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BEN CUMMMINGS AND PARLIAMENT COACH
Since taking delivery of my bus in December 2014, it has spent most of its time getting some updates and a few repairs. My experiences with some of the vendors working on the coach have not been good. In fact, I have been really disappointed in the competence and customer service provided by some. Considering the cost of getting work done on a luxury coach, I had expected better quality in both the work and the customer service.
George Prentice helped me a lot in finding a bus, and he had strongly recommended Ben Cummings and Parliament for service work, updates, etc. I met Ben at the Alabama “No Rally.” discussed some issues that needed to be addressed, including some remedial work to correct lousy work that I had already paid somebody else to do. Ben assured me that he and his team could help
Ben and Parliament did a good job. Ben had some good suggestions, and provided me periodic updates on his progress. He sent me pictures of the work while it progressed.
Overall, I had a good experience with Parliament, and I will be back.
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11 Replies
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Ben and Parliament try their best to do a great job… they have helped me many many times…they get a BIG thumbs up form me !!
Sorry some of your experiences were bad…maybe we should know who you weren’t happy with? this site is all about the best for everyone and sharing our personal experiences helps us all… sometimes good folks do bad work for unknown reasons but will normally bend over backwards to recify the problem … I like to hear all of it !!
As a whole the advertisers here are all great… but we are not immune from having a bad day !! It’s how they handle the bad day that counts !!
Cheers, Diane
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If a service provider is listed on the ads on our site I feel very comfortable with the quality of the service they will provide. I am not saying that because they are advertisers, i am saying that because they are advertisers Tom and I respect and would be willing to vouch for.
We both realize the number of service places we feel comfortable with is limited, but from years of talking to other owners, seeing posts on various forums, and personal experience all we (I think I speak for Tom) can say is the inconvenience in traveling to a good service provider is going to be well worth it. We consider Prevost and the converters to be among those we would feel comfortable recommending.
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I’m about to use Jeff Rowe for the first time later next month. Other than Liberty I once have tried someone else and it was a disaster (Marathon). Next week I’m going to visit their factory in Oregon and am already practicing my pleasant answer that tells the truth without lying. I will say that I lost a lot of trust for other than Liberty after that
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Next week, we will be leaving our bus with Parliament for some cosmetic work and a few other minor repairs so I’m really pleased to see this post!
Until now, I have used either Marathon or Prevost Nashville on my current bus and have generally been pleased with the work, although you definitely get what you pay for. Previously we had used Liberty and Prevost for our first XL. I cannot say enough for the tech support both of these companies provide. In 9 of 10 cases I have been able to fix or at least trouble-shoot problems myself with their guidance.
Last year when Jeff Rowe opened, we used him for some interior work and were very pleased. I had first met Jeff when Liberty sent him to drive my coach to Stuart for “watch dog” repair work. I can see from dozens of other posts that you all agree.
Basicially those are the only folks I have let “inside” the coach. That said, I am happy with Best One or TCI for tires. WW Williams and Clark Power have done good Detroit/Allison work. Nixson Power has been great on my generator. I think one of the most valuable lessons-learned in bus ownership, and I mean this literally and figuratively, is learning where to go for what.
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TG, you’ll never go wrong….The only 3 service provider that touch our bus are Prevost, Parliment and Jeff Rowe. It makes for a very stress free life. Geo.
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One huge unmentioned advantage to limiting who services a coach is that service provider can provide recommendations based on a knowledge of the coach service history.
Unless you make the effort to create an overall maintenance plan based on the multitude of components, devices and systems we all have it becomes almost impossible to keep track of the service requirements for everything from the generator, engine, transmission, chassis, air system, and even the interior such as AC filters and even cleaning the refrigerator coils. A service provider that steps in as primary should be able to track all of that and keep the coach in tip top shape.
Notice to all service providers: With the number of Prevost conversions now in the market place stepping up to the plate and providing a service like this is filling a void that multiple providers cannot provide so it is in your best interests to provide a program like this to owners. Yes a lot of our maintenance requirements are easily performed such as vacuuming AC filters, but a lot are not so obvious or easy like insuring the inverters are clean, the fans are running and everything is correct, including programming for the correct charging based on the type of batteries.
It is far cheaper to do as much preventive maintenance as possible than it is to repair neglected items.
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C&G,
When you say “Prevost” are you referring to all six of their U.S service centers?
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Yes, we are familiar with Nashville, Jacksonville and Dallas. Geo.
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Tim,
Over the years owners have found Prevost is the best place to take chassis issues. Having said that however we also know certain locations have greater expertise in some areas than others so unless there is a compelling reason to go elsewhere skin issues are best dealt with in Jacksonville for example.
All Prevost locations have had some issues, a lot of which have been posted on this and other forums. But Prevost stands behind their work and I am not aware of anyone that has not ultimately been satisfied.
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Thanks Jon,
I do agree it would be nice to find “one main” service provider who knows your coach inside-out, as you recommended. Jeff’s shop is high on my list, absent some mechnical item their not equipped to fix.
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About the only thing not covered by service providers is engine or transmission service. Those two items are taken to the closest dealer.
There are definitely some chassis items I would have Prevost handle such as A arm replacement, alignment, and possibly Knorr Bremse brake work. But I think all else I would seek out a qualified shop to be the primary provider in part because it minimizes running around to different providers, but also because of the economics.
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