Customer service - the art of survival.

[purring along]

Jim, I am very happy that things worked out for you. I guess going to Newmar for service should have been our choice.

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

I'm going to Nappanee! lol, yeah, gonna go see what the fuss is about!

I hate to go to places like Newmar. I'm actually a weak man, and I just know they'll have a King Aire somewhere . . .

Waiting to see what you drive back - assuming there will be pictures!

 

[Rollin Ollen]

Yessir...now you get to learn all about Amish cooking. Donuts, pretzels, breakfast, even breakfast pretzels!

Don't forget about Struddle the Shoofly Pie! I love em both!

Darrell

 

[Jim]

Well, the trip to Newmar was successful, and their service was fast and efficient.

Upon arrival home, I parked my rig in one of the open sites here at the RV park to wash it. There is no quicker way to find things on your coach that need repair or maintenance than to wash it!

While washing the rear outside sidewall of the FWS I noticed that I now have a crack in the fiberglass. When I run my hand over the crack, I can feel a lump underneath the fiberglass. And while I can't actually see what is causing the lump, it is right in line with where the leak was.

My assumption is that the particle board absorbed the water running down the inside wall, causing the wall to expand, pushing out on the fiberglass and causing it to crack. Newmar, btw, agrees with this assumption.

This bubble, and the subsequent cracks, weren't there when I took the coach to Florida earlier this year and the only time it has been exposed to rain is when it sat for 6-weeks in NIRVC's lot.

One would have to wonder why NIRVC, who was well aware of the leak issue, would allow the coach to remain unprotected for so long? Numerous emails lead me to believe that the coach was being worked on. And as the leaking roof was the primary reason the coach was there, I assumed it was either inside a service bay or at the very least, somehow protected to prevent further damage.

As it turns out, none of these assumptions were true, including the emails that indicated work on the other issues was being performed when in fact, no work was being done.

Now perhaps the emails were not meant to be intentionally misleading. Perhaps they really did mean to start work on the coach and a more pressing issue took precedence, I don't know. What I do know though is that after 6-weeks at NIRVC, not one thing had been repaired on my coach! And now there is more interior water damage to repair and a recently installed set of 8 6-volt batteries has been damaged from being severely discharged.

How can anyone in the RV sales and support business, leave a London Aire with a leaking roof, sit unprotected in the rain for 6-weeks? And how can anyone leave a coach sitting for 6-weeks with no support for the batteries?

What is wrong with these people?

 

[Rich W.]

That is really discouraging and disappointing. I’d like to think you have some recourse with NIRVC but my guess is they will deny, deflect, and delay until you give up. You mentioned that the Newmar service people agree with your assessment. Did they also offer a plan to make repairs?

 

[sheridany]

@Jim I thought I read elsewhere on RVF they are coming to get it and repair it presumably owning up to the issue created by leaving it outside?

Agree wholeheartedly it shouldn’t have happened.

 

[Jim]

That is really discouraging and disappointing. I’d like to think you have some recourse with NIRVC but my guess is they will deny, deflect, and delay until you give up. You mentioned that the Newmar service people agree with your assessment. Did they also offer a plan to make repairs?

I brought it to Brett Davis’s attention when I first saw the new damage. Brett replied that he would get to the bottom of it and copied Mark Moniuszko his director of warranty and Bill Reith, the company COO.

I heard almost immediately from Mark, who promised to pick up the coach, repair it, and then return it. He also promised to stand behind the batteries.

Five weeks went by with no further dialog and my follow up emails were not returned. I finally sent another group email including all the before mentioned contacts, including Brett Davis. I heard back from Bill Reith (COO) who said that Mark is no longer with the company, and he would be the contact going forward. He also agreed to pick up the coach, repair it and return it.

It appears that Bill Reith, after contacting Newmar and finding that Newmar (to Newmar’s credit) would pay for the repair, feels he is no longer responsible for the damage, and is now suggesting I arrange my own transportation.

He has also noticeably stopped any mention of the damaged batteries, other than to say that they just spent 1.5mm to install systems to make sure all the coaches outside are supplied with chargers.

