Airstream - are you really there?

[kfrere]

Dear Airstream Customer Service,

I notice that you have become more and more active in reading forum postings and replying with a message to contact Customer Service for assistance with the problem at hand. Great!

So, on July 11 I took you up on that and sent you an email detailing my issue about my screen door (which I had addressed in person with you when we were in JC last year!). My most recent email to you was August 3 - still no contact from you with specific information as to how to move forward on this issue.

I'm thinking that someone there is at least following these forums and might see this and respond. Perhaps?

[AirstreamInc]

Hi kfrere,

We're very sorry about this. Please send us a direct message with your contact information and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can share it with our Customer Service and Technical Support team. We look forward to helping you get this resolved.

You can also reach Airstream Customer Service and Technical Support at customer_support@airstream.com

Thank you.

[Mollysdad]

Someone reported that the canned response is a third party vendor, and Airstream never see's your query.

[Hittenstiehl]

AirstreamInc,

So it's my understanding that the AirstreamInc that is on this forum (this thread) is a contracted company that looks for problem/customer related issue posts and helps them get forwarded to the real customer service at the real Airstream.

Is that an accurate statement and if not could you please elaborate on who you are.

[thiel]

Originally Posted by Hittenstiehl

AirstreamInc,

So it's my understanding that the AirstreamInc that is on this forum (this thread) is a contracted company that looks for problem/customer related issue posts and helps them get forwarded to the real customer service at the real Airstream.

Is that an accurate statement and if not could you please elaborate on who you are.

If that's true, then good for them. You can't be an expert at all things. This is a very common practices for companies.

[Hittenstiehl]

Yep Thiel, that is common and a good idea to getting complaints funneled to the proper channels.

I think us, the customer/forum user, is getting confused with whom they are corresponding.

[OTRA15]

I believe that AS COO Justin Humphreys alluded to this in a recent post in the Senior Management Failures thread IMO:

[click on orange arrow to see the full post:

Originally Posted by jhumphreys

Fellow Streamers-
. . .
Justin Humphreys here again . . .
. . .
. . . we also engage agencies to do the same . . .
. . .

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by AirstreamInc

Hi kfrere,

We're very sorry about this. Please send us a direct message with your contact information and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can share it with our Customer Service and Technical Support team. We look forward to helping you get this resolved.

You can also reach Airstream Customer Service and Technical Support at customer_support@airstream.com

Thank you.

Would you please clarify your relationship with Airstream, and whether you are one of the "agencies" to which Justin Humphreys recently referred, as quoted in the last post?

Thanks,

Peter

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by Hittenstiehl

So it's my understanding that the AirstreamInc that is on this forum (this thread) is a contracted company that looks for problem/customer related issue posts and helps them get forwarded to the real customer service at the real Airstream.

Great!

Can anyone here say they've been contacted by Airstream with a solution the their problem?

Wouldn't it be more efficient for Airstream to post their real customer service phone number or e-mail address than to have an outside vendor gather questions and forward them to "the real customer service"?

[Pahaska]

The answer I received was useless. It gave me a number to call that yielded no useful information.

[D44]

I have received calls from Airstream on some of my issues and they even had some info on my specific unit that would only have come from what I provided to the monitoring service or my specific warranty registration info. This does get to Airstream but it also helps if you contact them directly as the stock response directs - emailing with the monitoring service doesn’t yield specific answers just more referrals.

[mojo]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

Great!

Can anyone here say they've been contacted by Airstream with a solution the their problem?

Wouldn't it be more efficient for Airstream to post their real customer service phone number or e-mail address than to have an outside vendor gather questions and forward them to "the real customer service"?

Gee, I have picked up the phone and talked directly to Airstream customer service as well as via email. They even sent me materials at no charge (during warranty) to make repairs since I was located so far from a dealer at the time. And I actually met the same CS rep when I visited JC later on. I don't understand what the communication problem is?

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by mojo

Gee, I have picked up the phone and talked directly to Airstream customer service as well as via email. They even sent me materials at no charge (during warranty) to make repairs since I was located so far from a dealer at the time. And I actually met the same CS rep when I visited JC later on. I don't understand what the communication problem is?

Gee...so did I, in 2004. 😂
What goes around...stays gone.
😘🙄😏
Not much has changed.

Bob
🇺🇸

[Alex AVI]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

Can agnyone here say they've been contacted by Airstream with a solution the their problem?

Wouldn't it be more efficient for Airstream to post their real customer service phone number or e-mail address than to have an outside vendor gather questions and forward them to "the real customer service"?

