Shops to AVOID.

[JohnEd]

from Len,
I think that a shop like Williams is just not the place for most of us.  Their business is 90% commercial.  They are dealing with customers who's attitude is "that truck or bus is costing me $1000.00 a day (or whatever the number is).  Fix it, get it on the road.  If it needs an engine, put in an engine.  If it's not worth fixing, let's replace it".  Band-aids are not economically feasible for those folks.

That is well said and perfectly understandable.

I can sense their attitude that an old two stroke bus is taking up valuable bay space that could be making real money. 

I recall that they spent a couple weeks on the old girl.  They ordered parts by "non expedited" shipping.  The shop was never full and the mechs weren't busy.  In spite of their slack time they assigned a "rookie" mech and didn't supervise him.  When he went back with problems they told him in their idle shop manner that his engine was a wreck and not repairable.  I am with you on the part of "sensing their attitude". 

I also think that they should not take on the job in the first place if they are not willing to do it.

Boy Howdy!

It's kind of like asking the contractor that builds high rises to build your house or the company that builds interstate highways to pave your driveway.

But if that megabuck contractor takes that piddling job he should do it right.  I have a neighbor of sorts that is a general contractor.  he recently built a spec house in an established neighborhood.  A few doors down the street from his property was a somewhat weather worn house that seemed to be headed toward becoming a blight.  Now this contractor had a vested interest in the "quality" of the neighborhood for his own interests so he asked around about the current owner.  He learned that the guy was "old" and lame and had lived there since forever with his wife and she had passed a few years prior.  The old man wasn't flush with cash by any observation.  He approached the old owner with a proposition....  I will paint your house for the price of materials alone and I will quote that cost beforehand....no surprises.  The old guy claimed to have barely that amt. but wanted to do what he could for the neighborhood but hadn't had the money to hire the job out.  So my contractor added the job to his contract to paint his own house and got a really good deal for the add-on.  Not free by any means but still a good deal.  He passed his discount on the paint to the old man as a surprise bonus for being cooperative as if he hadn't done enuf.  I asked if that job was going to last till he got his property sold and he was a little insulted.  He said he did work for free with the same ethic as he did all the other and that was to exceed industry standard mins.... at least.  I know some nice people and, remarkably, they don't consider themselves special.  I have met a number of crooks that thought they were "Princes" at heart.  Go figure.

John

[thejumpsuitman]

I wish you had waited until my dealings with Williams were over and done with before birthing this thread.  As I have said an more than one occasion, I am not writing the whole company off yet.  Let's see how it all ends first.

Marc

[JohnEd]

The post didn't start off with any comment about your crew.  It was supposed to be about positive experiences and shops you would sen a friend to based on data on hand.  Never was intended to be an expose in any way negative.  I understand that carping about service and attitude isn't going to work.  It did evolve due to Charts post bringing up W and while that is understandable, it was still off the mark(pun intended) Marc.  I thought about calling him on it and asking that he delete the post but went with the flow, AGAIN, instead of risking.  Didn't do me much good, now did it?

Then Chart took it in a personal direction with "John, I know you have never made a mistake..." and so it went.  We went from what happened, who did it and what the fix might be, straight into "why" and personality.  Bad evolution and I hope that stuff ios short lived.  I am not angry about this but I don't want to go there right here and now.   Call me....please.

JSM,

Had I even a wisp of your desire to truncate this subject or delay any comment I would have been happy to accommodate you in any way possible.  Please understand that you and your current experience were at the furthest point in the spectrum away from the subject of my initial post.  You weren't on my mind when I birthed this thread. Really, you weren't.  I thought I had terminated it when I said that it was a subject whose "time had not yet come" and that was before you or your experience was brought up AGAIN.  I wish you had asked on March sixth when Chart posted and I would have asked the moderators to remove it.  While I think it late to do so I will ask them to do so now....for you.

John

[JohnEd]

                                           MODERATORS


Can this, my thread, be removed from the board till JSM has come to closure with his shop?  This is at his request and I strongly encourage you to accommodate him/me.

Thank you,

JohnEd

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi John, and others.

As stated earlier, this kind of thread will always end up in trouble. So, we choose to Not do it.

There is a very good web site that customers rate RV service shops and I think it is very good.

Luke at US Coach and many others are listed in there. You can also start a rating yourself.

It's link is in our Tech Archives section under Favotites. It's called RV Service Views.

http://rvservicereviews.com/

Good Luck
Nick-

[JohnEd]

Nick,

Your reference seems to do it all.  Obviously I wasn't aware of it.

No fair.  You can't kill it I already did that ....sorta.

Thanks and Sorry!

John

EVERYBODY!  Go to the site that Nick recommended... http://rvservicereviews.com/
That site is exactly what I was try to start here except that is also includes WARNINGS about unsavory shops.  Curiously, WW Williams Atlanta gets "excellent" comments from RV'ers for Gas and diesel rigs and also work on auto trans.   Then again JSM has the problem with the first shop that fouled the water.....thru no fault of his own, I assume.  Check out that site and book ark it.

Nick really came thru.

John

[thejumpsuitman]

Yes, the folks in Atlanta have been professional and have kept me abreast of everything they have been doing.  I think it was boxarOkie  who also had a good experience with Williams in Atlanta. 

Basically from what I have gathered, taking something to Williams is like taking your car to the dealership for service.  They will only use factory OEM parts and their labor rate is higher because of all the overhead.  The upshot being that they are known for doing everything correctly and "by the book."

Can I afford to have them do all my work from now on?  NO!  LOL.

[JohnEd]

That is never going to work John there will always be some that has good experience with a shop and some have a bad experience with the same shop no need to start a contest if one ask then answer

Ahem!   http://rvservicereviews.com/ 

If you weren't so consistently correct, intuitive and resourceful this "event" wouldn't be such an occasion.   Love you Clifford.  We all do.

John