On August 27, I purchased a model year 2000 Yamaha LS2000 boat from Mission Yamaha, who is an exclusive dealer for Yamaha products in Mission Viejo, CA. This is a jet boat which was promoted as a ski and recreational boat by the dealers whom I had spoken to prior to purchasing the boat, and also in the factory literature and promotional video that I had viewed.
I bought the boat on the premise that I would be using the boat to tow skiers and wake boarders. The first time that I used the boat to tow a skier was when I was towing my adult son. When I hit the throttle the first time, one engine died. I tried again, then the other engine died. On the third attempt, the boat surged forward so abruptly that it nearly pulled my son's arms from his sockets. Luckily he wasn't seriously hurt. We took the boat to a local Yamaha authorized boat repair shop (we were out of town/on vacation). The repairman told us he needed to make adjustments. He further told us that our boat dealer should have taken the boat out on the water to test it and make any adjustments necessary prior to releasing the boat to us.
The next time we took the boat out for water-skiing, we noticed that the engines would either lose power or surge forward for no apparent reason. This would cause the skiers we were towing to lose their balance and cause them to fall. Luckily, the injuries suffered thus far were only moderate.
We have tried NUMEROUS times to have this problem fixed, but to no avail. Finally, I was told first by Mission Yamaha, then by a Yamaha Motor Corp. Technical rep, and finally Yamaha Motor Corp. Customer service, Mr. Jim Moore, that this boat has a "trait" whereby the motors will increase or decrease 500-1000 rpm's without notice when trying to operate the boat at 23-30 mph while towing a skier or wake boarder in the water.in other words, this boat cannot be used for what it was advertised to be used for. I was told that I could compensate for this "trait" by running the engines at two different speeds, but then it would be very difficult to keep the boat moving in a straight fashion.
I've tried both personally and through my attorney to resolve this matter with Mission Yamaha and with Yamaha Motor Corp., with no results. I've literally been told that this "trait" cannot be "fixed"—that this is inherent with these motors.
I've begged, pleaded, reasoned, and threatened. All I am asking for is to return the boat and get the purchase price for the boat back. I am not asking for any other expenses. Both companies have put me off, saying that this "trait" is inherent to the type of engines in this boat, yet there is nothing in the owner's manual that states this, nor was there a disclaimer given to me. If this is the case, this boat should NEVER have been promoted as being a ski boat. This is an obvious case of misrepresentation of a product. Furthermore, these companies basically said I am stuck with this boat. These companies know that for me to pursue this case civilly would probably cost more than what the boat is worth.
If there is anything you can do to help me, I would surely appreciate it.
0 comments