Quality Tank Truck & Equip

The WORST business experience

I want to state from the beginning that I post this as a warning to anyone considering using this company. I had the worst experience of my life to date, in getting this truck built by Quality Tank. The entire reason I used this company was because of how diligently the owner responded to my every question prior to the contract being signed. He would call me numerous times throughout the day to answer any and all questions I had. He spoke with the dealer mechanic in regards to my truck, and he was overall so attentive. He stated to me that I would have my truck by August 1st 2012, and this was at the end of May. This was imperative because I am a small family operated business and my only pump truck went down- and now had to sub out all my business to another company in order to stay a-float. Rob, the owner stated to me that I needed to send him a $10,000.00 deposit in order for him to get the materials he would need to start the truck so they would already be at his shop by the time I was able to get it to him, and the most important material he stressed in getting was the pump I would need- as it takes anywhere from 5-8 weeks to get in. After sending a $10,000.00 deposit to Rob- the owner of Quality Tank Trucks- to order my pump in the beginning of June our business transaction went straight down hill. Upon my original conversations with Rob in regards to my build, I repeatedly stressed to him how it was very important to make sure i have my truck back by the August 1st date that he quoted me. I am a small cesspool company and just purchased a new truck because the motor on my original truck blew and the original truck was very old to begin with. I have a growing family, and this business is our only source of income, as my wife and I put our entire life savings into creating this dream for ourselves. We have 4 children all under the age of 7, and knowing this, Rob promised me a build time and that I would have my truck completely built and delivered by the first week in Aug. I delivered my truck on June 19th, after multiple conversations in which I was assured that I could have even delivered it in the beginning of July and it would still be ready for the August 1st delivery date. Because I live out of state in NY, I planned ahead with him my delivery so he would be ready for it and we could meet and spend a little time going over everything, basically discussing any questions or concerns I would have as a customer. Upon arrival after a 13hr trip there, myself and a good friend of mine who had also purchased a build from Rob about 2 years ago arrived at the shop. Upon our arrival, Rob did not have the common courtesy to meet me in person I had driven through the night, had no sleep, but waited around until 4pm to try and meet with Rob, but it just did not happen. While I was there his secretary Kelly told me that Rob "sometimes gives unrealistic delivery dates to customers." I grew concerned and called my wife to ask her opinion on what we should do because right then and there I should have know better and removed my truck from his building and took it to another company to build. My wife called their office and spoke to Kelly and again asked for Rob to please meet with us, but was told he was in court for another company from Louisiana that refused to pay him. We grew very nervous at this point, but were assured and reassured that Kelly would stay on top of this build and see to it that it would all go smoothly. We tried not to be problematic and polite and allowed the truck to stay there. Once again, I should have gotten in my truck and turned around. The following weeks is when the nightmare really began. My wife and I, in speaking with Rob before the delivery date made sure that he understood that we wanted pictures in EVERY stage of the build. I have a very specific look that I am going for with my trucks, and for the money I am paying, it isnt unreasonable to expect that things be done the way I request- unless some obvious problems or a better way to do it is agreed upon. I am not an unreasonable person, I just want to be an informed owner. Once my truck was there, it was almost as if he felt he had me and he could do whatever he wanted and I would just have to deal with it. We would call to check for progress- about once a week, and after the first two weeks of zero response what so ever he finally responded and told us about all the work that was done to my truck during that time period, and what materials he picked up, and what he was going to start next. We would ask for the pictures, and then we didn't receive any. The following day after he had said he would send the pictures over, we hadn't received them, so we called and there was no answer at his office, nor on his cell phone. We called at different intervals throughout the day and got nothing. The next week we attempted to call him multiple times throughout the week and we received no answers, no calls back, nothing. We had to finally threaten him via email that we were going to fly to his yard and remove the truck if no progress was being made. This was now three weeks after the truck was dropped off, and 4 weeks away from delivery. When we got a hold of him at this point, he again stated all the things that were done to the truck, what materials he was about to order, and what he was going to start next. After questioning him further, it was discovered that NONE of the materials had been ordered, the pump most especially had not been ordered and when we showed frustration about this, he claimed he had no idea that it would take anywhere between 5-8 weeks