Willy Dog review: Mechanical faults! 44

I have a cart that I bought from Willy Dog last year and it is GREAT! In fact I was going to buy another one when I read the complaint from Patricia. I STILL AM.

I don't think she tried very hard as I have nothing but good to say about Willy Dog. They offered tons of great advice every time I asked. They even made it possible for me to network with other vendors in my area. Do yourself a favor. Before you believe the nasty attack above give Willy Dog a call and see for yourself how good they are.

The correspondence I have recieved so far regarding Willy Dog Hot Dog Cart purchasers has been totally negative. If anyone doubts claims against Willy Dog and Mr. Hodgkiss they need only call Nancy Andrews, a former sales rep for Mr. Hodgkiss. Nancy lives in Sacramento California, her number is [protected]. I believe positive recommendations of him and his companies on line are fictitious creations from himself or friends. Trying to get any sort of satisfaction or legal recourse is difficult as he knows all the tricks to avoid prosecution. Most people just suck it up and move on, losing their money and are stuck with defective carts.
Mr. Hodgkiss claims he has recieved a 2006 Chamber of Commerce Award but does not specify from where or under which of his numerous companies names. He also claims he recieved this award indirectly. What does this mean? You either receive an award or you don't. So far I have found no record of him or his company with the Kingston, Ontario Chamber of Commerce but are still awaiting a C.C. detailed search. I had tracked down and finally visited his 'manufacturing' warehouse after getting bogus instructions from him and discovered little more than a garage with a few barbecues and a broken down cart inside. Hardly a sight to produce 9,000 units. Clearly the defective unit I paid for must ahve been hobbled together somewhere else.
In the U.S. there are powerful antitrust laws via state attorney generals and I have heard they are quite successful in bringing scammers to justice with class action suits. All it requires are a handful of victims to kick off an investigation. In Canada, it takes a far greater effort to do this. BUYER BEWARE - do your research before you buy.

I purchased a cart from Willy Dog and when I voice my displeasure of seeing a $29 bbq that he charged me $300 for, he eventually sent me a cheque for a replacement. Over all not the best experience.

I bought cart from will over 6 years ago. While I did experience a plumbing problem, I had a plumber repair it, sent the bill to Mr. Hodgkiss, and rec'd. a reimbursement check in a couple of days.

I have only positive things to say about how he handles his customers.

Something in the above comments do not ring true.

Feel free to email me questions at

laryofvt@gmail.com

Willy Dog delivers! Complaint is bogus

Hi!

I had to write again, sorry to be such a pest. Found a complaint board and it made me really nervous... so I contacted the people on the board, and I have to tell you, nost of the feedback was actually positive!

Kept searching around (I know it probably sounds silly to you guys, but the 3300 + dollars is a lot of money to me). Found some blogs and other vendors...all pretty much positive. I'm feeling better again and really looking forward to getting the hummer from you guys.

I sent out the following on the 'complain' board and will try to put this to a rest. I think it's really unfair of these guys to be so negative, and to scare off potential vendors like myself. And, I don't know why no-one else has thought about it. I'll just have a photographer take picks of everything from opening the cart to pulling the trailer out and hooking it up to the car. As we discussed earlier, I work at a paper here in Texas and can get some great pictures that will just show everyone exactly what I get, perfect and irrefutable. I have a website too which gets a little traffic and have a book out ('Daydreams & Nightmares' a collection of poems and dark, short stories) and am thinking about writing about this. I've seen some books out there, but they don't seem to be hat I'd want, regarding starting up a hot dog cart business. What do you think about such a book?

Here's what I put on the board, I hope it's okay with you. It just bothers me that a couple of disgruntled people might be scaring off people (they seem to have an ax to grind and one of them puts anyone who contacts them in-touch with someone who is selling carts themselves):

Hi!

I have been reading this board and am not sure what to think. I've contacted several of the people and basically, heard both negative and positive comments, but mainly...positive.

I ordered my cart about a week ago, so, I have about another week to go. I ordered the 'hummer' model which seems like a good value with several extras, including 4 sinks, mounted fire extinguisher, and a stainless steel sink seperator. I ordered mine through the Fort Wayne office (U.S.Carts).

So far, my experience has been pretty positive and everybody (the lady I bought from, and Willy himself) has been really good about responding to me with my questions, etc...and I am expecting everything will be okay.

I will take a photographer with me when my cart arrives in Sweetwater, TX. and take pics as I open the crate, pull out the cart and attach it to my car. Assuming all goes well, this will be a great relief to me and the many people ordering carts through his offices like me...because seeing the complaints really freaked me out, and we all have enough stress in our lives when you're trying to start a new business already.

I can not post pics here, but after the 24th (my cart should arrive on or about March 19th), if anyone wants to see what I get, please feel free to contact me at jrileysrie@yahoo.ie and I'll let you see the pics for yourself. Again, I think the two (2) weeks deliver date is an estimate, so a day or two one way or the other should be okay.

Wish me luck, say a prayer and greetings to everyone out there! I am really excited!

Jim Riley
Jim/E.'s Chicago Style Hot Dogs
jrileysrie@yahoo.ie
San Angelo, Texas

WILLY DOG HAS MADE IT POSSIBE FOR THESE PEOPLE TO BE IN BUSINESS FOR THEMSELVES FOR YEARS!

Thank you Will. We think you are THE GREATEST. You helped us get rolling in business and here we are still at it.

