Marine Fraud

My book describes how marine repair businesses use customers, insurance adjustors, state license marine surveyors in the committing of fraud in the boat repair business. How corruption between marine repair businesses, marine surveyors and retail distributors goes on. The black balling of mechanics between repair businesses. The useing of after market parts and selling them as factory replacement.

Welcome to the world of marine sales, repair and service. Most marine business owners do not want customers, government agencies, and insurance companies to know the darker side of the marine repair business. When you purchase a marine recreational boat or one for commercial use, you are joining in a multi-million dollar industry where deceit, fraud, and dishonesty are common place. Truth, trust, honesty are only found when it suits the marine business owner or sales person and does not cost them sales or service. Price gouging is normal to customers and even between businesses. Charging higher retail prices or suggested trade prices are common place. The bigger the business the more chance of it happening because the business does not solely rely just on parts sales alone but service repairs. Deception is one of the marine business owner greatest assets. He is able to deceive customers by good verbal communication, able to cover up mistakes by resolving the problems with customers, and being well informed about the products sold or service. If problems occur, the business owner/manager is able to use manipulation to shift the blame to some other source, such as the manufacture, the cost of parts, or the labor to complete the repair just to name a few. This book is going to be condemned by most of the marine industry saying it does not represent the marine industry on a whole. It’s not the marine manufactures that I am targeting but the individual marine service repair businesses, who sell boats, do warranty work, service work, sell marine parts and do insurance repairs. Marine businesses have the right to make a profit but not at the cost of the boat owner by raising prices on parts over suggested retail cost of the part or using after market parts but listing them as factory replacement parts. Or add time to perform the service required because there is not qualified mechanics to perform the work. The one’s who are going to cry the most are the one’s that have the most to hide by exposing the most about marine fraud. If not the companies that are honest should welcome this information to the public for knowledge of what goes on in marine repair. As for boat owner’s that sell there boat knowing full well that there are problems with the boat or hiding them by replacing certain parts to mask bigger mechanical problems should have to return money paid by the new boat owner and not just say As Is. Lemon Laws need to be made by state governments to protect new boat owners from private individuals, boat sale and service shops, or places that take boats on consignments. Far too often private owners and businesses abuse the system.

Nathan Britt is not certified by any Associations or Organizations on how to commit marine fraud. It is a learned part of the trade and what the marine shop owner wants him to do. The mechanic is just working for a pay check; he gets nothing out of it but his hourly wages. Each shop has its own way of repairing marine equipment. Often marine manufacture shop manuals are used in the justification for damaged parts to insurance adjustors and marine surveyors. You don’t get a degree in marine fraud. From the age of eight I have turned a wrench. During my high school years I studied shop related subjects. Four years of metal shop, two years of wood shop, two years of drafting, one year of power mechanics, one year of automotive repair, and in my senior year I was teacher assistant in power mechanics. My senior year I made the honor roll student. After graduation I worked in a paint shop learning painting and in another shop as an automotive helper for a year till I joined the United States Coast Guard. During my nine years in the service I trained as an aircraft mechanic. I was discharged as a First Class Petty officer. During this time I was trained in Aircraft Structural Mechanic, Heli-arc Welding, Technical Publications, Engine Fuel System, Senior Petty Officer Leadership and Management, and Non-Destruction Metal Testing. I also became a rescue aircrew man, aircraft flight mechanic, aircraft plane captain in the HH3-F Helicopter. My other duties in the service were shop supervisor, night maintenance supervisor, watch captain of a duty section, and primary quality assurance inspector. After my service, I wanted to continue as an aircraft mechanic but the wages were low for the experience and responsibility. So I decided to learn marine repair. I started out helping my friend working on his boat doing routine maintenance and soon started up my own shop but due to conflict of interest (to much time spent away from home working at my shop) with my family I went to work in another marine repair business. This is where I started my training in marine fraud by a fairly big shop. Also after my service, and my business I went back to school (college) and did my two year degree in Associate Degree in Accounting in a year and half. I was also an honor student during this time. I later received my Associates in Arts Degree and Law Enforcement Certificate. I attended various Volvo Penta Service Schools which were Sterndrive course, Gas Engine course, Auxiliary Diesel Engine course, AQAD 31/41 Diesel Engine/Sterndrive course, Six Cylinder Diesel course, Diesel Certification course, New Product course on SX Sterndrives, and Sterndrive Course on SX Sterndrives. Over the years I worked as marine mechanic, shop foreman over other marine mechanics. I have built hundreds of sterndrives both Volvo Penta and MerCrusier. Once you have rebuilt hundreds of Volvo Penta Sterndrives, MerCrusier Sterndrives are a piece of cake to work on and not as precision as Volvo Penta. Some mechanics may disagree on that. Over the last 30 years I have worked for various marine repair shops and have witness or experienced various marine fraud activities. Most cases the business owner conspired to defraud customers either with/without the owner’s knowledge. In cases where an insurance company was involved, the customer knew what was going on. Some of these cases even the customer did not know what was really going on (like manufacture warranty claims). The customer thinking he was getting a good deal but in reality the only one getting the good deal was the repair shop business owner.