for the pump to come in, after being the very person who gave us that valuable information in the first place!! At this time I asked him what he did with my $10,000.00 dollars that I had sent him over 5 weeks prior and I could not get an answer out of him. He began trying to talk me into circles by telling me all the things he had going on. My wife called the office to speak to Kelly who had said she would be on top of this build and Kelly confided to my wife that nothing had been done to my truck because Rob was trying to finish another truck for another customer in Louisiana. When confronted with this information, Rob stated that it wasn't true and we received a picture of a random tank on the ground and not on my truck. We can only assume this was his way of trying to say that he was working on our truck when it was very obvious that he wasn't. Every time we managed to get Rob on the phone, Rob bragged about how many trucks he's built and how he's been doing it for years. Well, I have been in the cesspool industry since I was 16 I am now 30, lets just say that I know what materials are need from beginning of a job to the end of a job. My wife and I began documenting in emails the times we tried to contact Rob, the things he did without permission, the things he just made his own decisions on... the lack of responses...everything. My pump finally arrived, and he had ordered the wrong pump. In our contract it stated exactly which pump I was paying for, and he deliberately made a decision to get a different one because he was now in a rush and was hoping I would just be happy and deal with it. These kinds of things went on for weeks. He also spoke with a DIRECT COMPETITOR of mine and told him all about my truck, how much I was paying, what work he hadn't completed yet... so now my direct competitor was able to swoop in and try to take some of my biggest commercial accounts because he knew I was stuck. In closing my truck was delivered 44 days past the quoted delivery date. To make matters worse, he tells me he wanted an ADDITIONAL $10,000 dollars more than what he originally quoted me or he would not deliver my truck. At this point I was losing whatever commercial customers I had, I had subbed out over $35,000.00 worth of work and had to let go of my two employees just to stay afloat while Rob played fast and loose with my money, my time, my livelihood and the lives of my wife and children. Rob held my truck ransom until I was forced under such a state of duress to agree to $6,000.00 of payment over the original price. I get a phone call from Kelly not even an hour after the delivery of my truck and she states that she already had the police at the yard putting a lien on my truck unless I agreed to pay the entire amount Rob held my truck ransom for. I have never in my life dealt with such an unprofessional company in all my life. The night the driver left with my truck, apparently a hose was leaking and he had to turn back around. The driver had the courtesy to call and tell us, but Rob certainly never did. He called to tell my wife about how hes a single father sitting in his cornfield on his tractor and how that made him a God fearing man. He rambled on for about 13 minutes in this fashion, all the while calling my wife "sweetheart" and "honey." He talked about what a "hot rod truck" we were getting and how hes been doing this for years and would never take advantage of someone. She was too concerned about getting our truck here after nearly losing all our business to set him straight. After inspecting the truck upon delivery, WHITE OUT was used to cover up red overspray on my truck... and this was all over the cab of the truck and rubbed off on our fingers. My wife called Rob to ask about this and he made no apologies what so ever and basically came across with the "what are you going to do about it" type of an attitude. I had specifically gone over the exact sizes I wanted my storage boxes built, giving Rob dimensions on more than one occasion. The boxes were built incorrectly and can't even store a Spartan 300 machine. After a week of having the truck, the doors on the boxes are bowing out, the front skirting has waves in it, the top skirting sags, the tank was delivered with dings an over spray all over it to the point where I had to have it re painted. The undercoating is already rubbing off and wasn't added thick enough. The valves on the back of the truck were all incorrect and needed to be fixed... and that hose that was leaking? That was antifreeze, and instead of adding antifreeze to the truck, they added water so my whole antifreeze system had to be fixed. I specifically told Rob I did not want diamond plate anywhere on the truck because I do not like it, and he attached two 2ft by 2.5ft squares of diamond plate on the sides of my truck. I had sent him pictures of my old truck and told him to make it exactly the same... which he of course, did not listen to. It was almost as if he was building this truck for himself, rather than for me. If you have all the time in the world and dont give a damn about what someone does with your money and property then this is the company for you... but, if you care at all do not use this vendor he is a con artist and his work is certainly not QUALITY like he states as his name of his company. Don't be sold by his "country boy" claims to honesty. MAKE SURE YOU GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING OR HE WILL DO WHAT HE DID TO ME, TO YOU. I can only hope that this review will save someone else the aggravation, blood, sweat & tears that this man and his lies and shoddy work put myself, my business and my family through.