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Old 03-25-2016, 10:33 PM   #1
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Challenger 37KT
State: Texas
Posts: 155
THOR #2871
Smile Some Kind Words for Thor

I've vented several times on this forum about problems with Thor customer service. I bought a new 2016 Challenger 37KT and had a punch list for warranty work but the nearest dealer is almost 4 hours away and they told me I would have to leave the coach with them for 4 to 6 weeks. Thor had originally told me these repairs could be made by a local MH dealer if arranged with Thor. I tried but Thor customer service told the local dealer no because they weren't a Thor dealer.

I wrote a letter to the CEO of Thor and within a week received a call from Bryan in customer service. He had already called the service manager of Motorhomes of Texas (in my hometown of Nacogdoches), sent him my list, and arranged for them to take care of me. All I had to do was call and make an appointment with MOT. That is the kind of service everyone should be getting. I thanked Bryan sincerely and told him I would be sure and spread the word to my friends about the service.

If you have a legitimate gripe, send a non-threatening letter to the CEO. Keep it as short as you can but give him the facts, what has been done, and what should be done (what you expect). Keep it civil and be truthful. I'm no genie, Your wish just might come true!

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Old 03-25-2016, 11:22 PM   #2
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THOR #3789
I just find it easier to do and fix the things I can rather than messing around with the deal. We have had a laundry list of things and have called the tech line for each and everyone of them. Even had them send me a new radio and slide seals that I did my self. I have never had any trouble from those guys and has always been a great help. This is our 4th new RV and all have been about the same. But once you have all the bugs worked out then it is time to enjoy and have fun.
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Old 03-25-2016, 11:27 PM   #3
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THOR #2142
Wow.

What is the CEO's name and address (or where did you find it)? I have spent a lot of time emailing and getting promises "in writting" (okay in email) but I still have one problem that I would like see addressed and he just might be the one to get to the bottom of it.

Doc
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Old 03-26-2016, 02:34 PM   #4
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THOR #2871
I wrote to:

Robert W. Martin (no kin), CEO, President and Director
Thor Industries, Inc.
601 East Beardsley Avenue
Elkhart, IN 46514-3305

Be sure to write a proper letter. One of many examples is at Free Complaint Letter Template | Sample Letter of Complaint. Make sure you check your spelling and grammar. Let them know they are dealing with someone that is intelligent. Don't threaten. Be polite. Stick to facts and what you want to happen.
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Old 03-26-2016, 03:08 PM   #5
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THOR #2142
Robert,

Thanks and will do.

Doc
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Old 03-26-2016, 03:59 PM   #6
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THOR #3510
Quote:
Originally Posted by rbmartiniv View Post
I wrote to:

Robert W. Martin (no kin), CEO, President and Director
Thor Industries, Inc.
601 East Beardsley Avenue
Elkhart, IN 46514-3305

Be sure to write a proper letter. One of many examples is at Free Complaint Letter Template | Sample Letter of Complaint. Make sure you check your spelling and grammar. Let them know they are dealing with someone that is intelligent. Don't threaten. Be polite. Stick to facts and what you want to happen.
Thankyou Robert ! We too have had a good experience with Thor Warranty. Very helpful.
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Old 03-27-2016, 11:22 AM   #7
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THOR #1715
I think the most frustrating thing is these simple little "warranty items" leave Thor factory in this condition. Why not slow down a little a send out a good product from the get go. Why is it the customers burden to not only notice the obvious defects but go through the agony of warranty repair ?!?!
You got your concerns taking care of, good, great & hallelujah !! But why on earth did it leave the factory in such shoddy conditions, clearly customer satisfaction isn't #1 in Thor's core values......Just an afterthought to those that complain, or um want what was paid for.......
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Old 03-27-2016, 12:57 PM   #8
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THOR #2601
I have found that the quality at the dealership is also important. A good dealer will do a thorough prep before the owner comes to do the PDI and correct as many of the factory QC errors. My dealer spent a week prepping my Vegas before I came to do the PDI. We only found 3 minor errors corrected on the spot during the PDI.

