see Ken Seiple, WM's CEO lurking on a forum?

Or Defenders. #?

BTW: I ended up going with Defender’s

 

[shemandr]

Defender would do itself some good by re-doing the website. I find it awkward to use and unless you know the exact name for an item the search will return all kinds of wonky stuff. I'm sorry WM has so few customers in Daytona. I saw something similar in the Best Buy here. And the Dick's Sporting goods. I believe they are all publicly held. I think they all probably lose money. But in the new economy that doesn't mean going out of business. As long as that stock price goes up losing money is acceptable. Seems insane to me.

 

[Stephan]

Defender would do itself some good by re-doing the website. I find it awkward to use and unless you know the exact name for an item the search will return all kinds of wonky stuff. I'm sorry WM has so few customers in Daytona. I saw something similar in the Best Buy here. And the Dick's Sporting goods. I believe they are all publicly held. I think they all probably lose money. But in the new economy that doesn't mean going out of business. As long as that stock price goes up losing money is acceptable. Seems insane to me.

I do not disagree Shemander.
The search function does return some wonky results. Even for those of us who know exactly what we are looking for
A better back-end search partner has been identified and selected.
My old Vendor-partner did not evolve in a manner that I had hoped or expected.

Thank you, Andrew, for that feedback. Much appreciated.
Stephan

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

I do not disagree Shemander.
The search function does return some wonky results. Even for those of us who know exactly what we are looking for
A better back-end search partner has been identified and selected.
My old Vendor-partner did not evolve in a manner that I had hoped or expected.

Thank you, Andrew, for that feedback. Much appreciated.
Stephan

Hi Stephan- happy to see you still watching the forums

 

[BigEasy]

A few years back WM decided to focus on "Lifestyle" products rather than marine products. Thus, more clothing, water toys, paddle boards, etc.

Was in Pensacola this past weekend. WM closed their warehouse type of store where most of the marinas are located and relocated close to the indoor shopping mall! Go figure; lots of boats there. They also closed their store in my town; however, there are two within 30 minutes. Needed a tube of 3M 4200 recently, so I drove to WM, paid appx $31! Wound up needing another one so I ordered from Amazon for $19.50. I have spent a few thousand $ at WM over the years; however, it’s the last place that I now search. In my mind they have lost appeal and competitive edge.

 

[Stephan]

Hi Stephan- happy to see you still watching the forums

Much more appealing than watching the news, for sure
Hope that you are well, Charlie.
S-

 

[cb32863]

Seriously, at least once a year someone has to go on a WM rant. If you really despise shopping them, then don't. It is all pretty simple. Get over it already.....

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Seriously, at least once a year someone has to go on a WM rant. If you really despise shopping them, then don't. It is all pretty simple. Get over it already.....

It’s an annual event.

 

[rgranger]

But it is my first...

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

Much more appealing than watching the news, for sure
Hope that you are well, Charlie.
S-

Thanks- still not recovered totally from back surgery, but improving. Sadly, the new Achilles is still in it's packing crate. Just haven't been up to unpacking it

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Here’s a thought - who’s fault is it that WM doesn’t cater to sailboat owners?

For ‘extra points’ - does anyone think WM doesn’t consider ROI in terms of how they stock their retail floor space?

 

[dlochner]

I do not disagree Shemander.
The search function does return some wonky results. Even for those of us who know exactly what we are looking for
A better back-end search partner has been identified and selected.
My old Vendor-partner did not evolve in a manner that I had hoped or expected.

Thank you, Andrew, for that feedback. Much appreciated.
Stephan

I must be spending too much time searching for things on Defender, I can usually find what I'm looking for pretty quickly.

However, while we have Defender's attention and they are looking to upgrade the backend of the website, can a Wishlist be added? I often find things that I'll need down the road or the cost of shipping relative to the cost of the item puts it on at "wait list" until I have a larger order. Then I forget what it was I wanted.

And thanks for listening to your customers.

 

[Brian S]

I was in a WM store recently, it was kind of spooky. A large empty store with a couple of employees just hanging around.

Defender and Hamilton Marine in Searsport ME are my favorite marine stores followed closely by Fawcetts in Annapolis. There are knowledgeable people in both stores and all three stores have an old school feel about them, lots of stocks not much glitz.

Hamilton Marine is really Old School. There is a sign by the public restroom in the store that says, "Quiet Please, this is our call center" or something like that. Just outside the restroom door are a few desks with people on phones, it is their call center. I've ordered stuff from them and when they aren't sure of the stock you can hear the operator call on the store's PA "Hey, Jim, can you check to see if we have XXX on the shelf." I always make a point of stopping there (and buying something) when I pass through Searsport.

I was in Defender a couple years ago and had a question about something, the VP of the company was behind the counter and answered the question. Don't get that at WM.

The smaller stores seem more in touch with their customers, I prefer dealing with those companies. I'd even pay a little extra for the service and ambiance.

I am super upset that Annapolis Performance Sailing has decided to eliminate all their hardware (and I assume services such as rigging and splicing) and go to just clothing and such. APS was my primary source for rope and hardware, and it was great to be able to stop in during the sailboat show, or make a day trip to drive down and see them. It was always good to be able to hold a piece of hardware in hand, and think if it was the right size, etc. for the application I had in mind. I would routinely refer to their website, though they did change the site design several years ago, to a layout that was (IMO) much worse.

Sigh.

Sometimes it feels like the more things change, the more they suck...

 

[Captain Larry-DH]

can a Wishlist be added? I often find things that I'll need down the road or the cost of shipping relative to the cost of the item puts it on at "wait list" until I have a larger order. Then I forget what it was I wanted.

The site does remember between sessions what's in your shopping cart if you're logged in when you save something, but if you want some things now and some later there are no cart options to save a part of your list for later. That would be helpful. Another thing that would be helpful is to be able to order multiple pieces of the same SKU bulk goods such as chain or rope/line so they appear as multiple line-items (instead of one total for the SKU).