Donald M.

On 4/5/2014 I signed a purchase order for a 2008 Larson 260 Cabrio with Raymond Mitchells Boat Sales, 301 Pasadena Ave. South, St. Petersburg, Fl. (also is on e-bay as Wide World Boats) Matthew Mitchell was the sales person we dealt with and agreed to a $1000. 00 down payment and final payment prior to delivery to the Cape Coral boat ramp-total payment of $44,268.76. $40,550+$2480. 00 sales tax+$199.00 Registration Fees+$260.00 Detailing(Boat Cleaned and Waxed inside and outside)+$125.00 Freight+ $704.76(To Pay for service work completed by Panther Marine of St. Petersburg, that was requested by me). We did a sea trial on the boat 4/5/2014, everything was fine other than the generator had a pump problem so we could not check out the air conditioner, Matthew Mitchell stated he would have this fixed and everything would work. There was a cockpit cover to be included in the purchase as well as the camper tops. There was no coast guard safety equipment on the boat. Matt told us everyone kept their own and we would have to buy ours. Thus was our agreement with Matthew Mitchell to deliver the boat to the Cape Coral boat ramp with all equipment, clean and everything in working order.
The boat was delivered on 4/14/2014 by Rose McDowell, she backed it into the water at the ramp and our nightmare began. Both batteries were totally dead, there were oily finger prints and shoe prints on the swim platform, seats and cockpit floor and there was no cockpit cover (approximately a $1000. 00-$1500. 00 item). I have cell phone records of three calls to Matt Mitchell, all I got was the boat was fine when it left St. Pete, these mechanical things happen, the cockpit cover is in the boat and the boat was detailed before it left St. Pete-all of this was a lie and just a complete run around, trying to blame someone else for his inadequacy. The delivery lady let us remove the battery from her truck and we got the boat started and to our boat lift about three hours after it arrived. Matt was in care, custody and control of this boat, until it was delivered to me in Cape Coral, he secured and employed all people involved. He first said the cockpit cover was in the boat-then it could be at their place of business-he would check and get back to me-then it must have blow out on the way to Cape Coral, all this from the 14th of April until the 25th of April, 10 phone calls with nothing but the run around. Then the title arrives-the title says it is a 2007 instead of a 2008 and the VIN # on his purchase order does not match the title or the boat. Now I am really upset-we have purchased a shore power cord-so now we check out the air conditioner-it works only it only blows hot air-needs a new compressor (approx. $800-$900)-I e-mail Matt as I could not stand to talk to him. Complete run around, it all has to be someone elses fault; everything was fine on the boat when it left St. Pete according to him. We go to the DMV, a nice lady got to the bottom of the title problem, Matt just sent in a transfer-he knew it was wrong, but did nothing to request a change, she updated the title and the boat is a 2008 and that part is over. My wife and I spent several days cleaning the oily hand prints and foot prints and detailing the boat. Still no cockpit cover, although Matt assured me in one of his e-mails that they would make it right, if it was not found. I guess he did not say when he would make it right. I have a picture of the cockpit cover lying on the dock in front of the boat we purchased.
What a disaster and nightmare it has been for us purchasing from these people-thus we are filing a complaint about their shady business practices in hopes of saving other people the grief we suffered.
We have been scammed for the $260.00 Detailing, the cockpit cover ($1250. 00) to replace and $800.00 to repair the air conditioner, a total of $2310. 00.
July 24th update on compliant with Raymond Mitchells Boat Sales/Wide World Boats. Repairs have been made to the air conditioner at a cost of $1880. 98 instead of an estimated $800.00. Thus our complaint is $3390. 98 of goods and services we were scammed out of.