Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Hamlin's Marine's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Hamlin's Marine

  290 W River Rd Waterville, ME 04901-5067

  
• 

  Hamlin's Marine

  581 Main Rd N Hampden, ME 04444-1804

  
• 

  Hamlin's Marine

  100 Marina Rd Hampden, ME 04444

  

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/16/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I bought a brand new boat from hamlins marine earlier this month. They delivered the boat with approx 18 hours on the engine, more than the zero hours we discussed and well beyond the ten hour break in period. I would like to see the engine data pulled in person to be sure this engine has not been over heated or ran without oil in the 18 hours of operation. Also, the hull has multiple scratches in the gel coat that are supposed to be repaired, and are under warranty. Also, hamlins marine installed a defective trolling motor mount, that almost immediately bent to an unusable condition. I have made complaints to Hamlins about this, and they have not responded with any reasonable resolution, in fact I believe the salesman has blocked my number.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/19/2025

  In response to the recent customer complaint from ******** *******...

  "I would like to start first with the facts.  The boat that was purchased was a 2023 Sea Chaser, 2022 EZ Loader Trailer, and a 2021 ****** F150XB.  Attached is the signed buyer's order from ******** *******.  The complete package is a holdover and non-current.  Holdover units are considered new and come with the manufacturer's warranty.  Understandably holdover units may be demonstrated for potential purchase from customers or for advertising purposes and that is how hours are obtained on the engine.  Holdover units based on our decision may be discounted based on any minuscule blemishes they may have.

  The first interaction I personally had with ******** ******* when he came in to pick up the boat came with a list of demands.  ******** demanded that we install a trim limit sensor to prevent the motor from trimming too high while the rear bench seat rest was in place.  I explained to ******** that it is not a dealer option, but we would install it for free if he chose to purchase the part.  I attempted to ask about the other concerns and ******** abruptly stated, "I am done talking with you".  ******** then turned to the salesman that was handling the sale and was very unprofessional and rude.  The salesman went over a couple of concerns ******** had regarding the gelcoat and the deck drains.  The salesman asked if we could address the concerns, and we agreed to take care of them.  ******** left and stated he would be back to pick up the boat.  We repaired the gelcoat that was covered under the manufacturer's warranty and we cleaned and installed new deck drains which were not covered.  ******** returned and picked up the boat.

  ******** reached out to the salesman a few days later with a battery of very unprofessional texts stating the trolling motor bracket bent.  I personally reached out to ******** to remedy the situation and did not reach him via phone.  I had the salesman answer him back stating we would take care of the trolling motor bracket issue.

  Hamlin's Marine strives to be the innovative leader in customer satisfaction and go above and beyond for customers.  We are celebrating our 40th year anniversary.  W are more than willing to take care of the trolling motor issue.  We would also be willing to go over with ******** again that his motor comes with a full 3 year manufacturer warranty.  Hamlin's Marine will not be battered with unprofessional texts and in person unprofessionalism towards our employees.

  ******** can reach our warranty department or the Operations Manager directly and we will get the trolling motor issue addressed."

  The above statement is from *** ******, Operations Manager of our ********** location ph ********************.

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/19/2025

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does satisfy my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint #********. I understand that by choosing to accept the business response that my complaint will be closed as resolved. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/14/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Purchased a used boat from ********. The business did an inspection and replaced a shifter cable before pickup. Also, added winterization to boat because it would not be used until spring. In spring when boat was launched, it immediately set an alarm for drive line fluid. Called the dealer next day was advised what type of fluid to use. Refilled fluid and it immediately leaked out and bilged into lake. Called dealer and asked if they would look at it. before proceeding to dealer had local shop look at for opinion, hoping it was minor and would not require towing to dealer. Was advised that dealer should have seen problem at initial inspection, as well as after replacing shifter cable, and also at winterization. Took back to dealer, was advised they would not cover and was given verbal estimate to repair. I offered to pay deductible, they declined. I offered to split cost, they declined. I removed from property and took boat to another repair shop for teardown and estimate ($3377.29). In the meantime, arbitration through AG's office was initiated. This process led to shop offer to pay half of their estimate (est $1500.00). In essence they offered to pay $750. of a $3400.00 expense. I said not enough. They offered to do the repair at their shop if I supplied the parts. The parts have been on backorder and recently arrived at the current repair shop in October 2023. I said I would not move from that repair shop, they could pay a portion or work something out with the shop, they did not respond. I have paid a portion to the new repair shop for their work. This boat has not worked for 1 minute without an alarm. The dealer should have recognized the issue from the start, but did not. I'm not confident that they would give me a good, safe, quality repair.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/26/2023

  ********************,

  We have a multi-location dealership, and both locations and managers had a hand in this issue.  I met with both *******************, the Waterville location manager and ***************************, the Hampden location manager.   Our policy with used boats is always to fully inspect boats that we take on trade, service the units, and do our best to ensure there are no mechanical defects.  It is certainly not a perfect system, and some problems escape our inspection.  That is why we offer a 30 Day 50/50 warranty on parts and labor i.e. if there is a problem within 30 days with a used boat, we offer to split the cost of repairs.  In your case, the problems were discovered after that window.  

  *************************** originally sold you the boat, and he has since been promoted to General Manager of the Hampden location.  He expressed that he felt that we should make an exception to the policy based on your unique circumstance and the fact there was obviously a problem that we missed during our inspection. 

  Here is ******'s statement:

  "The **** Sea Ray you acquired underwent a thorough evaluation and winterization in our shop, and it was communicated to you in October that it carried a limited 30-day warranty. We regret hearing about the issue you faced during the summer.
  
  Upon reviewing the estimate from another shop, we noticed inflated charges for additional services billed at an exaggerated labor amount. We did extend an offer to address and fix the issue with minimal cost to you, which unfortunately was declined.
  In an effort to find a resolution, we're willing to honor the entire amount of our original estimate, totaling $1459.67, to assist in rectifying this situation."

  ******************* agreed to his assessment, and Hamlin's Marine should contribute to repair costs based on our original estimate of $1459.57.  The repair estimate is attached.

  So, in conclusion Hamlin's Marine is making an exception to our 30 Day 50/50 warranty, and providing you the opportunity to accept the full repair costs of the mechanical issue discovered had you given us the opportunity to repair the issue in our shop.  We are not willing to pay what we consider an inflated shop bill from an outside shop because we had no control over the costs.

  Thank you and please let us know if you accept our offer to settle the matter.  I apologize for your trouble and hope we can put this to rest.

  Sincerely,

  *********************

  Owner 

  Hamlin's Marine

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/27/2023

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does satisfy my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint #********. I understand that by choosing to accept the business response that my complaint will be closed as resolved. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************