Customer service - the art of survival.

[sheridany]

I would if i knew his email. I trust that they monitor this forum as I have pointed it out to them on multiple occasions ans would assume others have as well.

@MapNerd fwiw a few years back I was having a lot of issues with a previous Newmar coach and I sent a letter fed ex to Matt Miller. surprisingly, I did get a phone call from some people at Newmar and the issue did get resolved. I can’t guarantee it will work but may be worth a shot.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

In my most humble opinion, the sale to WGO has had less impact than Mahlon stepping down, at least thus far. Those intra-family handoffs don't always go well. I have heard that Bob Tiffin has handed over and taken back Tiffin twice now.

Mahlon was certainly quality-focused, both on the product side and the customer service side. A very dynamic and interesting guy to be sure. And, interestingly enough, even after he "retired," he has been a "presence" at Newmar. I don't know if that continues under the new ownership, but I doubt it.

When we were in Nappanee in July 2019, an older gentleman walked up while I was in the service bay building talking with the crew leader working on my coach. He didn't say anything; just waited on the periphery. When the crew leader and I had finished our conversation, Mahlon approached and asked if I was being well taken care of. He didn't give his name; just asked about my experience. We chatted for a few minutes before I realized that this gentleman (in the true sense of the word) was Mahlon. He was just "out walking the shop" and taking the pulse of what was going on.

I am sensing that this kind of personal touch is fading at Newmar. Matt Miller is not much of a "people person" in my assessment and keeps himself isolated from customers. That wasn't Mahlon's style. He was "hands-on" In every respect; knowing his product and how it worked, and knowing (and caring about) his customers. "Times, they are a-changin'."

TJ

 

[AbdRahim]

I am not sure what governs the individual response outside of sheer profit driven from above. Perhaps how the customer approaches the situation, perhaps who responds from the company.

My previous coach was a Forest River. Nothing like Newmar in quality of build. However, the coach had numerous issue, and several severe issues which weren't confirmed unti9l long after the warranty was out. When I addressed these issues with customer service, it was agreed that the roof needed replacing for two different reasons. I made the suggestion calmly, that the easiest thing to do would be to return it to the factory to have everything done at once, 24 issues. Btw, they did a wonderful job of correcting all of the issues free of cahrge, which involved repainting the coach. I will never forget their commitment to making things right. When I sold the coach, it was as close to perfect as one could get.

Now the person in charge of CS at the time went on to head up another division of the company, where he became famous, for his regular participation in the owner forums, and his quick response to customer issues, even to the point of having things re-engineered in accordance with customer input. Unfortunately, I cannot afford the line that he represented, but would have put that on my top list next to Newmar if I could, just because I( knew I had the backing of upper management.

On the other hand I have heard of other customers who have had horror stories to tell of their experiences with the same company. So, who knows.

The FR coach in the same price range as the Newmar I purchased I did not consider to be as high quality. I don't know if I will ever be able to buy another coach or not but I will be watching both companies closely. That gentleman now has oversight of quality of all of the MH lines. Watch out Newmar the may move up to be stiff competition. The new ones are much improved in terms of looks. For fun I may go examen one at a dealership to see if there has been any improvement in workmanship.

Don't get me wrong Newmar has done a stellar job with me, but I am still under warranty. Time will tell.

Btw, my shock bushings were shot when I bought th other brand new coach. Not knowing much about these things, I did not do anything immediately. When I called Ford on this issue, I was told I was one day out of warranty. I would have to pay for new shocks. Really? Yes the warranty starts when the MH company purchases the chassis from Ford, not when the customer purchases the finished MH. Buyer beware!

Folks in the high offices don't seem to take into account the long term ramifications of how they treat a given customer, for good or bad. Usually, one with a bad experience will tell 20 people where one with a good experience may tell 5-10. But, with the internet the bad experience, usually published 5:1 over the good, goes out to thousands of people. How many dollars in sales lost????

Example, I had such a bad experience at one campground, that I published the horrible review on every campground review site I could find. It has probably been read by thousands of people. The end!

 

[MapNerd]

I cannot explain the lack of consistency. I expected to pay for all but the awning.

This is probably the most frustrating thing of all. Newmar has never offered to do anything for me in good faith without me first raising hell when they try to object, and they’ve certainly never done anything for free that they didn’t have to.

Troubleshooting my wetbay, I had to remove my panel and pegboard, broke my faucet when I accidentally stepped on it and cracked my pegboard. Emailed them this morning asking them to add all of that to my workorder - I fully expect to be asked to pay for it because I just do not get that kind of preferential treatment that you get. Hopefully, that boroscope I ordered from Amazon will arrive in the next few days and allow me to prove that there is a little plastic disc in the tank - because it still drains slowly. No longer a trickle but half the volume it should drain at.

 

[Neal]

I believe the goodwill differences at Newmar are when working with tech's/group leaders directly vs. the phone folks. Sometimes it pays to just wait until you get there and discuss some issues with your assigned tech and bigger issues that require days being blocked out for your service coordinated with the scheduler/service advisor.

Remember you gray tank is opaque, you'll need a lighted setup I presume.