So yes, there is a recourse available, but it's not one of NIRVC accountability. I'm afraid it comes more in the form of BBB complaints and unfavorable mention to other high-end RV owners.

 

[Jim]

@Jim I thought I read elsewhere on RVF they are coming to get it and repair it presumably owning up to the issue created by leaving it outside?

Agree wholeheartedly it shouldn’t have happened.

There is a sequence that plays out each time I email Brett Davis to let him know how disappointing this whole ordeal has been.

It starts with a flurry of email activity, and someone gets everything moving in what looks like a encouraging direction. Then things slow down and in most cases, stops completely. Five to six weeks goes by and I reinitialize contact, and the process starts over. Repeat, repeat.

This whole affair would have been so easy to remedy, and NIRVC would have put themselves in a position of favor. Unfortunately, no matter how they handle this going forward, they will never be able to put themselves in a favorable light.

 

[GlampDaddy]

It appears that Bill Reith, after contacting Newmar and finding that Newmar (to Newmar’s credit) would pay for the repair, feels he is no longer responsible for the damage, and is now suggesting I arrange my own transportation.

Hopefully, you will have Newmar perform the repairs, rather than them paying NIRVC to do them, avoiding more of the same.

 

[Neemer]

@Jim , I’m really sorry and severely disappointed to hear your story. I have been a NIRVC acolyte for quite a while, but I must admit the more dealings I have with them the more the sheen wears off. I have lots of stories to relate along those lines, but I won’t do that here. I’ll save those for the campfire if I’m ever able to get my sorry ass down to Franklin.

I hope you are made whole soon. This crap should not be happening.

 

[Rich W.]

There is a sequence that plays out each time I email Brett Davis to let him know how disappointing this whole ordeal has been.

It starts with a flurry of email activity, and someone gets everything moving in what looks like a encouraging direction. Then things slow down and in most cases, stops completely. Five to six weeks goes by and I reinitialize contact, and the process starts over. Repeat, repeat.

This whole affair would have been so easy to remedy, and NIRVC would have put themselves in a position of favor. Unfortunately, no matter how they handle this going forward, they will never be able to put themselves in a favorable light.

”deny, deflect, and delay…”

 

[AbdRahim]

this is very sad and disappointing. I was thinking of trying NIRVC service. sounds like 16 hours to Newmar is the wiser option. I had hoped that Brett was going to really make a difference.

 

[Jim]

I’m sure my experience isn’t the norm; it couldn’t be, or the company would not still be in business. I just wish they had given my coach the attention that was expected when I made the trip to their shop.

But I’ll move on and put this behind me. It would be a huge display of company integrity if NIRVC decided to step up. But if not, well I'm sure I'll survive.

 

[Rich W.]

I’m sure my experience isn’t the norm; it couldn’t be, or the company would not still be in business. I just wish they had given my coach the attention that was expected when I made the trip to their shop.

But I’ll move on and put this behind me. It would be a huge display of company integrity if NIRVC decided to step up. But if not, well I'm sure I'll survive.

I agree but its also good to know about this so anyone going there knows they have to specify everything that matters to them about care and storage of the coach, specific time frame for repairs, and not just the work to be done. And I guess you also have to get it all in writing (not just an estimate) and tell them you will hold them to the agreement.

 

[Joe Dutchstar]

My $0.02...

It is unfortunate that most any dealership may deliver lesser quality service than expected. Over the last 40 or so years I have dealt with dealerships of all types of equipment nationwide on a business level.
I can count on one hand how many I'd trust with a very expensive piece of equipment for an extended period.
Even then, the quality of service changes from season to season based on staff, management, and demand.

This is why we try to always plan an annual trip back to the MotherShip to deal with service items. Even then, we have had to return to Newmar for them to correct their errors.
We have a list of who can work on our coach, and who is not allowed to be on the service ticket. At today's service rates I feel this is reasonable from experience. This was acceptable at Newmar, and they did ask which team and who we wanted to do the FPU prep this year on the 2024.

We have learned over time that You have to be able to closely manage any service being done to your vehicle. Many service people dislike this but if that type of oversight is unacceptable, I move on.