This will be a long entry. About 40 miles East of Flagstaff, the alternator on my BlueBIrd fried. There had been a burning smell, but I thought it was fried mouse. I drove an additional 150 miles until Gallup, NM. Running on batteries, I turned off all the heaters (had fans), lights, radio, and so on.

I arrived at an RV park (USA RV Park) on Route 66 in Gallup, and asked for a recommendation on repair. The people behind the desk didn't know, but showed me to somebody getting a repair done right in the park.

I explained my situation, and they mentioned "RG Truck Service". I called them, and they couldn't do anything until the next morning at 8am. Fine. I showed up, and dropped my house-on-wheels in their lot promptly at 8:02am.


A mechanic came out, and verified my diagnosis, and removed the old alternator within 15 minutes. I was favorably impressed. My first order of business was to get a motel room for the night, hook up to the internet and query the "Vintage Birds" site. They have dozens of extremely knowledgeable people. My intention was to help find an appropriate alternator as quickly as possible.

I then called RG Truck Services' owner - a "Richard" somebody (STILL don't know his last name!), and explained to him that BlueBird owners had set up quite an elaborate support system to keep these fine old coaches running 20+ years. Richard was clearly insulted that I was infringing on his turf. Said he had people at the electric shop looking for the alternator. I asked for the electrical shop's name, and talked to them.

The electric shop "H&C" said they were going to rebuild the old alternator, using parts from two other identical ones lying around plus mine. Sounded reasonable to me.

About an hour later, the first responses to my emergency post started to get in. Also, I called BlueBird Customer Service in Georgia to get information about the alternator in my 1982 coach. "Bennie" knows absolutely everything about BlueBird, and gave me detailed instructions about replacing it.

First and foremost, Bennie said, is that the replacement is very common. Almost ubiquitous. Two models - 160 amp or 180 amp were fine. He recommended stepping UP to the 180 amp, but either were fine. He gave me current Delco parts numbers, and mentioned that the bracket and pulley would need to be reused. A slight modification of the bracket was required, but should only take 10 minutes or so to do it. Drilling a hole, apparently.

I called RG again, again talked to Richard, and started to relay some of this information. The last he'd heard, the electrical shop was unsure of exactly what they would deliver. I was trying to be helpful - and frugal - and Richard would have none of it.

I mentioned that I wanted to retrieve some stuff out of my bus, and he seems to have heard that I wanted to stay in it overnight. Bear in mind, I'm sitting in a motel room. There is NO reason for me to state that I wanted to stay in the bus. I expressed confusion, and then he started yelling (as best as I can remember) "You people say that when you're here, and then you sue me when something happens."

Completely flabbergasted by this outburst, I assured him I just wanted to retrieve some clothes and stuff for my family.

I did so, and returned to the motel room. By now, I was getting bunches of messages from many people. The consensus was that a brand new (!) truck alternator would cost around $250 for a 160 amp. NOT a rebuild. I was also advised to consider moving up in amperage. Further, the entire job should cost between $300 and $400.

I called the electrical shop, and they assured me that they were rebuilding the old alternator, and that it would be delivered not later than 9am. I assumed it would take about a half hour or so to put it back in.

Today, I called at 9am to find out the disposition, and was told, tersely, to call back later. OK, fine. I called back around 10:00, and was told, tersely, to come over. I assumed it was installed, and done. We packed out of the motel, and I discussed it with my wife.

The kids and her were going on a home-school field trip to some ice-caves and a pueblo village, and would be gone for many hours. I was going to pick up the RV, drive it back to the RV park, and start working on my amazing deadline.

I got there around 11am, and the guy was still working on it. They had opened the windows, and seemed oblivious to the one window that was damaged with the bracket falling off. Whatever. I talked with the guy installing it, and noticed it clearly was NOT a rebuilt alternator, but a far smaller one.

Asking the mechanic, he said it was 150 amp! Further, I noticed the grounding strap (perhaps the most important wire on the whole bus) was #4 wire - far too thin for the load it is expected to carry. I'm not a rocket scientist, but I knew this was wrong. The alternator cables on my car are thicker!

I was dissatisfied, but really didn't have much choice! I was still cooling my heels wandering around the parking lot. I noticed a couple of fan belts (brand new) on the ground next to the bus. Well, the new alternator wasn't the same size, they didn't use the bracket, and it required the mechanic to replace the fan belts to a different size! Further, these were "Car Quest" belts. Maybe I'm stupid, but I think a Caterpillar motor requires truck belts?

Then I made my 2nd mistake - I expressed irritation to "Steve" to the order that perhaps they should listen to their customers sometimes, because I could've (and offered, I might add) retrieved the CORRECT replacement alternator from Albuquerque. As it was, I was getting a smaller one, AND had to pay for the extra labor to get it to fit.

Steve blew me off, and I kept cooling my heels. Item 1 - NEVER complain about service quality before you get a bill!

Finally, around 11:45, the thing was working, started up, and apparently not frying anything. Steve presented me will a bill for $629.78. Including $270 for labor, and $300 for parts. The wrong parts. Fanbelts I didn't want or need. Crap, those belts had only 1300 miles on them, no wonder they looked new!