MOLLYSDAD - Yes. And yes, their real Customer Service # is posted in all the pre-delivery information provided to me by dealer. When I was unhappy with local dealer's repair delay on my brand new 2018, I called the 596-6111 number, was connected directly to Cust. Service. While they could not solve my problem asap, within hrs. they had called me back on conference call with tech support from Firefly Integrations to help isolate my problem. Parts were sent directly to me (again due to my unhappiness with dealer delay, but only after they vetted my ability to effect the repairs). When I received parts, I had a minor problem with results. Another call to AS Cust. Service yielded another quick callback.

Originally Posted by D44

but it also helps if you contact them directly as the stock response directs - emailing with the monitoring service doesn’t yield specific answers just more referrals.

D44 - I agree. The monitoring service is just tasked to direct forum users to the right numbers to call. Emailing the monitoring service is not the same as emailing someone in Jackson Center directly.

Originally Posted by mojo

Gee, I have picked up the phone and talked directly to Airstream customer service as well as via email. I don't understand what the communication problem is?

MOJO - Same experience here.

My initial repair experience was negative primarily due to local dealer issues (and maybe parts delays from AS). I have no qualms saying they are far from perfect, I would even say "needs lots of work". But getting in touch directly with AS Jackson Center has not been an issue to date.

[swilly43]

Yes, I was contacted by Airstream in this way in July of this year and yes my issue was resolved in this way. It should not matter if it is a third party contractor or not as long as they understand when they should get involved and get it to the right contact at AS. In my case, it worked.

[UncleBad]

Originally Posted by swilly43

Yes, I was contacted by Airstream in this way in July of this year and yes my issue was resolved in this way. It should not matter if it is a third party contractor or not as long as they understand when they should get involved and get it to the right contact at AS. In my case, it worked.

I also was contacted by Airstream and was able to speak with them and am getting an issue resolved. They were very helpful actually. As pointed out above they can also be reached by phone.

I also happened to ask about the templated response we see here in the forums and was told it is their Social Media team. The DM’s you post in response are forwarded to customer service as they were in my case.

So, positive experience for me.

[thiel]

I would bet that if this work IS subcontracted, then the contractor is contractually forbidden from identifying themselves as working for any company other than Airstream.

(This too would be a wise business decision...)

[UncleBad]

Originally Posted by thiel

I would bet that if this work IS subcontracted, then the contractor is contractually forbidden from identifying themselves as working for any company other than Airstream.

(This too would be a wise business decision...)

Initial contact was probably a contractor but phone call was from Jackson Center and an AS employee.

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

Great!


Wouldn't it be more efficient for Airstream to post their real customer service phone number or e-mail address than to have an outside vendor gather questions and forward them to "the real customer service"?

NO, it would NOT be more efficient. It would be grossly less efficient. The lack of responses? That is more complex.

I am a retired former owner of an outside vendor like the one Airstream uses. (our company used the old "answering service" term but was in fact a data gathering and disseminating bureau.) If you work IN the company that is receiving a complaint, there is a knee jerk impulse to take it personall]y... and respond badly to the caller.... then in shame, ditch the complaint. A telerep's only job is to get accurate, complete information and Never anger the caller. In fact our people or search engines might be monitoring the social media too.

Every call is recorded as both as text and voice and never "accidentally" deleted. The outside contractor prepares management reports too.... how serious/dangerous/frequent/costly IS the problem? That is a key for the client to allocate people with power to fix things. No company will ever have 100% happy customers, but they all can set their priorities well and resolve the big reputation killing ones fast. Airstream MIGHT decide that a factory option should be a Coosa board floor (at a reasonable to outrageous price)... if 90% of the trailers ordered (esp. dealer spec'ed ones) start being ordered with Coosa.....well woopie. If dealers don't order them and customer special orders are only 10%... Airstream can keep the option and adjust the price.

If they get 2000 complaints about failed control boards in water heaters, they can and should go all THOR on their vendor and get dyno boards spec'ed. And eliminate 2000 cheap but bothersome warranty claims a year.

In a few cases, the call center also audits how promptly complaints are answered. We DO basically track the complaint, tattle on the twerp who failed to call you back, and kick it upstairs, and finally call the customer back to verify that the call as closed and resolved.

The weak link? The client can fail to assign an effective and powerful follow-up team.

[Deeno]

I, too, am waiting for a reply from Customer Service.

Submitted an issue with pulsing pressure in water pump, and the (possible) failure of the check valve. I know they're busy, and I did include a comment that the dealer does not call back. I just entered the second year of the "new" 2-year warranty, and still have not solved the challenge of getting help...other than the forums and "online" neighbors." If I could have a tech bulletin and replacement part (if required) I could do the repairs and not need to ask the dealer.