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I read several reviews on here about Mike and Nautical Lumber before I placed my order in very early April. I was promised 4-6 weeks until delivery and now I cant get a call back from him. It seems that past customers have experienced similar treatment, but not all. I did receive a call back from him in early May, at which point he told me it was in getting painted. I'm not sure if that was truthful or just meant to pacify me.

I understand that he changed names and locations (which is truthfully making me a little more suspicious), but it seems pretty unacceptable to just get ignored after forking over a few thousand dollars for a product with a defined timeline.

Any thoughts how I should handle this from here? I don't want to go the chargeback route with the CC company (and I'm certain as a vendor that he doesn't), but at what point is that how this should be handled?

Thoughts?

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Changed names?
Can you tell us what name he is using now?
The website still comes up with "Nautical Lumber"....

Here is the contact info:
http://www.nauticallumber.com/contact-uscontact-us

Not sure what is going on.
If he has moved, then maybe that is causing problems...

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I tend to handle those sorts of situations (one recently) in the following manner: 1) Be patient. So far it seems you have. 2) Be persistent. I call once a day or every other day past the agreed upon delivery date. 3) I do not ever return to them for anything ever.

There are too many people around willing to work hard, agree to a commitment and follow through for me to return with my hard earned money and cherished possessions to someone who is unwilling to do their best! I do mine and expect the same from others. That includes clearly communicating when problems arise that interfere with previously made agreements.

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From their facebook page:

"Nautical Lumber will be doing business as Neptune Yacht Refinishing. Why the name change? Neptune Yacht Refinishing better describes the scope of work we perform on a daily basis. However, We will continue selling Marine grade plywood & yacht quality lumber to our local & out of state customers. Help spread the word of our move and keep watch for more announcements!"

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I decided to put it in the hands of my credit card company for them to sort out.

I have been patient enough and the boating season is too short to put up with this nonsense. I have placed my order with another site sponsor that I know will deliver on time based on past experiences with them.

I'm sorry it came to this, but I truly feel that a more than patient customer (no matter how big or small ie:$$) deserves far better treatment. At the minimum they at least deserve to have their calls returned.


I wish I paid more attention to the negative feedback than I did with the positive in the first place.

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good luck, Mike Shitnette took my money Jan.2011 for a locking rod box. It's 15 months later and I can't get any info from her, that;s right I said HER. and ,,,,,,,,,, Thanks Tom for your input on this????????? Rick Barnes Derry, NH

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How can a merchant take money under one name then hide under another?
What's wroong with this picture

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I had a very good experience (recently) with Specialty Marine Supply, if they make any of the stuff you need. Phone calls returned, very fast shipping...no complaints.

They are Sponsors here too...
http://www.specialtymarine.com/cart.html/cart.html

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That is who I ordered from! I have had great luck with them with several orders in the past. The only reason I chose Nautical in the first place was for the authenticity in the fact that their rear storage compartment is just like the way it left the factory. Specialty's is a scaled down different version. I thought Specialties would irritate me to look at once installed, I have since altered where my irritation lies in this project.

Better to have a close to original interior than no interior at all....that's what I always say:)

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[/quote]

Better to have a close to original interior than no interior at all....that's what I always say:)[/quote]

I totally agree!

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Check the other Whaler website, Initials are CW. A thread going on that is in a similar vain. Last post was as of today where the poster claims he talked to Mike yesterday, and he always returns calls.
Maybe that poster was a shill, who knows.
rich

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Hello everyone,
69sak. your lockbox was shipped & I sent you a tracking #.
siegrist, did you email me?

As for the name change. The name wasn't totally changed, just added to in order to better describe what we do.

You guys know I get swamped this time of year. I try to return phone calls & emails. yes my products sometime take a little longer than expected. But im not rushing my product out the door just to make a date.

Mike@NauticalLumber.com is my email.
thanks,
Mike

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Email me at Mike@NauticalLumber.com & I will arrange your refund for you.

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Wow... you cant get better PR than that.

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Mike,

As I posted earlier, I already contacted my credit card company to let them sort this out. I think after hearing you tell me in early May that it was being "painted and shipping out shortly", leaving you several voicemails with no call return calls, and seeing other people receiving the same similar silent treatment, I had no real other choice. The season is way too short for me to gamble on whether or not you were going to deliver a product to me that I paid for. If I were a much wealthier person who had this money/time to lose, I would have waited it out because your woodwork really looked incredible. After calculating the risk though based on recent threads with other customers of yours, I truthfully got concerned enough that 90 days would go by and then I would be left with no recourse from the CC company.

I'm in a seasonal line of work as well and it should never be used as an excuse for why you can't better communicate with your paying customers during your busy season. Maybe under-promising and over-delivering would be a better approach in the future.

