Is Defender is loosing it?

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Over the years Defever provided lots of our boating supplies. Allways had great service we even made a few trips to your store from NJ in anticipation of Spring outfitting needs,

Thanks for being there! Enjoy your retirement. John P
 
Jamestown Distributors closed their retail store a few years ago. Now you can only get things shipped. They were my go to store of choice for 30 years. Defender became my new store having a great selection although I had to have everything shipped. Once they sold they went downhill and I quit using them.
 
i had an order from Defender delivered with damage to one of the paint can lids. they basically told me to go bark at the moon. that's the kind of service that drives customers away.
 
Defender

I second the endorsement of pkys.com, in Annapolis. PK is Peter Kennedy. It is not a huge business, but Peter keeps the prices low and the standards high. He will absolutely steer you right in the complicated world of marine economics. I’ve been a customer over time, but have not spend enough money to justify the help he has given, and so I’m happy to send others to him. He has whatever you need from Victron and Balmar.
 
I second the endorsement of pkys.com, in Annapolis. PK is Peter Kennedy. It is not a huge business, but Peter keeps the prices low and the standards high. He will absolutely steer you right in the complicated world of marine economics. I’ve been a customer over time, but have not spend enough money to justify the help he has given, and so I’m happy to send others to him. He has whatever you need from Victron and Balmar.

One of the many things I would do differently from my refit is to have found a Victron dealer with decent tech support from day one. I wish I had found PKYS earlier. Near zero price premium and tech support is excellent.

I'll be blunt. Buying Victron items from Amazon, Defender, Hodges, etc is a really bad idea. Don't do it. Find a truly qualified dealer. For me, PKYS for the bill. Resellers - even good ones like Hodges - have lousy tech support.

Peter
 
Just an update on Defender.

I received a phone call from a very nice lady in Customer Service. She apologized and stated that their working on their pricing. Also that the problem I had, should have never happened.

I was given a $50.00 gift certificate for my troubles. She was a pleasure to deal with!
 
...I received a phone call from a very nice lady in Customer Service. She apologized and stated that their working on their pricing. Also that the problem I had, should have never happened...

Good to hear. It would be great to have the "old" Defender back.
 
Good to hear. It would be great to have the "old" Defender back.

Agreed. Even now their pricing on certain items is good, but if they can work their way back to frequently being the best or close to the best price on a large number of items, that will move them back up the list by few spots.
 
Defender recently expanded there inventory in their brick and. mortar store and added an area for viewing inflatables. No scratch and dent area yet - but heading in the right direction. I am a local and Defender is my preferred go to when the price is right. Cheers
 
Good to hear. It would be great to have the "old" Defender back.


It would be nice if they hired back some of the people they let go after the sale.
Don't believe that BS they fed the newspapers about "keeping" everyone on after the sale.
 
Lately I’ve been getting the best prices from Go2Marine (LFS). Good rates on Alaska shipping too.

+1

Not only do they have decent prices, they have a brick and mortar store with knowledgeable people. I just placed an order with them and got great help sorting it out.
Plus free shipping over $99
 
+1

Not only do they have decent prices, they have a brick and mortar store with knowledgeable people. I just placed an order with them and got great help sorting it out.
Plus free shipping over $99

Multiple stores, actually. I’m aware of Seattle, Sitka, and Bellingham, and there are probably more.
 
Stephan, cool that you "got out" and are enjoying life! I know lots of people who are still working . . . .and dreaming of cruising, but they want to work another XX years to get the boat they want, or whatever. For us, once we had "enough" we pulled the plug. Currently on a trip from PNW to Florida, waiting for the Wx to improve for our next leg from San Blas Islands, Panama up to the Cayman Islands!:dance:

On Defender, I used to be a Defender plus member, but no longer, and nowadays, I've gotten to where I don't even check their prices/availability when I shop for parts . . . . kinda sad . . .
 
Don't know if this is new or always this way after Defender sold. Had trouble with my account login at Defender, so called them. Had two parts that I needed for things to square away before my boat sale closes. Both parts were listed as in-stock on the website. The first one (Groco strainer) was available from a distributor (3 days to Defender). The second one (Garmin cable) wasn't available from any of their distributors, more than 2 weeks.

Hodges had both in stock and got my business. Really annoyed that Defender listed both as in-stock items. I guess it's easy to beat everybody's price on an item you can't get.

Ted
 
Don't know if this is new or always this way after Defender sold. Had trouble with my account login at Defender, so called them. Had two parts that I needed for things to square away before my boat sale closes. Both parts were listed as in-stock on the website. The first one (Groco strainer) was available from a distributor (3 days to Defender). The second one (Garmin cable) wasn't available from any of their distributors, more than 2 weeks.

Hodges had both in stock and got my business. Really annoyed that Defender listed both as in-stock items. I guess it's easy to beat everybody's price on an item you can't get.

Ted
I hear you. To a lot of businesses, “In stock” means that it’s in stock somewhere in the world and they will have it drop shipped to you. That can be very different from having something in stock at THEIR location, knowing what the shipping time will be.
 
I hear you. To a lot of businesses, “In stock” means that it’s in stock somewhere in the world and they will have it drop shipped to you. That can be very different from having something in stock at THEIR location, knowing what the shipping time will be.
Agreed. There are certain places I count on when I absolutely need a part right away. Certain places like Summit Racing put effort into things like that, but for a lot of places being able to tell you exactly how fast they can get you something just isn't a priority.
 
We use Fisheries Supply. Same family ownership since 1928. Must be doing something right.
 
I find myself using...

Overton's
Hodges Marine
Jamestown Distributors
Wholesale Marin
Go2Marine
Fair warning: while I also have used Hodges Marine numerous times over the years, I had a major customer service issue with them. I had ordered some Lowrance NMEA parts, and they sent me the wrong ones. Their customer service is non-existent. After numerous calls and emails to Hodges re: THEIR error, it became apparent that they are probably just resellers and don't have a real staff. Or they just don't give a rat's buttocks. Bottom line, they would not allow a return and just ghosted me. I had to buy a new set of NMEA components and so essentially paid twice. I sold these extra, incorrect parts on eBay at a loss. I got burned by Hodges because I was lured by the slightly lower prices, but if there ever is a problem with any of your Hodges purchases, you're screwed. I've since read a number of Hodges horror stories so now they're dead to me. So is Defender, whom I'd been shopping with since they were a creaky little store in New Rochelle, NY way back when. They use to have great prices and excellent customer service, but now neither of these is true anymore.

I also had a similar crappy customer service experience with Go2Marine as well.

So despite WM prices being near retail, I can at least visit a store and SEE what I'm buying, and their return policy is very fair. Now my list of chandlers is:

West Marine
Fisheries Supply
Jamestown
Seattle Marine
 
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