Looking at this bill, I sighed and said that I was unhappy, and felt that I was being overcharged for the work done, and further that the part they replaced it with was NOT sufficient for the load it would need. Steve said "I cut you some slack as it is. You've been bitching to me the whole time you've been here."

I mentioned, once, that maybe they should listen to their customers, and that's "bitching the whole time I'm here??" I mentioned that the cost I was told to expect was $300-$400. I offered a debit / credit card, a check, or a wire. None of these was acceptable.

OK, cash it is. I said that my only form of transportation is in his parking lot. He offered a van & driver to take me to the bank. Which begins my 2nd odyssey, and a distinct deterioration of my mood....

...So we chose one of the only two (apparently) banks in Gallup - Bank of America. I chose that one because I have a merchant account with them. Though the debit card I intended to use was not BOA, it seemed reasonable that they would help a customer.

And they did! They helped themselves to my money!

I waited 15 minutes to finally see a teller. Very busy day - a Friday - payday maybe. I told the teller my situation, traveling through, broken down, repair, cash only, etc. Could I get $629 from the account on this card, please?

She took the card and my ID and disappeared for about 10 minutes. She came back and said that the card had been declined three times. Amazed, since my wife transferred money into that account already, I asked to use a phone.

I then called my bank. After being on hold for 10 minutes or so, the lady at my bank said that $629 had been deducted from my account by BOA in Gallup, NM. Voila! It was "declined" a second time because that account did not have 2 X 629.

I called the lady over, and had her talk with my bank on the phone, and sat down. It had been about an hour by now. The teller went back to her station, and seemed to have forgotten about me. I asked about my money, and she basically said "We didn't get an authorization code. We can't give you the money." I said, that it was deducted from my account. She said, she had no authorization.

I called my bank back, and after yet another long hold, had a human to talk to. I asked her to hold on a second.

I'm getting pissed at this point. Very pissed. I couldn't seem to get anybody's attention, so I yelled - at the top of my voice, in front of 30 or so customers patiently waiting in line that I wanted to see the manager, and I wanted to see him NOW! Or call the police!

A rather youngish woman detached herself from a wall somewhere, and told me to hush up. I said I wanted to speak to the manager, she said she was assistant. I said I didn't want the assistant I wanted the manager - all the while speaking very loudly. At 6'3", bearded, and MAD, I can look scary, I suppose.

I told her the situation, and handed her the phone, and sat down again. I talked with the driver, and the waste of time this was. It was nearing two hours since we left for the bank! The assistant manager came over and said a bunch of bankerese - trying to say that it was a debit, and it was not authorized for cash advances, or some such rot, and that my $629 would magically reappear in my account at midnight.

I am not making this up. I said that I thought that was crazy, I didn't believe it, and furthermore, I needed that money NOW to get my RV out of hock! (And, incidentally, leave this town forever). I am NOT rich, and $629 is sorely needed. Even more, it was FRIDAY afternoon, and little is going to be done on the weekend, and I'll be damned if their incompetence was going to cost me the entire weekend!

After talking back and forth, my bank decided that a faxed sheet of the situation would settle the situation, and they would back the transaction out. I swear, if I hadn't raised hell, that $629 would have disappeared forever!

Unfortunately, it would take about an hour for that money to reappear, and time was running out - it was 2 pm. The driver from the repair shop said he absolutely needed to get back to work - so I agreed to let him ferry me back to the shop.

Which leads me to the third, and most thrilling odyssey of today....

OK, I'm pissed at this point, but I'm not stupid.

After arriving at RG Truck Service (after over 2 hours!), I told "Steve" that there had been a problem at the bank getting the money, and that I needed to go to another bank.

I then intended to tell him that I came back at his driver's insistence. But before I could do so, he flew into a rage. I tried to show him my fax sheet from the bank, to let him verify that I did indeed have the $629, and that it was tied up for a short while.

But Steve immediately backed away, and wouldn't get within 20 feet of me. I told him that I needed transportation, and he yelled to one of his men to drive a truck in front of my bus, blocking it in. And then he started yelling at me. I asked to use the phone to call my wife.

Backtracking here, my phone wouldn't work in his shop. The shop's phone didn't work, either - I'd tried it the day before. Hanging on Steve's belt was a cell phone - which I'd seen him use. He refused to let me use it to call my wife or the bank.

I offered him $5 for a one minute phone call. He refused. And he's still accusing me of trying to rip him off.

I'm now pumping adrenaline. I can't call a cab - no phone. I can't talk with this maniac - because he won't look at my documents. He clearly resented my earlier comments about my own dissatisfaction and it acting like a real bastard.

I stalk over to my bus, and pull out a stash of GOLD COINS! Four to be exact. Spot price (I'd checked at the bank) of $433.40. I offered them to this idiot as collateral to allow me to take my bus to go to the bank to get the cash. He wouldn't look at them, and kept his little dance to keep away from me.

