Selling your boat NOR? Beware BOATSRUS

Been a while since I've been on here but thought I would share a fairly recent experience. Was thinking of selling my boat early last year (ended up selling it online pre-Xmas) and by sheer timing got a business card in the mailbox for BoatsRUs offering to sell my boat. Due to the timing, thought it was fate and gave him a try. He came around sprooking that as he runs a small operation he can sell the boat taking less commission than the usual 10%. I told him I was looking to get $45,000 for it, which he said was a fair price.

 

So he comes and takes the boat away and I forget about it for a while as I work offshore and thought I would leave him to do his thing. Checked online a couple of times and couldn't find it on there so kept meaning to call him but kept getting sidetracked. A month or so later I ended up finding it advertised for $53,000!!! WTF? About a week later he e-mails me telling me he has been trying to contact me (working offshore with no phone signal). I called and he said the boats not getting any bites and I need to tdrop the price "dramatically". I was very polite and said that she'll be right, I'll come get me boat back when I get home.

 

So, I get home and give him a call, tell him I'm on my way to pick up my boat, what's the address. It's his home address in Wanaroo. I get there and he is washing the boat down with fresh water, but there is salt fucken everywhere, all over my clears which I always polish up when I get the boat out of the water, everywhere. "not one call on the boat" he tells me. I'm scratching my head but just been offshore 3 weeks, a bit tired, just hooked me boat up and go home.

 

So I decide to take my stepdad out for a fish that arvo. Get the boat in the water, look down at engine hours, WTF 170 Hours. When the cunt picked my boat up, it had just under 100 Hours. I called him and asked what his game was, he replied that I must have left the key on. It's a bloody 225HP Honda, the engine hours run off the engine running. Well, he said, you must have been mistaken about your engine hours. Yeah right, thats why you were washing the boat down when I picked it up.

 

Long story short is, this guy takes your boat and uses it as his own. Google search doesn't even show him as a business. If your going to put your boat on consignment, be very careful who you use. If this prickis ever crossing the road in front of me, I will not swerve or slow down. Maybe I'll see him in a front bar one day.


Auslobster's picture

Posts: 1901

Date Joined: 03/05/08

Why wait...

Sun, 2015-01-18 04:40

...for "one day"? You know where he lives!

Posts: 28

Date Joined: 15/01/13

Tempting

Sun, 2015-01-18 19:09

But, I've really spent a lot of time trying to curb that part of my life. That's why I didn't post on here straight away, just incase I decided to take the low road. Karma get these guys eventually, and I will always remember what he looks like

Ben85's picture

Posts: 442

Date Joined: 20/11/11

 for christ sake you should

Sun, 2015-01-18 06:59

 for christ sake you should have gone back and given him a hiding. I wouldn't be waiting to see him in a bar one day. You'll only kick yourself everyday you think about it now

NORUN NOFUN's picture

Posts: 1018

Date Joined: 15/08/11

what an a***ole

Sun, 2015-01-18 07:14

You really do need to do your homework with these people. It's hard enough fiding someone with a good rep. Your lucky there was no damage, that was pretty much all your luck there.

uncle's picture

Posts: 9322

Date Joined: 10/02/07

Give his car etc a hiding

Sun, 2015-01-18 07:16

 4 slashed tyres, be hard to prove that you did it, yep You have to keep an eye out for these arseholes

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Paul H's picture

Posts: 2104

Date Joined: 18/01/07

That's very

Sun, 2015-01-18 07:38

That's very low..........

sorry Jason if it sounds harsh but it may have paid if you did your homework before giving him the boat and unfortunate fact in this day and age is you can't take people at their word

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Posts: 28

Date Joined: 15/01/13

I know, I know

Sun, 2015-01-18 19:12

I had a lot going on and I guess I just never expected it.

beau's picture

Posts: 4104

Date Joined: 24/01/10

Bloody hell 70hrs is a fair

Sun, 2015-01-18 08:52

Bloody hell 70hrs is a fair effort!

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kirky79's picture

Posts: 1351

Date Joined: 13/01/12

 That is low. How long did he

Sun, 2015-01-18 09:13

 That is low. 

How long did he have it to rack up 70 hours?

Posts: 28

Date Joined: 15/01/13

bit over 2 months

Sun, 2015-01-18 19:07

He had it a bit over 2 months. Probably closer to 3. As I said, I work offshore and had a fair bit going on in my life so time flew by.

Posts: 286

Date Joined: 21/07/14

Fair trading

Sun, 2015-01-18 10:43

 Give this mob a call asap as he may be on their books or should be from what has happened

 

 

Contact Consumer Protection

Tel: 1300 304 054
Fax: (+618) 6251 1401

consumer@commerce.wa.gov.au

opsrey's picture

Posts: 1200

Date Joined: 05/10/07

+1 very important to get the ball rolling on this person.

Sun, 2015-01-18 11:19

 The goverment authorities are pretty piss weak , after all they are set up to look after the big guys mates. So it is vitally important to have a trail of activites so in the end authorities are forced to act.