 

[MapNerd]

I believe the goodwill differences at Newmar are when working with tech's/group leaders directly vs. the phone folks. Sometimes it pays to just wait until you get there and discuss some issues with your assigned tech and bigger issues that require days being blocked out for your service coordinated with the scheduler/service advisor.

I recall the forum sentiment about my diamond shield tear at the front bumper being similar to what you are saying. During my service visit when I pointed it out the response was “Sure, we’ll get the diamond shield guy over here to take a look at it for you and see what it’ll cost to replace. Lucky that it’s just that small piece on the bumper you’ll need to replace.”

“...Diamond shield guy says it’s gonna be $400. We’d recommend you not do it. It’s probably just better to let it get torn up a bit more before you spend that”

This happened right in front of my tech, with his group leader standing next to him. It wasn’t on my work order to address, I pointed it out in passing taking the approach you prescribe, not asking for anything and just saying it was something that bothers me a bit, hoping they would just offer to take care of it.

HA! Wishful thinking.Thanks Newmar. Way to step up...again.

Remember you gray tank is opaque, you'll need a lighted setup I presume.

I did order a lighted, IP67 waterproof boroscope.

 

[MapNerd]

Also, got the response back for the wetbay and pegboard.

“We’ll send you a quote. Please sign and return if you agree to the charges.”

Who the heck are you all bribing?

 

[Neal]

Sorry to hear of your experiences and maybe that's the way it is now. In my 3 years I've experienced nothing but great customer service from Newmar. Some things I expected to pay for, and were expensive (cough new rear left basement door when the pedestal lurched out of the ground and hit me). All of the tech's far exceeded my expectations doing everything I had listed without hesitation and were very friendly greeting me (and my dog) each time I returned. They are replacing my upholstery which is great, sad it has to happen and I have to make a trip up, but so be it. I have two things for them to fix, one my fault, one theirs, both of which I signed estimates for, all good here, no complaints.

It doesn't change anything for you, it's unfortunate. I know others have had their share of issues as well, I recall the 2016 Dutch Star front axle saga which was before my time but apparently was a huge fight to get resolved. The 2016 FWS issues they stepped up for from what I've heard.

Hoping for better times for you ahead whether with your Newmar or rvNext.

 

[Joe Hogan]

While our Newmar CanyonStar is much less complicated than a DP, we have had excellent service from Newmar. Typically we have had all annual service done at the Newmar Service Center. We have found that if you stay to factory installed items and routine maintenance, the Newmar work is the best you will find and at a reasonable price.
The only issues that we have had with their work is when we ask for something custom or non factory. Newmar has always stood behind their work and corrected any deficiency.
Some parts have failed outside of warranty and the various manufacturers have either stepped up with replacement parts or not. This is not Newmar's issue.
Recently I contacted the folding door MFG as the door panels have begun to separate. The MFG FEDEX a new door, no charge, to me even though the part is out of warranty.
Newmar will install at next visit for the standard labor rate. No issue there.
Much of the current turmoil at Newmar is due to the ever changing landscape due to state government Virus restrictions and new ownership. This is IMO temporary.
We were at Newmar Service Center during the transition to new management. During this visit the state government began issuing virus restrictions. It was chaos everywhere.
New corporate policy announcements from Winn for Newmar where issued hourly. The policies, like much of the actions in the Country, where unnecessarily broad brush and made no sense when you tried to implement them. The clash in cultures between Win and Newmar was very obvious.
Having spent 40+yrs in a Corporate environment with many acquisitions, this is more typical than you might think. Until the corporate policies are vetted, discussed/agreed upon at the local level and then integrated into the plan, issues will remain.
The transition from a private company to a public company is very difficult. Then add a layer of disparate philosophy in business practises during an acquisition, very different cultures, it becomes a very confused work environment. Consequently the contacts with Newmar personnel through phone and email may become difficult.
As we move through the scheduling of this year's visit in March, Newmar has been very professional and responded as quickly as I expected. Having been on the other end of the phones calls for many years, I may have more empathy for the Newmar staff then many other customers might have.
Remember the posts you see are only a small fraction of Newmar owners. If nothing is going wrong, those owners will never post or even review a forum.
Are problems annoying, you bet. These are complicated machines, a compilation of parts from many different companies with various problems of their own.
Enjoy the ride.

My $0.02.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Remember the posts you see are only a small fraction of Newmar owners. If nothing is going wrong, those owners will never post or even review a forum.
Are problems annoying, you bet. These are complicated machines, a compilation of parts from many different companies with various problems of their own.
Enjoy the ride.

@JoeHogan has a great post. It is however a problem when someone has had many unresolved problems already and has lost faith in a company. The add put out is the nightmare of the company and they should remember this. @MapNerd has stayed quiet for a long time and only upon giving up on Newmar did he start being vocal. One must also be aware that only a handful of complainers are legit with their complaints. Others You can tell because they don't have a good history with their tongs. In my view @MapNerd 's history spells credibility and this is a bad thing for Newmar.

I can only belive that Western RV would still be around, had this same thing not taken place with acquisition by a holding company years ago.