BEWARE!! PERFORMANCE TRAILER, LAKE GEORGE NY (Long Rant)
 

Hola Compadres...

I need to post this to warn others of the bad business practices I experienced over at PERFORMANCE TRAILER in
Lake George, NY. Last May I bought a trailer from them for my '97 22 Classic. I drove from Chelmsford, MA to
Lake George, NY to pick up this trailer. Its a standard dual axle steel frame trailer, painted black with yellow
pinstripes to match the boat. But I digress. When I picked it up and plugged it into my 97 Dodge Ram 2500 with the
factory towing package the brand new trailer had a ground fault. When you stepped on the brakes, everything else
lit up dimly, except the brake lights they went out. Well, the owner of Performance Trailer, a very gruff individual
named Bill, swore up and down that the fault was with my truck, not his trailer. Well, I wasn't satisfied with that
response as I had just towed my '89 18 Classic to meet her new owners the week previously. He promptly backed
up one of his trucks to the trailer and plugged it in. Same result. Now I am getting more than a little ticked off. Billl
& his assistant then proceeded to rewire the trailer right in front of me. Guess what? Same result. Bill is back to
swearing up and down that this problem is with my truck, not his trailer... although he can't explain why his truck
didn't work either. Well, time was running short if I wanted to go & get the new 22 Classic before the marina closed,
so with no lights, I hooked up the trailer and left, with Bill's assurance that once the problem was discovered, that
IF the problem was with his trailer he would make it right, although he was pretty darn confident (smug would be
more like it) about the problem being with my truck. Well, about a month later, after not being able to find this
problem myself, the truck & trailer went to my mechanic. My mechanic proceeds to look at everything and it all
looks right, right color wires to the right connections. I told him what Bill said, about it being in the trucks wiring. He
agreed it was a possibility and proceeded to check the wiring harness of the truck. 4 hourslater, still no luck finding
the problem. He replaces all of the connectors on the truck, thinking maybe a connector is shorting out somehow.
Still the problem persists. He hooked up his snowmobile tralier to my truck, and all the lights worked fine. That
brought him back to looking at the trailer again. He starts pulling the lights off one by one and looking them over
really closely. He found the problem when he got to the tailights. The wires were the right colors molded into the
wrong spots. My mechanic, cut the wires and swapped them around and PRESTO... the lights worked properly!!
Finally!! So then the mechanic hands me the bill $250, $200 in labor, $50 for the connectors etc, that he replaced. I
called Performance Trailer the next day and spoke with Bill. Of course, being the arrogant person he is, he did not
believe me. I told him to go to the stockroom and get a BRAND NEW set of lights. He begrudginly agreed to do so,
commenting that in his 14yrs of making trailers, this has NEVER happened. Well, he pulled the lights and they were
molded wrong. He claimed he had produced about 80 trailers since I had picked up my trailer. He also told me had
to go make some phone calls so all of his dealers would be aware of this issue. I asked him about my mechanics
bill, and he told me he would get in touch with WesBar ( the MFG of the lights) and get back to me. I have called
PERFORMANCE TRAILER every few months or so, trying to follow up on this issue. I did not want the $50 in parts
covered, just the $200 in diagnostic labor costs. My close friends here know how busy & hectic things have been
with my dad's accident etc. Well, today I call PERFORMANCE TRAILER again. The receptionist answers the phone,
and I asked for Bill. When I explained the situtation to her to refresh her memory, and asked for Bill, she told me
the following message.... The lights are NOT covered by our warranty. If I have a problem with the lights I should
take it up with the manufacturer. I was furious to say the least. Nor would Bill come to the phone. What type of
customer service is this. You need to remember that this trailer is still under the 1yr warranty and it was defective
when I picked it up. I also saved them a ton of aggravation & warranty claims when I discovered what the cause of
the problem was. But I guess thats not worth my $200 labor claim to PERFORMANCE TRAILER. I called WesBar
today, and have already heard back from one person. I am expecting a phone call from thier QA engineer
sometime today or tomorrow. They are at least making an attempt to resolve the issue. Too bad about
PERFORMANCE TRAILER. I have recommended them in the past to several people who ended up buying one for
thier boat. I will no longer recommend them, and quite frankly, I will be negative about them to anyone who cares
to listen or who is searching for a trailer. Although the trailer itself is well built, their customer service sucks!! So to
Bill, I hope you read this here or over on Donzi.net and every other offshore boating board I can think of. Feel free to respond! Though I seriously doubt you will. If this cost him just one lost sale, then I will be happy.

