Defender Marine

Stephan · Jun 24, 2012

Hi Lost, I'd like to hear about the details of your inquiry.

Lost Parent said:
I guess my concern was I DID phone and talked to someone who could not help me , they asked me to email them a serial which is what I did 3 times and got no response.

If you don't mind, I'd like to know what the inquiry was about and what transpired. Please call me during the week or write me directly: slance at defender.com

If there is a breakdown, I'd like to understand where it is.

Best,

Stephan

Maine Sail · Jun 24, 2012

Stephan said:
If you don't mind, I'd like to know what the inquiry was about and what transpired. Please call me during the week or write me directly: slance at defender.com

If there is a breakdown, I'd like to understand where it is.

Best,

Stephan

This is why Defender is soooooooo good. The owner of the company steps into this thread on a Sunday to try and figure out where the issues are..

As always, thanks Stephan for all you and your crew does to make the transaction process as smooth as possible..

Maine Sail · Jun 24, 2012

firehoser75 said:
Stephan himself responded to me (several times) with very detailed explanations regarding my inquiry into a new RIB. Defender's prices were the best I could find (by far). Stephan answered several questions and concerns I had, however, due to shipping costs for such a large item (not Defender's fault) to the west coast and my concern for the big "what if" (warranty issues) for Defender's own brand of RIB (and no local "depot"), I decided to pay more locally and have a dealer I could (hopefully not) return the boat to for any warranty issues.

I purchased one of Defenders new RIB's, over the winter, for one of my customers. I can assure you guys this is HANDS DOWN the best value inflatable on the market. It was over $1000.00 less than the next competitor and their product does not use real Hypalon.

The Defender RIB I purchased is made with real Hypalon, not the knock off stuff, well thought out, huge tubes, light, dry ride and has a build in keel guard. It is BETTER QUALITY than my AB RIB and the AB is a premium product. Our next RIB will be one of Stephan's Defender RIB's without a doubt.

No one can beat the new Defender RIB's....

higgs · Jun 24, 2012

Defender is legit. Perhaps this is a case of a blown account falling through the cracks. Stuff does happen even with the best of companies.

lehighsail · Jun 24, 2012

I was in NE Connecticut over the weekend of June 2-3 and decided to travel to Waterford on the way home to NJ even though its out of the way, to visit Defender. Its way off the highway and right near..nothing. It is WORTH the ride. The place is great, and the staff was friendly, helpful, informative and just plain fun. We made our way to almost every department and were not disappointed anywhere. Its like a marine Home Depot with great prices. They had to throw us out at closing. We left with our arms full of goodies and would definitely return. The ride home west through some quaint seaside towns was just added fun. Do visit if you are in the area.

Deadhead · Aug 3, 2012

Kudos to Defender

Last Saturday morning we were preparing to leave for a weekend at either Still Pond or Worton Creek. It was to be a final shakedown before we leave for a 2 week cruise to Mobjack Bay, Norfolk and the Cape Charles area this Saturday. So far the solar array, bluetooth stereo, AIS and other upgrades have been working nicely.

So after checking the fluids, VHF, engine hrs., batteries, water, diesel, etc. I got to the navigation system. Shortly after powering it up I received a "No Heading Available" alarm on the chartplotter. This was followed several seconds later by a "Seatalk Fail 1" that morphed into a "Seatalk Failure" on the autopilot.

Out came the multimeter & jumper wires. And a lot of reviewing the answers page on Raymarine's Technical Support website - which I found to be very helpful btw. Eventually I determined that the RS-125 GPS receiver appeared to be the problem. Great, except this is an obsolete unit that has been replaced by the RS-130. (My 2008 vintage system is outdated . . .)

Unfortunately the RS-130 only communicates via Seatalk next generation cabling. However, there is a converter that can be purchased separately. Defender had both with good prices, but I would need to wait until the end of the work week (today) to install the new equipment. So I figured this is what West Marine is made for - price match Defender and get back up and running almost imediately so that the additional troubleshooting and problem solving would not extend into the first days of the cruise. Unfortunately no West Marine within range of me had either a 130 or the converter kit.

