Yesterday began with a phone call from Bob. I consider this call rather remarkable, hence the blog post. It is blog worthy, and I want to share it with you. The Bob who called me is Bob Tiffin, the founder and CEO of Tiffin Motorhomes, the manufacturer of our motorhome.
When we began looking at motorhomes we heard too many firsthand stories about the personalized service folks had received from Tiffin Motorhomes not to believe them. Those stories were just one of the reasons why we chose to purchase our first Tiffin... and then another one! Unfortunately, we have had a number of too many problems with our motorhome. The majority of the problems are little things, things I referred to as “stupid stuff” in the letter I recently sent to Bob. Perhaps it is because our motorhome began life on a Monday… on the Monday following Christmas, when the plant is normally closed. Perhaps those who put our motorhome together didn’t really want to be working that week. Perhaps the problems were a result of the plant trying to push out more motorhomes than usual to meet the demand. Whatever the reasons, we have been plagued with lots of little problems. But… Bob Tiffin has always said that he will make it right. He stands behind his warranties, often far longer than any warranty period printed on paper.
In our conversation, Bob gave me the name and phone number of an authorized service center near where we are currently ‘camped’. He encouraged me to return to the factory service center for one of the more complex problems we have, and to call him 3-4 weeks in advance, so parts can be ordered and our visit can be expedited. He told me he would have a check cut for out-of-pocket expenses we have incurred as a result of problems with the motorhome. Service doesn't get more personalized than that!
My experiences are not unusual. Bob is accessible. In fact, he claims that two of the basic truths that he operates by are to “Treat customers the way they would want to be treated. And always answer the phone.” In our experience, Bob lives up to these truths. He has always welcomed us into his office, our phone calls to him are usually returned within 15 minutes and he has always taken the time to listen to, and address, our concerns.
Thanks for listening, Bob.
Thanks for being so accessible.
Thanks for making things right.
It’s not often that corporations connect with, and care for consumers these days. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to see the pendulum swing back to companies standing behind their products? Wouldn't it be wonderful to have more companies put the customer first?!
Thanks, Bob. Thank you, everyone, at Tiffin Motorhomes who works to provide service to the customers. I, for one, appreciate it!
