My experience with MarinAire started off so well and crashed and burned...

[rwaldrop13]

OK I apologize for the length of this post but I want to share this with everyone thinking about new AC units.

Within the past month my wife and I have bought 2 units from MarinAire. Honestly after installing the first one, I was excited to be working with a quality product that simplified the installation process and, well, worked. Disappointed does not even come close to where I was when I completed the install, checked my hose and electrical connections again, and turned on power to the unit only to have it be dead.

And by that I don't mean not cooling, or not heating, I mean dead. I mean it did not come on, the display did not light up, the unit I worked so hard to install was dead out of the box. So I called and spoke to Joshua (Jose? Josue?) and he assured me there was a simple troubleshooting procedure guide he would email me and then when I found the issue let him know so the company could resolve the issue.


So I followed the troubleshooting steps and the transformer failed the continuity check. I called back, and Joshua told me he would notify warranty so they could get a replacement part out to me. This was around 430 this afternoon - Friday Mar 26. Keep in mind this is our second purchase from MarinAire within a month's time. He said he needed to transfer me to a coworker to verify the address and set up the replacement part. Said co-worker immediately started asking me the same questions Joshua had already gone thru with me. When I said I was supposed to be getting shipped a replacement transformer for the brand-new unit that arrived not working, she became argumentative and told me it wasn't my role to dictate what MarinAire was going to do, and if it was up to her they would send me a RMA label to return the whole unit. I said I received a defective unit that was not working right out of the box and if I don't have the replacement part Tuesday I will be calling my credit card to open a purchase protection claim. Frankly under the circumstances, I believe MarinAire should be sending a rep out to resolve this considering the amount of money in a very short time I have spent with them. What I don't find acceptable is a customer service rep telling me that "they're closing in 5 minutes and I just need to wait until Monday when 'they' make a decision about my case and what MarinAire is going to do.


Customer service is a dying art. I don't care how close it is to the end of the day, when a customer who has spent $3000 plus with my company in less than a month has an issue on their second purchase, you do what you have to do to help that customer feel valued, not like they need to rip the whole unit out, drive it to the company office and dump it on their doorstep. You especially don't tell a customer that they don't have a say in what's going to happen and that they have to comply. You especially don't tell them they're going to have to rip out the unit they just spent a week installing and return it (and if you think that is going to happen you better send a new box too).


And you don't send an email to the customer telling them that "while your warranty doesn't include shipping of replacement parts, as a 'courtesy' you're paying shipping this time". The unit was obviously shipped without any quality checks, and telling me "these things happen" does not help the customer who's facing 90 degree heat without air conditioning but just spent $2000 on a whole new unit. You don't transfer them to a co-worker who starts asking the same questions they've already answered, when they've been told it's just to verify the ship-to address.


We are going to be purchasing 2 more units over the next year, and right now I don't think MarinAire wants my business. We were introduced to them at the Fort Myers Boat Show, and the people we talked to there seemed to be a very different sort of customer-focused staff compared to my experience today.

[Stripes]

That's a bummer. I had a very pleasant experience with them and the units I purchased and installed worked flawlessly.

Are we talking about the same place?


https://www.marinaire.com/

[Jammin']

Vote with your dollars. Thank you for sharing.

[oscarvan]

Rather than peeing into the wind I have been known to follow the corporate bread crumbs and call owners/execs to have the wrath come down on these nitwits from above.... It takes time and work but it can be rewarding. Rule # 1 is "Don't be a dick". I can work with everything else.

Oh, and the next call would start with, "Hi, we're on a recorded line for quality assurance purposes." (Florida is a dual consent state.)

[Pascal]

I would get in touch with their management... sad how the attitude of a single employee can loose customers

The transformer is probably a $15 unit that you can find on Amazon. I ve had to replace one last year on one of my air handler. Just look at a model number on it and search. I now have a spare.

[rwaldrop13]

That's a bummer. I had a very pleasant experience with them and the units I purchased and installed worked flawlessly.

Are we talking about the same place?


https://www.marinaire.com/

Yep. First unit purchase and install was flawless, and unit exceeded expectations. Second unit was a completely different experience. I've communicated my disappointment with the company but not expecting any response. I need to install one more unit in mid-ships stateroom, and source air-cooled for salon, and MarinAire will not be considered. I got an apology from Joshua(?) but he was the one that said "these things happen" when I initially called. And he immediately said it was probably the transformer in the controller box.

[rwaldrop13]

I would get in touch with their management... sad how the attitude of a single employee can loose customers

The transformer is probably a $15 unit that you can find on Amazon. I ve had to replace one last year on one of my air handler. Just look at a model number on it and search. I now have a spare.

Thanks Pascal! I've communicated my experience, and kept the old transformer to research replacement spares since I have 2 MarinAire units installed and one running. I appreciate the tip tho. And I used to be a corporate trainer in customer service and tech support, one bad customer experience will be shared on average 25 times, one good experience 5 times. I hope they can do the math on that.

[Pascal]

Yours could be different but this was the one i ordered

Supco SXT105 Transformer, White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECX0DI0...ing=UTF8&psc=1

[rwaldrop13]

Vote with your dollars. Thank you for sharing.

Robert, I certainly will. I also stressed that a bad customer experience is repeated 25 times, a good one 5 times. If I can get that point across, maybe they will listen. I brought Lowes Home Improvement to their knees over a similar service issue, and Time-Warner Cable back in the day. I believe in communicating with the vendor, and giving them a chance to make up for their failure.

[rwaldrop13]

Yours could be different but this was the one i ordered

Supco SXT105 Transformer, White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECX0DI0...ing=UTF8&psc=1

I kept the one I removed. I actually used to be a service manager for Thermo King, so I know several different avenues to pursue parts-wise. Amazon may not always be the best option. PM me if you want supply house recommendations that may have brick-and-mortar in your area.