Commander Reorganization

[CommanderBoats]

I am addressing the FORUM to present the facts concerning the Chapter 11 petition, filed in Riverside County, on April 8, 2004. At the outset, I must clarify that it has been done for the reorganization of the company. This step is well-planned and thought out. It will benefit the company, its employees, suppliers and customers, both present and future. This will also allow us to focus our energy and resources on continuining to build better product. For any doubting Thomas, let the facts speak for themselves---Commander product has been improving every year---the product today is better than it was last year, which was better than the product a year before and so on.
It saddens me to see that some Forum members are falsely attacking our veracity, honesty and integrity. Our customers who really know me, would attest to the fact these attacks are improper. Yes, over the last 16 plus years at the helm of Commander Boats, I have not made everyone happy, in spite of my desire to do so, but it is simply not possiable. Also, the attack on Steve's integrity is disheartening. He sincerely takes care of his customers as if it is his mission in life. I have NOT met any one who is more serious about customer service and making customers happy. He talks to me about it most seriously and abundantly at work, at home and while we are going out. Yes, he must have made some people unhappy. But, it must be understood that he talks to a large number of people and in every single boat-deal, he is involved in extensive and prolonged conversations. Miscommunications are certainly NOT out of the question. The same is true of our office-employees, considering the turn-over of the staff, our being short-handed and their becoming familiar with the business can all cause them to miscommunicate. With their best intentions, sometimes they can make statements that they would rather not.
Let no one doubt our resolve to take care of our business and customers. To better serve our customers' needs, we have made tremendous financial commitments during the last couple of years, in introducing the following new models: (1) 32 Signature (2) 29 Signature (3) New 2800 Party Deck (4) 25 Ecstasy (5) New 2800 Cat with canopies. Now, we have the project underway to introduce new 2300 & 2100 this year. Also, our acquisition of a 6-acre land parcel adjoining our Perris facility should facilitate our supporting the customer needs in the near future.

[summerlove]

Best of luck to you guys! I hope that the future of Commander Boats remains strong. You guys build a very nice boat and I think that for the market to remain competitive it is important that all major manufacturers remain on solid financial ground.
Good luck...

[hd&boatrider]

Myself, I appreciate you coming on and adressing this Sy. Good luck and I hope things move forward in a positive manner for you.
Tom Winters

[welk2party]

Good luck!

[unleashed]

Goodluck with your business. Filing for chapter 11 is better than going out of business period. This allows you to make good on some of your debts, continue supporting your loyal customers, and supporting the industry as a whole. Im sure alot here wish you luck.
Deano
Unleashedclothing (http://www.unleashedclothing.com) :devil:

[rivercrazy]

I also hope that Commander makes a solid return to healthy business standing. The industry needs healthy competition and retail customers need lots of potential boat choices.
But it sounds like the investments made in all the new boat models and the real estate expansion occured on the backs of suppliers and customers

[FRENCHIE]

Good for commander owners to know your still gonna be around!! good luck on it.;)

[Phat Matt]

So it looks like I may buy a Commander deck boat next year after all. :D In the mean time this bad boy will do! Thanks for posting Sy.
Matt

[Essex502]

Good luck and I also appreciate the open communication from a builder. Some other builders/representatives have been less than forthcoming! (whip that dead horse!)

[cc322]

I think it's good Sy tells his side, but GOSH it seems like he always has to defend his company????????? makes you think:confused:

[kcm21]

Post or no post I have a bitter taste in my mouth from almost everything I have ever experienced through them. I hope for their sake that things turn around but I will by no means be holding my breath. There are only so many times you can give someone the benefit of the doubt and get screwed. Hey I thought on my fist go around with them it was because I was a young kid and they thought that I would not be back anytime soon to buy another boat but I was back just short of two years later. Funny thing is the same thing happened.
Unfortunately in the retail industry you can not keep everyone happy but you try your best to, and it is respected by the customer, but when you have the feeling that they really don't care about you or your business you just start to wonder how they remain in business.
As much as I want to sit and bad mouth Steve and Michael I am not going to, but I wouldn't wish the service or the lack of respect that I was given there on my worst enemy, and that is why I would not give them any refferals. If the price of the boat is your determining factor go by the old saying "you get what you pay for."
I guess I can wish Sy goodluck on the chapter 11 but I sure hope it was done truely for the "re-structuring" of the company and not just to prolong bad business decisions.

[CARGUY]

Good luck SY!!! It took both stones and integrity to put that post in here. It's nice to have a manufacturer address a topic that doesn't paint his/her business in a positive light. This keeps the "what happened" comments to a minimum.
Thanks for the post!!!!

