Complaint Review: PROGRESSIVE MARINE SERVICES

DO NOT USE PROGRESSIVE MARINE
ST PETERSBURG 

LABOR COST THREE TIMES OVER ESTIMATE.

INFLATED BILLING.

After receiving 2 estimates for approximately the same cost from two marine services, I brought my 42 Endeavour sailboat into PROGRESSIVE MARINE SERVICES for a repower project (remove old and put in new marine engine). Labor cost was estimated by both local marine services at $4,900 (50 man hours). This is not a complicated project. In the end the total labor cost to completed was $15,000 (150 man hours) $10,000 over estimate and deceptive and elusive the whole time.

On August 16th the boat arrived under power at Progressive. Work began immediately to disassemble the old and remove the old engine. On August 24th I paid $20,000 toward purchase of the new engine. The new engine arrived on site

September 21st and being less than half way through the project I requested a current to date invoice. One week later the invoice is provided and half way through the project the labor cost is already exceeded the total estimate by $5,000. To remove the engine consumed 52 hours alone. With the old engine removed, they refused to provide timely invoices with incremental cost. At that point they requested a $7,500 cash payment by end of day. When that payment was delayed they demanded $13,443.75 cash payment, and yet the new engine was still not installed. They stopped work and threatened to charge layup fees for any day when cash payment was not made.

Once a cash payment of $13,443.75 was made they still refused to provide cost to complete when demanded and estimated yet an additional $5000 to complete. In the end that $5000 estimate to complete turned into a demanded an additional $7,142.07 cash payment to complete the repower before the boat would be launched. They refused to launch and perform sea trial before final cash payment. What should have taken 2-3 weeks, took 12 weeks from the time the new engine arrived on site, until November 11th. Their excuse, it was a lot more work than expected! OVER THREE TIMES THE HOURS.

Progressive applied $3000 in discount, which means actual hours were over 180 hours or over $13,000 overage.
I signed the final invoice under protest.
All communication was captured in email.
Complaints are filed.
Who knows what would have happened had I not had the $20,000 cash.

Overage Examples:
1) 9 hours billed to drain and wash the 55 gal bilge.(imagine washing out a 55 gal trash can for 9 hours)
2) 59 man hours billed to dissemble old engine and remove from boat, the easy half, when the total labor estimate was 50 hours. For whatever reason the old Perkins 4154 engine had to be completely disassembled down to the core and removed, although the new same size Beta 60 engine moved in as one piece.
3) 17 hours to replace the seawater through hull and replace the shaft.
Total estimate was $ 23,939 plus tax, final cost $37,930 plus tax.