Willy Dog does it again!

To whom it may concern,
My name is Troy Bolling, I am a 26 yr. old self employed mobile food vendor. I started my business in the spring of 2004 while attending Towson University where I studied business management. As a frequent bar-goer I realized the increased demand for late night food once the many uptown bars would announce last call. Knowing my love of the grill and my passion for owning my own business it was only a matter of months before the idea of late night hotdogs seemed a perfect route to achieve both interest. The next step was research, I looked into the permits needed through the local court house and of course the internet was the easiest source for obtaining the proper cart. Within 30 minutes I found the cart that I knew could do it all. I came across a website called Willydogs.com and while clicking about I noticed the A-101 cart. This cart was the best piece of equipment to execute the type of rush I hoped to have once those drunk college kids came stumbling down the curb. I loved the fact that the cart was equipped with a large grill simply because grilled hotdogs smell better, taste better and sell better during all seasons plus the grill doubles as a heat source during colder months. At some points during the night I'll have close to 100 hotdogs grilling together, I just shut the lid and let them go. The triple sink was a must for permits purposes and is great for washing small utensils, and the triple stemmer pan work great for my sauerkraut, chili and cheese. While making burritos at a recently acquired business I use two for sautéed onions, another for stemmed rice and the biggest for clean hot rinse water. The cart pulls easily behind my small pickup and looks flashy going down the highway shining in the sun with its stainless body. The A-101 offers more storage space then I can use even with running two completely different businesses with the same cart. In all, the cart is the best priced, most effective cart for wide ranges of cuisine be it hotdogs late night or a gourmet steak or chicken burrito during lunch hours in downtown Baltimore. This is what I've accomplished with what most people would think is a small food business with a small cart but if worked diligently the money adds up quicker then I can count it some weeks. Hopefully within the next few years I can purchase another A-101 cart and continue to do well out on the corners. My thanks to Will.
Troy Bolling

Willy Dog is tops.

Hi, my name is Rob & I have been in the business for about 2 years now.
I bought my second cart about 6 months ago from Will himself at Willy Dog. The cart was everything it was promised to be and is far better than the one I bought earlier from a cart re seller in Miami. Less money too!

I called the Nancy Andrews lady who lodged an earlier complaint. She is the fraud. That old lady was trying to sell me a cart that turned out to be stolen. Nothing she said turned out to be true. If anyone has any issues about Willy Dog relax. They are tops. Ask me.

Rob

A used Willy Dog is better than a new competitor. Will is great.

Will,

I am now a proud owner of a (used) A-101 built by Willy Dog.
Although I did not purchase it new- I couldnt fork out that much money
right now especially after losing what I did on the other one I bought new from a copy cat knock off company. I look forward to buying my next cart new from you.

I will say this, I made a HUGE mistake by trying to save money and
buying the cart from Sebastian out of Michigan. He is a shoemaker. I
just sold the other cart and was LUCKY to have sold it and unfortunately
the guy is gonna find out like I found out the cheap craftmanship on his
new cart. I could have bought the other one from you and I wouldnt be
in the hole but thats just how it went.

--
George
Ouzo Cafe
www.ouzocafe.com
776 North Milwaukee St, Milwaukee WI 53202

We Love Willy Dog

Debra,
Hi! Yes we love the Hummer! Dan is cooking everything on it. It is so nice.
I would be more than happy to be a customer reference. Anytime!

We are getting everything finalized for our business to launch. We will take pictures soon. My mom is getting Dan embroidered golf shirts with the CHOW HOUND name! As soon as we get those, I'll send you some pictures.
We have been thinking of all the diffent things we can do with the cart. The griddle was a good add on. We are thinking about doing gyros for festivals.

Oh, one other thing I wanted to ask you...what company do you get insurance from? I have called 2 places here and they do not insure moblie food carts. I have a call into a third place and I am waiting. I wonder why it is so difficult? I guess becuase people around here are not familar with the carts?

Ok, well I will talk to you soon. THanks again for everything!
~Lana

SORRY, MORE GOOD NEWS. NOTHING FOR NEGATIVITY SEEKERS HERE
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PLUS SOME GOOD RECIPES...

READ ON

Hi Will,
I can't remember if I told you that my umbrella arrived. Very quickly, in fact. Thanks for the T-shirt. (Actually, I'm heading to Cuba tomorrow for a week and it is one of the T-shirts I'm taking to give away).

I am really happy with my little New Yorker. It is constantly being admired from an aesthetic point of view. And it is amazing to work with. So compact, yet substantial enough to really possess a space. It is surprising how much volume we can do out of this thing. On a regular market day we easily sell $800.00 - $1000.00 worth of product. At special events which we often do, we make anywhere from $1500.00 to our high for one day $2200.00.
Hope this is useful.

Sincerely,
Gail Bryn-Jones, Owner
Hotties Hotdogs

Here's what I sell:

Gourmet Hotdogs:
All our dogs, buns and condiments are locally made.

