More on Chris Welsh

Dominion Marine Media-Private Label Search: To search or not to search, that is the question

I’m sure this was an idea that was conceived with service to the consumer in mind at the beginning. With evolution and manipulation it has become what I believe is the single most destructive force in our industry to date. 

Do you realize that any brokerage, with little to no talent, ethical standards, or personal relationships can purchase the most valuable asset you have? Your listings are no longer your listings; they have become nothing more than a commodity on the open market and sold to anyone that will pay the price.

Here is how I discovered my listings had been sold. I had a co-op on one of my exclusive listings with another brokerage whom I had worked with on occasion. His buyer was very interested in my listing and was about to make an offer when I got a call. I was asked what the difference was between my listing and the one at XYZ brokers. I was told the buyer wants to make an offer on the one with only 263 hours at XYZ brokerage. I responded, “My listing has 263 hours”. His response was “no XYZ’s boat has 263 hours, look at it on XYZ yachts.com”. There it was…My Listing! After scrolling all the way to the bottom past 36 of my photos and detail after detail I noticed a very light grey reference to the actual listing broker. Needless to say I was outraged. 

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Who will best represent your seller? A 20 year old kid with a degree in data mining and web design or a professional yacht broker with over five decades in the marine industry?

2. Why should your sales agent take superior photographs, a detailed inventory and hours of labor to create a first class presentation if he knows it will be sold and he has little chance to sell his own listing?

3. Are you willing to give away your commission to the guy that can’t do his own work and will ride your shirt tails until he has driven you out of business?

4. Do you honestly believe that Parks and Recreation, Division of Boating and Waterways or a for profit advertising agency have your best interest in mind?

It is time that we as professionals take control of “our industry.”

1. Let Yacht World know that you are not to be taken advantage of and you’re “opting out” of the PLS. You can send your opt out email to cs@yachtworld.com

2. File a formal complaint with Parks and Recreation. Let them know that you do not believe that the Harbors and Navigation Code can be ignored by simply adding a disclaimer on your listings. Please direct your comments to marinda.isley@parks.ca.gov or call Marinda at 916-327-1839

3. Let any broker that scrapes your data or gets a feed for a fee know that you don’t do business with their type.

If no one participates in the PLS it will be worthless without inventory. We are the ones that must make the change and it will take the participation from each and every one of us.

I have had an overwhelming response to my constant contact blast of May 15, 2015. I received 10,552 views on the Facebook post alone. Support is coming from brokers all over the country. Whether it is a broker from Florida, South Carolina, California or Washington, I have not spoken to one broker that thinks PLS is good for anyone. What amazes me is the fact that even nationwide brokers with more than a thousand listings are on the same page. We are all being adversely affected no matter what the size of our company may be or what markets we are in. It is time to end the Private Label Search for the good of “our industry.” Opt out today. 

If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact me at any time by email: Mike@MarinersYachts.com or on my cell at 949-240-2381

Respectfully,

Capt. Michael A. O’Connor, C.P.Y.B
President/Broker of Record
Mariner’s Yacht & Ship Brokerage, Inc.

More facts on desal plant needed

Re: Proposed desalination plant in Huntington Beach (June 18 issue). The referenced article omits important information regarding the proposal. Specifically, how will the plant be powered? I presume by fossil fuel as the adjacent electrical generating plant burns bunker oil (I believe). If so, what are the short and long term effects on air quality (chemical pollutants and temperature rise), as well as CO2 emissions (affecting Global Warming)?

Paul Wall
Submitted to The Log via mail

 

What’s with the uptick in shark sightings?


Anyone watching the news knows about the unusually high number of shark attacks off the East Coast. Several times, George H. Buress, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the Florida Museum of Natural History and International Shark Attack File, has pointed out that several factors could be contributing to the rash of attacks, such as warmer water and drought conditions. 

Summer means more beachgoers and activity in the water. According to North Carolina’s state tourism office, there has been an 18 percent increase in coast visitation since 2010. There are more people in the water. The more people there are in the water, the more likely human to shark interaction, good or bad, will occur. How we respond to these shark encounters is important.

Studies have shown the negative impacts humans have on sharks. Over the course of the 20th century, estimates show that 2/3 of the world’s predatory fish population has declined.  Many attribute this to overfishing and black market shark fin trading. Additionally, sharks are having a tougher time finding food. Sharks’ lack of food coupled with increased water based human activities are a recipe for continued interactions. 

Yet an individual’s chance of being attacked by a shark is actually decreasing. According to a much talked about study scheduled to appear in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, researchers found that in California, scuba divers have a 1 in 136 million chance of a shark attack, surfers have a 1 in 17 million chance, and 1 attack for every 738 beach visits.

People must adapt to sharks. The most important thing is to use common sense. Any individual in the marine industry will point this out when discussing safety tips. Avoid going in the water when sharks are most active. Avoid food sources (such as seals or bait) which could attract a shark. Swim in groups. Stay near shore. Finally, pay attention to your surroundings. We must understand that the interactions between us and sharks will continue. With the right precautions, beachgoers can make a safer situation for them and the sharks.

Anonymous
Submitted on TheLog.com

Watch out for birds

Re: Santa Barbara oil spill cleanup cost hits 92 million (July 3 issue). They complain about 192 birds killed. What about the tens of thousands of birds killed ever year by the pro windmill people in our beautiful deserts in SoCal? I guess it is okay to kill them with wind turbines that are polluting our deserts, but God forbid it is from drilling for oil.

Anonymous
Submitted on TheLog.com

 

 

 

 

 

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