Richardsons Customer Service

[andyg]

I have back to back trips booked with Richardson's next September. We are away with friends for a week on our return to Stalham il be staying at the yard doing some washing popping into Norwich to collect my youngest sister and await the arrival of my other siblings. I had chosen San Diego for our weekend afloat. One of my sisters was shown a you tube video of broadsman, I received a call last night asking me if we change our boat. I've never changed a boat booking before and wasn't sure, a quick call to Stalham this morning and bobs your uncle all change in a couple of minutes absolutely no fuss. So it's broadsman 3 and a quoted 1pm takeover. Unfortunately the lady I spoke to was unwilling to help with my washing on the day and no amount of bribery with chocolate and vodka would change her mind lol. Least we had a laugh about it. Good to see the great customer service hasn't changed at richo. 

[oldgregg]

San Diego to Broadsman is a decent upgrade, too.

The RC45's handle really nicely and are probably one of the best-designed centre-cockpit boats, however the Entrepreneurs handle like a small housing estate.

[Smoggy]

More cash or same amount?

[oldgregg]

There's quite a price difference.... But Broadsman is lovely 

[andyg]

More cash...buts that's fine it's between 5 of us. Its our first holiday altogether in over 30 years. Due to some unforseen health issues we decided to re trace some of our memories of holidays afloat with our parents when we were children. Looking forward broadsman. 

[YnysMon]

It is good to catch up with family. We had a holiday on the Broads with my cousins a few years back and it turned into an annual event (though not on the Broads), until 2020 came along.

[Thiswan]

They did have a bit of a dip a while back (I Think tempory new owners) but really can't fault them now.

[Vaughan]

A while back? 

That was 40 years ago.

[andyg]

1 hour ago, Vaughan said:

A while back? 

That was 40 years ago.

I remember them days Vaughan, sadly not the Richardson family in control at the time. Pretty sure that took some recovery from the mess it was left in. Huge sums of money spent to create a boat graveyard. Bonkers. I bet Bobby picked Stalham up for a snip back then. 

[andyg]

6 hours ago, Thiswan said:

They did have a bit of a dip a while back (I Think tempory new owners) but really can't fault them now.

Been some recent restructuring as Clive left the business ( common knowledge now ) and I'm sure covid has impacted the way thing are done. I'm assuming Paul is at the helm now along with Greg so things will change as Paul makes his mark. We are already seeing this in terms of the hire fleet. I'm probably totally wrong here but there seems to be a big focus on Hemsby again with large investment going on. Which personally is good as we really like the site now and it has some great accommodation on offer. But that's none of my business really I just hope the level of customer service I've come to expect from Richardson's dosent change as I really do think they've got it pretty spot on for a large organisation. 

[Vaughan]

1 hour ago, andyg said:

I bet Bobby picked Stalham up for a snip back then. 

He did indeed!

[Wussername]

I cannot speak for the boat yard in total all those years ago,  however the section I worked on was good. As you turned into the yard, one turned immediately right passed Budgies section ( everybody had a nickname in those days)  and then to Dick Grapes section. I worked there for several years, moving boats basically, all day long. I reversed more boats in a day than some reverse in a lifetime and that went on year after year. By default I got used to it. Didn't even give it a thought.

Then after moving boats to the pump out/water/refuelling point and back to its mooring  it was time for trial runs. 

The boats themselves were immaculate, It was the introduction of the Fine Gems, Ultimate Gems, Grand Gems and of course the smaller versions. 

I will never forget the person who came to pick up his boat a little earlier than he should have done. It was still being built!

It was a Fine Gem if I remember. All the engine and running gear was on it, It was just a frantic effort to fit doors, cupboards, curtains, bedding and so forth. You couldn't move on the thing for staff working on it.  But they did it. Reception told them there was a slight technical problem which would soon be fixed and suggested that they had a walk round Stalham High Street

I took the boat out on its trial run, with the customer. " Has the problem been fixed old man" said the hirer " and is it a new boat he asked. I daren't tell him he was the first ever to drive it, not even any of the employees had experienced the privilege except me.

And then it was back to the other holiday makers. The French, Germans, Israelis', Dutch, in fact many nationalities found there way to Richardsons in those days and to Mr Grapes section. 

But that is another story.

  Guten Morgen, wie geht es dir.

Old Wussername.