1) The Wieners – 5 types:
- Starke’s Deli, (Sidney) European and Smokie;
- Karin’s Country (Duncan) Organic chicken;
- The Village Butcher (Victoria) Free-range turkey
[Four meat products: no fillers, additives; just meat and spices.]
- Yves (Delta) Bavarian-style veggie dog

2) Fresh Buns (baked same day)
- Embe Bakery, (Salt Spring Island), choice of three types white, whole wheat, sourdough (no preservatives, additives; all natural ingredients)

3) Homemade Condiments (Salt Spring Island)
I make these condiments in a certified kitchen.
- caramelized onions - amazingly “more-ish”
- Hotties Cool Sweet Relish - a delicious chutney/relish which I also bottle and sell
- Hot Mustard - 6 varieties known previously under the name Arbutus Accents. I recently bought the company with all the recipes and changed the name to Salt Spring Spice
- Sauerkraut - I am currently looking for someone ‘local’ who makes this and would wholesale it to me. If not, I’ll look into making it also – sounds pretty simple.

4) Other
We also provide ketchup and regular mustard. (...for the kid in all of us)
We can sell bottled water if desired.

(last year's ) Price List
Regular hotdog – European style ... $4.50
Smokie ... $5.00
Karin’s Country Organic Chicken on a bun ... $5.25
Free range Turkey smokie ... $5.25
Veggie dog – Smokie style ... $4.25

Bottled Water

We are pleased with Willy Dog. They are tops.

Dear Readers

Hi! I got scared when I saw the complaints...had just shelled out the money for the hummer. But, we got it without a scratch, though the crating was more of a frame than a crate, so I could see where something could go wrong. When I talked with some of the complainers, turns out they were trying to sell me their own make of carts, so it seems like they are just competitors to Willy's Dogs.

Actually, I was pleasantly surprised. The cart had a couple of small bugs (the pump didn't work), but they replaced it immediately. No questions, just a real sense of commitment and concern. They were really nice. I had a guy re-weld the spot welds on the propane tank seat or cradle (but that was my fault, I broke it), and it coast about twenty bucks.

The heating elements work GREAT! The propane seems to last forever! The cooler keeps ice frozen for over two (2) days straight...and the sinks and all helped me pass a thourough (and very tough), health department inspection. I think this is a good cart and I'd really recommend it to you.

I've already been to three (3) events and sold some on the street...this works. I'd recommend contacting Debbie in the Indiana office, she'll take good care of you. And, she really seems to care. Please let her know I referred you to her?

I purchased a cart from Willie Dogs. Ok, I will be brutally honest, it is a true knock off of its predecessor, but Toronto Kitchens dont make the A-101 cart anymore so their cart is the next best available. Some minor flaws in effective design are no pilot lights for the steam table, and not enough storage- but I am an operator and have been for years and to start without these should not effect anyone. Other than that, mechanically the cart does work well, works well for me and I have no problems with the company. I plan on purchasing another cart from Will this upcoming winter and have no qualms about it. I also believe he will gladly give you a list of his customers who have purchased from him to speak to them about their experience. I even broke some latches on one of my other cart and explained to Will I couldn't find any and he shipped me some out the same day I was on the phone with him. Very good company to do business with and contact me with any questions or concerns about buying from him. He provides a good cart for a fair price.

I was a little disappointed when my cart arrived, there was a scratch (due to shipping), and the fresh water tank/ top of the bread box had separated from the body. Overall it was a smooth transaction (delayed in customs for 3 weeks), and I would defenintly buy from Will again. Next time I would like to see the cart, instead of looking at pictures.

Just wondered about those of you who have bought the " willy dog" is it a show stopper, how are the sales?

thanks neil

Well, here we are a year later. My Willy Dog Franchise business is alive and well 9 years after starting. My husband and I along with our 3 girls have run the business successfullly for many years now. We are now in business here in Fort Wayne Indiana as a factory direct showroom for our own line of hot dog carts manufactured by Willy Dogs, we would like to think that our designs are superior.. however they are made by the same experts. Call us, we will help you start your own business as we did. Best of All, we live here and we are not going anywhere, we aren't angels, nor are we God but we can show you how to do what we do.. check us out at www.hotdogcarts.com. Thank you Will for believing in us and our ability. We love you !
Also, just a note, Nancy Andrews called me and tried to get me to front sales through my Fort Wayne office for California Carts fabricated by who else? Will... Sorry didn't call you back Nancy once I got the first hand story from my long time friend.

i had gotten a cart from them in 2004 it was a waste not what was promiced or sold. i am glad some peaple are happy but i was treated like crap and this man running the show there is very rude to say the least. please take you money anywhere eles! why risk it ?

dennis portland oregon

willy Dog sold me a piece of crap cart, caster wheel broke, leaf springs collapsed first day we towed it, sneez gaurds blew out on the road, water heater cover blew off on the road, and to top it off the tounge snapped and the cart went backwards and ripped it to shreds-make sure you have cart insurance like me- they have helped so much, I have a hand full of people who have experienced inferior cart manufacturing from will can you say class action law suit
Sorry Will you will be hearing from my lawyer-

willy dog produces junk

I bought a Hummer, with grill from Will and it's just fine. I operate in upstate NY. I modified the cart a bit by adding mounts for 40-pound tanks. I also modified the steam table burners as they ran a bit too hot for my application. I use the cart 6-days a week and it's fine. I am actually a REAL full time operator, and I can tell you that the product I bought from Will is just fine. As with all business's (especially manufacturing), you can't please all the people all the time, so I'm sure Will has had some complaints, just like EVERY other business. Thats life. All I can tell you is that the cart that I bought, the Hummer, is exactly what I was promised. I was also in Will's manufacturing facility in Kingston, Ontario and it's NOT in some old back-woods garage as an earlier post indicates. It's in an industrial park, and I would suggest he employs about 6 or 7 people. I WAS THERE. That earlier post is BS.

