An Open Letter to Airstream

[Starliner]

Hi everyone. This is a letter I’m writing to Airstream. I thought that before I send it out I might share it with you. If you have any suggestions or input please comment.


Dear Airstream

Last year I bought a factory fresh 2021 Atlas from Airstream Adventures in Morgan Hill California. My unit always draws a huge amount of positive attention as I’ve had it custom vinyl wrapped to resemble the new NASA Boeing Starliner Astrovan.

People approach me in parking lots and ask if it’s the actual Astrovan. I tell them that it isn’t but they’re super excited none the less. Spaceflight enthusiasts are well aware of Airstream’s storied 50+ year relationship with NASA. Parents ask to photograph their children standing in front of it. A few months ago I visited the Johnson Space Center in Houston Texas where my Atlas was a big hit and an instant conversation starter. It makes young and old smile and I really enjoy that.

However there’s a problem, a big problem. The fold out steps fail every 30 to 35 up-down cycles and the Morgan Hill dealership does not service the Atlas. They only service the travel trailers and even if they did service the Atlas servicing needs to be scheduled four or five weeks in advance; if you’re lucky.

If I want the steps repaired (and judging by the experience I had last time it would only be a temporary fix) the closest option is Airstream in Fairfield which is 96 miles to the North. This is something the sales person neglected to tell me at the time of purchase.

I use duct tape to hold the steps in the retracted position. The duct tape mars the appearance of my otherwise beautiful van but worse the “In Transit” alarm sounds continuously as I drive. After an hour this alarm is like the Chinese water torture. The relentless beeping is intolerable.

And there are other concerns. Some of my friends are elderly and some are mobility impaired due to MS and Parkinson’s. I want to include them in my adventures not in-spite of their disabilities but because of them. I want to take my friends to places they would not otherwise be able to visit and I want to do so in safety and comfort.

Without the foldout steps it’s challenging and dangerous for the mobility impaired to enter or exit the house portion of the Atlas. Using a stepladder is not good. Stepladders are unstable on uneven ground and they take time to set in place. This would be very bad in an emergency when quick egress is required. Also many elderly people loath asking for help. They want to be as independent as possible. They don’t want to be a burden.

In just a few weeks I’ll be driving from California to the Kennedy Space Center Florida to witness the historic Artemis 1 rocket launch. At least I hope so. Unsurprisingly the steps are broken once again. I’m hoping the service techs in Fairfield will be able to pin the steps in the up position and disable the alarm. If they can’t I won’t be going. Morgan Hill Airstream is useless.

People always ask how I like my Airstream Atlas. I really do want to say that I love it and I would so love if only the steps worked. I have to be honest. I spent 300K of my hard earned money on a lemon.

Gordon.

[Mullers]

Agree.

I fully feel your frustration but as currently written it takes too long to get to the point and it’s not proposing any useful solutions for them to take action on.

I feel that something like the below may elicit a more productive response.
Hopefully it’s helpful

Dear airstream,
I love my 2021 Atlas, but two issues are marring my ownership experience :
1) my selling dealer, Morgan Hill didn’t tell me during the sales process that they’re unable to do any work on it. This is a problem for me because of 2)
2) the steps have broken multiple times requiring me to visit Fairfield 100 miles away each time.

Please can you work with the dealers here in California to come up with a plan to address this, as I have a long trip coming up in 3 weeks and due to the alarm beeping when the steps break it is pretty unpleasant to drive.

As my trip is taking me from California across to Florida, I would be willing to add a stop at Jackson center if you think you can help with it. Please can you advise me or Fairfield which fuse to pull to disable the alarm in the event it fires during the trip.

By the way as some context around the importance of this trip for me, I am headed to see the Artemis launch at Kennedy space center and have my Atlas wrapped to resemble the iconic NASA Astrovans!

I look forward to hearing from you

Starliner

[AtlasKen]

Your problem with the steps is not unusual. While I have never had any trouble, there are numerous reports from owners of similar problems. If you have not already, you should join the Atlas group on Facebook. It is an extremely active group and the participants have helped many owners solve all kinds of problems with the Atlas. One of the most discussed problems is the one you are having, and there are many discussions of ways to deal with, or even fix, this issue.

[khocke]

You might want to consider:
1) Direct an email to Bob Wheeler rather than an open letter on social media
2) keep it short & sweet (<30 seconds for an executive to read): what's the problem and what you want

This approach worked for me with Coleman Mach last year trying to get a replacement A/C that was on extended backorder. It took a little work to suss out the President (Jeff Rutherford) and his email but he replied to my email within an hour from his iPhone (sent on a Monday AM) and his assistant took care of the details the same AM. She had a unit pulled from an OEM shipment diverted and delivered to my dealer within a week. I followed up with handwritten thank you's.

[Rich Jenkins]

Is there a reason you can’t drive 96 miles to get the steps fixed?

