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Industry Grade Card

Red Baron

Red Baron

Active member
Maybe you'd like to grade the companies you do business with. I decided to do this after my recent experience with Randy Nix of Eagle Car Wash, who I use to work on my validators and cc acceptors. I sent one of my Mars MEI Series 2000 SS bay dollar bill validators to him, which had failed, and he sent me a rebuilt unit. We had trouble getting the validator to communicate properly with my Dixmor and D&S equipment. Randy spent at least 1/2 day helping me troubleshoot the issue, which was solved when he called D&S to find their equiopment required a slightly unique setup with the MEI validator. Randy then sent it back to me along with an invoice for: No Charge.

Company Grade Comment
Randy Nix/Eagle A+ Knowledgable, excellant customer service, fair.
Westech Supply A+ Always available, even on weekends.
D&S A Solid equipment.
Warsaw Chemical A Good chemicals, good customer service.
Wash Gear C Good system, poor customer service.
 
I am really happy with Dan from Viper Shine. Easy to get ahold of, eager to answer questions, and addess the few issues I have had.
 
Tommy and Kenny at Digicapture gets an AAA+ rating.
These guys have helped me not only with my cameras but mostly with my computer problems so many times I can't even count over the years.
He's not a company but I have to add Earl for spending the time to help answer questions and give advise on my new express wash, A+, thanks.
 
Bob Hodge, cant remember his corporate name, A+ in all aspects of backing up his equipment...dilling harris F takes a month or better to get a part...IVS/Ginsan C, used to be an F, but they have improved their service to us somewhat...I give most local companies much higher grades than most national companies, seems they have more interest in the little guy, as they are little guys/gals, too.
 
Windtrax: A, always get online orders right and ship quickly.
Kleen-Rite: C, occasionally get an item wrong, have difficulty with shipping address. changes, frequently backorder an item.
Hamilton: A, generally a quality operation.
Dixmor: A+, fast, courteous, amazing on repairs, especially repair prices.
Hamel Mfg: F, ordered some custom SS pipe, was repeatedly promised an update on status over an 18-month period, never returned any phone calls as promised. Also at one point called Kleen-Rite about a custom color item made by Hamel, was told by Kleen-Rite that Hamel wouldn't do it, then a week later items showed up from Hamel at a MUCH higher price.
Parker Eng: F, was told "Oh, you'll have to upgrade to Slugbuster III's" after discovering a bunch of new II's would take a $1 coin and only give credit for a quarter. Went with IDX's instead.
IDX: B, good products, not very willing to help.
Laurel: A+, good products and service.
 
I'll give only a very limited grade card.

The Heartland Car Wash Association's annual convention: A+. The cost alone makes it a hand's down winner; the free dinner and drinks would cost far more than the registration and often there are free gifts passed out at the educational talks. Moreover the quality of the displays, expecially for self-service and automatic owners, is excellent.

The ICA; its convention: D. It has failed its leadership responsibilities in many ways. The cost of the convention seems extremely high both for attendees and those showing their goods there, especially when compared to the Heartland Association.

Patrick H. Crowe
 
Arcadian Chemical- Outstanding customer service, quality products.

WashGear- Great Product, I've had excellent customer service.

KleenRite-Quick Delivery, occasional backorders without notifying at ordertime.

Huron Valley-Fred knows his stuff.

Eaton Compressors-Family Run, Air Compressors built like a tank

Iowa Validators-Good validator, friendly people, needs servicing just slightly above average.

UPS Ground-flexible about leaving packages next door.

FedEx Ground-inflexible and a pain.
 
I totally agree with FexEx. There's not even any uniformity in how the drivers handle things. One wouldn't even come to my door and would go straight to the apartment office with my packages, so I wouldn't know they'd been delivered until I went looking. Another recently left a note on my door but kept the package, and I had to leave a note for him the next day to either leave the package at my door or at the office. Kleen-Rite uses FexEx by default for small packages, but I've left instructions with them to use only UPS.

What bugs me the most about Kleen-Rite and backorders isn't so much how often it happens (I understand some of that having run a car wash supply warehouse), but how it will happen with the same item over and over. I replace the seal casings every other time I rebuild a Cat 5CP pump, and I order 4 seal kits, six seal casings and 24 valve o-rings and backup rings each time, and every single time they backorder the seal casings. That tells me that even with so many orders for the same part, they just can't grasp that it needs to be added to normal stock.
 
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