[hd&boatrider]

Originally posted by Essex502
Good luck and I also appreciate the open communication from a builder. Some other builders/representatives have been less than forthcoming! (whip that dead horse!)
Damn Essex502...lets not go there again....

[Ziggy]

Its a positive move for Sy to make and to address the folks on the forum.

[Essex502]

Originally posted by hd&boatrider
Damn Essex502...lets not go there again....
:D

[Boat Loan Guy]

Good luck Sy, I know that you will contiune on building a qualtiy boat and look forward to working with you and your staff.:)

[SHAKE-YO-AZZ]

Well i still love my boat and I'm looking forward to the poker run this weekend. :cool:

[Kilrtoy]

Hope it works this time around. Good luck

[BoatFloating]

Originally posted by Essex502
Good luck and I also appreciate the open communication from a builder. Some other builders/representatives have been less than forthcoming! (whip that dead horse!)
Oh No! You better watch yourself or you'll become the next whipping boy ;) Your not allowed to have those thoughts so stop it now or face the wrath:mad: :mad:

[ahhell]

For a minute there i felt bent over the rail, but i love my Commander

[Scream]

Originally posted by ahhell
For a minute there i felt bent over the rail,
This isn't that type of forum sir. Move along...

[Debbolas]

Originally posted by Scream
This isn't that type of forum sir. Move along...
LMAO
:D

[ahhell]

stop that shit, this is family hour biatch..... :cool:

[kcm21]

Sorry I had to dig this out and bring it back!
With such a reputable post, where is Sy now??????

[OGShocker]

Holy CRAP! You do make a mean bucket of popcorn.

[kcm21]

No......I never hold onto things too long! I always thought that shrink was overpayed!
Nah the popcorn is chill it is the silver bullets that bring me too my best!

[stilwaitn]

kc that crap coming from Sy is just that crap.The only commitment I've gotten from Sy is his bold face lies he keeps telling me!!!!!

[HighRoller]

Bankruptcy is treating the symptoms but I never heard Sy say how he's going to address the problems his company obviouslu has. Without a serious change in their business philosophy they'll be filing bankruptcy again in five years.

[stilwaitn]

KC I think you better count yourself very lucky your relationship with Sy and Commander have been positive.Hell I bought my 26 Sig in January and now its May and they still can't seem to complete my boat. It's amazing Sy and Steven can return your phone calls when the're selling you a boat.But as soon as they get your money they will never return a phone call. And as far as Steven not being able to return everybodies phone calls.You would think that someone he just made $65000 off of would be important enough to return a phone call to. And Sy seems to think that eating his sandwich is more important than solving his customers problems. I would like to see how supportive of Sy you would be if the man closed the door in your face when you were trying to discuss an issue with him. Yeah body! That really sounds like someone committed to customer service.Or does Sy and Steve even Know what customer service means? Sorry but lying to and jerking your customers around does'nt fit in that definition.

[stilwaitn]

Heck high roller. I think it would be doing Commander a favor if Sy would sell out and let somebody who knows how to run a business take over.

[HighRoller]

Damn, that sucks. You should have bought an Ultra! Anyways, I think it's time to wage war against them in the loudest, most visible way. Make a huge sign that you can carry around in front of their building or put it on your car and park in front of them. "STILL WAITING FOR MY BOAT-5 MONTHS AND COUNTING". Call them 25 times a day, send them certified letters every day and visit their shop at least once a day. Call the BBB once a week and the Chamber of Commerce, hell you could even call the cops and say they stole your money. I wouldn't say the chances of you getting your boat anytime soon from a company in bankruptcy is real good. I'd also be worried about those guys closing their doors and skipping town. Did you pay them 100% up front? If so you better get Sy's home address or some way to find him if you find a padlock on their door one day. Might want to keep a private investigator on speed dial!

[THATJEFFGUY]

hey stilwaitin..have you paid Sy a visit yet today ?? just bust open that little white door on the side of the shack (what they call an office) and make the sawed-off little whiny bitch talk to you !! was it a check you gave them ? has it been cashed yet ? demand to see your boat..how far along is it ? do you have a signed PO with a "promise date" ?

