98 replies to this topic

[Kevin Leclair]

This is a very good idea, I thought about this myself but I would need help getting word out to all the dealers. I like the idea of just a sticker or something pointing them to the website as I think the dealer would have hard time trying to sell online support.

I can try to think of some kind of "Contributor" idea, what do those others forums offer for this and how much do they charge for the "Contributor" membership?

[sdsb-blog]

Here is how the new "Contributor" member would look that I just set up as a test, is this what you are referring too?

If you are a "Contributor" memeber then you will have a <span style='font-size:12pt;line-height:100%'>+</span> in front of your member name and your member name will be bolded black in color. You will also show up in the "Contributor" list here, http://seadoosportbo...=...y_name&st=0, and you will get this "Contributor" icon under your member title:


Kevin

[thumper]

i paid 15 us dollars to join a toyota site for support and help in much the same way as your site is set up (for jap imported 4x4 in the uk) this was a lifetime membership and all i got was a bumper sticker - i think its a good idea as you will raise money from members and people would actually start to us it as opposed to just surfing it - the fee is not compulsory - but we already know what people are like when it comes to 'status' regardless of the number of posts!!!!!!!

dealers - service agents etc all used the site - the site is in no way linked to toyota

even insurance companies joined and set up a post and most people got their insurance through them - it worked for all concerned - i saved nearly $1000 on insurance because of it and countless tips for servicing & maintenance etc

the site got more sponsors and raised some money.

as far as the dealers are concerned- if i was a dealer i would say that there is a forum for sharing experinces etc etc - they would have to say they were not responsible for site content - but it would be a useful 'after sales club' sort of thing

it may be easier to 'hit' the dealers through their own websites if thay have any - particularly as the dealers seem to get a lot of their content from seadoo and we all know whose web is more up to date than seadoos!!!!!

before i bought my doo i visited at seadoosportsboat.com - this was the site i found the first pics of the 2005 range!!! i am sure there are others out there

if you paid up you could become a member of the owners club - in fact you could become the first global seadoo owners club

i joined the searay club with my last two boats - and it was rubbish - no help at all

just a few ideas for you

[Kevin Leclair]

Sounds like it was worth it to me. So instead of offering a sticker what if I offered an @seadoosportboats.com email address, doo you think people would like this? Let's say we doo everything mentioned above excluding the sticker, plus some extra capabilities on the website (editing topic titles, permission to specific owner's club sections that we could created, etc) and an @seadoosportboats.com email address. How about $20.00 USD annual subscription for all of this, does this sound like a fair deal? Like you said in no way would the fee be required but it would give owners some extra benefits and a higher status around the website.

Yeah I like this idea, we doo have few dealers on here that post from time to time. We have also had reps from BRP come to the website to see complaints and what not, this helped one of members jpeezy get a new doo.

This would be nice if were could have more outsiders join and frequent the website, this is what I am trying to accomplish with the sponsorship by Hydro-Turf. Both parties benefit from it this way.

Yeah the dealer would have to have some type of disclaimer along those lines so they are not liable for the information their customers would read on the website. We just need help getting the word out to the dealers about the website, I am sure it would help dealers out tremendously if people learn to doo a lot of maintenance and what not on their own.

I have email a few dealers via their websites, I even emailed Perry Performance Group, Inc. the other day just asking them if they would like to exchange links to one another’s website. This is the only response I got back, "Are you aware of the similarity of your website with BRP SeaDoo sites?" I replied back with this, "Yes, they are fully aware as I have been in touch with BRP numerous times about our website. I have discussed this already with Dave Martise, Director of Marketing at BRP. I am offering the support for their sport boats at no costs to the consumer which they are not offering on their website." If people would just quit critiquing the website and just understand its purpose then I think we will be much better off.

It is good to hear that the website was helpful and it helped you decide what your next purchase was going to be. Even I am using the website to try to decide what I should doo about an upgrade and if I should even upgrade here, http://seadoosportbo...p?showtopic=599. These are the kind of questions that consumers want answers to and I will be the first to tell you that a dealership is not the place to find them because they are out to sell a boat…not to be honest all the time like we are here.

So instead of calling it SeaDooSportBoats.com Contributor would it be better to call it SeaDooSportBoats.com Owner's Club Member?

Sorry to hear about the lack of help and support with your Searay, we definitely don't want that to be the case with your doo!

Thanks for all the inputs and suggestions; this is the kind of feedback I need to make this a better place for everyone!

[thumper]

20 bucks is cool

email address idea is good

owners club is good - might be an idea if you contacted seadoo to find out if they would endorse it as an official owners club - i would be happy to send them an email which states that your website helped me decide to buy my doo - which it did

i am keen for it and would like to sign up - i am happy to support your site

i think you should put some pressure on seadoo

[Yuji]

I belong to www.matrixowner.com which is a paintball site. They are the premier site for this type of paintball marker and you can become a supporting member with a small cash donation. Then you are automaticly entered into monthly draws for paintball equipment that have been donated by the manufacturers. The site started out just like this one and then it just took off. I know that all the big manufacturers use it as a resource for customer satisfaction, new product ideas etc. They recogonize your support by giving you a title which is positioned under the username. This way people see that you are a supporter of the site. You can still join and use the forum for free, you're just not included in the monthly prize draws. Once traffic increases you will see alot more support from SeaDoo and aftermarket companies...Good Luck!