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I would think if Mike could set up a progress payment plan some of the problems wouldn't occur. An initial payment of maybe 30%, another payment after a percentage of work was completed, verified with photos, maybe another one, and balance due upon receipt of product. Could even be COD. I think he needs to do something to redeem his good name. I for one would hesitate at this time to place an order of any magnitude. Just a thought as I have no dog in this fight. Looks like he does beautiful work.

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Let's see, a guy orders a custom made product in April, he is told four to six weeks for delivery, on 21 May (doing the math that is a MAXIMUM of seven weeks from the date of his order) he bashes the vendor and infers that the vendor has lied to him because he has failed to have his hand held and his product may be a week overdue?

Is it just me or was a little extra patience called for in this case? If I was Mike I couldn't wait to refund this guys money and put him on the sierra list.

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I suppose that is one way to look at it. The other would be that he hasn't left me any reason to make me believe that I would actually receive anything in the next few weeks or months for that matter. Also, don't fail to take a look around and see that I'm not the only person who got nervous/frustrated/irritated by the lack of communication and lack of delivery of products paid for. A lot of things added up to making me want to bail out on this order. I'm not sure how patient you expect me to be when the project is already over the timeline (a week or even a day is over for me) and I have a family that enjoys boating together once memorial day rolls around.

All I was hoping for (feel free to ask Mike about the tone and context of my voicemails to him) was just a simple call back that would have taken 10 seconds out of his day to let me know the status of the order. I think waiting over a week for a call that never came, after a project is already overdue, is long enough to warrant a little suspicion on my end. Especially since someone a few threads down has been waiting a year a and a half for a product.

My patience ran out whether that works for you or not.

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While this is a frustrating experience, I would like to remind all members that name calling and derogatory comments are not constructive.

While it is appropriate to discuss service problems with a vendor, disputes between the customer and the vendor should be addressed between the parties directly. WhalerCentral is not a forum for mediating disputes.

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Thanks Phil.

I will exit this thread now.

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Sometimes the only recourse, or the only way to get a vendor to reply, is to bring the issue to the masses and get attention that way. This also gives the vendor a chance to tell his side and/or correct the issue in a public way. In general, if it is handled properly, both sides come out OK and any "bad press" is quashed.

This happens on almost all forums in all industries. But, in agreement with Phil, it should always be handled in a constructive, professional way.

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Looks really interesting but I am guessing that there should be a reason to it and one that would merit an explanation for the whole thing. I have been getting something really steady and important so it works really good for me but would likely budge to the idea when something real comes up to the occasion.

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Man do I wish I had read all of the comments about Nautical Lumber before ordering a teak door for my 1983 Outrage. It has been months since I ordered the door, which I paid for in full. Still I have not received the teak door. I talked to Mike S. the owner of Nautical Lumber on several occasions but it does not help. He agrees to fill the order but it does not happen. So does any one have any suggestions on how to go about getting an order out of Nautical Lumber before requesting a refund? (and having to go through that process)

Larry -- frustrated in Tacoma

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Larry -- Yours is a common complaint. Your best bet is to apply loud, public and persistent pressure on Mike, who is perfectly capable of turning out nice product, but until a customer threatens to out him publicly, he will be very happy to continue to sit on your money and do nothing for you.

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We have current Sponsors on our site in the upper right sidebar for a reason.
Nautical Lumber is no longer a Sponsor of this site.

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Oh Boy, I didn't see this either....oh no :(

Joe, when did Nautical Lumber lose it's sponsorship? I have a LOT of wood (complete Outrage 18 set) ordered...he also has my old gunnel rails...

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July, 2012

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This is sad news - Mike's workmanship is second to none.

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He did some rod holders for me earlier this year in a timely manner. But of course, I am only 80 miles from him.

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If a supplier or parts builder has a bad reputation, and you want to buy his product, and it is a stock item, then unless you can go to his place of business and pick it up, and pay for it in entirety at that time, then the best way of doing business with that entity is to have him list it in
E-Bay as a "buy it now", and pay with it through Pay pal that is based on your credit card. If he doesn't ship the item, you have some recourse through Pay pal and your credit card. Of course he will have to pay a small amount to E-Bay, but that s the price to pay for a bad reputation. If it is custom work you need done and he wants a down payment, good luck, I would find someone with a better reputation.

He is a member here, as I have seen his posts and threads, apparently he doesn't care anymore.

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I purchased my base interior from Mike, and it was during his major business relocation. All I asked for was a few emailed pictures (which my interior was custom and easy to ID) and he happily sent them. He was behind schedule, but for the most part, when I needed it he got it shipped. I would send him emails to communicate, seemed to work well for me. Good luck, he seems like a good, but busy guy. Keep on him and you will get your order.

As a side note, when I take my boat out in public, the first compliments go straight to the interior. He is the one who built it. Before Mike, I had a custom interior made for my 9' Tender by a local high-end custom furniture shop, and I paid twice what I would have paid by purchasing through Mike. Mike! Here comes another order! Have faith guys, he does good work. Just call or email.

