NC Boat Brokers

Updating my review to respond to owner’s comments:
There are always two sides to a story. The reader must decide who has the most to gain/​lose from a misleading posting and ultimately, which side of the story to believe.
First, the original quote I received for towing was $ 150. At the time, I also offered to bring my trailer to his shop so he could put my boat on it. Several days later (week 1), when NCBoatBrokers finally got around to getting my boat, the towing quote ballooned to $ 400 (this should have been my first sign). Another week (week 2) passed by without any communication from NCBoatBrokers so I stopped in to check on the progress. At this time, they had only removed the outdrive and had done nothing else. They said they needed to pull the engine to evaluate the extent of the damage. Following their advice (my mistake), I agreed to allow them to do it. Another week (week 3) passed by without any communication so I stopped by their shop again to find out that the engine had not yet been removed. This time, they promised me they would make some progress. Once again, I offered to bring them my trailer and they declined.
During each visit, I made it clear to them that I wasn’t writing them a blank check and I needed an estimate of what needed to be repaired and the cost to repair. They kept trying to pressure me to replace every conceivable part due to «safety concerns» which were «based on their experience». I found it annoying how they expected me to follow their advice based on their «experience» when they kept telling me in the same sentence that they had never seen this type of damage before.
Sometime during the next week (week 4), they finally removed the engine from the boat and moved my boat outside. However, they still did not have a repair estimate other than to tell me it would cost between $ 8K to $ 12K to repair. The owner finally agreed to prepare an estimate for me and said it would take him an hour to prepare. Based on my previous experience with them, I gave him more than an hour to prepare it before returning to his shop. When I returned later that day, he had left the shop so I asked that he call me when he was available. The owner did call me the next day (beginning of week 5) however, I was not at home and did not return until after NCBoatBrokers had closed for the day. I called him the following day at which point he was very rude and unprofessional (he later apologized blaming his attitude on the pressure of the July 4^th holiday). He finally provided me with a verbal estimate of repairs with a rough breakdown of parts. He gave me two options — either $ 8K or $ 12K with both estimates involving replacement aftermarket/​Chinese parts. I told him I needed to consider which route I wanted to take.
By this time, I had asked around about this company’s reputation. The general feedback I got from neighbors and others was that I didn’t want to do business with this company. After I received the verbal estimate, I consulted with several reputable mechanics in the area and the general consensus was that removal of the engine was not necessary, the recommended repair was not the approach the would take, and the verbal estimate I received was way too high. I found it very telling when each of the mechanics I spoke with gave me an interesting look when I mentioned NCBoatBrokers. At this time, I made up my mind to retrieve my boat and made an appointment with another marine shop to repair my boat.
I called NCBoatBrokers back two days after receiving their verbal estimate and told them I didn’t have the money to perform the repair and was going to pick up my boat. This is when they informed me about the $ 2,300 «ransom» I would have to pay them (which included $ 250 to put the boat on my trailer) in order to get my boat back. I made an appointment to pick my boat up later that week, paid their ransom and brought my boat to another mechanic for repair (a complete repair, not a «patch job» as NCBoatBokers wants to allege).
As to the owner, I have to laugh at you calling me ignorant; however, this type of attitude towards your customers shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has had the misfortune of dealing with your company. Being the nice guy I am and in an attempt to rescue you from your own ignorance, you should know that defamation/​slander is the communication of a false statement that harms the reputation of another. I stand behind both my review and my response as being factual and truthful, therefore, neither would be considered slanderous or defamatory. No charge for this free advice.