Joe & Leslie Warren

"Our 2007 Monaco Cayman needed a little TLC. The coach shook like an off-balance washing machine whenever we drove over 45 mph, our refrigerator had lost its cool and to top it all off my husband, Joe, tore a hole in the co-pilot seat when he sat on his cigar cutter. So Joe, our King Charles Spaniel Lucy
and I brought the coach to Lazydays to be serviced. This diary recaps how we spent our day waiting for our home-on-wheels to come back to life."

8 a.m.  We arrive at Lazydays. That we were on time can only be due to the fact that Lazydays is so easy to find, even my husband can't miss it. As we pull in, a greeter escorts us to the parking lot. Once we are parked, the greeter gives us a ride on his golf cart to the Service Pavilion.

8:10 a.m.  Two smiling faces welcome us at the reception desk and inform us that Shawn Paul, our personal service advisor, will be with us momentarily. I swipe our Club Lazydays membership card to enter to win $1,000 in free fuel. We then head over to the nearby Starbucks Coffee bar where we help ourselves to a free cup. Joe sweetens his Breakfast Blend with some French vanilla creamer and I let it go since, technically, we are on vacation. Lucy eyes a rather handsome Dalmatian in the waiting area while Joe and I settle into comfortable lounge chairs and take in the morning news on the large flat-screen TV.

8:15 a.m.  Shawn approaches and, with a smile and a handshake, welcomes us to Lazydays. We walk out to our coach with Shawn to review the items that need repair.

8:20 a.m.  At our coach, Shawn listens carefully as we explain what needs to be fixed. Jim does most of the talking. Funny, when asked he doesn't seem to recall how the co-pilot seat got torn, but Lucy and I know the truth. As we exit, Shawn also notices a small chip in the windshield. Windshield chips are a lot like husbands: as they expand they get more expensive to repair. Fortunately, Lazydays can repair the windshield.

8:35 a.m.  Back at the Service Pavilion, Shawn tells us that breakfast is being served in The Cafe (which is on the other end of the building) and with our Club Lazydays membership card it is free. Jim's eyes light up the way they usually do when biscuits and gravy register on his radar.

8:40 a.m.  Jim, Lucy and I reach the Cafe. Dogs aren't allowed. Like the pied piper, Jim is entranced by the smell of biscuits and gravy. I'm ready to let him satisfy his craving alone when Jason Cohen, a salesman who occupies a neighboring office, emerges and says he'll watch Lucy for us while we eat.

9:15 a.m.  After our breakfast, We walk the grounds and browse the RVs. I'd forgotten just how expansive Lazydays inventory is. We can walk into any RV
we desire, no keys needed.

10:05 a.m.  We get comfortable on a love seat in the Service Pavilion. Lucy struts for the Dalmation. I check my e-mail on our laptop. We have three sporting goods stores in Clewiston and like to keep in touch. With Lazydays free wireless internet,
we can.

11:10 a.m.  We walk over to Camping World, Lucy in tow. One of the benefits of being a Club Lazydays member is automatic membership to Camping World's President's Club, which means we get discounts on camping items. Jim is like a kid in a
toy store!

11:27 a.m.  Shawn calls us on our cell phone to bring us up to speed on our coach.

12:20 p.m.  We make our way back to The Cafe for lunch, which is also free.

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1:50 p.m.  We get Lucy and head back to the Service Pavilion where we visit with the Lazydays Concierge who makes 7:30 p.m. dinner reservations for us at a French restaurant in downtown St. Petersburg. She tells us about other things to do in the area should we decide to stay a
few days.

3 p.m.  Down the hall Jim and I attend a free seminar in the Learning Center on how to maintain your RV's water heater. The seminar is taught by Bill Hazell, a Lazydays technical trainer who has more certifications than Stephan Hawking.

4:15 p.m.  While in the seminar, Shawn left a voicemail message to inform us that the vibration issue has been resolved. Our coach should be ready to go by 6 p.m. We head back to the grounds to look at more coaches.


5:20 p.m.  My how time flies! Shawn calls, our coach is ready.

5:30 p.m.  We meet Shawn at his office and he reviews our paperwork with us; he makes it all very easy to understand. If only he could explain the ill effects of watching too much football on TV to Jim.

5:45 p.m.  We pay our bill at the cashier's office.

5:55 p.m.  Shawn walks us out to our good-as-new Monaco. He says good-bye and that he will see us again soon. A flashback to the beautiful Monaco Camelot that we toured earlier makes me smile and say to myself, "I can't help but think he will."

Shawn Paul

“At Lazydays, we service more than 25,000 RVs each year. How do we do it? Teamwork. We have 273 service bays and more certified and master certified RVIA/RVDA technicians than any dealership in North America. Here’s an example of how we work together over the course of a given day in order to get our customers’ homes-on-wheels repaired and back on the road.”

8 a.m.  Lot attendant Fred Forestier greets the Warrens in the parking area and escorts their Monaco Cayman to a parking spot. On this hot morning, Fred gives the Warrens a ride to the Service Pavilion in his golf cart.