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The quality of Mike's work is the reason I selected him for my interior. I did make contact with him last week after reading this, he is "snowed under" with work, I expect that this should be expected when you consider the quality of his craftsmanship. I was able to contact him via email, he then called me back.

I have other delays in my Outrage 18 project anyway right now, and I still have to get that whaler 27 FC down here from WI, so I have plenty of other stuff to think about. I am in the middle of my busiest season of the year in my business, so I am having trouble getting away to direct that Outrage 18 refit, and I can't get enough time to go get the 27. I have been busy purchasing all the needed rigging and tackle for the 27 conversion from freshwater to saltwater use, and I bought a new tow vehicle to go get the 27 with, a Ford F-350 SuperDuty 4X4 with camper package and gooseneck/class5 towing package also. I have been busy also, so I understand Mike's problem intimately.

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Mike is not the first and won't be the last craftsman who started selling to the Whaler community as a side business and had their primary business take off or has been unable to keep up with demand. How the individual handles the communication with customers will go a long way toward how the whaler community responds.

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The Teak door arrived today and it is beautiful. Workmanship is outstanding and it looks great on my 1983 Outrage. In my opinion Whaler Central should consider Nautical Lumber as a sponsor , providing the customer issues could be smoothed out a bit. The workmanship alone on his products would benefit Whaler Owners.

Larry - Tacoma

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I always wonder why people are so willing to pay in full up front. If a contractor requires this, it can only mean that his credit must be poor. A few board feet of wood or whatever can't cost that much....builders build homes with significantly less up front and there is even an escrow amount at the end. If a contractor is that hard up for money, it tells you all you need to know. A payment plan is equitable, and keeps the business owner aware of the flow of projects ahead of him. It also forces a contact between the parties.

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Mike is a stand up guy and work very closely with me on my 1986 13 Super Sport.
total restoration.
I brought it to him in Feb 2014 and he said Late May or early June. That is exactly what he did.
Picked up boat Fri.
He put some much of himself into my boat and his attention to detail was exemplary.

He removed bottom paint, smoothed out hull and gelcoated. He had many hours straighteninh
out hull side till they were nice and smooth. He had a lot of issues with interior hull and smoothed eveything
out and the Awlgrip paint job is outstanding.

The Sappele Mahogany interior is a thing or beauty. The grain is beautiful and in the sun it is unbelievable.

Mike is essentially a one man business, he does have one regular employee.
He strives to be sure everything he does is right and deadlines may suffer for it, but the quality out weighs any inconvenience this may cause.

I will post pics. on my personal page once I finish the mechanicals and electrical.

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As for money. Mike is a small business and materials are not cheap and he has to pay for experienced
help.

He only asked for materials money when they were purchased and labor money when certain aspects of restoration were completed.

FYI. The mahogany he buys is over sized so he can mill it to Whaler Specs.

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Mike Stennett is a BALD FACED LIAR. I have still not received my gunnels that I removed from my whaler for him to copy for the new ones, I have still not received all of my order of new doors or screw caps for the new gunnels. I got all but one of the doors I paid for last week after having him tell me repeatedly, at least once a month, that all my order would ship the following week. This has gone on for well over a year now.

I actually have tried to purchase another set of doors for my super console from others, and in the process contacted Sue at Twin Cities, who actually pressured Stennett to send me what I have now. I don't know how she got him to do it, he would not answer any of my emails or phone calls, and his voice mail was full.

This whole thing is going to get REAL interesting soon.

He required ALL PAYMENT FOR MY ORDER AT THE TIME I ORDERED.

I don't know who that guy is supporting him above, but I DO notice he's another person from MI. I am fairly certain that Stennett wouldn't be jerking anyone around like he has done me if he thought I could pay him a visit anytime I pleased... hmmmm, now there's a thought!

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For the record and based on being a recommended supplier by another website, I ordered a new mahogany console and RPS in Feb 2015 from Mike Stennet and Nautical Lumber / Neptune Marine. Total price was $6Kish and I paid half to start and the other half to ship. I experienced the late delivery (June instead of April) and much of the lack of callbacks and other negative BS noted above. But the real issue was the console and RPS arrived unfinished with some hacks. No latches or slats on the RPS seats. No keeper blocks or rod holers or handles on the RPS seat back. Plexiglass windows. No fuel tank rod or rod holder details on lower console. The console itself was not framed or structurally anything quality like OEM. No seven coats of varnish and many plywood ends unvarnished. Missing window frame screws and gaps between it and console and the window frame snd the frame top. Upper console screws driven into lower console screws then angled on an sngle into the wood. I was deeply disappointed and get sick thinking about it. Since then I've completed the details myself and added a few coats of varnish and now it looks ok. But I wanted to leave this record and now I see that I'm not alone.

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Wow that's a ton of money I'd expect it to be show quality!
TP