Woodsy

PS: Those of you who know me, know its not about the $200. I have spent that picking up a bar tab.... its the
principal of the issue, the promise to make good on something, then the REFUSAL to do so...

PSS: Sorry for the LOOOOOONG RANT!! I'll make it up to you all at AOTH!!

I think its a great informative post, its part of what I think OSO is all about. I doubt that you will ever see any money, but unfortunate for them it will cost them more than the 200.00 in lost sales. Sometimes people just don't think, everything is short term, the customer is right:D

Consider Performance Trailer crossed off my "do business with" list... and I will relate your experience to anyone I know that's shopping for a trailer...

Thanks for the heads-up

I will pass it on to anyone asking about trailers,,,, I have always been an Eagle guy anyway....so far !!!!

This seems to be a popular topic these days! What the hell is it with these companies???

Thanks for the heads up and informative post. Heck I would think you would have your issue resolved quickly by the supplier for finding the problem with their product and they would reimburse the manufacturer for the cost to repair at least. Of course with the attitude he displayed towards your complaint, I'm not sure I would want to have any future dealings with him.

I drove to Performance Trailers a few years ago, and purchased a trailer from Bill, he was very helpful, and when i got back home, i noticed that he had forgot to install the chrome centers ,on the aluminum wheels, so i called him and he said No Problem, and 2 days later, i had them at my door!
Sounds like Maybe times are a little Tough in the Boat Trailer Business, if he's treating you this way, Because it is a Small World, and people talk!
I hope you get it worked out with Bill, because he has always treated me fair!
Between me and my father, we have purchased 3 Trailers from him!

I just hate these "Businesses that don't care stories"

Good Luck,
RON...

Boy ,there are a lot of these type of stories going around now ! Myself included . THanks for posting it .We all need to know .

And we all need to be sure of the facts before we post . I got jumped on a little myself when people didn't beleive me over the big company . But know things are changing ,people are seeing the big company working out what IS wrong . Good luck to you !;)

hey dave . . glad to see you made it over to the OSO board, couldn you get woodsy for a login name here? . . .hope your father is doing well. . . . hows the new house and last but not least ya get those tabs mounted yet. . :cool: . . sorry to here a bout the trailer deal, sounds like a huge hassle. i read throurh that whole post before i figuered out who you were than i saw the woodsy at the bottom. :cool:

Dave Sikorski

UPDATE...

Just got off the phone with the QA Engineer a guy by the name of Bob Evaston, from WesBar (mfg of the lights). After talking a bit with him, I am pretty confident that WESBAR will find away to rectify the situation. I have to hand to them, they called me within an hour of me leaving a message yesterday, and Bob called me first thing this am from Indiana to find out what exatcly the issue is/was. Maybe I can score a set of those neat LED type trailer lights..... Wesbar knows what customer service is about.

Woodsy

PS: Hey Dave... actually, I sold em... gonna score a set of Arneson Rockers to go with my new Blackhawk drive... :D :D

Hows life with you? Ping and let me know when you are coming out this way!!! My dad is doing GREAT!! Thanks for asking!!

Had the same problem... not with BIll though...
 

same thing, lights were wired from the manufacturer WRONG... I went crazy trying to figure it out,, didn't take me 4 hours though, re-wired the whole trailer and same problem,, looked over the truck no problmes, finally looked over the lights and found it..

When I bought my boat new it came with there trailer. I called many times and left messages with not one call back.They do not know what the word SERVICE means.Think twice before buying there trailers!!!!

Woodsy,
sorry to hear that, the boat I bought came with a performance trailer, I love it seems to be top notch, but as far as doing further business with them no way, I'll go to some one else!
thanks for the heads up

Mattyboy

You ought to consider printing out your original post and mailing it to them w/ a note asking them if they have ever heard of the internet...

I have to ask, why did you not take it back to Performance for the warranty work or get his OK prior to your mechanic working on it. Warranty work needs to be done by a authorized service center in almost all cases. If my Ford needs warranty work it goes back to a Ford dealer. Even if the guy is an ahole he still needed to repair it there, not a private party and hand him a bill.

