When I arrived at Palmer Spring Company with my 1991 short school bus, there were trucks everywhere. Busy place. This could mean one of two things: a) a very inefficient shop that is constantly backed up; or b) a very GOOD shop that sees repairs through, and therefore takes a little longer to get you onto the lift. I knew I was going to have to wait at least a day for service, and I was anxious to know if it was going to because of A or because of B.
Let me assure you emphatically that the answer is B. I have been to a LOT of repair shops, all over the country, with this little bus and I have NEVER encountered the kind of stellar service I got here. When John, the owner, contacted me to come back for the bus, he said something no shop has ever said to me before: he told me their work wasn't done until I'd driven it and was happy with it.
Of course I didn't believe him. As the driver of a big, old, quirky 30 year old diesel vehicle, I don't think I've EVER had a shop put the effort in to really figure out what's going on and repair the problem completely. Retail shops don't even want to touch it (no computer to tell you what to do), and most truck shops want me out as quickly as possible to make room for their more lucrative (and easier) fleet contracts. Buses like mine, I'm lucky if I get a bandaid on the problem before I'm asked to move along. Not here.
Three test drives later (punctuated by revisits to the repair bay), I am one satisfied customer! The owner, John Palmer, took the wheel on two of those drives with me as a passenger and immediately identified issues I had given up on ever getting fixed, things I hadn't even dared to mention. The story isn't over and there is more to do, but I feel so well taken care of that, whatever comes up in the future, if it's work Palmer does, Palmer is where I'm going from now on.
I had the opportunity while sitting in the office waiting for work to be done to see what a well oiled machine this seemingly chaotic place is, and to witness the unfailing good humor of the staff, who dealt with every customer, in person or on the telephone, with respect. One reviewer mentioned not being able get someone on the phone, but I would hazard a guess that I saw John handle at least 10-15 calls an hour while also keeping up with the scheduling that was in front of him. And he STILL had time to test drive with me. I would rather wait for this kind of service than get wedged in and pushed out the way I usually am, and judging from how busy they are, I guess a lot of other people value this kind of thoroughness too. read more