Bad repair shop

[Pampero]

I am going to describe my unfortunate situation with the hope that someone else doesn't have to go through it.
I own my 2000 Monaco Windsor and I bought it new back then, at the moment this happen, I only had 38,000 miles on it.
In 2018 I decided that I wanted to upgrade my TV cabinets so I found Gene Miller (Wood Designs RV) in Nappanee, Indiana.
I got I quote from him and I just need to find the way and the time to bring my coach there to get it fix it.
While this happen, I found that my coach developed a fiberglass delamination on the passenger side by the rear bedroom window and possible by the front window by the entrance door.
I tried to get it fix close to me, I live in Long Island NY, but a fiberglass guy removed the awning on the rear window, inspected and decide that was too much for him.

So, I talk to Gene Miller to ask him for a recommendation, and he did; Paul’s RV repairs was what he recommend. I check him out on the forums and his shop pictures and I was satisfied, but two things make me change my mind.
One was his communications skills, I have been in the automobile repairs business for 40 years and I know that my job depends in communicate with my customers, return calls and answer questions. Paul may be a nice guy but, very hard to get him on the phone on through emails. When finally get him on the phone I told him that Gene Miller recommended him to me and my plan was for the two of them to do both repairs. Paul the fiberglass and Gene the wood work. He told me that he had some Amish carpenters (Gene is also Amish) and they can do the same work cheaper than Gene’s.

For me was odd; for many years I sent my customers to auto body shops and I will be upset if they will try to sell mechanical work to them.
I felt that Paul was not loyal to Gene, so I choose not to use him.

I tried Hancook RV Services, but I didn’t get a good feeling about our conversations, even though his prices were less that Gene and Paul’s.
Then I came across xxxxx close to Gene Miller’s shop (Wood Design RV), I spoke with Xxx (xxxxxx owner) and I got all the right answers, well I hate to say it but I was very deceived.

I brought my coach there on March 14^th. First impression? Disappointed, dirt and muddy parking lot, everything wide open even though was a Saturday in the afternoon.

When I got there, I have to wait 45 minutes even though I told him exactly what time I will arrive.
The place is very messy; the paint boot is “homemade” and there is sprayed paint all over the place. OSHA inspectors will have a field day with his shop.

I left a deposit and I never get a copy; then the pandemic hit and he had to close the shop.

I was expecting that in May they will resume work, but to my surprise by the end of April the coach was in the “homemade” paint boot.

Gene offered Xxx to do the interior panels since the coach was there; Xxx agreed with Gene’s estimate that included two panels in the front and one in the rear bedroom. Because the new panels will not match, I asked Xxx to replace all the right-side panels in the bedroom.

The job was delayed for lack of parts, went to the Wood Design shop, came back to them, went back to Wood Design.

On June 23^rd, Xxx texted me saying that the unit was finished by them, only needed to be cleaned and was back at Gene’s shop.

I went to pick the coach on July 1^st because they (xxxxx) will be leaving in vacation.

When I got there the rear bedroom awning was not installed, they didn’t know where it was.
This is the type of business this person is running; they said the coach is ready but to the naked eye you can see it is missing an awning, so you have two choices, ask the owner where is it or remember that the owner told you that the awning is inside the owner’s car trailer that is seating in your parking lot.

So, I have to wait to it was installed, and while I was waiting the owner came few times around my coach and also inside of it. You wonder how he never noticed that it was not cleaned from outside or the inside. I am 700 miles away from home and I was not going to start a complaint, so I left.

I my first tool boot, I noticed the Alternator light was on, I can’t start the generator because I was low in fuel so I have to get to the first service area. I started the generator after refueling and I noticed that my voltage was still low on my dash voltmeter.

I spent the night there, I tried to figure what to do, and when I went to check things out, I found that the coach was really not cleaned (see pictures of the compartments)

Suspecting that the battery isolator or the battery cut off relay were the culprit because water was getting into that bay, I decided to turn around, get my car and drive back home.

