If you have nothing better to do than follow my adventures, you might know that I’ve been in Elkhart and the surrounding communities for two weeks by the time you read this. I rode in on a rail (oftentimes I will get run out of town on a rail; this is better) and have been looking at dozens of 2027 RVs that I’ll be sharing with you over the next few weeks.
But I did things differently. As inferred, I actually rode Amtrak’s Southwest Chief train from Albuquerque to Chicago. I then rented a car about the size of a suit of clothes and ventured on to Indiana. It’s only about two hours by toll roads, so it’s easily doable.
Now, to know me is to know that Jack Benny has nothing on me in terms of being cheap. I’ve never met a penny I couldn’t pinch. (What am I going to do moving forward?) That will explain why I spent the first week of this adventure at an inexpensive lodging property that has a number in the name.
I don’t want to call them out.
But, for week two, I am being hosted by a company here, and they have put me up at a fancier place. One that doesn’t even get a number in their name but has a loftier description.
What’s the difference?
Some of you will already turn up your noses at that numerical lodging property, and even an RV company that I work with offered to look into a better place to stay. Wanting to maintain some semblance of journalistic integrity, I thought the stay should really be on me.
Plus, that number place has some semblance of a kitchen in their room, and that way I don’t have to eat all my meals in restaurants. More savings. Pennies prepare for a pinch.
The big difference isn’t the room itself so much. In fact, the number place’s rooms are bigger. It’s not the condition of the place so much, either. The number place seems to have undergone some sort of reputation.
But, like so many businesses, it’s the people.
If you don’t know, I used to own a bed and breakfast in Northern California. (Stay at the Featherbed Railroad—it’s awesome!). So, I have an understanding of how to treat lodging guests.
So, what is it at the number place that has its staff so grumpy? No hello. No smile. And no question about whether I have any questions of my own.
Walk through the lobby… it’s a ghost town.
And that’s how many RV service departments are.
Feel like they love you
I was talking to a higher-up at an RV company today and described how a good company would make you feel. We all want to have that feeling that our moms and dads or somebody will take care of us. That, if something goes wrong, there’s someone there who cares and is empowered to help.
I think that’s the difference between a great dealership, an RV manufacturer, or any business, and one that isn’t well run.
Instead of your calls or visits feeling like an interruption to their work schedule, businesses that make you feel like they want to be a solution to your issue are the ones that you want to tell your friends about.
I think this is something that’s pretty rare in the RV industry, but I do think companies like Alliance, Brinkley, and Grand Design have cracked the code. I don’t own a product from any of these companies, but friends do. They talk about going to rallies and events where they are given the feeling that someone is listening to their concerns.
Somehow, the rallies are very well-attended. The owners I’ve talked to come out of them feeling like they were heard by RV decision-makers.
I know people love this kind of thing. For example, my dear wife, Peggy, takes credit for a cabinet change in a Rockwood floor plan. We don’t know if they heard her idea and implemented it or just thought of it based on the input of other RVers, or what. But it does make her feel special. And seeing the RV industry listening to owners and taking action would really make us owners feel special.
My hotel experience
Back to my hotel experience… Walking into this new, fancier hotel, the lady at the front desk immediately greeted me pleasantly, and I got the feeling that she was willing to help. I was almost two hours early for check-in, and this used to drive me nuts as a resort owner, quite frankly. But she got me a room just the same.
“Let’s see what I can do for you.” I feel special. Taken care of.
Then, when I was over at the coffee pots, she bothered to take notice and offered to make a new pot of coffee. I didn’t ask. She was observant. And, again, now I feel taken care of, like my needs make a difference.
Imagine the RV dealership taking on the same attitude.
“I don’t know if they’ll cover that under warranty, but let me see what I can do. I have a friend over there, and I’ll reach out to them.”
“The schedule is really full, but I can squeeze you in.”
“Those parts are on back order, but I can rob a unit on the lot.”
None of those statements has to be true, but the feeling they impart makes you feel like your business is important to them.
And that’s something that hasn’t been that common in the RV business.
If the comments I read here are correct, and I believe they are, lots of dealers forget you’re there once you’ve bought the RV. You don’t feel taken care of or special.
And many manufacturers are even worse, where you feel like they’re behind a big wall and not providing a gateway to even get a question asked. Oh, sure. There is the “contact us” thingamajig on their website. But I’ve reached out on multiple occasions and haven’t heard a peep from many of those forms. Harumph.
Fortunately, I am seeing a change. I’ll share more about why I feel this is coming about. But I do see some progress on this. And I feel special having been asked to weigh in on some of this, too.
What about you?
So, my question, which you can answer in the comments, is simple: What can an RV maker or dealer do to make you feel special? I can’t wait to read what you have to write.
Because I truly do value you.
YOU’LL ALSO ENJOY:
- The RV industry is listening, it seems
- It’s true: RVers are encouraging bad-quality RVs
- RVing still wins when it comes to travel—My Amtrak adventure to Indiana
- Beyond the headlines with Tony Barthel: How tariffs have affected Elkhart, van rental demand, and future RVers
RVT1267
An RV dealer we used years ago sent us postcards, holiday cards, etc. throughout the year. Each card had a picture of us next to the unit we bought that they had taken on the day we picked it up. That really made us feel thought about even well after the purchase. Even if they just had a “wall of fame” where they posted pictures of consumers next to their newly purchased vehicle.