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I live on a 'rich lake.' I also work there. Some of our customers are, well, cheapskates though.
Our gas is higher than the nearest gas station's, now called x. Yes, our policy of you having to get gas with us (or the other marina) sucks initially if you look at that.
Let me count all the reasons why these two facts are facts, and why they will not change no matter how much you whine about them.
1: A guy tried to pour regular gas into a boat that runs on premix (meaning the gasoline is mixed with oil.) The boat refused to run. If it did manage to run though, guess what would have happened? Dead boat.
2: We lose money off of gas. We spend about four dollars to the gallon plus four hundred per delivery, per week. And then you get to factor in the fact that we are not self serve, like x gas station.
3: x gas station primarily serves cars, which typically do not care about ethanol levels. Boats, especially old boats, run better with less ethanol. So we do not buy regular gas, which is likely what you were comparing it to.
4: We are on the water. We could have the right to gouge if we wanted to because of the fact that you can drive your boat right up to it.
5: We do not buy enough gas to get a volume discount. We pay what you pay.
6: Our turn-over for gas isn't nearly as fast as theirs. So if the prices say, go down, we will not change until we get new gas.
7: Why does it even matter? You are renting a boat for 65 dollars for six hours, and that's our most expensive boat because you 'had to have the best.' You also paid a forty dollar deposit, which goes only towards fuel, which, unless you are attempting to tube with the pontoon, should more than cover your fuel for the boat.
It was an amusing day, but it was an interesting day. I will take my best guess at all of their ethnicities, but I could be wrong. The only reason it means anything is that I don't normally get to see other cultures, because the most vaguely foreign thing for miles here is my math teacher from Iran. That and it all happened in one day.
My boss was pretty pleased to see our website was working, at least.
A group of people come in to rent a boat. They called earlier, and wanted the best boat we have available. I lead them towards boat Fi, because it has a radio, is decently large, and decently fast.
They walk over to the boat, and look at the seats in the back. They tell me they will not stand for this, (or sit on this, rather) and want a different boat. The only other boat available is on the other side of the dock, boat Ba/Chy (recently had a name change). This boat has better seats, but no radio, and they have gone from our second fastest boat, to our slowest boat. Then they complained about that. We offered them an upgrade the next day, but they turned it down.
After this, my second boss put up a flier for our competition so when customers whined about how pretty our boats were, he could gesture to them the rate for a tritoon from our competitor (which was four times our rate.)
Two other people turned that boat down that day. It's my least favorite boat, but the Fi can't seem to get a break. It was all for different reasons too.
These guys come in. Their kids buy candy, they rent a boat from us, get fishing licenses from us (or try to), and take some of our wood we have set up for them to take. In return, they give us beer. My boss, who normally takes his beer well, gets pretty drunk off of the one beer he had, and jokes that no wonder people have been complaining these guys are always drunk, if their beer is that potent.
The only really notable things about these guys was that they would refuse to talk to me, a lowly girl. (I know, my username suggests I'm a boy. I like the androgyny.) They insisted on talking to 'chief,' which I correctly guessed was my boss, for everything.
These guys weren't intentionally sucky. They just... were. They called in for a jetskii, tube, and pontoon rental. We have a rule that tubes and pontoons can be kept after-hours, but jetskiis cannot. They show up forty-five minutes until closing. Suddenly the phones can't stop ringing, tying up my boss, and I have to deal with them.
There were fourteen of them, but it felt like there were twenty-eight. They would not keep still, and there were always five of them doing something they shouldn't at the same time.
I agree to rent them a jetskii for a half-hour. The boat they want is gone (my fault. Our largest boat and smallest boat just happen to look the same to me.) Thankfully, we have one boat that seats ten, and one that seats seven. I give this to them for the same rate we would have just the one that seats ten (which is our cheapest boat.)
My boss finally can make it outside to help, which is good, because there are five of them trying to climb on our three-seater jetskii. He gets the accountant/my third boss, and she comes down and wrangles together those on the jetskii.
I hurry over to one boat, as the person on it is trying to start the boat while loudly asking, "How do you brake this thing?!" I go over the basic idea of stopping momentum without a brake, and he seems to get it. So I teach him how to start the boat, and send him on his way.
Then the circus begins. The jetskii nearly runs into the boat. The boat nearly runs into the tuber. The boats nearly run into each other. Twice. One of the boats can't get started. Now it can.
They come back a half-hour after closing, all talking about how thirsty they are. One of my bosses and I are about to drive away when we see this, and both agree not to leave my boss alone with this group. We open the store back up for this guy, expecting the group to come back in.
We ring up his one pop, and ask if anyone else is coming in.
He glances around and mumbles that he thinks he's the only one, and thanks us profusely. I explain that we'll be closed after this, and if they need anything else, store Y down the road should be open as long as they need.
We get home, only to hear them touring around the lake, singing very loudly.
They were very amusing, but the sheer chaos nearly led me to break down at the desk.