Brad,

First off, as far as going back to Lake George for the warranty work, Lake George is 71/2 to 8hrs away from where I live. Also, I don't know if you understood my post, but it was BILL at PERFORMANCE TRAILERS opinion, that the problem was with my truck, not his trailer. So his trailer did not need any warranty work as far as he was concerned. BILL also told me when I left with the defective trailer, that and I quote "IF THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE TRAILER HE WOULD MAKE IT RIGHT". I would not have driven off the property with a defective trailer, if I didn't believe he would take care of the issue. I handed him $3200 in cash to purchase a non-defective product that came with a warranty. Bill swore up & down that the problem was with my truck. I thought he was more knowledgeble than I was about the wiring, so I believed him, took him at his word and left with the DEFECTIVE LIGHTS. I had no idea what was causing the problem, only that I couldn't figure it out, and trailer wiring is pretty simple stuff. Thats why one month later, it went to my mechanic. After 4hrs of trying to figure it out, he found the defective lights. It is still BILL at PERFORMANCE TRAILERS opinion that the light problem is mine not his... Too bad for Bill.... For the cost of the $200 repair bill, I am sure he will lose many sales... its a shame because the trailer really is a well built trailer. But with customer service like this, I know I will not EVER buy a trailer from him again, and like I said in my above post, I will tell anybody who will listen or who is in the market for a trailer to avoid PERFORMANCE TRAILER at all costs. I know of two sales already that were placed today with Eagle & Rolls instead of PERFORMANCE TRAILER.

Woodsy

I agree with you. I would have probably done the same under those circumstances.

Lake George has problems with engine builder also. With Performance in there name to.

hey dave, i will certainly let you know when i will be out :cool: . . .probably june or july . . . not sure yet. . . . i was check'n out some of those rocker plates at ocean express not too long ago, those things are trick. :cool: you put a blackhawk on it to huh . . . .sounds like you been busy . . :D . . .later


i think i might have a line on some more donzi promo stuff. my friend closed his dealership, i will ask him about his sign's an stuff if you want :cool:

Jollyroger, I have a '97 Performance trailer. You should also check to see if the trailer is grounding through the ball. Up until I got out of the industry (1999) thats how they were wired. If it is grounding through the ball everything will work brighter and better if you ground the harness ground wire to a bolt. If you pull it out of the harness, you will probably find its not connected. I'm not overly happy with my trailer. The paint is peeling and there is rust in many spots on a trailer that is Always garaged. And I have developed a brake problem this past weekend.:mad:

jollyroger...i read your post and not he others. But IT IS about the MONEY.......you gave this ******* your money for a product. His markup is his backup.....so...with no backup...he should give you his markup and then he breaks even and goes on to the next job and learns a lesson. This is life and the way a business should be run. I have been in business for 27 years and I have learned alot of lessons...the ahrd way...but I am a better person for it. NOW SUE THE MF'er.

Hey Guys...

Thanks for your support. Its nice to know there a still some really good people out there. Enticer, you are probably right, its not about the money with me, he could have thown me a freakin bone and I would have been happy, but I guess its about the money with him. Oh well... its his loss. Go4Broke, its actually grounded through the harness... I made Bill do it that way when he rewired the trailer.
GlassDave... How the heck are ya? Let me know when you are out this way! What boat are you bringing? That cool custom? Nothing like that out here. I hope all is going well. Of course I am up for more Donzi paraphanelia.. just let me know.

Thanks again guys!!

Woodsy:D :D

Performance Trailer
 

I've replaced all four calipers on my '99 trailer
twice. Replaced two flexible
sections of brake line. Was
pushed through a red light
both times. Performance will
only sell the whole brake line system, not individual
sections. Eagle next time.

One thing that is true in life is that you WILL be treated the way you treat other people, no matter what type of person that other is. It is obvious from your statements here that not only are you frustrated, but you are arrogant, and impatient. It is not a surprise that you would get the same reaction from another person. The bottom line is you purchased a Quality trailer that does have a warranty for the TRAILER. When you read that warranty it states very clearly that the parts manufactured by other companies are not covered. The owner was right to tell you that he would help you out with the trailer if it was in Reality the trailer that was defective, but it was NOT. Furthermore, you state yourself that you did not allow the people at Performance to take the time to figure out the problem with the lights, you chose to leave and take matters into your own hands, and then return a month later with a bill in hand. You expected Performance to figure out a problem in what 20 minutes to an hour, what it took you, (an engineer?) and your mechanic 4 hours to figure out. Sorry Buddy, but what it looks like to me is that you are one of those customers who most business owners cringe at when you walk through the door. Good luck with Eagle, and I'm sure we'll all hear some more ranting soon because of this reply.