I called Defender at 2:50 on Saturday afternoon to place the order. The young lady listened to my tale of woe and how I determined the problem was the RS-125. She was not sure that the converter would allowing communication in both directions between the seatalk legacy instruments and the new seatalk ng GPS. She suggested that call Raymarine support Monday to ensure that I was not purchasing something that would not solve my problem.

(Note that I could not find a RS-125 on eBay, Amazon or anywhere else online.)

I called Raymarine at 8:01 Monday morning and spoke to a tech about midday. The fellow agreed with my determination that the RS-125 was faulty. He did say that they had been very reliable units but I probably did have bad one.

I called Defender at about 1:00 Monday afternoon and ordered the RS-130 and converter. They were on my desk Tuesday before noon! Installed both today (not without issues - thank you Raymarine support) and am back-up and running. Vacation starts tomorrow.

Kudos to Defender for having a live body there at 3:00 on a Saturday who took the time to listen and, more importantly, knew what she didn't know and was not afraid to tell me so. She did know that Defender could get me the parts in a heartbeat once they knew they were the right parts.

And Raymarine's technical support was very good also. Getting alive body was a bit of challenge but the guy in Monday and the guy today were both excellent.

And now on to vacation . . .

DH

DougM · Aug 3, 2012

I too have to add my Kudos about Defender. They always seem tohave the items I need in stock, and delivery is amazingly prompt. Prices cannot be beat. Since I live in the East, its convenient for me.

If I was west of the Mississippi, I would try to buy from Phil since he also seems to have an excellent Reputation.

cb32863 · Aug 4, 2012

Now if only they would open a satellite store here in the Minneapolis area.....

Bought stuff from them via the web and will continue to do so as their prices are hard to beat and I am not going to drive over to the local WM with a printout from the web, just order it from Defender.

Jollyroger · Aug 4, 2012

I've bought lots of stuff from them, on line and by phone, and I think they are the tops.

SEMIJim · Aug 4, 2012

I had my first experience with Defender last week. Our Harken winches needed (still need) servicing. After exchanging a couple emails with Harken, I called a certain national chain with a local store to order the stuff. One bit was not a standard stocking item and would take two weeks to get. "So," I thought, "time to find out if Defender is all it's cracked up to be." Defender had all three items in stock, they shipped the same day, and I had them two days later.

I'll still buy from the chain with the local store, when I can, because I believe in giving local businesses (or, at least, chains with local representation) my business, but I won't hesitate to order from Defender, again, when the need arises.

Jim

Sail123 · Aug 4, 2012

Two months ago, I ordered 4 mooring bits. They shipped 3, kept all the money. Said the other one was back ordered. I called them a couple weeks later, and they said the back order was till August. They are just sitting on my money till August!

Well, it is now August, and I am still waiting. I have every confidence the order will ship, but I needed 4 to do a project, if they could not fill the order, they should have contacted me, rather than sending a partial order, and leaving me hanging short. Hanging short, with my money in their pocket.

Not drilling any holes in my boat till I have all the parts in.

Limbo.................

ifmdalvey · Aug 5, 2012

Nice to see the Boss replying and explaining the policy, not many companies respond like that, well done Defender.

Sail123 · Aug 6, 2012

I get a phone call today. Out of state. From Defender.

I own a small business, and when someone calls me I can usually tell pretty quickly if they are trying to sell me something or data mining. The guy asked if I was so in so? I asked who was calling? He rattled of something quickly, I did not recognize and again asked if I were so in so? Called me by my first and last name. I told him he has one more chance to tell me what this was about and then I was hanging up. He again asked me if I was so in so? I hung up. A little ticked off at how pushy these telemarketers can be.

I have a voice mail that clearly says CLEARLY SAYS do not leave a message, please leave text messages to this number. The voice mail says the voice mail is never checked. Voice mail says text, do not leave message.

A minute after the first call, I get a second call from this same number. I declined it. So what does the guy do, he leaves me a voice message.

I get about one voice message a year, because most people are pretty good at following instructions.

Turns out it was Defender. Why in heavens name did the snow ball on the phone not just tell me the call was about was about my Mooring Bit order????