[RiverPirate]

Nice thread Sy, I sincerily hope that you can pull through this. Competition is good for the boating Industry. However, if it saddens you to be trashed in a thread why don't you address it. I didn't read anything in your thread explaining how a guy could buy a NEW boat from you that was 4 years old. If the thread poster is full of shit it seems like it would be simple enough for you to point out the error of his ways or at least explain your point of view. Like you inferred, anyone can call bull shit about a company or person but it is hard to argue when they have what appear to be an articulatable set of facts. So what really happened with this particular sale. I think there are many people reading these boards that are dying to know the TRUTH.
Thats just my take of the issue.;)

[Debbolas]

Originally posted by HighRoller
Damn, that sucks. You should have bought an Ultra! Anyways, I think it's time to wage war against them in the loudest, most visible way. Make a huge sign that you can carry around in front of their building or put it on your car and park in front of them. "STILL WAITING FOR MY BOAT-5 MONTHS AND COUNTING". Call them 25 times a day, send them certified letters every day and visit their shop at least once a day. Call the BBB once a week and the Chamber of Commerce, hell you could even call the cops and say they stole your money. I wouldn't say the chances of you getting your boat anytime soon from a company in bankruptcy is real good. I'd also be worried about those guys closing their doors and skipping town. Did you pay them 100% up front? If so you better get Sy's home address or some way to find him if you find a padlock on their door one day. Might want to keep a private investigator on speed dial!
Someone on the forum, works for the BBB....maybe she can help...

[THATJEFFGUY]

Thats right Deb..."topless" works for the BBB. So I would advise ANYONE and EVERYONE that has a complaint, contact her via PM and she can tell you exactly how to do it...she helped me do it today !

[little rowe boat]

Darn I was hoping Sy would address that old boat, new boat thing going on.I guess he is just hoping it will go away.

[kcm21]

stil.......I was thinking of starting a club......."Been lied to by Sy club" I think we may already have the founding forefathers......I mean five-fathers.....six.......The list is growing!

[kcm21]

Oh yeah and there has been very little that has ever been positive about my experiences with Sy and the boys! I already posted this once but they had my new boat for four months last year. All they had to do was add a drive shower, do a 20hr tune up and buff out a scratch that they did last time it was in the shop! 4 MONTHS! How's about that! When I called I was told they have forty other boats they have to work on also! Bells and whistles should have gone off in my head!

[SHAKE-YO-AZZ]

:D :D :D :D I need a beer

[bordsmnj]

Originally posted by little rowe boat
Darn I was hoping Sy would address that old boat, new boat thing going on.I guess he is just hoping it will go away.
this is an old thread that some one dug up. sy's reply here was to some other shit a while back like last month or so. a thinly vailed advertising ploy at that. i doubt you'll hear from him this time. if i was having a boat built by them right now i'd be really concerned. i wouldn't expect the boat to be finished untill the bankruptcy is over.- if at all. it's hard to get supplies from other companies when your ****ing them. i hate to be part of the bashing crew cuase some good folks paid good ol' hard earned cash to buy there boats . it sucks to have someone talk shit about your "baby" or the company that built it i should say but WTF. seems like someone's getting hosed by these guys all the time.

[hd&boatrider]

Originally posted by THATJEFFGUY
Thats right Deb..."topless" works for the BBB. So I would advise ANYONE and EVERYONE that has a complaint, contact her via PM and she can tell you exactly how to do it...she helped me do it today !
Topless does? :)

[GlastronGuy]

There's more ass kissing going on in this thread than in a San Francisco bath house.
;)

[AzDon]

I remember a thread from about last August, where a guy had been jerked around about his late-model Commander that he had left for service. He went to pick it up on his way to the river for July 4th and it had disappeared from Commander's lot. It was also alledged in the same thread that several customer boats had disappeared from Commander's premises, as well.
I've often wondered if these boats ever turned up and whether they had been stripped or if they'd been nefariously re-titled and sold to other people. Does anybody know?

[kcm21]

boardsmnj
I dug it up cause I wanted to show what a reputable guy Sy is, and how, about three weeks ago, people actually believed this guy was trying to be honest! Some even complimented him?????
He is crooked, his son is a punk, and Michael will get his some day! I just hope I am there to see it with some fresh popcorn and a cold beer.

[stilwaitn]

Well you guys pretty much told me what I was thinking about the likely hood of me getting my boat done. Trust me I'll be back down to Commander in the next few days with my attorney. It's amazing that I paid for my boat in full but Sy does'nt seem to be able to get my boat done. I'm probably screwed. It will probably be like trying to get a $20 bill from a wino. Hell I just might have to storm the shack as Jeff suggested.

[Topock Junkie]

Count me in the twice... MAN! I can't express how bad I feel for those waiting on boats. All I can say is.......

[THATJEFFGUY]

.....we're waiting Topock !!

[h2oski2fast]

My post got deleted. Must have been too real for HB. I guess HB hasn't figured out that, they too are gonna get the shaft from commander.
Thanks HB for your Non-bias opinion..............BS!!!!!! I will post this on the other forums as well. Sorry, but my $1000 check is better than their $100 check, unless you want to play basketball with it. You should let Sy run your biz. You too could have a successful business in chapter 11!

