My SAs have been flawless, so I can't speak to SA's customer service, good or ill. But I do suggest you get the Champion, it's a 4" model, less likely to have problems, I like mine.
BTW, re: quality;
If you do a search on this forum or the 1911 forum, you can see miles of good and bad
opinions about the Springfields, Colts, Kimbers, Valtros, Wilsons, Baers etc.
Just remember, it's going to be
your pistol, not someone else's, so take others opinions for just that, opinions.
That said, someone earlier made a very wise statement, shoot the 1911 you have already before you decide on another one. Heck, you may decide you don't even
like that style of pistol!! You can rent compacts and sub-compacts at most decent ranges too, that'll certainly give you a better base upon which to make a decision.
Also, for the amount of $$ you're talking about, you might wanna look at a Sig1
Of course,
YMMV, IMHO, etc. 