 

[andyg]

We had a very similar thing my parents hired moden gem a brand new horizon 35, blue superstructure. We arrived and the boat was moored side on outside reception. It had no curtains and they were fitting the door to the forward well. We were a bit late departing...lol.. 

[YnysMon]

Grapes seems a very familiar surname to those who have hired from Hunter’s Yard. Is it just a common local surname or a family deeply connected with boats? 

[Vaughan]

I promise you, Wussername is not exaggerating.  If anything, he is down-playing it!  I sense that perhaps like me, he feels that the full story of that chaotic weekend of Easter, 1976, is best left un-told.

Suffice to say that the last of the new boats to go out on hire left at 10 AM on the Monday morning.  Amazingly, only 2 customers packed it up and went home.  All the rest stuck it out, with some actually sleeping the night on their boats, before the men came back and carried on building them on the Sunday morning.  Some customers flatly insisted on starting their holiday that day and we were giving trial runs with a torch, taking them down in the dark to moor at Sutton Staithe, where one of the vans was waiting to take us back to Stalham for the next lot.  A weekend of my life that I shall never forget.

He is right about the nicknames as well - some great people, whose skill and experience was what kept the whole place running.  Reggie Champion, "the wonder horse", who did all the gas installations, on 300 boats.  Billy Webster and his mate, "Old Ernie", who maintained and organised all the rowing and sailing dinghies.  Walter Nicholls, the electrician and "Billy Wizz" the second engineer.  Ambrose, known as "Bar", who did all the hauling out and boat movement in the winter, with 3 men and a couple of old RAF towing tractors from the war.  His towboat was an old aft cockpit cruiser called Halcyon and he could push a Broadsventure with the transom, stern first into the wet shed and moor it in any space between the others - single handed.  David Platten, the signwriter, who hand painted all the names on both sides of the new boats, usually standing in a dinghy, tied to the side.

I have missed out a lot but I can't forget Russel Goose, the foreman painter, who organised all the departure boards so that each section could keep in touch with the progress of the servicing.  A system I have always used ever since, on other boatyards.  His famous battle cry was "Git 'em orf the yard, boi!"  He knew that the longer they stayed sitting around on their boats waiting for a trial run, the more things they would find that needed fixing.  If you can get them started on their holiday, they will just put up with all these things without complaint.

"That don't matter if they break down on Barton Broad - git 'em orf the yard, boi!"

[SwanR]

50 minutes ago, Vaughan said:

 If you can get them started on their holiday, they will just put up with all these things without complaint.

That explains a lot! 🤔

[andyg]

A much smaller operation today, if I remember rightly didn't they use all the moorings and basins around the back of the yard down by the museum? I know John Williams yard was there to. I seem to remember one of the basin at the back of what is now the new build shed, being the shed where the engineers shop was I've seen them lift engines out around there many times. Oh the subject of John Williams boats what happened to them ?? 

[grendel]

that reminds me of my first trip on Jayne 2, I arrived at 11 am (about an hour early, I had had a good run up to norfolk, only to find that they had only put her in the water at 9am, work was still ongoing, the front windows were being fitted along with window catches, I distinctly remember them taking a toilet roll holder aboard and fitting it. by 2pm though, they had finished, I went aboard as one of the ladies finished taking the photos for the new folder and the publicity shots (I went out with the Jayne 1 folder that first time a few things were in different places) I then proceeded to head straight south for a breydon crossing next day, mooring up at the stracey arms mill. yes the bilge pump was still working overtime, but they had fitted a good big pump, that was powerful enough to push the boat off the quay heading. by the end of my week aboard the pump had settled down, but this hull had been out of the water for 10 years and she had had a complete rebuild from the deck up.

I came back with a snagging list of minor details (shower drain pump not working - they had forgotten to connect it up, weeping injector - just needed snugging down, alternator bolt nut fell off (that dropped under the engine where I couldnt reach, so a cable tie was put on the bolt to stop it working its way off) all very minor stuff really, none enough to warrant a callout to the boat to fix, the shower tray did drain after about 1/2 hour so that wasnt a big issue.

 

[andyg]

So a shower tray not draining a leaking fuel injector and alternator not secured as it was intended isn't worthy of a call out. When do you call a yard out grendel ? When the boat has sunk ?? 🙃 I'd say there exactly the kind of things yards want to hear about, they can get someone out during the quite mid week period instead of having jobs build up for busy turnaround days when staff are pushed for time. 