I texted Xxx about my situation and the filth and garbage and he response was “my quality control lady out and being shorthanded; it looks like stuff was definitely overlooked”

I told him that he was the “Captain of the Ship” don’t blame your employees for their poor work. He should have a final look at the coach, mine or anyone that pays the bill.

On Tuesday the 7^th I got a text asking me where the keys of the coach where.
I told him I left them under a box of Donuts on a table by the entrance door that was left unlocked along the whole place. Very secure to leave your 100, 200 or 500 thousand dollars coach on a dirt parking lot open to everyone.

He wanted to send the coach to a repair shop that “they use often”, I was reluctant of couple things.

Experience and knowledge; as you all know, these charging systems are tricky, I didn’t want to pay for something I don’t need or a poor-quality part, or wrong part installed.

Also, I didn’t want to pay a full list price when a warranty on the part will be useless because they will count that I will not drive 700 miles from home to have the alternator fixed under their warranty. So, I agreed for a diagnose; they said it need a new alternator and they ask me if I jumped? “Because that is what it kills those alternators”

My coach, even though is 20 years old, only have 38,000 miles, the batteries are all new and I always keep it plugged in. I drove it to there without problems, so I asked them if they didn’t jump it and if they kept it plugged?

In the end I provided the Alternator and they (xxxxx) installed for free. They received the alternator on Thursday July 16^th but they told me that the rpm and speedometer was not working, and that is the way they got the coach. See my point about knowledge?

I sent the schematics for the alternator and by the time I got there on Monday the 20^th at noon, they just figure how to make it work, the battery cut of relay was also defective, which I had with me because I suspected that it could be bad.

The workers (I am sorry but I can’t call them technicians) keep coming in and out of my coach, just happen that in front of the entrance door was a puddle of mud because it rained the night before.

I got a brief “I am sorry for the inconvenience” from Xxx and he departed while I was hooking up my trailer and loading my car.

On my first stop I checked the front awning because was making a lot of noise, that is when I realized that they installed wrong and the locks can’t be set.

In a responding email he said that they used the same hole as before. How it could be holes on a new skin? The whole side was replaced. Was it?

When I got home, my wife started to clean the interior and found that the floor in the rear bedroom was sinking when steeping on it.
Boy I am mad know, I sent a text, no response.

Today I started to take it apart with the hope of doing the repairs myself. Here is when the bad become worst. This people never removed the cabinets to replace the interior panels, they even removed the rotted and mold covered interior panels, they just put new panels on top of the bad ones.

In his response to my complaints, this is what he says so you all can judge:

**Sorry for the delay just got a new phone last week and nothing transferred from my old one, there is a set screw on the awning and I’m assuming we used the same set screw hole. Awning needs to be slid over and a new set screw put in. If you want to have someone send us a quote for approval for doing this work we can get it taken care of.

About the floor:

**Yes, I just went through the inspection notes and it does say soft floor in the bedroom. It was asked of us (after the fact) to repair / overlay the damaged paneling and that’s what we did. I was not asked to do a 120 point inspection and tell you every item that is wrong with you coach. Was I?

About the panels:

**Depending on the amount of damage determines if we remove any and or all of the old panels, your panels were not terribly damaged at all.

About not removing the cabinets

**I told you that I was not removing cabinetry in the bedroom. I was only going to remove cabinetry in the living area due to the amount of damage

This is the end of that email:

**Well you have heard from me… Is there anything else that I can do for you at this time?

Nice response from someone that just toke a lot of money from me.

So, I asked Gene about the interior panels’ situation. Please note two different persons to different approach to deal with a situation and with a customer, this is what he said.

William,
I’m not sure what to make of this. I have looked back through my notes and emails, and I never mentioned overlaying the panels. In fact, it didn’t even cross my mind to overlay the panels. In my  notes and emails, I always listed it as replacing the panels, whether it was to you, or to Xxx or our own notes. I am 99% that I never talked to Xxx about just overlaying the panels. Like is said, it hadn’t even crossed my mind until you called today and told me what they had done. 

I think what Xxx means by “after the fact” is that I asked him to do the interior paneling after he had quoted you for the other work they were doing. 