8:10 a.m.  Margie Williamson and Sheri Spoonauer greet the Warrens at the Service reception desk. Margie calls me and informs me that the Warrens have arrived for their service appointment.

8:15 a.m.  After gathering their paperwork, I locate the Warrens in the lounge area of the Service Pavilion and welcome them to Lazydays. We walk out to their Monaco Cayman to review the items that need to be repaired.

8:20 a.m.  I notice a small tear in the co-pilot seat. Jim also informs me that their refrigerator isn’t working on LP. Leslie explains that the coach vibrates when they drive over 45 mph. I listen to the Warrens concerns and make note of everything they say. As we exit the coach, I notice a chip in the windshield. Unless it’s repaired, it will spread and become more dangerous and costly.

8:35 a.m.  I accompany the Warrens back to the Service Pavilion and inform them that they can still enjoy complimentary breakfast in The Café. I see them off and return to my office.

8:37 a.m.  Back in my office, I enter the repairs into the computer and contact the warranty department to verify which repairs will be covered by Monaco’s manufacturer warranty or extended warranty.

8:45 a.m.  My service team leader George Rattee instructs lot porter Hibierto Rojas to navigate the Warrens coach into service bay number 75. I contact the heads of the Lazydays on-site Upholstry Shop, Glass Shop and Chassis Shop as they will be involved in repairing the coach.

8:58 a.m.  Technician Felix Polanco begins diagnostics on the coach.

9:27 a.m.  Felix requisitions a gas valve from the Lazydays parts department to solve the Warrens refrigerator issue. Rock Becker takes the order and locates the valve in inventory.

9:35 a.m.  Glass Shop manager Mike Vida comes over to the service bay and assesses the chip in the windshield. Fortunately, the chip can be repaired.

9:40 a.m.  Upholstery manager Holger Jensen comes over to the service bay and assesses the tear in the Warrens co-pilot seat. The tear requires no additional parts and can be fixed while the coach remains in the bay.

10:07 a.m.  Parts runner Darrel Phillips delivers the gas valve to the bay. Felix signs for the part and
begins work on the Warrens refrigerator.

10:09 a.m.  Mike returns and begins repairing the chip in the windshield. He applies a resin to the chip so that it will strengthen and no longer spread.

10:20 a.m.  Upholstery specialist Mimi Barrios comes over to the service bay and mends, grains and top coats the co-pilot seat.

10:35 a.m.  Felix completes work on the refrigerator. It now runs on LP.

10:40 a.m.  Mike completes the windshield repair. He advises George that the coach cannot be moved for one hour in order to allow the resin to completely set and dry.

11:05 a.m.  Mimi completes work on the tear in the co-pilot seat. The seat is now as strong, if not stronger, than it was when it left the factory.

11:15 a.m.  George informs me that the refrigerator, windshield and co-pilot seat have been repaired and that the coach is ready to go to the Chassis Shop.

11:27 a.m.  I call the Warrens on their cell phone and bring them up to speed. I also tell them about our free lunch in The Café.

11:52 a.m.  Rick Vaughn, Chassis Shop foreman, instructs a technician to move the coach to a chassis bay after lunch.

12:58 p.m.  Two chassis techs begin by driving the coach on the open road to assess its performance at speeds of 45 mph and higher.

1:20 p.m.  The problem is coming from the drive train. The vibration originates in the passenger side, an indicator that the problem is likely in the front passenger wheel.

1:42 p.m.  The team first removes the front passenger tire and examines its weight and balance.

2:10 p.m.  The front tire is rebalanced and put back on.

2:50 p.m.  The techs take the coach back onto the road to ensure that the noted vibration is gone.

3:10 p.m.  The second test drive confirms that the coach no longer vibrates. The techs radio Rick and inform him that the problem is fixed and that they are returning to Lazydays.

3:20 p.m.  I call the Warrens to let them know that the vibration issue has been resolved.

3:42 p.m.  Rick informs me that all of the repairs on the coach have been completed.

4:00 p.m.   After Hibierto moves the Warrens coach to the pickup staging area, I notify Barry Lloyd, Lazydays’ quality control inspector.

4:38 p.m.  Barry performs a quality control inspection on the coach, confirming that the repairs have been completed and that nothing has been damaged during service.

4:57 p.m.  Barry informs me that the coach has passed inspection with flying colors.

5 p.m.  I contact Kathy Agans in the service administration department to prepare the Warrens paperwork. She pulls the work order and sends it to the cashier’s office.

5:15 p.m.  I gather the paperwork and review it. Upon my approval, I call the Warrens and tell them that their coach is ready to go.

5:30 p.m.  I meet with the Warrens in my office to review their repairs and answer any questions they may have.

5:45 p.m.  I escort the Warrens to the cashier’s office where they pay their invoice to Kathy Kmack.

5:55 p.m.  I walk the Warrens out to their coach and see them off as they make their way home in their repaired coach. I then head back to office to prepare for tomorrow.