Aug. 9—BELGRADE — TJ Talbot hasn't had his boat for two years. He got it back last month, but not all in one piece.
Talbot left it at the Belgrade Boat Shop at 769 Oakland Road in the summer of 2022. Talbot says he didn't hear from the shop's owner, Bill Redlevske, for more than two years afterward.
Following dozens of unreturned phone calls and emails, Talbot went to retrieve the boat himself last month. He found it sitting in a field behind the shop, unwinterized and missing parts of its engine.
"The grass was very overgrown, and there were many other boats in the storage yard," Talbot said. "The boat shop also has my keys, so that is another problem that I am facing right now."
Talbot is not the only one with complaints about the Belgrade Boat Shop. Numerous Belgrade residents have reported similar experiences in social media posts and comments over the last few months.
Many have also found their watercraft lying uncovered in the field behind the shop, which was founded in 2014. Others have said parts of their boats were similarly missing and their cushions had been ripped.
Nearly all say that Redlevske cut communication with customers after storing their watercraft, dodging phone calls and seldom answering the door at the shop.
Attempts by the Morning Sentinel to contact Redlevske were unsuccessful. The phone number listed on the Belgrade Boat Shop website has been disconnected and no one answered a reporter's knocks on the door this week.
After weeks of silence from Redlevske and months without their boats, several residents contacted the Kennebec County Sheriff's Office. A spokesperson from the Maine State Police also confirmed receiving complaints about Redlevske withholding customers' boats.
In six incident reports the sheriff's office released dating back to April 2023, callers report having their boat or jet ski kept at the shop longer than they wanted. They say they haven't heard from Redlevske in weeks or months, and just want their watercraft back.
"Caller stores his boat at the Belgrade Boat Shop. Has been calling the shop for a few weeks, owner won't answer/return his calls. Went to the shop today to get the boat, owner wouldn't answer the door," a dispatcher wrote in a report dated May 20, 2024. "(Caller) doesn't believe his boat is there any longer."
In at least three cases, sheriff's deputies suggested to callers they should drive to the boat shop and retrieve their watercraft themselves without Redlevske's approval since he was unresponsive.
According to Talbot and others on social media, some customers are able to get in touch with Redlevske after he knows law enforcement is involved. Callers who got in touch with the sheriff's office ended up getting their boats back in all six incident reports released by the office.
"She has asked several times for her boat back, the owner is making odd demands from her before he will give her boat back," a police dispatcher wrote in one report. "After she told them she was going to call the (sheriff's office), he told her he was planning on getting the boat ready this week."
Even so, deputies and dispatchers told several customers that there is nothing they can do.
Talbot and several other residents shared stories of bouncing from agency to agency, eventually being told by the sheriff's office, Maine State Police and Maine Warden Service that they couldn't help retrieve their boats, parts or money.
"I spoke with the sheriff who said I should contact the state police," Talbot said. "The (state police) said I should contact the wardens. I called the warden and left a message."
Shannon Moss, spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said Tuesday that the issue did not fall under the state police's jurisdiction. A spokesperson for the Maine Warden Service confirmed the agency also had no oversight over the boat shop, saying it would be considered a civil case.
Belgrade Town Manager Lorna Dee Nichols said town office has received complaints related to the Belgrade Boat Shop, but "this is a civil matter; the town has no jurisdiction. In addition, Mr. Redlevske lives in Rome, not Belgrade."
Danna Hayes, special assistant to Attorney General Aaron Frey, said the AG's office has received two complaints about the boat shop — one from July 2024, involving a person trying to retrieve a boat that had been at the business since 2022 but can't reach anyone at the business; and one complaint from July 2023 about a jet ski repair.
"We just found another (not a formal complaint, so not in our system) via email from someone in June of this year," Hayes added, "claiming the company kept asking for more money, provided poor workmanship, and then refused to respond to requests to return the boat."
Although Talbot was ultimately able to retrieve his boat, he's not sure what steps to take next. He estimates the missing motor parts will cost at least $800, money he doesn't expect Redlevske will reimburse.
"They all told me they could not help," he said. "I'm not sure what to do next."
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