Chuck S.

Chucky Dogz
Syracuse, NY

Willy Dog has been producing great carts for long time.
I bought my first one there 21 years ago and I still use it. when I needed a new last June Will was still there making a fantastic cart. We bought another one. He is great & very honest.

BenDog
NY, NY

I purchased a last year 2008 Hummer model from Willy dogs in June of 2008. I have had nothing but problems with it. #1 the caster wheel has broken twice due to the fact that it hangs too low. I called Mr. Hodgkiss and he said I did not have it on the ball high enough. When I had first called a Mr. Hodgkiss he had told me to place the ball from 18"-22" off the ground. The ball is 19.5" inches of the ground. The caster wheel is still hanging to low as well as it's ina bility to hold the weight of the cart. The wheel also only had 2 bolts on it rather than 4. Ther never drilled the other 2 holes to accomodate the wheel so it wasn't suppoted or installed properly with 4 bolts. Yes, Toni from Willy Dogs sent another wheel. I had to pay for 2 more holes to be drilled to put the wheel on. #2 Hot water hose clamps not holding tubing. Cheap Squeeze Clamps. I was sited for no running water due to the hot water hoses blowing on my cart not once but twice. Not to mention all the product I had to throw away because it was being stored in the side cabinet. All my rolls were soaked and had to be thrown away. I called Mr. Hodgekiss and told him about it, he blamed me for not looking at the directions in my manual. I read the manual with the pencil drawings in it. I did not see anything in reference to opening the hot water faucets to allow pressure to escape. Since then I have repaired it by putting on compression nuts and clamps which now hold the tubing securley in place. # 3 Wiring harness has a short in it not allowing brske lights and directionals to work properly. Called Mr. Hodgkiss again and again blamed my harness on my vehicle. WRONG there is nothing wrong with my harness. #4 The water resevoir leaks due to the fact that those cheap pinch clamps are on it. They water leaks EVERYWHERE. I was at an event 10/3/09 and left with a full tank of water by the end of the day it was empty due to leaking, yeah it was holding water when I first got it but now it started leaking profusely. Another thing I HAVE TO REPAIR. I am not even goingto call Willy's it is to much aggrevation and POOR customer service. I have a business to run. #5 The propane knobs are all crooked and you can not regulate the heat. The burners are to high up and burn everything on the sides of the steam pans. If you turn it down to low it goes out, I am continuosly lighting the burners. #6 The ice box does not drain it has only been dripping out since I purchased it and I have to scoop out the excess water from the melted ice. #7 His video stated that there would be a sticker on the inside door to who had inspected the cart, that was not in there. I called Hodgkiss on it and he said it was for his own information. Look up his interview on You Tube, tell me what he says. Tha's a homemade video. #8 The pretty umbrella. That's just what it is pretty. One gust of wind comes and it pops down because it is only secured with a plastic stop so the mechanism slided down and closes the umbrella . Pretty aggrevating when you are serving in the middle of lunch. Oh yeah I am making $$$ but it's because of my food, NOT WILLY"S HOT DOG CART. That's a piece of junk for over 2 grand I spent on it. I'm putting more money into it by the month because of shoddy workmanship. SO I DO NOT RECOMMEND OR WILL EVER DO BUSINESS AGAIN WITH WILLY DOGS. So hear all the positiveness call whomever you want to but from my experiences since June of 2008 to the present October 2008 this is junk! I take care of my things and treat my customers well. SO BUYER BEWARE, BUY YOUR CART FROM ANOTHER COMPANY.

I am considering purchasing a Willy Dog Cart (the one that looks like a hot dog). I would appreciate anyone that owns one, has one for sale, has comments positive or negative to contact me.

Thanks,

Lane Williams

Fort Scott, Kansas
llleg5_@hotmail.com
[protected]

We were majorly screwed over by Willy Hodgskiss as well. We ordered his Super stand-In 8x6 thinking we could use it as a food trailer at special events. It was a decent size and we could tow it with a 6 cylinder. However, it took forever to get it, with no updates even though he knew we were on a deadline. It took him 5 MONTHS to contact us to see if we were happy or not. This shows he is only interested the money, not of client satisfaction. Either our cart was your first one or his other customers have also just had to deal with the consequences of doing business with him. I don't think he even makes them anymore, because they were such a piece of crap. Maybe he can make hotdog carts, but he CAN'T make food carts.

I'll share some of the problems we've had:

First Degree Burns:

The very first day we were open we had an employee rushed to the hospital with third degree burns, which caused our worker's comp to go up so high we can barely afford it. This was thanks to good ol' Will. We didn't even know the hot water was being pushed through copper piping that was being heated by the steam table. The water was so hot that within seconds of turning it on boiling water shot through the faucet giving an employee third degree burns as well as causing so much pressure to be built up in the hot water line leading to the hand sink it came off and sprayed boiling water all over the inside of the cart. If you don't think that was a bad design, I suggest you turn a steam table on for about half an hour at medium heat with pans inserted, then take out the pans and stick your hands into the water. We had to redo the entire plumbing system at our expense and time!

