Tip after good PDI?

[MWKingSD]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

You already paid several hundred dollars for their PDI when you signed the contract. Many folks are confused with exactly what a PDI is for, the selling dealer must inspect for deficiencies in/on the RV prior to sale, and normally requires you pay the cost. This is somewhat like the delivery and prep charge you paid when you bought a new vehicle. If something is found unsatisfactory the dealer corrects that, and you paid for that in purchase price.
Why would you want to pay a technician again?

RVs must be the only industry where you have to pay extra to get the product built the way it should have been. As someone said, the tech who did my after-market installs (mostly DirecTV) did the PDI. His works was shoddy, left sawdust all over, and in the middle of my PDI he spilled a soft drink on my brand new floor (fortunately not carpet). I might have tipped him to never come near the unit again, but I'd have been afraid to find out what the next guy was like.

This market is ripe for a disruptive mfr, e.g., Tesla, that understands good design and effective quality control.

[Gary RVRoamer]

I would tip the PDI person only if I thought I got exceptional value, e.g. he went above and beyond the service that was paid for as part of the deal. I would do the same for any technician who went the extra mile to make sure I was happy, but I would not do it as a routine matter.

[JohnBoyToo]

I didn't tip at the time, but did later in that I gave him a lot of 'after hours' work !

We still stay in touch...

Maybe because I posted the pdi video's and he liked being a movie star
(We made separate videos for each system, figured that would be the easiest way to remember them after the PDI rush day !)

[96 Wideglide]

No, he gave me no tip, and I taught him a lot !!!

[Hikerdogs]

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

I would tip the PDI person only if I thought I got exceptional value, e.g. he went above and beyond the service that was paid for as part of the deal. I would do the same for any technician who went the extra mile to make sure I was happy, but I would not do it as a routine matter.

Sometimes a PDI is more than just an inspection to be sure everything is working properly. It can also be an education for the customer as to how the components are supposed to work and how they are operated. A good technician/sales person will show you where all the controls for the components are, how to operate them without damaging something, and how to winterize the coach among other things. Not only will this help you enjoy your new coach from the first day, it may also keep you from doing something that could cause you or the coach harm, and or damage.

Many times a new owner "thinks" they know how everything works, because they had similar systems in their previous coach. The fact is times and components change. As an example the flat screen TV in your new coach is far different from the CRT one in your old coach. It has different controls, different features, and different capabilities.

With no knowledge of how the new system(s) work you could spend weeks or months reading through manuals and still not learn everything you need to know. Then after months of frustration you take it back to the dealer claiming one or another system is defective, only to find out you missed a critical step in learning how it operates.

If you feel the technician or sales person has given you all the information you need to operate everything properly, and there are no defects a tip might be in order.

[WorldCat25]

Originally Posted by TomandGloria

I always tipped for the PDI and the tech that did any work correcting errors or worked off the gig list. I know they are getting paid, but they always appreciate the recognition and the little extra for doing a good job.

Don't be surprised when you return for service they remember your name and are happy to see you and you get a little more personal service. My job paid bonuses so I figured that was somewhat comparable to getting tipped.

What I did and exactly what I experienced when I returned for some items.

[LI-Camper]

I had an exceptional PDI that took over 4 hours. The tech even helped me to move my belongings from the old coach to the new. It didn’t matter to him that it was raining hard during the PDI. I gladly gave him a tip for his service.

[CampDaven]

I might tip if they found and fixed all issues before I arrived, and gave me a new owner care package. It would be nice to open a box and see a six-pack of shade motors, a few slide motor shear pins, some AquaHot zone pumps, etc.
What else would be nice to have?

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by Hikerdogs

Sometimes a PDI is more than just an inspection to be sure everything is working properly. It can also be an education for the customer as to how the components are supposed to work and how they are operated. A good technician/sales person will show you where all the controls for the components are, how to operate them without damaging something, and how to winterize the coach among other things. Not only will this help you enjoy your new coach from the first day, it may also keep you from doing something that could cause you or the coach harm, and or damage.

