Exceptional Service Quality, But Transparency is Needed on Pricing
Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️(4 out of 5 stars)
I want to start this review by unequivocally stating that the technical work performed by Dixie RV Doctor was exceptional. The laborers were professional, knowledgeable, and the quality of their repairs was solid and completely trustworthy. They are truly great to work with on the job site, and for quality of service alone, they deserve a resounding 5 stars.
However, the experience of settling the final bill is where they lost stars due to a significant lack of transparency regarding the total cost. The unexpected charges made the transaction feel like a "gotcha game" rather than a professional exchange. I trust them to do the work, but I will think twice about using them again in the future when it comes to on-site work due to the surprise billing.
The Breakdown of Pricing Issues:
Dual Laborer Charge: It was not made clear that if two people are sent to complete the job, the hourly rate is charged per laborer. What I expected to be a $149/hour charge suddenly became $298.00 per hour because two technicians were present. This significant doubling of the expected cost must be communicated upfront.
Labor Billing Discrepancy (8 Billed Hours for 5 Hours Worked): The billing process was complicated by a significant discrepancy between the time billed and the actual observed work time. The team was late, starting at approximately 11:00 AM instead of 10:00 AM, because they had accidentally driven to the wrong location first. While I accepted the delay, the final bill showed the team worked 2.5 hours on the Generator and 5.5 hours on the Quick Seal Leak Inspection/Fix, totaling 8 billed hours. However, they were only physically working on-site from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM, which is 5 hours of actual work time give 30 min.
This means I was billed for 3 hours or 2.5 hours if I include 15 min at the start, and 15 at the end. Either way the unaccounted-time, is unacceptable.
Hidden Service Fee: In addition to the quoted hourly rate, an unexpected $85.00 Service Fee was added to the bill. This was never mentioned during the pre-work discussion or the quoting process.
Credit/Debit Card Fees: The quote provided did not include any mention of fees for using a credit or debit card. These fees were only applied after the work was completed and the final bill was presented.
Recommendations for Transparency:
To prevent this issue for future clients and ensure a better customer experience, I have two strong suggestions for Dixie RV Doctor:
Mandatory Pre-Job Consultation: Before any work begins, the technician must sit down with the customer and walk through the proposed scope of work and all associated fees (hourly rate, per-laborer rate, service fees, card processing fees). This will eliminate the "gotcha" moment when the bill is settled after the job is done.
Re-evaluate the Service Fee:
The $85.00 Service Fee should be clearly defined as a trip charge or cancellation fee, only applied if the customer cancels or changes their mind after the truck has been dispatched, and not a standard, hidden fee added to a completed service.
In summary, Dixie RV Doctor delivers high-quality, reliable work, and I trust their technical expertise entirely. My hope is that they improve their quoting and billing process to ensure complete cost transparency before starting work.