The cart floor-plan was nothing like what we got:

The space left for the prep fridge was supposed to be next to the sink, not the grill. He is so stupid, he wasn't capable of thinking far enough ahead to figure out putting a fridge against a grill would make the temperature rise to over sixty degrees in the fridge! We had to work with only one side of the grill on until (again at our expense) we cut the counter out next to the sink, move the hand sink next to the door and insert the fridge into the proper location (which was shown on the original approved floor plans).

Propane Hookup:

The propane hoses were a joke. We had to pay over $200 to have new lines put in that actually had fittings so we could hook up our equipment.

Plumbing:

The plumbing was also a joke. The hose lines were super tiny and we couldn't even use the sinks because everything including soap suds got caught. The sinks were bowed up so they wouldn't drain. The drain fittings are above the bottom of the sink, so dirty water just stays in the bottom and we have to soak it up with towels. The potable water/gray tanks were nothing like what we asked for. You can get those for ten bucks at the store. We were supposed to have fittings attached to the outside of the cart to fill up the tanks and empty them (didn't happen, but was paid for).

When I was trying to go over it with him on the phone, he just kept saying over the top of me "yep, that's standard, yep, that's standard, we'll take care of that". Well, his standard doesn't cut it. We had to purchase "real" tanks and replace the entire plumbing system. That was also expensive and time consuming.

The sinks were supposed to be long front to back to save space, but he put them long sideways. This didn't leave enough room for a drain board, so we had to cut and reinstall the sings the right way giving room for a drain board.

Further construction of the cart:

The rivets are coming out, because they missed the frame half the time.

The window was supposed to lock at 18", so we've had to install Plexiglas to make the correct size pass out window.

The hole cut out for the AC wasn't correct, it was too small even though I gave him the specs on that as well. But I remember him hustling through and talking over me for that too.

He left no instruction for recharging the battery. Just a plug that we had to cut and put gator clips on ourselves. Apparently he thought we should have known to do that and just threw it in the cart.

The left burner on the steam table didn't work.

The steam table itself was obviously made in-house and a piece of crap. We have since replaced it.

The floor is now caving in on each side of the middle bar of the trailer. At some point in the next year we're going to have to pay someone to reinforce the floor.

The end cap that attaches to the receiver on the trailer is a piece of crap and takes 20+ minutes to get it to lock onto the receiver ball.

We had to move the light to install the hood. The hood system had to be notched on one side because he ran the frame right in the way, even though he knew the specs of the hood system.

Anyone who knows anything about towing knows to put the heavy items (like the cooking equipment) towards the front of the trailer, but he put them in the back of the trailer.

He had no idea what he was doing when he built this cart and it was nothing like the floor plan we agreed on. He took $18, 000 from us and gave us a piece of crap since he knew any repercussion would be almost impossible. Will Hodgskiss will get what's coming to him for cheating people! I would never buy another cart from him! Feel free to contact me at tinahatzi@gmail.com if you want any more information on this loser!

I just received a beautiful cart from Willy Dog.
I shopped all over and after several months of going back to Willy Dog I made the investment.
I didn't think the nonsense I read here was true and I was right. Willy Dog was good, honest and
gave me just a beautiful cart. Much better than the junk sold in Miami and Tampa Florida.

You can count on Willy Dog.
I made my money back in the first 4 weeks.

Peter

Willy Dog spells wiener wrong on their $9000 Willy Dog Carts in the slogan Join The Weiner's Circle. Dictionary.com does not recognize weiner as a word. However merriam-webster.com recognizes it as a variant of wiener. Wiener is short for wienerwurst.

In the video on the Willy Dog Cart for $9000 the guy mentions that he designed the cart himself. That may be so, but when I asked if he had a design patent, he responded but he did not answer the question. I found a manufacturer in China that makes something that looks exactly like the cart for $2470 each. The guy said they were frauds.

Compare the carts for yourself

Manufacturer:

http://foodcart.en.alibaba.com/product/232588661-209508426/hot_dog_cart.html

Willy Dog:

http://www.willydogs.com/hot-dog-carts/willydog-hotdogcart.html

They look like the same cart and the price difference is huge! I think 9 grand for a cart of that size is ridiculous. If it's 9 grand because it's shaped like a hot dog, that's absurd!

I purchased a Willy's Hummer from a fellow who had used it for one season. It was very well taken care of and hardly used.

In the first week of using the cart, the cooler door hinge fell off and I attributed it to week weld.

After using the Hummer for about a month, the cooler fell into the bottom of the cart. The weld and rivets holding the cooler in failed and in my opinion, was a poorly designed system to begin with. Naturally, the cooler with ice is going to be heavy yet the flimsy brackets that were holding it in were made of cheap tin. The cooler was not supported from the bottom and should have at least had a block or something to support it's weight.

The water system started leaking after 6 weeks and although I called the company, I was told that the warranty wasn't transferable.

I attempted to fix the system myself and took of the front water tower cover. I was amazed to find an old grease container held up by an old piece of wood! The silicon or whatever they had used had dried up and tore away from the "water tank" causing the mouth of the container to spill.

The plastic plumbing and scratched up copper sleeves that resembled mismatched parts from a junk box were also leaking. I took everything apart, added some proper plumbing and reattached the cover.

Recently, the housing of the cart fell down and started rubbing on the tires. The only thing stopping the cart from hitting the ground was the fenders, which are now bent.

On inspection, it was obvious that instead of bolting or welding the cart onto the frame, Mr. H decided to save some more money by using rivets. Rivets aren't meant to bear weight like that and naturally cut themselves off over time.

