Customer service - the art of survival.

[TJ&LadyDi]

Chewy.com was mentioned earlier in this thread and we, too, have had a great customer service experience with them. Do they make mistakes? Once-in-a-great-while, yes; but we have been amazed at how they deal with them.

Today was a great example! Our order arrived a few minutes ago. It consisted of two bags of kibble dog food and two boxes of a supplement that one of our Schnauzers needs to deal with a liver issue. All of the items arrived loose in a large box. The two small boxes were badly crushed though the contents (capsules in sealed foil "blister packs") seemed OK. No major problem, but not packed the way they should have been, so I took a photo.

When I opened my e-mail, there was one from Chewy.com letting me know my package had been delivered. It also said that if I had any problems or comments, I could reply to the e-mail with them. So I did; attaching a copy of the photo (see below) and suggesting that they review their packing/shipping procedures. I didn't ask for anything; just letting them know what condition the products arrived in.

Within minutes, I received a response from a customer service representative ("Jillian D") apologizing for the condition of the product as received and letting me know that my concerns had been passed along to the warehouse supervisor for review. Now, that was well done...but wait...there's more! The note concluded with a mention of our two Schnauzers (by name) and wishing them well. This lady actually took the time to check our account and find the names of our two Schnauzers so she could mention them. Now, THAT is "customer service."

Taking this back to the original issue with our coach steps, Newmar could learn a lot about "customer service" from Chewy.com! Maybe they ought to contract with Chewy to have some customer service training done! It is not always WHAT you do that matters as much as HOW you do it!

TJ

 

[Jim]

This thread is 2.5 years old, and as I have since purchased a Newmar, I felt it prudent to post my recent experience with their service department.

Six months ago, Newmar did some extensive work to the FWS on a 2016 London Aire I was purchasing through another dealership. After I got it home, I realized it was going to be necessary to revisit the repair. It was an oversight on Newmar's part, but at the end of the day, they stepped up to the plate and took care of it.

Apparently these things don't get decided on by a service manager, and instead, are decided somewhere a bit higher up the line.

And that takes time.

During this delay, I imagined myself being ignored, and wondered if I was going to end up having to pay for the repair myself. But last week, Newmar had a driver bring my coach the 800 miles from NIRVC in Atlanta, all the way to Nappanee for repair.

Today they called and said it was ready and did I want to pick it up or did I want them to deliver it?

Service really doesn't get any better than that.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

That's certainly good new, hopefully a lasting change for the better. I had a similar, or maybe not so similar issue with my '17 Grand Caravan. I'm 99% sure squirrels chewed on something that was apparently a molded part of the gas tank where some of the evaporative emissions system is connected. Any how, it was under warranty and it wasn't acting up, just illuminating the check engine light, all else was dandy. I took it in to the dealership that was only 12 minutes away, they drove me home and my wife drove me back after work when they were done. Worked fine for a day or two and another light. Next time they spent a few hours on it vs. the 1 hour the first time and it was supposedly fixed right this time, ok, super. Two days later another light, the third trip they performed a smoke test (should have been done the first time) and found the actual cause. I was assured it would be covered under warranty but was cautioned as they have to drain the gas tank, I might be shorted 1-2 gallons, no biggie. They clearly replaced the tank and it appears added some fuel or lost zero when draining then refilling. This fixed the problem for good. I never inspected the damage as I was thankful I didn't have to do it myself to the tune of $300 or have them do it to the tune of $950. I was dissapointed it took three tries to get it right but I'm also quite sure someone like Fiat is dealing with far greater warranty volume than Newmar and the proper channels have to be followed. I can't help but wonder if the dealership didn't limp this along to get paid three times by Fiat instead of once as any competent tech would have done a smoke test the first trip and had a definitive cause without all the unecessary messing around? Bottom line, I didn't have to pay and I likely should have, that I will remember and I would have remembered it more and been vocal about it to anyone who would listen if it had not been covered. The bad news is they no longer make the Grand Caravan and the Pacifica that's replaced it is no longer a value by any measure when compared to the competition today.

 

[RKins]

This thread is 2.5 years old, and as I have since purchased a Newmar, I felt it prudent to post my recent experience with their service department.

Six months ago, Newmar did some extensive work to the FWS on a 2016 London Aire I was purchasing through another dealership. After I got it home, I realized it was going to be necessary to revisit the repair. It was an oversight on Newmar's part, but at the end of the day, they stepped up to the plate and took care of it.

Apparently these things don't get decided on by a service manager, and instead, are decided somewhere a bit higher up the line.

And that takes time.

During this delay, I imagined myself being ignored, and wondered if I was going to end up having to pay for the repair myself. But last week, Newmar had a driver bring my coach the 800 miles from NIRVC in Atlanta, all the way to Nappanee for repair.

Today they called and said it was ready and did I want to pick it up or did I want them to deliver it?

Service really doesn't get any better than that.

So what was your answer? Are you going up to walk through everything and decide if it passes inspection? And then drive it back home?
If you have them deliver it, once it leaves the factory you'll be a distant memory.....

 

[Neemer]

@Jim , I was wondering about the status of your LA with all of the posts lately about Newmar quality. I’m so happy for you that they stepped up to the plate.

I would highly, highly encourage you to make the trip to Napannee if you can swing it with your CG opening only a few days away. It’s really a cool place.

 

[Jim]

@Jim , I was wondering about the status of your LA with all of the posts lately about Newmar quality. I’m so happy for you that they stepped up to the plate.

I would highly, highly encourage you to make the trip to Napannee if you can swing it with your CG opening only a few days away. It’s really a cool place.

So what was your answer? Are you going up to walk through everything and decide if it passes inspection? And then drive it back home?

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 . . .

 

[Neemer]

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 . . .

I’m glad to hear it. You’ll get to talk with the tech(s) who worked on your coach and get the inside info on what they did and why they did it.

They just restarted factory tours too.

 

[RKins]

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 . . .

Smart. Drive your towed up and then you'll have an emergency vehicle. You will be impressed with the service center and how clean, shiny it is. They have a Zamboni like machine they run every night to keep the floors shiny. My coach spent 7 weeks inside their building.
The old service/appt parking system was a true nightmare and I found that Newmar owners can be cutthroat if they want their buddy beside them in the parking lot. No respect for rules. The new "campsites" are gate controlled/assigned and "buddies" are not allowed. You'll like it. They used to have the best of the best in the Service Center - not sure now with the layoffs. The tech that worked on my coach had been working there before my coach was built and so had a handful of other techs.

 

[GlampDaddy]

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 . . .

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

 

[Jim]

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

I'm looking forward to it!