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BREAKDOWNS - OK, in short... coach breakdowns
happen... anyone who tells you differently is simply lying...
if it moves, it can break... new coaches can (and do) breakdown
just like older coaches... the big difference is from a coach
owner standpoint - In most cases, new coaches are under
warranty!
Here is what you need to know about breakdowns...
1. Obviously, any coach company that wants to stay in
business tries to avoid breakdowns for two main reasons... A)
their reputation, and B) the cost involved to repair a coach
while on the road...
2. While no one can guarantee their coaches will not
experience breakdowns, you should be concerned with a companies
policy and procedure in the event of a mechanical problem...
First, let me address what a breakdown means to a coach
company...
It usually means a late night call and a situation that we are
against all odds to try and rectify... Breakdowns, when they
happen rarely happen at a convenient time or place... But we
all have to deal with them (thankfully, not very often in our
case!)...
Secondly, it means excessive repair bills... it is like a
repair shop sees and entertainer coach pull in and their hourly
rates instantly shoot through the roof... nice paint job,
luxury coach... translates for some reason into "they must have
unlimited money to spend on this repair!!!"
Here are some examples... a tire on one of our coaches usually
costs about $300... we have paid as much as $1,000 to have one
replaced... go figure???
A fan belt might cost $50... but in the wrong situation, with a
tow bill, that repair could also run as high as $1,000...
So how do we stay in business??
PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE!! is one way...
You need to look for a coach company that places preventive
maintenance very high on their list of priorities... Do they
have their own shop? Do their drivers perform regularly
scheduled services and maintenance?
Will the coach company cut costs by eliminating "main engine
services" and "generator services"? This should be a big red
flag!
3. In the event of a breakdown, what is the coach company's
procedure in dealing with it?
I can't speak for all other coach companies, but here is our
own...
A) First, and most importantly, I believe, is that our drivers
(and clients) can reach the owner of our company 24/7... If our
guys have a problem, major or minor, they know they can reach us
anytime for support and guidance...
B) Once a problem is diagnosed, then one of two decisions is
made.... Either the driver can repair the problem on the spot,
or a service center is called... We have a massive network of
repair facilities at our disposal... We are also members of a
nationwide network that can dispatch a service tech just about
any place in the US and Canada...
C) If a repair facility is needed, then we get the coach to
that facility ASAP... If the repair is relatively minor, it is
performed and the coach continues on its way... If the repair
is more extensive, requiring the coach to go down for a longer
period of time, we determine if the client will potentially miss
a performance due to the down time or if it can be dealt
with... If time is not available, we then go to the next
step...
D) If there is not enough time to properly repair the coach, we
will determine where the coach is located... If it is close
enough to our home base in Atlanta, we will simply dispatch
another one of our 40 coaches to the rescue... If that is not
possible, then we go to our list of close colleagues in the
industry for assistance in providing us a back up coach for a
few days... Once our client's coach is repaired, it will catch
up with the replacement coach to finish the tour...
The bottom line is this... coaches DO occasionally have
mechanical problems... these vehicles travel in excess of
100,000 miles per year... things happen... hopefully not very
often, but they can... The key is how a coach company deals
with problems, when they do happen...
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