Arriving at the Truma/Aquaglo facilities in Elkhart, Indiana Monday afternoon, I didn’t know what to expect.
After all, my latest experiences with their product inside my nearly new RV haven’t been terrific. And no one likes hearing complaints -especially from someone who has readers, viewers, or followers.
But I came for two specific reasons.
First, to get my RV repaired. Second, to find a failure on someone’s part.
When telling a story, even a factual one, it’s easier if there’s a villain. Not someone who did something maliciously or with bad intent, but someone whose failure led to problem.
My career as a reporter/skeptic led me to believe either Truma, Dynamax or my dealer had to be responsible for the problem.
What I’ve learned is this is a not story with a villain.
It’s another story of the double-edged nature of success.
The RV industry is booming.
Elkhart, Indiana, the heart of the RV industry, is humming with activity it hasn’t seen since the town was home to a long-departed musical instrument industry.
Today, the RV industry can’t keep up with the demand for new units. But that demand has
stressed the industry’s manufacturing and support chains. Everything from components and replacement parts to complete units are in short supply.
Dealers, already unable to keep up with repairs, are backed up to levels that seem poised to threaten the long-term health of the entire industry.
They lack the facilities and technicians to service customers. The need for mobile techs have never been higher. But there aren’t enough of either to meet demand.
If something doesn’t improve, within in the next few months, the industry risks a slowdown even more drastic than the acceleration of the pandemic.
If new buyers disillusioned at the lack of service decided to walk away it will cause a sudden surge of lightly-used units that would glut the marketplace. Disgusted owners aren’t looking to avoid make a profit, they’re looking to cut their losses and get out. Bargain hunters would stand to save a bundle of money -if they were willing to deal with the problems that created their opportunities.
And the former owners will share their frustrations- with anyone willing to listen.
That’s the fear the manufacturers and suppliers I spoke with here in Elkhart shared with me. They see a long-term inability to service new owners as a threat to everyone’s future.
I arrived convinced they were too-busy making money to care. I’m leaving that misconception behind when I leave Elkhart this morning.
They’re aware, and they’re concerned.
Plus, they’re willing to listen, even if it’s to a disgruntled customer who only wanted his unit repaired.
My involvement started with the failure of a plastic part in the hot water heater. I’ve owned boats, planes and plenty of expensive video equipment. Everything breaks. I knew that going in. But I was totally unprepared for the inability of dealers to respond in a reasonable amount of time.
Sharing my frustration as a new owner in The Outdoor Wire led to a series of enlightening conversations over the past two weeks.
I’ve talked with people from my RV’s manufacturer (Dynamax), the hot water heater suppler (Truma/Aquaglo), representatives of the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RIVA) and my dealership’s new service manager. He asked a very direct question: “what can we do to fix this mess?”
Ultimately, it may actually be a good thing that this frustrated RV owner pulled out his owners’ manuals and dialed the number for the hot water heater maker’s headquarters.
Rather than getting a litany of reasons why he couldn’t help, Chris Hoeppner at Truma spent time with an owner with a problem (he had no idea was a reporter) to try and help. After I sent him some photos, he confirmed his original diagnosis and told me what parts would be needed. He even tried to help me locate an authorized dealer or mobile tech to make the repair.
Unfortunately, no dealer had any time available to make the repair. And the mobile repair techs were apparently to busy to call back. All this confirmed what I already suspected: service after the sell is an industry-wide issue.
At that point, I wrote about my frustrations. And I re-dialed Truma.
That was the best decision I could make.
They were not only willing to help, they have repair facilities in their Elkhart facility and - most importantly- almost immediate availability in their schedule.
That was the reason for my nine-hour drive.
I’m writing this after spending several hours in what I jokingly called Truma’s “containment facility”. It was never designed to be a waiting room.
Since they’re strictly adhering to COVID-19 protocols, there’s no hanging around their extremely modern, nearly-new and very attractive showroom.
It’s closed. And the front entrance is locked.
Yes, I did have a nice cup of coffee, but I made it myself in the RV before coming inside.
There aren’t any of those “waiting room” amenities during the pandemic.
But there were expert techs and service availability; I’ll take those over coffee anytime.
And I spent a very comfortable evening at a full-hookup RV parking space at Truma.
Yes, their repair facility has on-site RV hookups for customers traveling there.
They kept their distance, and still kept me informed throughout the repair process.
It was a glimpse at how a successful customer relationship should function.
Unfortunately, it underscores how demand for the lowest possible price has forced customer service down on the priority list with dealers. They have customers lined up to buy both new and used units. That’s not always been the case.
So... they’re focused on moving as many units as they can while the market’s hot.
That doesn’t make them the bad guys in the story.
It does create the awareness that dealers are independent. They may sell anything from one to several dozen different brands.
They can’t know everything about any of them, so their techs know something about all of them.
And general knowledge leads to excruciating service delays for customers. Most of us have no idea how vast the differences between brands of RVs.
No matter how similar most of them look, there are big differences between them, even before you get below their exterior shell.
I learned more about how my RV works as an integrated unit while having my hot water repaired than from my “new owner orientation.”
Going from Truma to Dynamax added to my education.
Tonight, after writing this piece, I’m going to have a hot shower and watch a movie in my RV. Before I came to Elkhart, neither the hot water heater nor the TV/DVD player worked as expected.
What I do for a living wasn’t why I enjoyed a day of conversations with a variety of people that varied from Truma’s Senior VP of Business Development to their service techs at Truma and Dynamax. I was there as an owner with a problem. They all wanted to help provide solutions.
Truma repaired my hot water heater. Dynamax did a safety recall inspection my dealer just couldn’t seem to get scheduled. Both were more than willing to help an owner out.
While I was waiting, a regional sales rep walked me on a socially distanced tour of their manufacturing facilities. It convinced me I had made a good buying decision. Not everything I’ve ever bought would qualify.
As we were touring, one of their techs made the recall repair, diagnosed -and repaired- my entertainment system, and made me a handwritten sheet on how to operate the now-working system.
He also replaced a “contrary” part and re-caulked a seal that didn’t pass his inspection.
Tonight, I’m spending the night on the Dynamax campus at one of there owner parking spots. They call it “Camp Dynamax” and in warmer weather they don’t just have hookups, they have a couple of grills and a small recreation area.
Neither company created these owner facilities because they thought they might have an irritated reporter visiting them. They were created to respond to their customers’ needs. They know that it’s inevitable there will be times when the dealer can’t give you the answer or the service you need.
Today, I’ll be heading home with two things: 1) a fully-functioning RV, and 2) belief that the RV industry recognizes their challenges and is willing to listen to owners to come up with acceptable answers for everyone, whether they’re manufacturers, suppliers, dealers or customers. I’ve already promised we’ll help however we can.
As always, we’ll keep you posted.
— Jim Shepherd