I have shown the welds that have been done to a few journeymen welders and they were amazed at the poor quality and cheap nature of the product.

I will never purchase a cart from Willy's and will warn anyone trying to save a buck by purchasing Canadian. It's not worth it and in my mind, Mr. H should be ashamed to be selling the such a cheaply produced cart.

Either pull up your socks, produce a quality product or get out of the business. I don't mind paying extra for quality, but I would never pay a red cent to this guy for the current product.

I bought a used Hummer last year. To date, I've experienced the following problems:

Cooler Door Hinge Failure

Cooler fell into bottom of the cart

Water tower leaked. On inspection, the water container was actually on old grease container with an old piece of wood supporting it.

Welds are poorly done and inferior quality.

The shell of the cart fell off the frame. Instead of welds or bolts, rivets were used. CHEAP, STUPID & DANGEROUS!

Turn signal wiring failed.

Very poorly manufactured. Build your own or buy one south of the border. DO NOT BUY A WILLY'S CART!

EVEN THE HEALTH INSPECTORS IN EDMONTON ARE WARNING PEOPLE TO AVOID THEIR CARTS!

I just received my Willydogs Hummer today, and it was one disappointment after another. First off the castor wheel had a flat spot on it, they told me to sand it flat. The tiny nine volt battery did not power the water pump, I had to replace it with a 12 volt, and when I was replacing it there was a red and black wire, then I realized they spliced the red to a white. This looked like a little kid did the wiring. There was rust on the cart, they told me to clean it and go with the grain, lol, really, its a brand new cart, i shouldn't have to clean the rust off of it. Then when I was done rewiring the battery, I tried the sinks, and they all leaked. Seriously, they all leaked, the four extra sinks I ordered leaked at the drain, and at the faucet. I paid an extra 200 for the fourth sink. Then less than a week after I order the cart it goes on sale for 500 cheaper. They didn't send a certificate of Origin, and I am still waiting so I can register my cart with the state.

Hi, Willy Dog,
All is going well. The got dog cart has been a welcomed addition to our school and has been a fantastic fund raiser for us. Students manage and operate the cart for after-school events and on the weekends. The kids love it & they learn from it too.

All the best,
Jim, Ma, technical school.

Hi Willy Dog

Sorry its been a while getting back to you.

We are doing great with the Hummer Cart. Our biggest success comes from local events we attend such as Music Festivals, Craft Fairs, Fireworks displays etc. The Cart itself is ideal as it costs very little to run, making excellent profits.

The service we received from yourselves was excellent, from the first contact to when the Cart got delivered, all the way to Scotland safe and sound. I would recommend WillyDogs to anybody after such great service.

Thanks again Will for all your help.

All the best.

Paul and Pauline in Scotland

Hi Willy...NOT to tell (the Kingston Police) that you have taken advantage of my (need to get myself employed) and had me to sign your 10 years (wilydog) franchise hot dog business plus another 10 years to renew while (your lease agreement with Canadian tire store locatad at 839 Yong St Toronto On was didcovered to be on monthly payment which was the main reasonthat i had lost my hot dog business) and yet you have been looking for any excuse to avoid returning my $ 5750 up front and $ 270 every month for 3 years started on Feb 00 means misleaded the police ofCanada...right? so for these reasons and the fact that you are still ripping off people in & out of Canada then i don't see any reason to wish you (seasongreeting). Javad

Hi ripped off by (William Hodgskiss) people. Contact the cheif of police in Kingston because the officer doesn't have a clue who (dishonest Willy is). i'll be pleased to provide you the officer's contact e-mail & phone number incase if you have problem to find it. [protected] oe exhotdogmantalks@yahoo.ca...HAPPY Christmas HOLIDAYS / season greeting to all of you.

I purchased a Willydogs Hummer the fall of 2011. I have had nothing but problems with it.
The pickup tube had a kink in it off the assembly line. The water line's are for cold water not hot. I had to replace the lines with copper. The sinks are too small and the facets broke during tow from vibration. I replaced them with brass ones from home depot. One bolt hole on the coupler was drilled to close to the front and bent the metal frame. I had to have it welded to get it home. I was told be willy dogs I am the first one to complane about there carts. I have not had ant reembesment from them and they wount return my calls. If I had the money I could make a cart better and put them out of buss. Please dont buy one. thank you mamasdogz@hotmail.com

Do they sell these in Australia ?

I bought a custom built New Yorker model from Willydogs in February. It works just fine. I haven't had any issues with the cart at all and it was actually built pretty well. The only issue I had was with the delivery - I was under the impression that the cart was to be delivered to my house but it was delivered to a warehouse instead. One phone call to Will and he paid for the shipping to my house. He was a very honest businessman and I got everything I wanted out of the deal.

I don't know why other people are complaining about this company. I've had nothing but a success story with them and I can't wait until I get enough money to upgrade my cart through them. Everyone I spoke to over the phone was polite and answered all of my questions. I have no complaints at all.

