I was born and raised in LA and there was a reason we always avoided Marina Del Rey Boat Rentals. The locals all know that this place is a tourist trap, and the business owner (Mark) doesn't care about repeat business. Their MO is pretty simple and clear. They will try very hard to find a reason to keep your deposit, knowing that most people are from out of town and will never try to fight it or follow up.
Recently, I had a few friends visiting from out of town and they really wanted to go out on the water. They were here for a short time, so rather than go all the way down to Orange County, which is what I usually do, I took them to Marina Del Rey Boat Rentals. I had a queezy feeling the whole time we were on the water, because I knew that as soon as we got back to dock that these unscrupulous owners would try to pull a fast one. Not surprisingly, as soon as we docked the boat, the owner (Mark) runs up and claims that there was damage to the boat, and that he was keeping the deposit. I told him I knew what his scam was and that we weren't falling for it. He said, "okay, if you try to dispute this, then I'm going to charge $3,000 to your card!" One of the girls in our group was recording the whole thing and we have the video evidence to prove it.
Needless to say, they stole our $500 deposit, and when we were watching the various cell phone videos and pictures from the trip, we noticed that the alleged damage we caused to the boat existed on the boat before we even got on the boat.
So, my advice here is pretty simple, don't go to these people, because their aim is to rip innocent people off! That's their reputation in LA, and locals never go here for good reason. If you find yourself in a position where you must absolutely be on a boat, and need to go here, a simple word of caution. Make sure to take video of the entire boat before you or anyone in your party steps foot on the boat. Most of his boats are damaged and he will try to make you pay for existing damage by stealing your deposit.
As i was getting to write a review, i briefly checked to see what criticisms other 1 star reviews had, and guess what, they were pretty much the same! i highly suggest you look at the negative reviews, as you will see a running theme: the owner mark screaming at people on their way back, blaming them While blatantly lying) they screwed up various parts of the boat and using the contract they signed at the beginning to threaten to sue them if they don’t pay what he “thinks” the “damage” was. This all happened to us and ruined an otherwise perfect day, but needless to say we went there once and will never be back. And i won’t stop telling people about this scam artist.
And did i mention my husband who was yelled at is a litigation attorney?
Long story short, we rented a boat from this place a few weeks ago for two hours and on our way back, the owner mark and one of his employees started screaming at us as we were approaching, and i’m talking screaming at 25 yards away. Once we arrived, he alleged we broke the passenger window and that he would end up charging my husband $3000 to replace it as he had his credit card on file. The window was not broken, it looked like it slightly came out of its bracket and could have easily been readjusted with a little pressure. Mind you, we took pictures before leaving the dock and the window looked the exact same, i.E. It needed to be readjusted even before we got on. I urged my husband to let mark charge whatever he “feels” appropriate and we will fight him in court but after talking to my husband, the owner mark ended up “offering” to charge him “only” $500, and once he “takes the boat to the repair shop” he will give my husband whatever the difference was should it cost less than the $500 he stole from us. And we never heard back since.
While waiting for his call, and curious as to what the window adjustment fee was my husband personally called grady white, the manufacturer of the boat, and spoke with multiple experts who all confirmed that the window coming loose from the bracket is a common ordinary wear and tear occurrence on this boat, and that it is simply remedied by applying simple pressure to the window to return it to its bracket. We weren’t even responsible for this happening, yet were lied to and stolen from despite all the evidence. How is this fair to american consumers?
His main business is comprised of tourists; mark does not rely on repeat business and therefore takes whatever he can get as he knows he will never see them again. I will certainly keep speaking up about your fraudulent practices.
Marina del Rey Boat Rentals Reviews
I was born and raised in LA and there was a reason we always avoided Marina Del Rey Boat Rentals. The locals all know that this place is a tourist trap, and the business owner (Mark) doesn't care about repeat business. Their MO is pretty simple and clear. They will try very hard to find a reason to keep your deposit, knowing that most people are from out of town and will never try to fight it or follow up.
Recently, I had a few friends visiting from out of town and they really wanted to go out on the water. They were here for a short time, so rather than go all the way down to Orange County, which is what I usually do, I took them to Marina Del Rey Boat Rentals. I had a queezy feeling the whole time we were on the water, because I knew that as soon as we got back to dock that these unscrupulous owners would try to pull a fast one. Not surprisingly, as soon as we docked the boat, the owner (Mark) runs up and claims that there was damage to the boat, and that he was keeping the deposit. I told him I knew what his scam was and that we weren't falling for it. He said, "okay, if you try to dispute this, then I'm going to charge $3,000 to your card!" One of the girls in our group was recording the whole thing and we have the video evidence to prove it.
Needless to say, they stole our $500 deposit, and when we were watching the various cell phone videos and pictures from the trip, we noticed that the alleged damage we caused to the boat existed on the boat before we even got on the boat.
So, my advice here is pretty simple, don't go to these people, because their aim is to rip innocent people off! That's their reputation in LA, and locals never go here for good reason. If you find yourself in a position where you must absolutely be on a boat, and need to go here, a simple word of caution. Make sure to take video of the entire boat before you or anyone in your party steps foot on the boat. Most of his boats are damaged and he will try to make you pay for existing damage by stealing your deposit.
Customers, beware of this owner mark!
As i was getting to write a review, i briefly checked to see what criticisms other 1 star reviews had, and guess what, they were pretty much the same! i highly suggest you look at the negative reviews, as you will see a running theme: the owner mark screaming at people on their way back, blaming them While blatantly lying) they screwed up various parts of the boat and using the contract they signed at the beginning to threaten to sue them if they don’t pay what he “thinks” the “damage” was. This all happened to us and ruined an otherwise perfect day, but needless to say we went there once and will never be back. And i won’t stop telling people about this scam artist.
And did i mention my husband who was yelled at is a litigation attorney?
Long story short, we rented a boat from this place a few weeks ago for two hours and on our way back, the owner mark and one of his employees started screaming at us as we were approaching, and i’m talking screaming at 25 yards away. Once we arrived, he alleged we broke the passenger window and that he would end up charging my husband $3000 to replace it as he had his credit card on file. The window was not broken, it looked like it slightly came out of its bracket and could have easily been readjusted with a little pressure. Mind you, we took pictures before leaving the dock and the window looked the exact same, i.E. It needed to be readjusted even before we got on. I urged my husband to let mark charge whatever he “feels” appropriate and we will fight him in court but after talking to my husband, the owner mark ended up “offering” to charge him “only” $500, and once he “takes the boat to the repair shop” he will give my husband whatever the difference was should it cost less than the $500 he stole from us. And we never heard back since.
While waiting for his call, and curious as to what the window adjustment fee was my husband personally called grady white, the manufacturer of the boat, and spoke with multiple experts who all confirmed that the window coming loose from the bracket is a common ordinary wear and tear occurrence on this boat, and that it is simply remedied by applying simple pressure to the window to return it to its bracket. We weren’t even responsible for this happening, yet were lied to and stolen from despite all the evidence. How is this fair to american consumers?
His main business is comprised of tourists; mark does not rely on repeat business and therefore takes whatever he can get as he knows he will never see them again. I will certainly keep speaking up about your fraudulent practices.