Ocean Image Boating's replyOfficial
27 Apr 2021, 16:17Dear Jeroen
Ocean Image : We welcome your review on the platform. Kindly see our feedback below.
Jeroen: WE rented a speedboat from them for the weekend. We took it to the Breede river and on the way the jokey wheel came off as well as the spare wheel. We had not touched them when we picked up the boat...their staff connect the boat to our car.
Ocean Image Response: Not sure what a ‘jokey’ is, but we can refer to the ‘jockey’ of our trailer being well in place and tightened upon you leaving our boatyard. A part of our process is that checks are done with the customer to ensure all is in order before you leave the yard. Something that was done with you I recall, as I was there with you. For a spare wheel to come off any vehicle can only mean one of two things - one it was not tightened properly, something that would have been picked up upon inspection, but all was cleared by both yourself and us. Or, the person driving, drove at quite a high speed on the gravel road to the Breede River. Now we are by no means involved in the business of playing police inspector, but considering both the jockey and the spare wheel came off, only the latter makes sense to us. Also, we refer you to the attached picture of the condition we received both the trailer and our boat back.
Condition of boat returnedCondition of boat returned
Jeroen: Then while we were at the breede the boat started taking on water. We had to take the boat out of the water twice in two days to stop it from sinking. It also made it impossible to waterski and tube as the boat was full of water. On return, the staff member admitted that it does have a leak! Thanks for the defect boat that you rented out at about R2500 per day.
Ocean Image Response: As stated in our email to you previously, the leak was not mentioned to us by yourself upon return. I also would like to point out that the ‘staff’ member you are referring to most definitely did not say that as I (the owner) was there. We recall charging you a rental fee of R2100 per day and not R2500…. Considering you got two days’ worth of rental absolutely free for collecting one day early, and returning it one day late, sounds to us like a pretty good deal. In essence, we should have charged you an extra two days of R2100 each for your complete lack and disregard towards our policies and procedures.
Jeroen: It doe snot end. When we returned the boat they did an assessment and basically withheld our close to R4500 deposit. Apparently both props were chipped, the glue of the inflatable came loose. Their engine cover was torn and a whole lot of other things.
Ocean Image Response: Our indemnity form, which you signed, clearly states that your deposit will be withheld should you cause any damages to our equipment. You can view the photos attached of damages incurred by yourself while on your trip.
Jeroen: They said that they would send date stamped photos which they have not done.Some costs are justified like cleaning the boat, for R750 to clean a boat you could employ someone for two days.
Ocean Image Response: Correction, it is R700, and yes you are correct, two days is how long it takes us to clean our boats when used on gravel roads. We don’t just deep-clean the boat and trailer, but we also remove the old grease and replace it with new
Jeroen: These boats are getting so old and they have not replaced them as long as I have known about them.
Ocean Image Response: Safety and equipment maintenance is, and will always be our number one priority. On a daily basis, we check, service, and maintain all of the above. When a boat leaves our yard, the responsibility of our equipment lies in the hands of our customers.
Jeroen: I would recommend that you do no use them.
Ocean Image Response: I would recommend you take care of rented property to avoid incurring penalties in the future and have respect for company policies.
Best regards,