Dear...ahem, valued customer
Our gas is higher than the nearest gas station's, now called x. Yes, our policy of you having to get gas with us (or the other marina) sucks initially if you look at that.
Let me count all the reasons why these two facts are facts, and why they will not change no matter how much you whine about them.
1: A guy tried to pour regular gas into a boat that runs on premix (meaning the gasoline is mixed with oil.) The boat refused to run. If it did manage to run though, guess what would have happened? Dead boat.
2: We lose money off of gas. We spend about four dollars to the gallon plus four hundred per delivery, per week. And then you get to factor in the fact that we are not self serve, like x gas station.
3: x gas station primarily serves cars, which typically do not care about ethanol levels. Boats, especially old boats, run better with less ethanol. So we do not buy regular gas, which is likely what you were comparing it to.
4: We are on the water. We could have the right to gouge if we wanted to because of the fact that you can drive your boat right up to it.
5: We do not buy enough gas to get a volume discount. We pay what you pay.
6: Our turn-over for gas isn't nearly as fast as theirs. So if the prices say, go down, we will not change until we get new gas.
7: Why does it even matter? You are renting a boat for 65 dollars for six hours, and that's our most expensive boat because you 'had to have the best.' You also paid a forty dollar deposit, which goes only towards fuel, which, unless you are attempting to tube with the pontoon, should more than cover your fuel for the boat.
International Day!
It was an amusing day, but it was an interesting day. I will take my best guess at all of their ethnicities, but I could be wrong. The only reason it means anything is that I don't normally get to see other cultures, because the most vaguely foreign thing for miles here is my math teacher from Iran. That and it all happened in one day.
My boss was pretty pleased to see our website was working, at least.
Hispanics
A group of people come in to rent a boat. They called earlier, and wanted the best boat we have available. I lead them towards boat Fi, because it has a radio, is decently large, and decently fast.
They walk over to the boat, and look at the seats in the back. They tell me they will not stand for this, (or sit on this, rather) and want a different boat. The only other boat available is on the other side of the dock, boat Ba/Chy (recently had a name change). This boat has better seats, but no radio, and they have gone from our second fastest boat, to our slowest boat. Then they complained about that. We offered them an upgrade the next day, but they turned it down.
After this, my second boss put up a flier for our competition so when customers whined about how pretty our boats were, he could gesture to them the rate for a tritoon from our competitor (which was four times our rate.)
Two other people turned that boat down that day. It's my least favorite boat, but the Fi can't seem to get a break. It was all for different reasons too.
Polish People
These guys come in. Their kids buy candy, they rent a boat from us, get fishing licenses from us (or try to), and take some of our wood we have set up for them to take. In return, they give us beer. My boss, who normally takes his beer well, gets pretty drunk off of the one beer he had, and jokes that no wonder people have been complaining these guys are always drunk, if their beer is that potent.
The only really notable things about these guys was that they would refuse to talk to me, a lowly girl. (I know, my username suggests I'm a boy. I like the androgyny.) They insisted on talking to 'chief,' which I correctly guessed was my boss, for everything.
Orthodox Jewish People
These guys weren't intentionally sucky. They just... were. They called in for a jetskii, tube, and pontoon rental. We have a rule that tubes and pontoons can be kept after-hours, but jetskiis cannot. They show up forty-five minutes until closing. Suddenly the phones can't stop ringing, tying up my boss, and I have to deal with them.
There were fourteen of them, but it felt like there were twenty-eight. They would not keep still, and there were always five of them doing something they shouldn't at the same time.
I agree to rent them a jetskii for a half-hour. The boat they want is gone (my fault. Our largest boat and smallest boat just happen to look the same to me.) Thankfully, we have one boat that seats ten, and one that seats seven. I give this to them for the same rate we would have just the one that seats ten (which is our cheapest boat.)
My boss finally can make it outside to help, which is good, because there are five of them trying to climb on our three-seater jetskii. He gets the accountant/my third boss, and she comes down and wrangles together those on the jetskii.
I hurry over to one boat, as the person on it is trying to start the boat while loudly asking, "How do you brake this thing?!" I go over the basic idea of stopping momentum without a brake, and he seems to get it. So I teach him how to start the boat, and send him on his way.
Then the circus begins. The jetskii nearly runs into the boat. The boat nearly runs into the tuber. The boats nearly run into each other. Twice. One of the boats can't get started. Now it can.
They come back a half-hour after closing, all talking about how thirsty they are. One of my bosses and I are about to drive away when we see this, and both agree not to leave my boss alone with this group. We open the store back up for this guy, expecting the group to come back in.
We ring up his one pop, and ask if anyone else is coming in.
He glances around and mumbles that he thinks he's the only one, and thanks us profusely. I explain that we'll be closed after this, and if they need anything else, store Y down the road should be open as long as they need.
We get home, only to hear them touring around the lake, singing very loudly.
They were very amusing, but the sheer chaos nearly led me to break down at the desk.