Customer service - the art of survival.

[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 Dutchstar]

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.

 

[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!