I've seen threads on this forum where dealerships didn't even wash the coach before the owner showed up for the PDI. When a dealership does nothing to ensure the RV is ready for the owner to inspect it -- you can only imagine what the service quality after the sale will be.
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Old 03-27-2016, 04:34 PM   #9
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THOR #2121
Quote:
Originally Posted by rbmartiniv View Post
I've vented several times on this forum about problems with Thor customer service. I bought a new 2016 Challenger 37KT and had a punch list for warranty work but the nearest dealer is almost 4 hours away and they told me I would have to leave the coach with them for 4 to 6 weeks. Thor had originally told me these repairs could be made by a local MH dealer if arranged with Thor. I tried but Thor customer service told the local dealer no because they weren't a Thor dealer.

I wrote a letter to the CEO of Thor and within a week received a call from Bryan in customer service. He had already called the service manager of Motorhomes of Texas (in my hometown of Nacogdoches), sent him my list, and arranged for them to take care of me. All I had to do was call and make an appointment with MOT. That is the kind of service everyone should be getting. I thanked Bryan sincerely and told him I would be sure and spread the word to my friends about the service.

If you have a legitimate gripe, send a non-threatening letter to the CEO. Keep it as short as you can but give him the facts, what has been done, and what should be done (what you expect). Keep it civil and be truthful. I'm no genie, Your wish just might come true!
Respectfully, I agree except that buyers should be getting that kind of service without having to write an intelligent, polite, and non-threatening letter to a CEO to resolve a "legitimate gripe". Why should they have to? It should never get to that point. By definition if the gripe is legitimate it should have been fixed promptly without question.

I also have a personal issue with concept that buyers who don't have your letter-writing skills are doomed to lesser customer service. In my mind it borders on discrimination. That doesn't seem just considering their money was accepted exactly like yours.

On a practical basis, if the CEO of a major company read letters from every buyer with legitimate gripes, when would he/she find time to run the rest of the company? I personally doubt CEOs read more than a small sample of these types of letters anyway, and expect their time would be better spent improving product quality and customer service so that buyers don't write him complaining in the first place.

There is no doubt you did what was right for you (since it worked so well), but as an outsider it seems to me that the entire industry needs a major overhaul in dealing with quality and repairs after RV purchase.
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Old 03-27-2016, 04:44 PM   #10
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THOR #2871
You are probably correct, that every one should get great service without having to jump through hoops. But apparently that isn't the way it works in the RV industry. You have to look out for yourself as best you can or prepare to be satisfied with below average service. I have owned three different brands of RVs and have found the same true with all three. If you really enjoy RVing, you have to be able to do a lot of the work yourself or face the fact that it is very expensive to ride around the country in an RV. Nothing cheap about it at all. It is sad, but whenever I get mine back from service I am happy if it didn't go over $1,000. Of course, most of that was when I had a diesel. I tell people, if they have to worry about the cost of fuel, they can't afford RVing. That's just the way it is. Sort of like, grin and bear it! Take care.
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Old 03-27-2016, 06:15 PM   #11
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THOR #1765
I think we all have been spoiled and become jaundiced by VW, Toyota and Honda over the past 30 years. They forced US auto manufactures to step up and build better vehicles and provide quality service. I have owned a half a dozen boats and four RVs over the past 25 years and they are not automobiles. The initial quality is not the same, nor is the warrantee work, nor the service. I think you even hear that from people who own RVs from "premium" manufacturers. Since I like to work on things, I am happy to be able to purchase an RV like the Vegas for under $70k with quality "pieces" and put some of my "sweat" into it to make it right. Not that I would not like to see the same quality control in RVs and boats) as in automobiles, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. Maybe a German manufacturer in the US market will drive better quality control and manufacturer "pride" in their product. That being said, I have found the quality control in my 2016 Axis much better than my 2014 Vegas. I can only hope that is a trend.
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Old 03-27-2016, 06:40 PM   #12
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THOR #2121
I think that as RVs have become more complex, fewer owners and technicians can work on them as effectively as they could 30 or 40 years ago. It seems to me that technology can sometimes get ahead of itself.