[Kevin Leclair]

Ok thanks, I will post back when I get the subscription feature set up and running.

I will touch base with them on this and see what they say about it. If you want to send something then you can send it to David.Martise@brp.com.

Well thanks for all your help and suggestions with this, I will get it up and running as soon as possible.

I think we all need to put some pressure on SeaDoo.

[tiggerman]

Nice ideas, good thoughts... pay my membership for me thumper.....

[thumper]

no!

[thumper]

does this contributor idea get the thumbe up then- will we see some changes?

[thumper]

this just went to the link you provided

Dear Sir

I am the proud owner of a seadoo 2005 4 tec scic - which i have recently purchased here in the united kingdom. i have been boating for over 10 years and have until now only owned searays until and unfortunate problem last year which ended up in a legal battle with my dealer.

I would just like to say that seadoosportsboat.com run by kevin leclair who i am sure you are aware of, basically provided me with sufficeint information to convince me to purchase this boat - of which i am very happy with. Infact he hosted the 2005 range of boats before the seadoo official website!

The whole forum scene over the internet seems to be taking off in a big way - had i had the advantage of speaking to other owners of my searay, problems could have been avoided - perhaps.

What kevin is promoting can only be good for seadoo & brp - i would urge you as a customer to endorse his site and allow him to set up an official seadoo owners club - to be run for the benefit of all owners - ultimately this will inturn provide you with useful feedback from your customers.

I think that it will also provide you with information across you whole field of business - you overall build quality and maintenance issues - it will provide feedback on your delaer network - and obviously feedback from the end user.

Seadoo would probably be the first boat builder to do such a thing which is of benefit to its customers.

I am sure with all the necessary legal notices and disclaimers that seem to be everywhere these days, the site itself can only help to promote seadoo and safe boating.

regards

[thumper]

why dont you set up a post which people can fill in their details and it gets e-mailed to the brp guy from your site - fill his mailbox with emails from his customers - he surely has to listen to his customers - it just might promote people to put pressure on seadoo - as they wont actually have to write the email themselves - just a few mouse clicks on this site and hey - presto the guys mailbox is full.

[Kevin Leclair]

this just went to the link you provided

Dear Sir

I am the proud owner of a seadoo 2005 4 tec scic - which i have recently purchased here in the united kingdom. i have been boating for over 10 years and have until now only owned searays until and unfortunate problem last year which ended up in a legal battle with my dealer.

I would just like to say that seadoosportsboat.com run by kevin leclair who i am sure you are aware of, basically provided me with sufficeint information to convince me to purchase this boat - of which i am very happy with. Infact he hosted the 2005 range of boats before the seadoo official website!

The whole forum scene over the internet seems to be taking off in a big way - had i had the advantage of speaking to other owners of my searay, problems could have been avoided - perhaps.

What kevin is promoting can only be good for seadoo & brp - i would urge you as a customer to endorse his site and allow him to set up an official seadoo owners club - to be run for the benefit of all owners - ultimately this will inturn provide you with useful feedback from your customers.

I think that it will also provide you with information across you whole field of business - you overall build quality and maintenance issues - it will provide feedback on your delaer network - and obviously feedback from the end user.

Seadoo would probably be the first boat builder to do such a thing which is of benefit to its customers.

I am sure with all the necessary legal notices and disclaimers that seem to be everywhere these days, the site itself can only help to promote seadoo and safe boating.

regards

Very nice, thanks for doo'ing that! Let just keep our fingers crossed and await his response.

You can also forward this to Frederic.Audet@brp.com, last time David emailed me he said that Fred was taking over as the Director of Marketing at BRP so this could be one more ear you can reach there!

[Kevin Leclair]

why dont you set up a post which people can fill in their details and it gets e-mailed to the brp guy from your site - fill his mailbox with emails from his customers - he surely has to listen to his customers - it just might promote people to put pressure on seadoo - as they wont actually have to write the email themselves - just a few mouse clicks on this site and hey - presto the guys mailbox is full.

I could probably create a post and then point him to that but I don't think filling his inbox would be good idea, he might get a little irritated with this. If it were a post he could just check it from time to time at his own will.

[thumper]

ok thats a very good point - it would be nice a few people could 'lobby' him on your behalf though.

[Kevin Leclair]

See my post above (I edited it), where there is one more person you can shoot that email too.

[thumper]

ok i have emailed him also!

[Kevin Leclair]

ok i have emailed him also!

Ok cool, thanks!

[Kevin Leclair]

i am keen for it and would like to sign up - i am happy to support your site

Ok here is the link to the annual subscription:
http://seadoosportbo...tion&CODE=index

There is a "Subscription" link in the top top navigation bar or to navigate to it follow these links when you are logged in: My Controls -> Purchase Paid Subscriptions

Let me know if you have any problems.

[thumper]

only one problem - what about a life membership
20 bucks for life
10 bucks per annum????
i would personally like to have a life menbership - perhaps without the emial option??