EDITORIAL

Parts, Smarts -- What's an RV Manufacturer to Do?

I got a letter the other day from a collision repair center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the shop owner pleaded with me to help companies like his to get a message to RV manufacturers about the nearly impossible task of getting replacement parts for coaches that had been damaged and in their shops for repair.

He said that it is one of the most difficult things to do in his business. First, a lot of RV manufacturers will only sell parts to "franchised" dealers, which means that he has to find a dealer that carries that brand and is willing to order the part for him. Even in cases where the RV manufacturer would accept the order, the time it normally takes to get the part can range anywhere from six weeks to six months ­ and sometimes even longer. And where he works through a franchised dealer, the performance is not much better. He said this lack of concern on the RV manufacturer's part creates a real problem for him with both the coach owner and the insurance company.

I told him I would look into the situation.

Later at the RVDA show in Orlando, I saw Randy Biles, who owns Pikes Peak Traveland in Colorado Springs, and Randy said he knew the shop owner and had helped him from time to time get parts for brands he carries. But Randy confirmed the collision shop owner's message ­ it does take an unacceptable amount of time to get parts from RV manufacturers, especially on older units no longer in production.

With this information I checked with other dealers and discovered the repair parts problem is on the top of the minds of a lot of dealers. Not only the long waiting time of getting parts but also the willingness of some manufacturers to compensate dealers with a reasonable markup for the company expenditure that goes into ordering parts.

One dealer told us that manufacturers seem to expect the consumer to take the new RV out for a shakedown cruise and then come back to the dealership with a list of all the things the manufacturer didn't do right during production. Now, if there is a problem with an appliance or other device the manufacturer installed, that part is usually shipped to the dealer in a reasonable amount of time because it is available from the supplier. However, if the part was something the RV manufacturer is responsible for such as an end-cap or a missing window screen for example, the dealer is right back in the same boat as the collision repair shop in Colorado Springs ­ he's lucky to get the part in six weeks, but usually has to wait longer.

In the meantime the RV owner is impatiently demanding to know why he can't get his RV from the dealership and start using it for camping ­ the reason he bought it in the first place.

The excuses for the manufacturer's failure to service parts needs of its dealer network are far ranging. A typical explanation is that "we would have to pull the part off the production line from a coach that was scheduled to be built."

Is that what the dealer is supposed to tell the RV owner?

The truth of the matter is that a manufacturer has a responsibility to either have a supply of parts on hand or a method in place to get the part and deliver it to the dealer in a day or two.

I doubt if that same RV manufacturer took his Lincoln into the car dealership where he bought it and needed to get a part, he would sit patiently for six weeks or six months until the Ford Motor Company got around to remanufacturing the part. Yet, the same manufacturer seems to believe that someone who buys one of his products, an RV, can be inconvenienced and he should be patient until the manufacturer gets around to shipping the part to the dealer or repair shop.

I have often wondered whether the RV manufacturers pay enough attention to the product once it is delivered into the dealer's hands, and that people buy RVs to pursue their dreams. I doubt if any of those dreams encompass camping near a service bay at a dealership.

The industry leadership talks a lot about customer service and I believe that there is a sincere movement going forward to improve customer care for those people who buy the products this industry produces.

We also hear a lot about the baby boomer buyer and how demanding they are and will continue to be. I like the question Ernie Hamm, executive director of RVDA of Canada, posed -- house on wheels or vehicle with living quarters? Hamm believes that RV manufacturers might see their products as a house on wheels, while the new consumer probably sees it as a vehicle with living quarters. When you think about it, it presents a lot of things to think about; especially, when you consider how this consumer views the products he or she buys.

The ability of the RV manufacturer to deliver repair and replacement parts on a timely basis is an issue that needs to be addressed and better solutions found. Too many people, from dealers to consumers to that Colorado Springs collision facility, are being inconvenienced now for a problem that should not exist in the first place.

It's time for RV manufacturers to get "parts smart."

RVN