My 2003 Mercury 8HP outboard engine was running fine at the end of the 2007 season. I could not start it at the beginning of the 2008 season and asked Andrew Barberis at Top Notch Marine to look at it and see if he could tell me what was wrong. He took the engine and never gave an estimate. He returned the engine many weeks later and it started the first time. He billed me $583.58 (see attached repair order which was never authorized by me). I paid him $300 in cash and told him balance would follow.
I used the engine and it failed while out on the water. I could not get it started again and had to row back to shore. I called Top Notch and Andrew returned when I was at work one day. He told me on the phone that he started the engine and it ran fine. He said I put bad gas in the engine. I returned home and started the engine, but it was running very rough and back firing. I called Andrew and he blamed it on bad gas again.
Andrew returned, put in fresh gas and the engine started. I tried to start it after he left and it wouldn't start. I went out and bought new gas, new gas tank, bulb and hose and the engine still would not start. Andrew suggested I should throw the engine in the garbage, or he would take it.
I brought the engine to a co-worker who does marine mechanics as a hobby. He did a simple adjustment to the carburetor and now the engine runs fine.
Andrew is billing me for late fees on the balance ($283.58) and has initiated a small claims suit to collect $435.53. The amount doesn't even make sense when I include the late fees he feels that I owe.
Top Notch engages in poor quality business practices by not giving estimates prior to starting work. He does poor quality workmanship with an arrogant attitude and does not seem at all knowledgeable about this type of repair.
0 comments