Lets see now............The frame cracks,you have to go to AK steel for repair? Safty chains break,Joes Hardware.....Wooden bunk splits you go to,Weyerhauser ??? Cmon!!!!!! Stand behind youre product!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:mad:

i have been in the boat business for 13 years and have purchased at least 60 trailers from PERFORMANCE TRAILERS.bill has always been a pleasure to work with and builds a quality product.the few times that we have had any kind of problem with one of his trailers he has always bent over backwards to make it right,even if it means driving 3 hours each way to bring parts or make a repair.we have sold trailers from all the other big companies and i dont think that most of them are as good as the performance.
chris martin

the point being missed here is the fact jollyroger was driving a long way to pick up the trailer( he didn't just walk in off the street), the trailer which should have been prep'd and ready to roll, the fact that it didn't work on the dealer's truck either proves something wrong on the trailer, it should have been tested prior to pick-up
remember the 6 p's
proper planning prevents piss poor performance
and I believe the lights, wiring,brakes, safety chains and tires are all part of the trailer and must be handled by the trailer mfg. for atleast a limited time 90 days or so barring cust neglect.

Mattyboy

I am SURPRISED! I have purchased many trailers from "Bill" at Performance over the last ten years and have been very, very happy with his product & his service.... he has offered loaners, delivered to my home, gone above & beyound what anyone might expect from a manufacturer.... Id like to hear "Bills" side to this storey..... This guy builds the best custom trailers I've seen in twenty-five years of boating.... Never saw a boat fit a trailer better & track truer down the highway.... I wouldn't buy from anyone else....

Like I said, I have seen many of his trailers and they are DEFINITELY QUALITY products. Many of my friends have them. It looks like Bill did reply in this thread. I do beleieve that even though his contract reads he is responsible for the trailer not the parts he buys from outside vendors that he is morally obligated to be certain that the trailer is in proper working order when it is delivered. Whether that is he actually delivers it to the customer or the customer picks it up. Seems to me having only read what is here, that Bill should have made sure the trialer worked perfectly before letting it leave and he should be respeonsible for teh products he puts on his trailer as he sells them to the customer.

Birdog---you are 100% correct my man...

GRH, I think you did get Bill's side of the story---just read what BRT has to say...H coincidentally hs only one post...

Bottom line is the customer is always right and that trailer should have been ready to roll when th customer got there...the arrogance is on the part of Performance Trailer for insisting that there was something wrong with the customer's lighting on his truck---even after plugging the lights into their own truck...

I can picture it now...the guy from PT scratching his head :confused: :confused: after plugging the lights into his own truck and wondering how he's gonna get out of this one.

PT should just suck it up and admit their mistake here...it's gonna cost them more that the price of those stinkin lights in the end.

I just got off the phone with "Bill".... BMT is NOT "Bill".... He definitley has a different storey to tell.... Never recived a bill from the customer.... Was first told it was $460... now its $250? But whats worse is the languauge the customer used when speaking with Bill's receptionist on the phone....Profanity at its best....The customer also fails to mention that he waited 8 months to call Bill Back! The problem turns out to be Wasbars.... Wesbar had shipped defective sealed lights that would have to be destroyed to take apart to see if they were wired correctly.... thats why the customer had to buy new lights.... This guy was in a big hurry to get his new toy & didn't take Bill up on his offer to leave the trailer so Bill could investigate further... I stand behind PERFORMANCE TRAILERS & Bill.... this guy is a moaner & is using this Board to Bash an honest businessman....

Bottom Line #1) I don't know if Jollyroger is "arrogant or impatient" and it shouldn't really matter. If I only dealt with honest and polite people in my business, I'd be dealing with very few customers. The measure of a business and its service capability is how you deal with all folks. However, if somebody becomes abusive during a business transaction, that individual is wrong and the conversation should be picked up at another time.

Bottom Line #2) Jollyroger came to pick up a trailer and it wasn't functioning properly. Maybe he was impatient because of the response, or lack thereof, from the manufacturer...but again, see Bottom Line #1). The customer doesn't want to hear that its a vendor/supplier issue, they're buying a trailer that should be in working order.

Just to clarify, I don't think we have heard Bill's side of the story yet! I would like to myself because there ARE always two sides to a story. I happen to be new to this sight which is why you have seen only 1 posting..... I am also a woman, and a loyal customer to Performance Trailers for the past 7 years. I have never had a problem with any of the trailers we have from there, and I have to agree that Bill has always treated myself and my family well, no matter what.