[jbtrailerjim]

Originally posted by stilwaitn
It's amazing that I paid for my boat in full but Sy does'nt seem to be able to get my boat done. I'm probably screwed.
Holy shit!! Why did you have to pay for your boat in full before even taking delivery of it? Dude, I don't blame you for being pissed. Have they even started it yet? When I bought my Ultra I only had to put 10% down and I paid the rest when I took delivery of it. I feel for you. That suck's!!!! I hope it all works out for you. Good luck.

[v-drive]

Originally posted by stilwaitn
Well you guys pretty much told me what I was thinking about the likely hood of me getting my boat done. Trust me I'll be back down to Commander in the next few days with my attorney. It's amazing that I paid for my boat in full but Sy does'nt seem to be able to get my boat done. I'm probably screwed. It will probably be like trying to get a $20 bill from a wino. Hell I just might have to storm the shack as Jeff suggested.
I'm sorry but whatever possessed you to pay everything up front.
Is that guy that big of a scam artist and what kind of incentive did he promise you if you did pay up front. I don't care for ***boat mag. I did pick up the Feb. issue at a vendors office yesterday and saw that alot of the boat builders had a few pages of there line up. commander had 1 page. True they could only have that one boat new this year but reading about it and the price made me think of TGJ's boat. Is that his model? After you guys legally destroy him you should kick his backside very hard but like my boss always says, it's much more satisfying beating someone in a court of law. This being said he still needs his butt kicked.
:D v-drive

[dicudmore]

Originally posted by stilwaitn
Well you guys pretty much told me what I was thinking about the likely hood of me getting my boat done. Trust me I'll be back down to Commander in the next few days with my attorney. It's amazing that I paid for my boat in full but Sy does'nt seem to be able to get my boat done. I'm probably screwed. It will probably be like trying to get a $20 bill from a wino. Hell I just might have to storm the shack as Jeff suggested.
Really sorry to hear that they already have all your money.
Hope it works out for you

[kcm21]

HOLY CRAP!!!!
You paid for the whole thing up front!!!!!
Wow can I get on your payroll!!! That is funny cause when I traded my old boat in they "didn't have the funds to pay it off" but I put 15k down on the newer one and my payoff on the old boat wasn't much more! And it still took them 7 months to sell it and then they didn't even pay it off! The new company did!
F# commander, Sy is going down, Still we should go down there and hitch up a few boats from the showroom and call it even, although I am not sure that you could get much as bad as their name is now! And none the less most of the boats on the showroom floor look like cartoons! I mean honestly who does their gel coat????? Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, or a 12 year old with a box of Crayola's?

[dicudmore]

part of what amazes me here is most of you guys flaming commander bought them.....TWICE

[dicudmore]

for anyone that can't tell in the pic, my boat's a cheetah.
they've certainly had their share of bashing over the years but I can tell you Bob wanted $1500 down for my boat to be built, never ran a credit check and the boat was done on time.
Didn't even ask me how I planned to pay for it till I came to pick it up. If he wanted a bunch of $$$ up front (more than 10%) I would probably have been scared away.
just my .02

[kcm21]

Hey we all makes mistakes, yes I bought a second one I am an idiot I know! I should be flamed just as much as Sy because I believed all the nonsense that he told me that it was unfortunate what happened with me the first time around, and that he would personally take care of me the second time around. But the same happend the second time around so now I feel I have the right to bash him all day long!

[dicudmore]

you definitely earned the right to bash him.....
How is the boat, and how was the first one? I'm guessing something made you go back for seconds....

[kcm21]

Well, long story longer, the first was a 21, it had it's fair shair of probs but you can read about that in my other posts!:D PLumbers tape?????? Seriously who uses plumbers tape???? I have always liked the design of their 24 and my first experience was worthless with Michael and so I was driving by one day and I figured I would stop by to see what they had. I saw a 24 I liked and took it out for a test drive, I liked it alot. Don't get me wrong I actually like their boats it is just the way they are put together that is just piss poor. I mean my suggestion would to be fire the whole service dept. They are totally useless and I am sure that while they put together each boat they are reading "boat building for dummies" to make sure they are doing it right! Ah man you got me started again! They installed a electric hatch for me and forgot to bolt it down??????? I mean honestly?????? They didn't bolt the thing down. Then fire whoever does their rigging and hire whoever does DCB's (shameless plug, but that is some quality work!) There rigging is piss poor at best. But yes other than the fact that everyone there is a complete moron the boat has treated me well, as long as I don't let their service dept touch it!

[dicudmore]

thats cool....so long as she runs and floats its all good :rolleyes:

[kcm21]

Yeah she runs and floats well thank you.