The voice mail said I was incorrect about some information in my post here. The voice mail was polite. Again, why say something on a voice mail, and not just tell me what the call was about in the first place?????

I am not sure what I stated in my post that was incorrect? Maybe they have not charged me for the back ordered part? That is possible. The answering machine message did not say.

Back ordered for months? That is correct.

I have no memory of them letting me know they were back ordering part of my order until i called them Maybe they tried calling like they were the FBI or IRS like this time. I always treat those calls the same. Click.

I have ordered a couple things from them. Those orders went OK. I ordered $200 a gallon paint, and the paint was fine. Shipped in one plastic bag to contain any leaks and a light duty cardboard box. That shipping was iffy but it made it, and the price was $140 less than a local shop that would have had to order it in.

I think there prices are great.

If I had ordered blinds for our home, and the company processed the order, charged my credit card, and only shipped 80% of the order, back ordering the remaining 20% for months, would most homeowners accept that?

Defender, you post here, if I am wrong about something here, feel free to correct me in open forum. I really do not enjoy our telephone conversations. Lol.

The whole story is I need 5 mooring bits. At 70+ bucks a pop, I wanted to see one and decide on project after I looked over the quality. I decided to do the project and ordered 4 more. The second order of 4, shipped 3 and back ordered 1 till August sometime.

I know the pains of retail, and trying to please an often times ungrateful public. It is never an easy job. I think one key to a successful business relationship with customers is communication. Hopefully this will help that key factor along.

Drill at ready, patiently waiting for one more mooring bit.

JK_Boston_Catalina310 · Aug 6, 2012

Sail123 said:
I think one key to a successful business relationship with customers is communication.

How are they supposed to communicate if you don't answer the phone or give the person on the phone a chance to explain themself? And as far as the "text" line on your voice mail, I don't know if you realize that you can't text from business lines. What is the guy supposed to do, use his personal cell to text you?

Personally, I have had no issues with Defender. I have ordered from them many times, including this last spring when I order 2 gallons of bottom paint, a 35 lb Manson Supreme anchor and rhode (chain and rope). All of which arrived via UPS ground in two days. And considerably less then going to WM to buy the stuff.

Please keep up the good work Defender!

sling · Aug 6, 2012

need help on my 33.5 hunter 1989.
can't get it to the max rpm or speed

SEMIJim · Aug 6, 2012

Sail123 said:
I have a voice mail that clearly says CLEARLY SAYS do not leave a message, please leave text messages to this number. The voice mail says the voice mail is never checked. Voice mail says text, do not leave message.

So if they want to communicate with you, you cannot or will not answer the phone, and they don't have texting ability: I guess there'll be no communication.

Handy.

Jim

Stephan · Aug 6, 2012

Sail123. I emailed you yesterday & called 3 X today.

Sail123 said:
I get a phone call today. Out of state. From Defender.

I own a small business, and when someone calls me I can usually tell pretty quickly if they are trying to sell me something or data mining. The guy asked if I was so in so? I asked who was calling? He rattled of something quickly, I did not recognize and again asked if I were so in so? Called me by my first and last name. I told him he has one more chance to tell me what this was about and then I was hanging up. He again asked me if I was so in so? I hung up. A little ticked off at how pushy these telemarketers can be.

I have a voice mail that clearly says CLEARLY SAYS do not leave a message, please leave text messages to this number. The voice mail says the voice mail is never checked. Voice mail says text, do not leave message.

A minute after the first call, I get a second call from this same number. I declined it. So what does the guy do, he leaves me a voice message.

I get about one voice message a year, because most people are pretty good at following instructions.

Turns out it was Defender. Why in heavens name did the snow ball on the phone not just tell me the call was about was about my Mooring Bit order.

The voice mail said I was incorrect about some information in my post here. The voice mail was polite. Again, why say something on a voice mail, and not just tell me what the call was about in the first place?????

I am not sure what I stated in my post that was incorrect? Maybe they have not charged me for the back ordered part? That is possible. The answering machine message did not say.

Back ordered for months? That is correct.

I have no memory of them letting me know they were back ordering part of my order until i called them Maybe they tried calling like they were the FBI or IRS like this time. I always treat those calls the same. Click.

