Customer Service

I have to take a minute to write about Customer Service. It may be a function of the times or it may be unique to the RV industry, but customer service is a bit of a misnomer. Unfortunately the use of these two words together like this and the predominant application of the practice has me thinking way too much about my time on a dairy farm – we used a service.

The Midwest Breeders Service and the American Breeders Service were both Artificial Insemination (AI – think about it) services. We’d identify the cow in ‘need’ and call one of the two AI reps and they’d show up to service the cows.

Why that little bit of information? Well we’ve had the occasion to use a few RV service places for various things and most of them subscribe to a Customer Service policy that reminds me of that poor cow. In fact all but one facility seems to have a practice that is implemented that goes something like this: “I care deeply about you as a customer. You are high on my priority list. But, calling you to keep you informed about the work on your home is just a little bit more than I can realistically be expected to do. Oh, and the more you call me the more I despise and plan to ignore you.”

In fact one such nationwide RV sales and service company employs a device that I contend is meant to keep customers in the dark and distance them from the service department. This is the nationwide switchboard. You need to call us, first use the internet. You find the service center you plan to visit, you call the number provided, you get the nationwide switchboard which will force you to go through a series of selections to finally reach a recording machine. Let’s just pick a name out of a hat and call this chain: Lazydays. They have two service centers in Minnesota, one in Monticello, MN which they from here on out will call Minneapolis. You finally make an appointment and even get a business card from the service representative with (what you think is) a direct number. Nope that’s a dupe, this number like any other number you collect sends you to the nationwide switchboard and the requisite select a number and possibly speak to a recording lottery. Congratulations, we might call you back, most likely we won’t though.

I hesitate to talk about my new friend Terry in Northwest Arkansas. We met him and corresponded and spoke via text and cell phone calls. Terry is a wizard and is clearly not meant to be in the RV service industry. We took our coach to him for some service before we went to that fictional place ‘Lazydays’. Terry used his phone to call us! the horror! He kept us in the loop three times a day with observations and suggestions and simply progress reports about the work being done on our home. It is my hope that the RV service industry does not find out about Terry. I fear they may physically cause him harm if they find out he is actually providing customer service.

We visited Terry before we went to that fictional business located at 3939 Chelsea Road, Monticello, MN. Before landing at the fictional place I almost thought Terry was mildly intrusive. Thank goodness, I now know he cares about me and my coach and just wanted to make sure I was happy with his shop and the work they do. That fictional company ‘Lazydays’, not so much.

But dale, this is a small sample of just two RV service facilities. I’ve been to more that function like the fictional ‘Lazydays’ (www.lazydays.com) and only one that strives to keep customers, my new best friend Terry. I wish it weren’t so.

It’s possible I’m ranting. But, the number of service actions requested and expected at the facility in MN were vast and I ended up with only an oil change. So I drove 2,000 miles for an oil change. When I made the appointment I disclosed all of the maintenance and repairs I needed. Oh well we got to visit with family, and got to set up with Terry as our new all time and future RV shop.

I hope your customer service interactions are more pleasing than the one I experienced.

If you are in a customer service industry – be more like Terry and less like the AI guys of the nationwide switchboard organizations.