Same story, different day.in early March I called around to find transportation for the 39' trawler we had just purchased in Alameda, CA. I spoke at length with Jim Hay, who was very personable and apparently knowledgeable, I was happy with his price and like others in the same boat, wired him a deposit, in this case $600.
The boat was scheduled to be picked up on March 25th and delivered to the Marco Crane boatyard in Tucson, AZ. From there, the truck from the Marina San Carlos Marina Seca operation was being coordinated to deliver Hob Nob to the storage yard in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico. Given the international implications of this transport, we wanted everything to go as smoothly as possible and about a week before the 25th, I began calling and leaving messages with Hays Marine Transport, as well as sending emails, but got no response.
My wife and I had already returned home to Utah by then and were depending on the generosity of our yacht broker to deliver the boat to the boatyard where it would be hauled out and put on the truck. No truck arrived on the 25th... Or on the 26th... Finally on the morning of the 27th on the umpteenth call, Jim Hay answered his phone and informed me that the truck that was to have picked up my boat was broken down and wasn't going to be able to make it. (Like we hadn't already figured that out!)
Someone was smiling on us, because a truck from Nautic Marine Transport out of Michigan was at the boatyard and had enough time between then and his next scheduled haul to run down to Tucson and back (we would definitely recommend Nautic Marine!);when I told Jim this, he said to go ahead and hire them and he would return my deposit. Since then I have managed to reach him several times and each time was given a story about why he hadn't gotten around to it, or the check was in the mail, etc. The next thing we tried was a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, which produced no response.
Since I'm not a lawyer, like several other victims who have reported their experiences on this site, I don't have the resources to go after him that way, but I do have a voice and will do everything I can to put out the word that Hays Marine Transport is not dependable. I have been a cruiser/boater for over 30 years and in all that time have never had an unsatisfactory experience with anyone offering marine services of any kind. The boating community doesn't take kindly to being ripped off and neither do I.
P.S. To date, I have only had the Portland, Oregon, address for this company, although Jim Hay told me he was moving his office earlier in the summer. Just today I found a new company address on which is 41206 NE 21st Avenue, Woodland, WA 98674, phone 360-225-2284.
Lon
Kanab, Utah
U.S.A.
0 comments