Why haven't i been successful to run my wily dog hot dog business?
Dear Hot dog vendors...I hope (i am not interrupting) and you'll find this (based on fact story of how i had lost my hot dog business) understandable & useful with no need to thank me...
According to (the law of defamation) i as the defendant in Mr. William R
Hodgskiss (wily dog hot dog business owner) false accusation case against me which had ended to have me locked up for more than a week) have a right to make (fair comment only) so please read on if you are a hot dog business owner or have the intention to become one...
Jan 00) Mr. saied as another hot dog vendor who had already bought (unsuccessful wily dog hot dog business which was located in front of a newly opened Canadian tire store somewhere passed Barry Ontario area) told me about another wily dog hot dog business (up for sale right in front of Canadian tire store located at 839 young & Church St.) For only $5, 000 simply because (as i was told) Mr. Hodgskiss as the owner of wily dog had already (got lucky to receive $15, 000 from a previous buyer) who for unknown reason disappeared).

Feb 00) I and Mr. Saied had visited Mr. Hodgskiss in one of Toronto restaurant on or about this time where Mr. Saied also as middleman heard Mr. Hodgskiss using the phrase (don't f…around with me Javad) on our first visit when I was calculating my costs as part of (my monthly expenses) to compare it with (approximate income of the same wily dog hot dog business that Mr. Hodgskiss was trying to sale it to me) and that unprofessional manner of Mr. Hodgskiss (had become Mr. Saied's almost every day topic to teas me with and laugh about it hard) whenever we met.
Feb 03 – 00) I had met Mr. Hodgskiss alone (Mr. Saied excused himself to be present as witness) so in a fancy coffee shop just walking distance away from the mentioned above Canadian tire store where Mr. Hodgskiss took advantage of my need (to get myself employed) and had me to sign his 10 +10 years option to renew
franchise hot dog business agreement after I had paid him $5750 in cash.
Feb15 – 00) a Polish looking man by the name of Jim with pone Number [protected] and home pH [protected] was sent by Mr. Hodgskiss at job sight to train me (how to set up, prepare and sale hot dogs including whom as the manager of the same Canadian tire store to pay the rent to) which took a couple of hours and then I was on my own to serve the hot dog lovers while Mr. Saied had helped me with purchasing food product for a short period of time.
June 02) despite my lack of experience in running a hot dog business and handling Mr. Hodgskiss undisciplined high school student manners for pressing me to buy wily dog's high rated (food product and promotional items) plus (operating my hot dog business with no vehicle to carry my loads) I had managed to run my hot dog business for almost 3 years with (no delays either in paying rent to Canadian tire or royalty to Mr. Hodgskiss) until June 02 when Mr. Ali had been introduced to me as hot dog vendor's assistant.
July 01- 02) refusing Mr. Ali's (too early interest) proposal to buy my hot dog business suddenly (turned the couple in to professional street actors) which (washing the ground of where my hot dog cart was located) after closing time (along with a few of their male relatives) in such a way that had made every passer by and the same Canadian tire store customers to ask themselves (perhaps her majesty
Queen of England was suppose to drop by) had been episode one and yet..I had to agree to have Mr. Ali (to run my hot dog business after confirming it with Mr.
Hodgskiss about the fact that someone had to run my hot dog business during my unspecified period of time that needed to visit a chiropractor to have my (injured at work related accident left leg) cured.
Oct 16 – 02) despite Canadian tire store manager Mr. Curry's repeated promises to relocate my (hot dog food & equipment storage room) to another place where I did not have to pull my hot dog preparation food & equipment up the ramp of the employment car parking that used to be at the back of gas station on North East
Corner of Young & Church St. Toronto) he had terminated (the lease agreement to sale hot dogs there) instead as soon as (the same Canadian tire store expansion & renovation was about to finish) with out a common manner such as (thanking me for being an honest rent payer for close to 3 years..
Nov 12 - 02) in respond to Mr. Curry's phone call Mr. Hodgskiss drove his car all the way from Kingston to Toronto and got the pad lock key to unlock my hot dog cart from Mr. Curry who must have got it from Mr. Ali and (towed away) my hot dog cart back to Kingston where he still has his work shop & office (rather than standing by my side to help me to set up my hot dog business elsewhere in not able to lease back the same hot dog spot ) according to the terms mentioned in wily dog's franchise agreement) and that unprofessional attitude of him (had helped me to discover) that Mr. Hodgskiss (take it and run reaction) had been as a result of (running from being caught) for fooling me to sign up his 10 years franchise wily dog agreement while (his lease agreement with the same Canadian tire store was based on monthly payment). Female police officer reaction towards my report was (call a lawyer) while...
Dec 02 – 02) the same police department had one of their police officers to call my home phone No to warn me (not to appear at my job sight where I had sold hot dogs for 3 years with no delays either in paying my rent to Canadian tire or royalty to Mr. Hodgskiss) because Mr. Ali and his wife had reported me to police as (threat).
Jan 21- 03) a down town Toronto lawyer who asked me to pay $250 an hour to his law expert on top of $350 an hour for himself and yet took them almost 3 months to complete my statement of claim and a few other pages which were sent to no body (had forced me to have their legal service terminated on April 07- 03 since i had no income to pay back my Visa credit.
June 25 - 03) my weakness in reading & writing English and lack of knowledge about law and also using computer had interrupted my attempt to communicate with BBB where i filed a complain against Mr. Hodgskiss dishonesty.
April 23 – 04) the tax man that (most possibly was sent by Mr. hodgskiss) called my home phone No to have my income tax return documents ready (to be audited) so he had done it in the privacy of my home.
Oct 06) the second lawyer who happened to be (my country man) told me on the phone and in Farsi language that (yes he was an expert in dealing with franchise business disputes) and yes (his office accepted cases based on contingency fee agreement) which meant to charge me after wining in court (demanded to be paid an extra 10, 000 up front) after charging me $530 as initial fee which took me some
time to understand that the lawyers demand had violated the law society of upper Canada's terms of (contingency fee agreement).
Oct 29 – 07) the male paralegal self made decision (to contact my hot dog business robbers) as collection agent (rather than taking them to court) had gained him nothing except (being threatened by the robbers and warned by police to stop calling them) so my time had been wasted till Aug of next year.
July15 – 10) filling another complain against Mr. Hogskiss at BBB received his (warning about how tough he have reacted against me) hadn't i stopped sending him (not threatening e-mails requesting to et a time to negotiate the damages that his dishonesty had made me to lose my source of income since Oct 02.
July 28 - 10) a male called my home phone No to warn me (not to send e-mails to Mr. Hodgskiss or else...) by introducing himself as Kingston police officer but but by giving me (the report No 10 - 20651) in respond to my request (for his budge No) had me to think of him as (Mr. Hodgskiss paid friend) which BBB was the first office to be informed about it.
Aug 13 -10) BBB had decided to close my case by considering it as (beyond purview) as soon as they heard Mr. Hodgskiss barging about (he had already reported me to Kingston police) for (not known yet) but (threatening) is the most common word to be used by his kind of characters.
Sept 03 – 10) Kingston Police did not respond my e-mail dated Sept 03 – 10 asking their help to identify the caller.
Oct 09 – 10) my attempt to identify the caller with the help of
Toronto police had received no result till Jan 28 – 11.
March 31 – 11) both of my exhotdogmantalks@yahoo.ca and
valuepulse2004@yahoo.ca e - mail address had been hacked or disabled apparently by yahoo if not by the hackers hired by (anti me) on different dates.
Aug 03 – 11) my on going attempt to identify yet the same caller
(through other Toronto police demented) until Sept 11 had just received this (the caller had been a retired police officer) which could had proved my assumption of considering (the man as Mr. Hodgskiss paid friend) was correct although the responsible (didn't surprise me) why no one bothered to help me to understand if (the retired police officer had a right to warn me).
Dec 20 – 11) the second lawyer (not only had decided to launch $700, 000 law suit) against me (rather than returning the amount of money that he had charged me for $0 service on Oct 06) but also had introduced me to superior court as (extortionist and many more similar words).
Feb 13 – 12) two (polite) male Toronto police officers arrested me at my apartment door step and handed me to another two male Kingston police officers in hand cuffs hours later who drove me all the way back to Kingston Police station where sleeping on a concrete (bed) with my clothes on and nothing to either cover or rest my head had been impossible till i was driven to Kingston criminal court the next
morning and directly to...jail since i had known no one in Kingston to bill me.
Feb 22 – 12) Mr. Hodgskiss (false accusation against me) was tossed out of court and my female criminal lawyer not only had managed to release me based on ($1000 bill fallowed by 5 conditions such as NO
TRAVEL TO KINGSTON CITY unless for court cases) but she also made Mr.
Hodgskiss (who confronted me right in the middle of waiting area of the court) to hide his finger (pointed in my face) and (walk away with out making a sound) by just looking directly in his eyes and telling him (my client can not talk to you).

