Sandy Vans to the Rescue!…read more
So... my original awning decided to pick a fight with the wind. The wind won.
Turns out my Exclusive Outfitters-built Sprinter van had a VERY heavy electric Dometic awning supported by only TWO mounting brackets. And just to make things more interesting, those brackets were attached with riv-nuts drilled into the corner of my roof--which also happens to be a pop-top. I'm no engineer, but a giant heavy awning + two brackets + a pop-top roof apparently wasn't the winning combination we all hoped for.
Enter Sandy Vans.
I live in San Diego and needed a replacement awning ASAP because we're leaving for Utah in a couple of days. I contacted Sandy Vans and had an awesome experience from the very beginning.
I spoke with Cindy two days in a row, and she was fantastic--super helpful, courteous, patient, and accommodating. When I came in to pick up the awning, if she didn't know the answer to one of my questions, she didn't just shrug and send me on my way. She immediately found someone who did. That kind of customer service goes a long way.
Then came Braden. Also extremely helpful and accommodating. He handled my purchase and even gave me his cell number so I could text him if I decided to install the awning myself and needed some technical support.
He did briefly mistake my Sprinter for a Ford Transit... I'll forgive him. My van has a pop-top, so it doesn't look like the 9-foot-tall Sprinter skyscrapers that make up about 90% of camper vans these days.
Then Brian came out from the shop and actually took the time to look over my van and roof rack to figure out how I could mount the new awning. He gave me several ideas, explained different options, and made the whole project seem doable.
Sandy Vans offered to install it, but apparently I enjoy making my life more difficult, so I decided to tackle the installation myself with a good friend.
About 2.5 hours, some cutting, grinding, a few choice words directed at the old mounting brackets, and probably a questionable amount of confidence later... NEW AWNING INSTALLED!
What impressed me most about Sandy Vans was that they were helpful even after realizing I might not be paying them to do the installation. They still took the time to answer questions, look at my setup, offer advice, and make themselves available if I ran into problems.
That says a lot about a business.
I highly recommend Sandy Vans for their customer service, knowledge, courtesy, availability, and willingness to actually help their customers. Cindy, Braden, and Brian were all great to deal with.
Now hopefully this awning and the Utah wind can maintain a respectful relationship.