I have ordered a couple things from them. Those orders went OK. I ordered $200 a gallon paint, and the paint was fine. Shipped in one plastic bag to contain any leaks and a light duty cardboard box. That shipping was iffy but it made it, and the price was $140 less than a local shop that would have had to order it in.

I think there prices are great.

If I had ordered blinds for our home, and the company processed the order, charged my credit card, and only shipped 80% of the order, back ordering the remaining 20% for months, would most homeowners accept that?

Defender, you post here, if I am wrong about something here, feel free to correct me in open forum. I really do not enjoy our telephone conversations. Lol.

The whole story is I need 5 mooring bits. At 70+ bucks a pop, I wanted to see one and decide on project after I looked over the quality. I decided to do the project and ordered 4 more. The second order of 4, shipped 3 and back ordered 1 till August sometime.

I know the pains of retail, and trying to please an often times ungrateful public. It is never an easy job. I think one key to a successful business relationship with customers is communication. Hopefully this will help that key factor along.

Drill at ready, patiently waiting for one more mooring bit.

Sail123,

Let me get this straight. You listened to my message that had my name, my number and my extension.......and you still decided to post here instead of calling to discuss your order???

Why!!?? What could you possibly gain from doing that??

This is a great forum for the boating community and I applaud Phil and his team for all that they do for its members. Thank you Phil !!! I apologize for the following.....

Sail123, I sent an e-mail to you after reading your post yesterday, but I'll presume that you do not check your e-mail (which is how Defender sends order confirmations and back-order notices for online orders........and other notices for online orders). So, of course you would not have seen those.

You were charged only for the items you were shipped and not for the 4th mooring bit, as you allege in your original post. Check your credit card statement [or read the e-mail I sent to you yesterday]. Defender only charges for what it ships. It has not had your money "in their pocket" for the 4th mooring bit on the order, which you placed on July 20th (not 2 months ago either, but you must have your reasons for what you wrote).

Order placed 6/20/2012.
- Email confirmation immediately sent with backorder on one piece specificied.
- On 6/26/12 Follow-up contact from Judi at Defender to let you know we were waiting on the Vendor (Whitecap) for a while (our order was placed with them in March) and did not have a firm ETA. You told her you'd let us know if you wanted to cancel (then never called back).
- 7/11/2012 Another e-mail sent to the same e-mail address you used when you ordered, to notify you that we are still waiting for the product to arrive from the supplier.

I can be reached at Defender 800-628-8225 extension 100. When you decide you want to call me, I am available. I own Defender. My name is Stephan Lance. Or, you can check your e-mail and respond to my e-mail to you from yesterday.

Sail123 · Aug 6, 2012

SEMIJim said:
So if they want to communicate with you, you cannot or will not answer the phone, and they don't have texting ability: I guess there'll be no communication.

Handy.

Jim

Someone calls your mother and says "is this June Lockhart?" (have no idea your mothers name) and they will not tell your mother what they want, only keep asking who she is.

Phone calls like that are called data mining at best. The gentleman could have easily stated the nature of his call, which I gave him 30 seconds to do. No, I am not going to give out personal information over the phone to someone that does not properly identify themselves.

Before I hung up, I again told him to state his business or I was terminating the call. His reply was again a question, the same question I already refused to answer about my identity. Why should I divulge my identity to any stringer that has not told me the nature of their business or the purpose of that call?

I am always open to communication with companies I do business with. For them to have called me the way they did today is pretty odd.

I walked into a business as the business owner was destroying someone on the telephone. After a minute of his verbally trashing this guy, I asked him what that was about? The business owner said he was tired of sales people calling all the time. I know the feeling, but I never do to telephone callers what that successful businessman did. I have at times felt like it.

Today, I figured a sales person was trying to get his foot in the door, and frankly, we do not do business that way. We politely say no thank you to unsolicited sales calls. Now if Defender has taken the time to explain who they were and what they wanted, I would have recognized who they were and we could have talked back ordered, forum posts, weather, and sailing.

Where that phone call went south was their unwillingness to let me know the nature of the call up front. Why they did that, the way they did is beyond me.

Defender Marine

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