Attention Toronto located English teachers and a web designers..i am willing to pay you to help me to complete this (based on fact) story of (why haven't i been successful in running my wily dog hot dog business) story with either grammatically corrected or copy of proves illustrated in order to help the public not to open a hot dog business (with out studding even the ones whom he or she considers as friend to rely on . Please call [protected] or drop a line at
robbedhotdogmantalks@gmail.com
Thanks for taking your time

Hi...in respond to (the gentleman man who called my home phone No just a few days ago) asking if (i recommend wilydog hot dog business) to him (either to work for or buy a wilydog franchise hot dog business) i although should say ( i have no idea how good bad or ugly) wily dog business is doing since Oct 02 but here is (in two paragraph explanation) for those of you who had Difficulties to understand my based on fact (long story of how i had lost my wilydog hot dog business) posted of complain board..
a) Mr. Will R Hodgskiss as the owner of wilydog hot dog business sold me (wily dog hot dog business that used to be in front of Canadian tire store located at 839 Young St.) With 10 + 10 years to renew franchise agreement (with out telling me) that (his lease agreement with the same Canadian tire store was based on monthly rent payment) so the same Canadian tire store (decision to terminate Mr. Hodgskiss lease
agreement on Oct 02) had killed (close down my source of income) forever.
b) Mr. Hodgskiss idea of (towing away or stealing my hot dog business and
disregarding my messages sent to his office through either phone e-mail or Mr. Saied as negotiator) rather than (helping me to at least set my hot dog business elsewhere from Nov 02 till this day) had already high lighted the fact that (wilydog 10 + 10 years to
Renew franchise agreement) had (no legal value from day 1 or Feb 15 -
00). You may have more questions but allow me to leave it up here for now...
Thank you Javad Khatiri or (robbedhotdogmantalks@gmail.com) [protected]

Hello again...please don't get confused because my complain against wilydog hot dog business has not yet been resolved and the (high lighted in green word RESULVOED shown beside my (long story of how i had lost my hot dog business) is just (complain board computer mistake). Thank you / Javad Khatiri Sept 20 - 14