Use your anger to start the paper trail.

Us Fishwreck members will tell are mates and cut his business out.

Posts: 28

Date Joined: 15/01/13

Will do

Sun, 2015-01-18 19:13

Thanks guys, I will definately start the ball rolling here

Posts: 5738

Date Joined: 18/01/12

 Thats a sad story.Im not

Sun, 2015-01-18 11:57

 Thats a sad story.

Im not sure how many are aware, but if you hand your boat over to someone and they dont return it, steal it etc you wont be insured.

Similar with your car or a person who is staying in your house.

Really need to use a bit of due diligence. 

If he really has run up those hours he has some balls.

What are the chances of being spotted by an acquantance?

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 Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...

 

 

The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.

Everyone's just winging it.

 

Posts: 74

Date Joined: 31/03/13

engine diagnostic

Sun, 2015-01-18 12:26

Get the engine plugged in and have a look at the diagnostic info.  

You may get an idea of what he was doing with the boat based on hours at diff rev ranges?

Not too sure of the information you get from a honda.

Still doesn't change what the prick did....if you're going to pay him a visit it may be worthwhile removing this thread.

 

 

 

Posts: 1522

Date Joined: 09/03/13

just out of curiosity

Sun, 2015-01-18 13:07

just out of curiosity ....what sort of paperwork did you sign?

Consumer affairs is your first port of call but if that falls into a heap .....

It may be worth you sending him an invoice for the use of your boat (which I'm sure probably wont stand up in court)

but.......after all I'm sure that you and him would hate for his Full name and address to be published somewhere public.

Posts: 28

Date Joined: 15/01/13

Consignment note

Sun, 2015-01-18 19:17

He had a pad of consignment notes which looked legit enough. I still have the original at home, he had a carbon copy. Thought about the invoice thing. He actually had about 5 boats in his yard, so, looks like I wasn't the only one. Wouldn't have been using the others because mine was the best one by far.

Posts: 459

Date Joined: 28/10/08

I support the advice to approach Consumer Affairs

Sun, 2015-01-18 19:31

I have not been involved in boat dealerships, but have been a registered motorcycle dealer. To sell bikes or cars on consignment you have to be a registered dealer. I suspect the same is likely to apply to boats. If that is the case and you have a copy of the consignment form - and he is not a registered dealer - then you have a case to do him for fraud. Worth doing some homework on that.

Posts: 5738

Date Joined: 18/01/12

 Sadly, i doubt it very much

Sun, 2015-01-18 20:21

 Sadly, i doubt it very much that police would touch it.

The ECU would show 70hrs at 0 but most dont record unless running.

Police would say its a civil matter i reckon.

____________________________________________________________________________

 Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...

 

 

The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.

Everyone's just winging it.

 

Posts: 459

Date Joined: 28/10/08

I was referring to the legality of the consignment process Rob

Sun, 2015-01-18 21:59

If he isn't a registered dealer and the process is the same as bikes/cars where only registered dealers can take on consignment sales, then he has broken the law by taking the boat on, regardless of whether he used the boat himself or not. That would be enough to interest police, Consumer Affairs and the courts, and the consignment paperwork is the evidence needed.

Posts: 5738

Date Joined: 18/01/12

 Could be right but i doubt

Sun, 2015-01-18 22:46

 Could be right but i doubt police would care.

Consumer Affairs mmmm-maybe

Too busy looking to see if you are doing 3km/h over the limit or your outboard has no flag

____________________________________________________________________________

 Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...

 

 

The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.

Everyone's just winging it.

 

Posts: 28

Date Joined: 15/01/13

Thanks

Sun, 2015-01-18 23:13

I'm going to try this. Just hope the missus hasn't turfed the con note.

Posts: 206

Date Joined: 06/05/14

 I'd be spewin

Sun, 2015-01-18 19:43

 I'd be spewin

sea-kem's picture

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Date Joined: 30/11/09

 Clobbering time!!!

Sun, 2015-01-18 21:23

 Clobbering time!!!

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Date Joined: 15/08/09

silly question maybe -

Sun, 2015-01-18 22:29

 Is there any chance any info on a sounder or other electrical gear, might give you some idea of where is been etc?

Posts: 28

Date Joined: 15/01/13

Too late for that

Sun, 2015-01-18 23:09

Too late for that for that I think. The boats been sold now. The sounder was a Raymarine A60 which required manually inputing waypoints, so I very much doubt there is anyway to track movements. I'm sure he wouldn't have been silly enough to input his co-ordinates and save as waypoints. But then again, nothing would surprise me now

Posts: 5

Date Joined: 02/02/15

 Sharpen up one end of a

Fri, 2015-02-13 16:38

 Sharpen up one end of a metal coathanger, go around to his place and shove it through his bottom radiator hose.  Remove coathanger and depart casually.

Nothing will happen until he drives his car for a few k's and the water heats up - it just looks like a burst hose......