I think this group on average is significantly better informed than the average service customer, and as POG continues to grow and its members continue to share knowledge we are seeing things at service facilities that have gone unnoticed by most customers.
I don't know if the problem is lack of education, lack of caring, lack of pride, or just plain stupidity, but I think the message to all of us is clear. We are the last defense of our coaches against poor quality service. I just bought a truck to play with and eventually sell. In going over it I thought I recognized what was a fuel filter part number on the coolant system. I verified it and thats exactly what it was. What's worse is the coolant conditioning filter was where the secondary fuel filter should have been. Some service professional clearly screwed up by reversing two filters that should never have been reversed. I think that mistake qualifies in the stupid category.
I believe the answer to the issue of poor quality service for those who choose to take their coaches in for service is to strongly support as a group those businesses that do it right. Over the years we have had members experience some really crappy quality or outrageous priced service. Just like we have a members contact list, maybe we should create a list of service companies that are fair priced, take pride in the work, and stand behind their work. I would like to see a list of those who are lousy service providers, but I think we could get in trouble unless we had proof, such as Harry Hoppe's experience with a destroyed axle. Steve's example of professionals that get testy when a civilian questions them is very typical of the intimidation a lot of owners experience and they consider that expertise, when in fact it is wrongly justified defensiveness. A lot of the so called professionals cannot accept the fact that others may know what they know.
Many posts have been made praising certain facilities, but I often wonder if the praise was because the owner literally watched like a hawk and saw and understood how the work was performed, or if the owner was pleased because the service manager had a nice smile and presented a bill that was a few bucks less than expected. I don't think we should lavish praise on people for doing their job, although in these times when the professionals can't even do the simple tasks, it does get us giddy with joy when someone actually does a job properly.
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