Editor's Note: The response to the article "The Trials, Tribulations and Joys of
Owning an RV" generated a lot of response both in the form of letters and telephone
calls. It's important to point out, we believe, that John Ballard's account of his
experiences of buying and owning an RV was not intended to embarrass anyone, but to simply
present one owner's view, let me repeat, one owner's view, of his experience. RV News
knows many of the dealers that Mr. Ballard visited and found disappointing in his opinion
and we also know that these businesses have excellent reputations for customer care. That
being the case, we believe that sometimes it helps to see things from the other side of
the counter, from a prospective buyer's point of view. The manager or owner cannot be everywhere to observe every transaction and
customer contact, and no matter how much a dealer spends on training, if a customer
happens to come in at the wrong time and has a bad experience, at least from that
customer's standpoint, the money was wasted.
We appreciate all the responses, and we especially
think that Nate McClain's response demonstrates an underlying reason why McClains enjoys
the fine reputation that they do.
Dear Mr. Magary:
I received my October 1999 issue of RV News and
after reading the cover story article, I was embarrassed, frustrated and excited all at
once.
My feelings of embarrassment come from knowing that all
of McClain's RV Superstore North Dallas, Inc. peers have read about how a customer
perceived us as "the largest collection of incompetent, ignorant jerks I have ever
found in one spot". Everyone is entitled to their opinion and perception, and we all
know that perception is not always reality.
My feelings of frustration come from the fact that one of
our "motto's" is "Warm and Friendly". It sounds as if we were anything
but warm and friendly to the Ballard's. All of our signs, training and talk about being
warm and friendly were useless in regards to this particular situation/confrontation.
My feelings of excitement come from the fact that we do
need to do more training. We would have never known about our breakdown had you not told
us through your publication. All managers and the majority of the employees have read a
copy of the article by now. Everyone is aware that we are being portrayed as incompetent,
ignorant jerks. I haven't talked to a co-worker yet that likes that portrayal.
The other exciting thing for me is that we do have one
employee that seems to have found the Ballard's good graces. It is somewhat peculiar that
the employee, Jim Haddock, that the Ballard's mention works as a Service Technician, not
as a salesperson. Our files show no record of the Ballard's ever having any service work
performed at the Alvarado store (???). By the way, the Ballard's are right, Jim Haddock is
a fine man and an asset to our company and we appreciate the Ballard's kind comment.
In closing, I would like to thank both you and the
Ballard's. First for providing us with a "third party" shopping report that we
regularly pay outside services to provide us with. Secondly, for pointing out our
"attitude" problem, because the hardest problems to fix are the ones we don't
know about.
Nate McClain
Vice President
McClain's RV North Dallas, Inc.
Lake Dallas, Texas
Dear Don:
After reading your cover story, "The Trials,
Tribulations and Joys of Owning an RV", I was shocked to see the negative comments in
your article about not only my dealership, but dealerships across the country. While I do
realize that the article is a "case study" of one man's experience of purchasing
and using his RV, I am disappointed that RV News did not take the time to get all the
facts of the story before publishing it.
In most cases, there is always a set of circumstances as
to why a customer likes or dislikes you, buys or chooses not to buy from you. Some of
these include price, product and how the customer is treated. Unfortunately, in our case,
we did not have the particular product Mr. Ballard was in the market for, since his final
purchase was over $70,000 more than what we carry at our dealership. This still does not
excuse the way he says he was treated at our dealership, but those are some of the factors
that any responsible journalist should have checked first before publishing.
Mr. Magary, I do applaud you for the objectives your case
study was trying to achieve. We as dealers need to take a serious look at how our
customers view us before, during and after the sale. We at United RV Center have always
been aware of the importance of taking care of every customer. In fact our goal is:
"No Unhappy Customers". With all that being said, we viewed the negative
comments in your article as a wake-up call and have taken measures so that something like
this will not happen again at our dealership. On the other hand, RV News should take this
same stance, consider all facts from both sides of the story and check their merit before
committing such to print.
Bill White, Jr.
Vice President
United RV Center
Ft. Worth, Texas
Dear Editor:
I have personally known the McClain and White family for
many years. I have also managed at both McClain's and United RV Center. I know these
people and their dealerships to be class acts. The reputation of the owners is impeccable.
To allow an article to be published in RV News from a
customer who did not find the price or the unit that they were looking for, that was
written in this smut fashion is not only a slap in the face to all of us in this fine
profession!
I have found McClain's and United RV Center to be great
competitors and to always be very professional. They are above board in every dealing not
only with customers but also their compassion. The only merit this article had was that
Fred and Cindy Green are truly great, professional people.
Roy Jones, G.M.
RV Outlet Mall
Georgetown & Buda, Texas |