Many times a new owner "thinks" they know how everything works, because they had similar systems in their previous coach. The fact is times and components change. As an example the flat screen TV in your new coach is far different from the CRT one in your old coach. It has different controls, different features, and different capabilities.

With no knowledge of how the new system(s) work you could spend weeks or months reading through manuals and still not learn everything you need to know. Then after months of frustration you take it back to the dealer claiming one or another system is defective, only to find out you missed a critical step in learning how it operates.

If you feel the technician or sales person has given you all the information you need to operate everything properly, and there are no defects a tip might be in order.

That is not a PDI=predelivery inspection, what you described is an after-sale walk-through to show the new owner how and why things work as they do. The man who did our walk-through showed us the PDI list with check marks beside everything that had been corrected. During the walk-through we discovered a few things not identified during the PDI.

[Hikerdogs]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

That is not a PDI=predelivery inspection, what you described is an after-sale walk-through to show the new owner how and why things work as they do. The man who did our walk-through showed us the PDI list with check marks beside everything that had been corrected. During the walk-through we discovered a few things not identified during the PDI.

It may not have been the Pre Delivery Inspection the dealer got paid for, but it was the Pre Delivery Inspection we made with the technician before money changed hands. The dealer was over 250 miles from our home so we wanted to make sure everything was in order before we paid for it.

We left for Alaska with only 1,300 miles on the motorhome. Because of the inspection there were no defects to contend with when we left. After about 10,000 additional miles there were a couple adjustments that needed to be performed, but I'm sure there would have been far more to deal with had we not gone over everything in detail.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by Hikerdogs

It may not have been the Pre Delivery Inspection the dealer got paid for, but it was the Pre Delivery Inspection we made with the technician before money changed hands. The dealer was over 250 miles from our home so we wanted to make sure everything was in order before we paid for it.

We left for Alaska with only 1,300 miles on the motorhome. Because of the inspection there were no defects to contend with when we left. After about 10,000 additional miles there were a couple adjustments that needed to be performed, but I'm sure there would have been far more to deal with had we not gone over everything in detail.

Whatever it was, you goterdone! Sounds like you did some preplanning before arriving at the dealers.

[Sicduc]

Let me start off by saying you need to grease the squeaky wheel if you want to keep everything running smoothly... After our delivery I slipped the gentleman $100 which already has payed off... I was there for 2 1/2 days the week after delivery due to some problems that popped up. Not only did he take me to lunch twice in those 3 days (which was priceless due to not having a car) but he also ran us a power cord thru the fence so we didn't have to run our Generator all night since we were not allowed to stay on the property overnight... Now lets talk about the second person to get slipped a little something my service adviser which in my opinion is the most important person your going to deal with after your sale by far...! After hearing all the guys telling the customers there are no available appointments until February I figured I better make friends with him real fast so we bounded over a $200 tip... By the time I left we were like brother from another mother and was told any time you need something done just give me a call and ill get you taken care of ASAP and that's worth a million dollars if you've ever been to a RV service department... I moral of the story is don't be cheap with these guys because the $300 I tipped out was the best $300 I ever spent at a dealership!!!

[cvflowe]

Thanks again everyone for your input. We have picked up our unit and are very happy. Our PDI tech at General RV, Terry was very good and went above and beyond. He was patient and even allowed me to video record. I made the decision to tip him. When I tried to shake his hand and give him money, he said no. His response, “you are some of the most kind people we have met, and we just want you to be happy, no tip needed". I totally was not expecting that. I will follow up with a thank you card and an email to his boss. I must say, we enjoyed our first camping event with family.

[Busskipper]

Originally Posted by cvflowe

Thanks again everyone for your input. We have picked up our unit and are very happy. Our PDI tech at General RV, Terry was very good and went above and beyond. He was patient and even allowed me to video record. I made the decision to tip him. When I tried to shake his hand and give him money, he said no. His response, “you are some of the most kind people we have met, and we just want you to be happy, no tip needed". I totally was not expecting that. I will follow up with a thank you card and an email to his boss. I must say, we enjoyed our first camping event with family.

If possible - even if a pdf of the letter - do a hand written note to the Boss, just shows a genuine "Thank You".

JMHO,