I can and have worked on most things myself, but don't necessarily enjoy it. I prefer simpler RVs that don't need as much work.
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Old 03-27-2016, 07:37 PM   #13
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That's true. However, the most complex parts of an RV (i.e Ford chassis, generator, A/C, fridge, proper systems) do not seem to be the major problem with most owners. The problems are in the installation and integration of these systems by the RV manufacturer. Those issues are easier to work on and solve by owners and amateur technicians.
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Old 03-27-2016, 08:30 PM   #14
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THOR #2142
Robert,

I understand your email and I just completed a two page (with several attachments) letter to Thor using the guidelines availed to me at the website you referenced.

Having been in private practice for almost 4 decades now I have become pretty good at writing letters of complaint to Corporations and being PC. With that said, the website you referenced had a couple of suggestions that I incorporated in my letter to Thor that I will use in my private practice when needed.

Thank you for your help and input.

Doc
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Old 03-27-2016, 10:47 PM   #15
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THOR #2871
That's exactly why I traded my diesel pusher for a gas model!
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Old 03-27-2016, 11:04 PM   #16
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THOR #2871
Doc, one of the best courses I took in HS was Typing. It included how to write a business letter. I still fold them as I was taught. It got me out of combat in Vietnam. Trained in artillery, somebody decided my typing skills were more important. It seems that very few guys in Vietnam could type. I am a clinical pharmacist and retired from Abbott Labs where I worked in the diagnostics and the hospital products divisions for 16 years. We didn't use email for any kind of serious stuff. Hell, email hadn't been invented when I started! We wrote letters, lots of them. My friends joke about getting me to write a letter for them when they have a complaint. And yes, I write letters to the editor of our paper once in a while. Letter writing is almost a lost art. It's a skill, which I don't believe is taught in schools anymore. The person to whom you are writing will decide to take you seriously or not, depending on how good your letter is. You must be professional and use correct spelling and grammar. A good business letter is kind of like a resume or cv. I used to get those in the mail almost daily at Abbott. I would quickly scan them and toss the ones that had misspelled words and grammatical mistakes. Those people didn't stand a chance of being hired by me. And yes, I know you can pay to have them written for you. However, most people don't do so and the ones who do will usually fall out after the telephone interview. It may not be fair, but that's the way it goes. Good luck with your Thor letter.
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Old 03-27-2016, 11:50 PM   #17
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THOR #2142
Robert,

I know what you are talking about. I got drafted and trained as a 12B10 Combat Engineer, but thanks to High School typing and a good head for spelling I ended up as Unit Clerk (Radar O'Riley style).

Yes the proper letter is going by the wayside...as is the art of the hand written (in cursive) letter. Over the past 20 years I have drafted and "written" many letters, dispositions for Insurance Companies and literally dozens of Resolutions within The American Legion.

Next time, if you really want to get attention write out - in long hand - your letter. In cursive, with correct spelling, grammar and good penmanship (another lost art).

While this may have little to do with RV's it does deal with the changes that have occured in the use of the written word. It is too bad that no longer are we punished for margins and spelling...it is just who yells the loudest or the nastinest that gets attention.

For what it is worth I sent my appeal into Thor with proper grammar, proper format with specific concerns clearly addressed; not to be subservient but to be clear, precise and yet still courteous.

Doc
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Old 03-28-2016, 12:55 AM   #18
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THOR #2871
What a coincidence. My nickname in one of my RV clubs is Radar.
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Old 03-28-2016, 01:31 AM   #19
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Wow. A kindered spirit out there.

Take care.

Doc
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Old 03-28-2016, 11:46 PM   #20
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THOR #3510
Quote:
Originally Posted by DocMike View Post
Wow. A kindered spirit out there.

Take care.

Doc
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