I'm leaving this review because of the way my mother was treated during an already incredibly…read moredifficult time for our family.
My father dropped his boat off for repairs while my parents were on vacation. Shortly afterward, he unexpectedly passed away. My mother contacted Hodges Marine, explained the situation, and let them know that she would be disconnecting my father's phone. We were told they typically had a fairly quick turnaround, but the repair ended up taking weeks. During that time, they called my deceased father's phone, despite having been told that he had passed away and that the phone was being disconnected.
When my mother later called to check on the boat, she was met with an attitude because they had not heard back from the call they had placed to my father's phone. At that point, it could have simply been treated as a misunderstanding. Unfortunately, that was not how the situation was handled.
When my mother went to pick up the boat, pay the bill, and retrieve some of my father's personal belongings, she felt she was treated very disrespectfully and unfriendly. When she asked them to start the boat, they acted as though it was a major inconvenience and questioned whether she trusted them. Given that they work on boats and routinely have to start them to verify their repairs, and considering that my mother had driven more than five hours to get there, we felt it was a completely reasonable request. The interaction left her feeling as though she was being treated differently because she was a woman.
What bothered me most, however, was the complete lack of compassion shown to my mother. She was a newly widowed woman trying to collect her late husband's belongings from the boat. I understand that helping her climb into the boat was not technically their responsibility, but given the circumstances, even a small gesture of assistance or kindness would have meant a great deal. Instead, she felt completely on her own.
There was also an older man present during the billing process who, from my mother's perspective, seemed eager to argue with her rather than help resolve the situation. Whether that was his intention or not, the overall environment was extremely uncomfortable and upsetting for someone who had just lost her husband.
I understand that businesses have customers to deal with, policies to follow, and busy days. I am not expecting special treatment simply because my family experienced a tragedy. What I am expecting is basic professionalism, respect, and a little compassion--especially after being explicitly told that a customer's husband had unexpectedly passed away.
The boat was eventually repaired, but the way my mother was treated is what she and our family will remember. I sincerely hope other families never have to experience a loss like ours, but if you do, I hope your loved one is treated with more kindness and dignity than my mother was.
Based on our experience, I would not recommend Hodges Marine to my family or friends.
