[Dick]

Our Prevost Ft Worth experiences have been good but we ALWAYS get estimates before they begin and ask to be informed of everything as they go… they are generally very good at making sure you leave there happy and we have never been billed after we left for anything.

Diane

[Archived]

Diane,

They knew we were under warranty. We have never owned a Prevost, we have never been to their shop.

A good customer service shop would guide a new owner.

I’m glad that you had a good experience. I’m Italian and a Taurus… we don’t forget.

Mark

[glen]

MM, I don’t want you to be unhappy with service at any Prevost Service Center. There is a fine line about billing hours and free advice.

If you get estimates before you have work done you should not be surprised when the estimate and finished work order is billed. Prevost service is a business which bills for service preformed. Questions about brake lights and the retarder should be discussed with the service adviser. The way your post sounds is your conversation was with the tech. He is on the clock when working on your bus. Each tech works with another tech and usually directs questions toward the team leader on that shift.

I’am trying to explain how bus owners get charged high dollars for service. Usually getting involved with the working service tech on the floor with owners. This tech is on the hour shop time a will bill you for the time he was assigned to your bus.

I learned a long time ago when talking to my attorney that a 10 minute conversation about the weather outside. Ours did 20 minute blocks. Your conversation was 10 minutes and billing was for 20 minutes used or not.

If in fact you go into Prevost with a list of check this and check that you can safely assume you will be billed for that time.

Tech going to the books on disarming brake lights tied to retarder was the correct method of determine where the llocation is for wiring to change brake light operation. I would be out of my mind if aI saw a tech pulling wires thencontinue checking if he had found the right one.

Just my opinion on your Prevost service…

AL

[Archived]

Mark,

I think your observations about what you think should be included needed an explaination from Prevost. It would have been helpful to you, and it would have made you less upset.

Prevost does warranty the coach, and any issues you experience during that period are resolved at Prevost’s expense. That does not include maintenance items, such as a chassis lube, oil change, coolant service, transmission service, etc. Those are the scheduled events you are responsible for. But if they have to replace a broken part, or a leaky hub seal that is their responsibility.

But they are only responsible for repairing what was on that empty shell when the coach was delivered to Liberty. Their warranty does not cover anything the converter installed. So while they did service the generator, it was not their responsibility. However, the converters also stand behind their work and if you are within the warranty period offered by the converter and the generator needed some work outside of what is considered scheduled maintenance the converter will stand behind it, and if informed before hand would likely have authorized Prevost to do needed work on the generator. As you explained it that could be a gray area because if the generator needed oil or coolant it could be because of a leak or it could be considered normal maintenance. Having the converter involved prior to having Prevost service the generator would have left you knowing who would be responsible.

You always have to understand who carries the responsibility and deal directly with them about who pays for what. But you also have to understand you are responsible for managing the coach and in doing so you are ultimately going to decide to do some things for convenience even though it puts you in the position of paying for something that might otherwise have been covered by the warranty. Generally speaking you take the coach for service to Prevost, and the house to your converter. However there is some crossover because each has some limited capability to work on the other’s product. But you need to first determine if the work is covered, or if you are willing to pay out of pocket for convenience.

As to getting advice or training that is something that can go either way. Prevost currently offers none for motor home owners which is why we are creating a formal seminar for owners. I have asked Prevost to offer training as they do for commercial operators and they won’t do it. But I have also spent time with folks at Prevost who have been very generous with their time to answer questions I have. To avoid billing for questions I suggest this. If you are at a Prevost facility and you have work performed, you might want to consider letting the work get done, and then after the fact ask the service manager the question when you have the paperwork in your hand. If he cannot answer the question he can get you the answer. If you ask the question of the service tech while he works on your coach it is possible you will be billed for that time. I don’t believe Prevost has a standard or a policy regarding whether answering questions is billable or not. If you are concerned ask if they are offering free advice so at least you know if you are paying for it.

[gary]

I could see why they don’t cover converter related items. Took mine in when I first bought in early 2011 for level 3 and . all srvice was done.Had an issue with windsheild wipers. Took it back in a month later with no workie and I wasn’t smart enough to work um. Gotta slide the ring in not push the button on end like evry other washer known to man. Cost me an hour labor to show this oilfield guy how to slide the dodaddy. LOL. They don’t take long to email you a bill when you’re on there credit list. Gonna go in Tuesday Houston to put LED’s in clearance lights. Will see how it goes.

[Don]

Mark,

I
can appreciate your frustration, if I had a 2015 I would expect
nothing but the red carpet treatment. Being charged for a brake light
question is absurd, even though it was reversed, never should have
happened.

I
have only dealt with Jacksonville and Nashville over the years, so
have no experience at Houston. John at Jacksonville has been
exceptional and is the go to guy in my opinion. I’ve never had an
invoicing issue at Jax, but have received excessive labor hours at
Nashville almost on every visit. I always call to go over invoice and
explain I was there, never left site of the bus or work being done. I
keep a record of the time and in all cases, they adjusted the labor
time. Should I have to go through that exercise each time I have work
done, no.

Bottom
line for me, Prevost service is second to none, but the invoicing
discrepancies sure need some improvement. Being able to view the
invoice at the completion of service and then handle any issues would
seem to make more sense.

If
you’ve ever experienced the repair or service process with a
fiberglass coach, you will hug your Prevost service guy.:)

[David]

Al,

I never spoke to a tech. All of my converstations were with the guy at the customer service area.