[Vaughan]

3 minutes ago, andyg said:

So a shower tray not draining a leaking fuel injector and alternator not secured as it was intended isn't worthy of a call out. When do you call a yard out grendel ? When the boat has sunk ?? 🙃 I'd say there exactly the kind of things yards want to hear about, they can get someone out during the quite mid week period instead of having jobs build up for busy turnaround days when staff are pushed for time.

You're quite right right Andy but this was a special occasion, when the boat was finished early, so that Grendel could take her to the wooden boat show, I think.

I must say though, that customers seemed to "muck in" a lot more in the old days.

[JanetAnne]

4 minutes ago, Vaughan said:

You're quite right right Andy but this was a special occasion, when the boat was finished early, so that Grendel could take her to the wooden boat show, I think.

I must say though, that customers seemed to "muck in" a lot more in the old days.

And she looked superb amongst the exhibits.

Over the years we have had a Jayne, a Janet and a Juliette from Martham. 

With Clive now offering Maggie Jane and Whelptons putting their Moorhen into hire we may well see one of those in 2022.

In the meantime, Vaughan is right, customers did used to muck in more but maybe we are from a generation that had such abilities. My grandchildren don't seem able to do anything unless it involves a touch screen.  Puncture? Call the AA. Broken plug on the kettle? Get screen out and buy a new one from Amazon. 

[Bikertov]

1 hour ago, andyg said:

So a shower tray not draining a leaking fuel injector and alternator not secured as it was intended isn't worthy of a call out. When do you call a yard out grendel ? When the boat has sunk ?? 🙃 I'd say there exactly the kind of things yards want to hear about, they can get someone out during the quite mid week period instead of having jobs build up for busy turnaround days when staff are pushed for time. 

Only when it has sunk in more than 6 feet of water, and it taking more than 6 hours to bail out by hand with a washing up bowl and a short length of hosepipe ...

[grendel]

yes it was when I was taking her to the wooden boat show Vaughan, the staff did have a days warning of the issues as I handed the list to the Marthams chap when he piloted me under PH bridge the day before handover, I did ask if they wanted me to drop in at the boatyard in passing, but they said they would handle it at changeover. sure enough I wasnt off the boat more than a minute or two and the engineers had moved on, that was when I heard one say whoops we didnt connect that shower pump, a new nut on the alternator and tighten the injector were matters of a few moments, the injector wasnt leaking as such, it was just damp surrounding it, and probably just loosened off lightly with repeated useage cycles.

and in my opinion, no, these were not worthy of a yard callout as the systems were working well enough to get by

 

[andyg]

1 hour ago, Vaughan said:

You're quite right right Andy but this was a special occasion, when the boat was finished early, so that Grendel could take her to the wooden boat show, I think.

I must say though, that customers seemed to "muck in" a lot more in the old days.

I was pulling his leg, richardsons don't like you touching the engines on there new boats. Your told to leave them alone and call them if you think there's a problem. I'm guessing to many customers have caused problems in the past. Water in the oil etc etc, dazzling light was a daily oil check, shown on takeover prince of light was a don't touch. Both relatively new boats. I did notice on dazzling it had a slight oil leak with some oil in the tray underneath, so maybe that's why. Personally I don't open the engine hatch unless I have to. Its not my boat and what kind of engine it has in it doesn't bother me as long as it works. But some folk like to get into the nuts and bolts, God knows why your on holiday. If I'm asked to check something I will but after 40 years being around diesel engines I couldn’t care less if I never saw one again tbh. On a serious note tho and I stand by this statement, in the world of blame and litigation we live in,its not down to a customer to decide what is a problem or not, the books only going to be thrown one way if things go wrong. I know of a customer who sized an engine on a brand new boat because he thought he'd diagnosed an over heating problem to a faulty header tank cap seal. Had nothing to do with the header tank it was a blocked reed filter he hadn't cleaned out daily as instructed on handover. So horses for courses in my opinion.

[floydraser]

5 hours ago, Vaughan said:

He is right about the nicknames as well - Edit.....................

I have missed out a lot but I can't forget Russel Goose, the foreman painter,

Nickname?  

As for customers mucking in: that must have been before Esther Rancid taught us all how to complain and get compensation/money back. I find you generally get better service if you make the effort to be a good customer.