It sounds like that is their standard practice if the panels are not damaged too bad, is to overlay them. Again, I always had in mind that they would replace them and that’s what I communicated to Xxx.

I sent another email to Xxx:

At any moment I was notified that the floor was soft. May said in your "Inspections notes" but you never told me.

You knew that Gene Miller was going to do the interior repairs when he offered for you to do it you agreed with his estimate and how it should be done. My agreement with Gene was that he will repair the interior if you have doubts about you should have asked him or me about it. I was expecting the job to be done right and not a patch on top of rotted and mold infected wood. You do not determine how you fix your customer's vehicles with them have knowledge of it.

Who gives you the right to determine to put new interior panels on top of damaged ones?

You never told me anything about the cabinets don't be removed to install new interior panels.

On June 6th email you stated that you are "replacing" the interior panels, in any of the emails or text I got from you does not says you are putting panels on top of old ones.

You are hiding from me that the interior is contaminated with mold.

You are hiring from me the type of work you did.

What you did, in any state, is a definition of fraud. You gaining money doing the wrong job without my consent.

Your last email you said you didn't charge me for the chassis repair once I questioned how you did the job, but you change that to install a new faucet for $198.00 plus $47.00 in parts that I didn't authorize.

If you replaced the whole side skin how you used the same holes for the front awning?

What else you did wrong?

And this is hungry response:

Awning: The awning holes are in the rail. NOT THE SIDEWALL!!! 

SINCE YOU SEEM TO BE AN RV SPECIALIST, BRING THE COACH BACK AND ILL CHANGE THE PANELS YOUR WAY!!!! HOWEVER I AM NOT REMOVING THE BEDROOM CABINETS LIKE I TOLD YO BEFORE!!!

IM NOT HIDING ANYTHING! 

AND ILL REINSTALL THE BROKEN / LEAKING FAUCET IF YOU DON’T WANT THE NEW ONE. 

Let me know when you will be here.

 

Well, the history does not end here; I went back to Nappanee, and I had the bedroom repaired by Gene at Wood Designs RV, what a pleasure to deal with honest people in a well and organized shop.

All cabinets were removed, all foam was replaced along with all wood pieces inserted as a support, the rusted frame was cleaned and sprayed with rust converter, new paneling installed and the job is perfect.

 

It seems that is an unwriting rule that we can’t post the name of the culprits here, so if someone ask me, I will inform them privately.

I completed a form complaint with the Attorney General office of the Estate of Indiana; I hope he will follow through and bear in mind that a bad apple can ruins business for the whole industry of RV that is based in that area.

 

 

[redstickbill]

I would like to know which shops you had work on your coach.

Bill B 07 Dynasty

 

[Pampero]

Send me an email at willpampero@optimum.net and I will respond to you.

The "good guy" is Wood Design RV.

 

[kenandjoanne2002]

I hope that you post the shop information on "RV Service Reviews.com" so others will know who NOT to use.  Ken Parsons 02 Dip 72707

[Pampero]

I did, but that website set up is old and very hard to follow

[BennieH]

Gene at Wood Design is great!!! We had them do some interior work for us and I cannot say enough good about him and his employees. Our interior was as clean or cleaner after the work was completed. If you need interior work done, Wood Design is the place!

 

 

[Guest Tim503]

I have a 98. What about the roof and the windows? My roof failed a few years ago and the windows on one side have failed. I find my bedroom is always a higher humidity than the front from the back metal wall. Do you mind giving a price for the work? I don't have any exterior de-lamination and am wondering what that entailed? Is the video supposed to have sound?

Edited September 14, 2020 by Tim503

[Pampero]

3 hours ago, Tim503 said:

I have a 98. What about the roof and the windows? My roof failed a few years ago and the windows on one side have failed. I find my bedroom is always a higher humidity than the front from the back metal wall. Do you mind giving a price for the work? I don't have any exterior de-lamination and am wondering what that entailed? Is the video supposed to have sound?

No the video has no sound.

Giving price? I am a consumer giving a bad report to a lousy shop. You need to find someone reputable,  do your home work.