It's great that Bill has friends like you...I would hope that my friends would stick up for me if need be.

I am merely an observer to this disagreement and know only what I see written here. I do not know Bill or Jolly Roger...

What I do know from what I've read posted by Jolly Roger and GRH(after speaking with Bill on the phone) is that, given the opportunity, I would choose not to do business with PT. I think he has handled this poorly and although others may have had GREAT experiences with him, it only takes one, and I would hate to be that one(JollyRoger)...

The bottom line is, if Bill knew this guy was driving 8 hours to pick up his trailer---so he scould pick up his boat---he should have checked and double checked the trailer to be sure it was ready.

His attitude after testing the lights on his own truck is completely wrong...there was obviously a problem with the trailer and after rewiring it, he should have checked the lights themselves(yes, hindsight is 20/20) and BTW, leaving the trailer would not be an option; for JollyRoger or me either...especially after driving 8 hours to pick it up.

Now I understand.... no one here has ever purchased a product with a problem ..... Buy from PERFORMANCE or not.... its everyones option.... but remember ... you're taking one persons word for a situation that involved two people.... Bill's Company produced thousands of trailers over the years... I hear one guy bad mouth him .... one guy complain about the paint... Did he contact PERFORMANCE... I don't recall your saying you did.... one guy complain about Disk Brake problems.... PERFORMANCE doesn't put disk brakes on thier trailers... never has.... So we're back to one bad expirience... like I said ... Buy what you want... But I've known Bill for more then 10 years and Bill is a stand up guy that apparantly has enough confidence in his reputation & product not to dignify this JOLLYROGER with a response... Good for him....

Jolly roger not that jolly!
 

I have known Bill from performance for years.I think he should have tested this trailer wiring before he let "not so jolly" drive so far to pick up his new trailer.I think "not so" should have waited for it to work properly and not endangered the lives of others towing any trailer with improper lighting 8 hrs home.Poor choice.I also here no mention of the fact that he paid $3200.00 for a trailer that should of cost him more if he had purchased it through a performance boat trailer dealer.cutting the dealer out of the picture and buying directly from the manufacturer eliminates dealer prep and state inspection required by law.the lights would have had to work to leave a dealership.at the very least Bill does not deserve to be slammed for trying to do this ******* a favor and back door him a trailer out of state.fix your lights and get a life!

Dealer or not, the trailer should be tested and sold in working order. Buying direct from the manufacturer has no bearing on this.

Well this sure is a hot topic! DID ANYONE FORGET " THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT!" If I paid $1.00 or $5000.00 for a product it should be right, no excuses! I'am a service manager for a plumbing and heating company. If I put in a brand new water heater and it did not work, or did not work right, we would be right back to fix or replace it! That is an issue that should be handled between me and the manufacture! NOT BETWEEN THE HOME OWNER AND MFG. That is why the customer calls us, not to have to handle problems on their own. BRAVO TO YOU!!!! I WOULD HAVE WRITTEN THE SAME LETTER. TO THE IDIOT WHO SAID YOU SHOULD HAVE HANDLED THE PROBLEM , BECAUSE THE ONLY WARRANTY IS ONLY ON THE TRAILER, NOT THE PARTS, YOU DESERVE TO SPEND ALL YOUR HARD EARNED AND BE LET DOWN!

Indy missed the point!
 

Indy,When is the last time you took your Chevy back to Detroit for repair. Who prepped it before you picked it up.How many of these simple repairs are handled by dealers everyday by dealers that customers never know about to make sure they are satisfied. Regardless, "not so" could of purchased an Eagle for more money.He could of purhased a lot of things.Why do you think he drove eight hours for this deal.It has something to do with money.If he was insuch a big hurry to get home "THOUGH DARTS!". I guarantee Bill will take care of the guy if he brings the trailer back for repair.Bringing him or sending him a bill Just doesn't cut it.Way to much of this is being made of this.Bill is a great guy,builds a good product,cares about hiss reputation.

hey jim,

if anyone is guilty of doing "back door" business it is Bill. If you say the customer has to buy from the dealer, then Bill is giving his dealers the "back door" by going around them. He has an obligation to protect his dealers and not sell direct if what you say is true...the customer has an obligation to get the best deal he can, regardless of who he buys through...

Sean

SEAN - I think that was JimH's point....