If I had mechanical trouble with the generator, I would think it would be a Prevost warranty repair.

We are new at this with Prevost, you won’t believe what they charged for my brake question, a quart of oil and 3 inches of antifreeze for the small box (almost $300).

I will avoid them. I may get to know Jeff really well.

Tom, your explaination of them cheating you on hours right there is cause for me to look elsewhere. I can’t stay with the bus and watch every minute of what they are doing. They don’t get very high marks in the trust dept.

Mark

[Archived]

The generator has nothing to do with Prevost. It was a Liberty installed option, and as such, Prevost warranty does not cover it at all. Same thing if you had them work on a house water pump or inverter. The only thing Prevost is responsible for is the chassis shell as it was sent to Liberty.

There are many, many things in your coach that will need service and the majority of them, have nothing to do with Prevost. Sorry, but that is they way it works.

[joel]

Mark,

I understand exactly what you are saying. I know 99% of what is converter related and what belongs to Prevost. A simple explaination from Prevost would have been nice.

Sometimes companies get so big they lose the customer.

You can only make a first impression once.

Mark

---

1999 XLV X-6872,  liberty #440

[joel]

I could only assume Prevost’s “Gold Service” would apply here and a customer shows up with a brand new coach, I am surprised they would not go out of their way to help and assist in supporting even converter issues, questions or tech support. I could only hope this is an isolated incident….and as suggested, work with tech advisor closely and not the tech…

I would bet Nashville or Jacksonville would have handled this different.

i will do my best to avoid this service facility when service needs occur given not very far for me…. as based on my experience, this is not the norm and they have been more than helpful…

---

1999 XLV X-6872,  liberty #440

[Archived]

MM ….started an interesting post.

As you read members comments you see how everyone has an opinion on service. How they have been treated when going to Prevost getting repairs and service. After going to any repair facility for a car, truck or the service guy who showed up at our house to fix a washing machine.

That’s exactly how I felt after the washing/dryer machines repair man laid a bill on the laundry room counter for trouble shooting gas not coming on when Mary Ellen started the dry cycle. Service call, trip charge, and replace a sensor which he carries in his truck. $165 dollars in 35 minutes I’am thinking what the hell just happened.

It’s fixed and the service guy did exactly what I asked. I did have a choice to trouble shoot it myself but with the Mrs.completely lost without a dryer I just wrote it off. It works, mom is happy write the check and forget about it.

I’am still convincing myself it was cheaper then shopping for a new dryer…… and so it goes

[Archived]

In general I have a great deal of respect for Prevost and they still rank high when it comes to treating customers properly.

But they aren’t perfect, and in almost every instance where there is a problem, communications are somehow a factor.

The generator service should have been preceded with the observation by the manager that the converter is responsible for that portion of the coach, but that Prevost will service it if required, but it will not be covered by the warranty. The charge they made for the work is another issue and I have found Prevost doesn’t do a very good job of calculating the amount for an invoice. And they are not going to change anytime soon. The best example is I attempted to convince one of the executives in Canada that they were overcharging for air bag replacement (which at the time was about $4500) when the parts at the time were $1200 and there was 10 hours of labor. All I got was a defensive answer trying to justify the cost, like it takes a lot of time to drive the coach in the building and get it set up for air bag removal. Then I was told about rusty nuts and bolts, etc.

So my suggestion is simple………get quotes. Make sure the quote is firm. If the job is parts and labor, stay with the coach and verify the hours billed are correct.

And finally about advice……..if the advice was not provided by a tech who is on the clock, I would expect them to reverse the charge. That would be a non-negotiable item with me.

I think it is chicken shit to nickel and dime a purchaser of a new coach. That is a two way street. You as a new coach owner can wear them out getting minor, inconsequential items fixed to your satisfaction so whatever they might make be messing with you by charging ridiculous prices for the small work on a generator or from asking a question, you can make back many times over by being the pickiest owner that ever walked the face of the earth.

[AL]

FWIW, Mira Loma recently charged me 2 hours labor to prepare an estimate for collision repair; no, they did not disassemble the bus! First time I’ve ever paid for that, but I’m not surprised. I’ve come to pick and choose my repair sources.

[Archived]

If you want the red carpet treatment for owning a new LIberty your going to have to go to Liberty for that. Pervost Service facilities are just that, look at the buiilding they are occupied mostly with maintence, parts and billing departments. Bus are most likely sold out of Canada. They are not your Showroom like car dealerships with are half full of sales departments. That’s liberty’s ball game. The Service Advisor probably said to himself when you came in “nice bus”. If you need to ask questions ask someone not working on YOUR bus.

[Archived]

I think with prevost if you get to know the service manger and build a good working relationship with them they get to know you and you them , if I go a always ask for the tech that I like and think does the best work , sometimes there are billing problems but if you talk to them they will make it right, I have had good work done at prevost and they will go out off there way to make you happy if you give them a chance and talk to them , I can also do all my own work so I know what needs to be done so I watch them like a hawk , but if I am on the road and not at home I may have to get them to do the work always had good work done, but if I get work done I don’t just leave right away I might go 100 miles away then if something is not right I can go back, because anytime you work on something there is always a chance something got bumped or moved , just my thoughts !!!! Get to know them just like your banker or accountant , or doctor !!!!

Mark did you tell them that this was your first prevost that you owned ??? When you called to make appointment , just asking