Bear in mind, I'm just following him - at a distance - trying to get him to look at either paper, or a shiny metal discs in my palm! He STILL won't let me near him, has my HOUSE blocked in. At this point, I lost my own temper, and told him he was a lunatic. He was incompetent at best, and a thief at worst.

He says he's calling the police. I yell back "GREAT! CALL THE POLICE!" I wanted to talk to them, too! And so, the police arrive....


















Sorry 'bout the picture - wife's camera, I don't know much about it.

After a fair bit of back-and-forth, the policeman told me I was to leave the property. Further, that the place was closing at 4pm, and that if I didn't pay before then, it would cost me $100 per day storage fee on my bus. Further, he said that the owner could not be held responsible for anything happening to my RV!

In this context, I took this as a direct threat of theft by these people. I said so to the cop. I said this was a classic case of extortion. He said, "This is a business dispute." I almost said he needs to look up "extortion", but bit my tongue. The cop then frisked me - for his safety, and placed me in back of the patrol car. I think the cop appreciated my predicament, because he drove me to the 2nd bank in Gallup - Wells Fargo. By now it was about 2:50.

After about 5 minutes or so, I went to their ATMs and was able to barely extract $650 from two accounts - overdrawing the 2nd account. The whole crux of the problem is that the outrageous bill was over my $400 / day atm limit on the debit card! I called the cab company, and made it back to an "Allsup" convenience store to call the cops again.

I had been told I was not allowed on RG's property without a police escort! I was exceedingly nervous, because I thought their not-so-veiled threat to my home would happen if it stayed their overnight. I had STILL been unable to contact my wife. I was able to leave a message from a phone at Wells Fargo. THANKS!

But, I hadn't actually spoken with my wife, and I was nervous as hell that she and the kids would encounter those buffoons and get into a nasty situation. Also, it was now after 3pm, and I literally did NOT have enough cash to pay the bill AND a $100 penalty for not making it before 4pm.

A cop in an SUV finally showed up after I called dispatch once, and 911 twice. The 2nd time, I explained why I was agitated - about my wife - and I think it sped them up.

I then had the surreal experience of explaining this all to another cop, having him check his dispatcher, and having the dispatcher say she knew NOTHING of the earlier encounter! Turns out it was a different jurisdiction. In the meantime, it's 3:45 and I'm getting nowhere!



FINALLY, at about 3:50, I get put in the back of the second car (didn't get frisked this time). Turns out it's a former K9 unit, and I'm where the dog usually sat. Nice.

I finally get my home out of jail, and with a few parting shots, left that hell hole.

Conclusion

Some may say that I may be more culpable in this situation that I am letting on. Further, I was agitated by the events at the first bank, and probably blew up at the man, and he reacted to me.

I submit, that he reacted badly, and with insufficient information, because I had expressed displeasure at both the quality of his service, and its exorbitant price. Further, asking for the core of my old alternator (which I never got) probably riled him up, too. Honest and competent people do not react to criticism by calling the police on a customer who CLEARLY has the means - and desire - to pay the bill!

The fact that they put in the wrong size alternator, causing it to require vastly more labor proves that he's mendacious. The parts were NOT truck parts, but car parts. But I was still charged $30 for each fan belt.

Finally, his obvious threat to the welfare of my bus puts the whole situation in his corner. Such a statement, can only be viewed in such a manner, and he clearly intended it to be a threat. Since it was delivered by a policeman, I'm sure he felt pretty smug that he'd have his opportunity to have such vandalism.

This, after I'd been assured by "Richard" that there had been no vandalism or thefts on that property in 40 years! What exactly am I supposed to think?

I assure you, that if I had been unable to scare up the funds or a cop escort by 4pm, I would have walked into that yard, and driven my bus out of there. Only gun fire would've stopped me at that point. I am sure I could have gotten out off the property before the cops arrived, and then I have possession that then must go to court.

The officer would have been a witness, and would have repeated the statement. I ensured he'd remember it, because I'd asked him about it several times in the back of his car.

My recommendation is to NEVER go to RG Truck Services. They are incompetent. They are thieves. They are liars.

We're in a lovely RV park, with about 2 inches of snow on the ground. The kids are having a blast.

We went to the Grand Canyon, and at first it looked like we picked a bad day for it. It was completely fogged in. All you could see were looming shapes FAR below your precarious perch. Reminded me of WWII movies of convoys moving through the fog.














We went to a photography museum on the rim, and by the time we got out, the cloud had lifted to just about the rim. So we were able to get some low contrast, but nevertheless satisfying shots of us dangling small children over the precipice.















The RV Park - "Railside RV Ranch", had excellent facilities. It's in WIlliams, AZ, and the whole town is a perfect showcase for Route 66. Too bad we can't stay longer.













Before the fog lifted, the kids had to be satisfied with an artist's rendition of the canyon looked like...

































The last photograph is not retouched. It looks like a surreal shot.

I stopped at the Rio in Las Vegas, and had a photo opportunity in front of the Best Show in Vegas!

I think Penn would make a great porcupine.