Community Forums

bonabob · 12-11-2010, 11:59 AM

I feel your pain. You are absolutely correct. You bought your coach from a dealer with the Damon name on it. You will not find any other name on the outside of that unit. When something goes wrong so early in the ownership, you expect the manufacturer to orchestrate the repair. Your payment was made to the dealer and nobody else. Therefore it starts there.....dealer, manufacturer and then sub contractors. However Damon must take the lead in orchestrating these repairs and keep in close contact with you to make sure you are satisfied. We all wonder why Americans buy foreign cars, especially from Japan. It is not just quality, but good customer service.
Now my experience with Damon has been exceptional. I too bought a new unit and started to have problems with the coach. The dealer acted like a jerk, but Damon went to bat and acted like a maestro and orchestrated all of the repairs. They were in constant contact with me and made the necessary phone calls to different vendors to get the work done. I did have to move up the corporate chain and get to the right people, but that goes without saying. I went from hating my Damon to loving it and getting that real sense of security that the manufacturer, Damon will be there in time of need.

GSGracie · 12-11-2010, 01:11 PM

Why does anyone buy from a dealer, rather than a private seller? Apart from the ability to buy brand new, with presumably no worries about service history or bad driving history, it is because you now have ONE place to take it back to to get problems fixed. It seems to me the DEALER is the one who should be co-ordinating all the repairs, after all, they made some money on the sale. They should be contacting Damon with coach problems, Cummins with engine problems and Workhorse with chassis problems. What else do they do, apart from take delivery and then take your money? Who did you pay the money to? You did not pay three separate cheques to the different component specialists, you paid one cheque to the dealer. It seems that everyone is looking to go right to the top guy, which is in fact the dealers job. The dealer should fix or replace, then claim from the manufacturer under warranty. They have a lot more clout than a single purchaser who may only buy one product like this in their lifetime. Just my two cents worth, from ocross the other side of the world. Maybe your dealers have a different function to those in New Zealand, but if I am the dealer, it is MY reputation that is on the line, not the manufacturer, when it comes to service.

Chuck 1935 · 12-11-2010, 03:13 PM

GSGracie, This is a long shot but, I sold my 1993 Fleetwood Flair to Murry and Dolores Frater from the North Island and are full timing it for a couple of years. They are a very nice couple and stayed with us when they were over here in California. I was just wondering if you ever ran across them by chance.

GSGracie · 12-11-2010, 03:39 PM

Hi Chuck - I am in the South Island, and although I drove the MH the full length of the North Isalnd to get it home, it was my first time in the Beast, so I didn't see much other than the centre line and the sides of the road. Hope to holiday around the North Island this Christmas or next - will keep an eye out for them, and say you said hi. Hope they were pleased with it, lol!

Chuck 1935 · 12-11-2010, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GSGracie

Hi Chuck - I am in the South Island, and although I drove the MH the full length of the North Isalnd to get it home, it was my first time in the Beast, so I didn't see much other than the centre line and the sides of the road. Hope to holiday around the North Island this Christmas or next - will keep an eye out for them, and say you said hi. Hope they were pleased with it, lol!

They love it. It's a diesel pusher that I did all the service on and just had it re striped with blue modern looking swishes on the sides. I told him about every bit and piece on the coach. I'll be darned if he didn't pull out some coveralls and a flashlight and crawl underneath. It turned out that he had been a bus mechanic and knew what he was looking for. He saw that everything I had said about the coach was true so we struck a deal and he shipped it back to New Zealand and did the right hand drive conversion himself.
Have a wonderful Christmas

jcthorne · 12-12-2010, 05:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bonabob

We all wonder why Americans buy foreign cars, especially from Japan. It is not just quality, but good customer service.

Oh horse puckey.

People keep buying japanese death traps. It simply is not true and has not been for years.

The absolute WORST vehicle customer service I ever had on any new vehicle purchase was with Mitsubishi and a pickup truck that left me stranded driving to work at 5am not once but 4 times and Mitsu stuck there head in the sand and had the gall to bill ME for towing and repair charges for 'no problem found' service tickets.

I suggest a look at who topped the JD Powers qualtiy and customer service lists this year. I'll give you a hint, it aint Toyota, Honda or Nissan or Benz.

Redapple · 12-12-2010, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcthorne

Oh horse puckey.

People keep buying japanese death traps. It simply is not true and has not been for years.

The absolute WORST vehicle customer service I ever had on any new vehicle purchase was with Mitsubishi and a pickup truck that left me stranded driving to work at 5am not once but 4 times and Mitsu stuck there head in the sand and had the gall to bill ME for towing and repair charges for 'no problem found' service tickets.

I suggest a look at who topped the JD Powers qualtiy and customer service lists this year. I'll give you a hint, it aint Toyota, Honda or Nissan or Benz.

I agree with you, and this year seems to be the year many Americans are seeing the light. Ford has posted the biggest profits since 2006, and GM after restructuring has posted its biggest profits since 1999. The quality has been comparable to the imports for more than a decade now. the problem was one of image/perception, and cost. The imports dealers provide no better service than the American dealers. My next car will be a Ford...

Bill

bonabob · 12-13-2010, 07:13 AM

Again, you are correct. Start moving up the corporate ladder. There is a Mr. Quinn in charge of customer satisfaction. Speak with him and if necessary move up the chain, all the way to the CEO, Peter Orthwein.
Go get them and good luck, let us know how you make out.