Dear John,
I canīt believe that I almost got suckered.
A uniformed gas-man rings the doorbell and shows me an official looking ID for an official gas installer. He proceeds to ask me for the inspection certificates for the bottled gas installations in the house, which of course in a rush I canīt find.
He proceeds to change hoses and valves saying that they are out of date and then tries to charge me 150 Euros.
Something smells rotten here, so I proceed to make a photocopy of his ID and pick up the phone to call REPSOL.
"No senor do not let this man charge you anything or do any work in your house, as although he may be a licensed installer, he is not from REPSOL and therefore if you have any future problems REPSOL is not responsible."
I stood up, and he cowered and I escorted him to my front door.
These guys are very clever, lots of fast talking, government regulation quotes, pamphlets about safety on hand. He didnīt bother my Spanish neighbours, so I assume he was looking for easy, non-Spanish speaking prey.
Yes a gas installation should be revised and inspected every 5 years, and a certificate should be issued and kept in a safe place as this is a legal responsibility for the safety of all users including any damage to neighbouring properties in the event of an accident.
To make a long story short, if in doubt, call REPSOL.
George Parkinson
Yacht Engineers
Hi John,
What do you make of this?
I went to Jets-Marivent to ask about service on two Sea-doo wet bikes.
Total cost of service for both was 750 euros
The boat that they belong to is in the new marina.
They have no way of lifting them from the boat or water so I had to drive one to Club de Mar then return for the second, I had to be dropped at the berth, take a wet bike to the club, I then got picked up and returned to the boat and then picked up again.
It cost me 84 Euros for both bikes to be lifted out, and the same again for re-launching later.
The marineros were 1 hour late even though the crane was booked paid and confirmed the day before.
I had to go through it all again when they were ready after service.
Total cost to owner so far is 918 euros PLUS my time
A day later I took delivery of a brand new wet bike for the same boat.
The next day one of the newly serviced bikes was running rough so I called Jets Marivent to send down a mechanic only to be told that they do not do call outs and I would have to get the bike to them.
When I explained that it was a real hassle they suggested that I take the boat, a 74 Sunseeker Manhattan, to Palma Nova where they have a slip. unload the wet bike and return to Palma. I would then have to repeat this when the bike was ready! Bearing in mind that the boat owner is paying for my time.
I told them that this was not suitable and I declined!
What do you make of that??
By the way, American jets do call outs and are very helpful and although they are main dealers for Yamaha, they also do Sea-doo.
Hi John,
Part two of the saga of the Jet-skis;
After the jet skis were returned to the boat and Jets Marivent said that they did not do call outs, the boat set off to Portugal, never to return.
Stopping off in Ibiza en-route, the owner launched the other jet ski to try it out only to find that the mechanics had forgotten to replace two bolts holding the engine housing together! The damage to the engine has yet to be determined.
I told the owner to take them both to the Portuguese Sea-doo agent for repair and a full report on the damage and bad servicing etc.
The moral of this story is:
DONīT BUY A WET BIKE!
(Especially from Jets Marivent)
Cheers,
(Name and address witheld)