[Gibson3798]

Originally Posted by Starliner

Hi everyone. This is a letter I’m writing to Airstream. I thought that before I send it out I might share it with you. If you have any suggestions or input please comment.


Dear Airstream

Last year I bought a factory fresh 2021 Atlas from Airstream Adventures in Morgan Hill California. My unit always draws a huge amount of positive attention as I’ve had it custom vinyl wrapped to resemble the new NASA Boeing Starliner Astrovan.

People approach me in parking lots and ask if it’s the actual Astrovan. I tell them that it isn’t but they’re super excited none the less. Spaceflight enthusiasts are well aware of Airstream’s storied 50+ year relationship with NASA. Parents ask to photograph their children standing in front of it. A few months ago I visited the Johnson Space Center in Houston Texas where my Atlas was a big hit and an instant conversation starter. It makes young and old smile and I really enjoy that.

However there’s a problem, a big problem. The fold out steps fail every 30 to 35 up-down cycles and the Morgan Hill dealership does not service the Atlas. They only service the travel trailers and even if they did service the Atlas servicing needs to be scheduled four or five weeks in advance; if you’re lucky.

If I want the steps repaired (and judging by the experience I had last time it would only be a temporary fix) the closest option is Airstream in Fairfield which is 96 miles to the North. This is something the sales person neglected to tell me at the time of purchase.

I use duct tape to hold the steps in the retracted position. The duct tape mars the appearance of my otherwise beautiful van but worse the “In Transit” alarm sounds continuously as I drive. After an hour this alarm is like the Chinese water torture. The relentless beeping is intolerable.

And there are other concerns. Some of my friends are elderly and some are mobility impaired due to MS and Parkinson’s. I want to include them in my adventures not in-spite of their disabilities but because of them. I want to take my friends to places they would not otherwise be able to visit and I want to do so in safety and comfort.

Without the foldout steps it’s challenging and dangerous for the mobility impaired to enter or exit the house portion of the Atlas. Using a stepladder is not good. Stepladders are unstable on uneven ground and they take time to set in place. This would be very bad in an emergency when quick egress is required. Also many elderly people loath asking for help. They want to be as independent as possible. They don’t want to be a burden.

In just a few weeks I’ll be driving from California to the Kennedy Space Center Florida to witness the historic Artemis 1 rocket launch. At least I hope so. Unsurprisingly the steps are broken once again. I’m hoping the service techs in Fairfield will be able to pin the steps in the up position and disable the alarm. If they can’t I won’t be going. Morgan Hill Airstream is useless.

People always ask how I like my Airstream Atlas. I really do want to say that I love it and I would so love if only the steps worked. I have to be honest. I spent 300K of my hard earned money on a lemon.

Gordon.

You have a step problem and then leap to calling the AS a "lemon"....Really?

[IdahoTrvlr]

Originally Posted by Rich Jenkins

Is there a reason you can’t drive 96 miles to get the steps fixed?

Too busy writing a tome to Airstream explaining how important to humanity his Atlas is and that is was unfortunately now a lemon because of one broken item. I would love to see the expression on the face of the customer service person that reads this gem.

If you really think your Atlas is a lemon because of one defective component, maybe you should consider invoking California Lemon Law procedures?

[John Ware]

2,000 miles to watch a rocket launch but 100 miles to get the steps fixed is too far to drive?

[cazual6]

Too long to read. Maybe do a shorter version to get to the point and elaborate after the first paragraph.

[Kstills]

So, wait, you can get it fixed by driving the 96 miles to the other dealer?

[Glenritas]

Ahh … that 96 miles is just to Fairfield from Palo Alto . Then there is the wait time to get in and then get repaired . It might take a day or more .
So what does one do in the meantime ? Oh that’s right one is 96 miles from home with no transportation . The dealer might allow one to stay in their Atlas overnight .
Then once the repair is made one still has to drive the 96 miles back to home .

So that’s about 200 miles to get a repair and 1 to 2 days to do it . Time and fuel spent is money on top of the repair . Can you really blame one for not being happy to have to do this ?

[Kstills]

Originally Posted by Glenritas

Ahh … that 96 miles is just to Fairfield from Palo Alto . Then there is the wait time to get in and then get repaired . It might take a day or more .
So what does one do in the meantime ? Oh that’s right one is 96 miles from home with no transportation . The dealer might allow one to stay in their Atlas overnight .
Then once the repair is made one still has to drive the 96 miles back to home .

You are correct, life should be perfect.

I don't know what I was thinking.

[Ronyx]

Originally Posted by Kstills

You are correct, life should be perfect.

I don't know what I was thinking.

First world problems.

[IdahoTrvlr]

Originally Posted by Kstills

You are correct, life should be perfect.

I don't know what I was thinking.

It really should be perfect, I agree what are we thinking?

Sounds like the choices the OP has are drive 200 miles round trip for a repair, put up with a step that is not working properly, fix it himself (which most AS owners would do), write long overwrought ineffective letters extolling the importance of his AS to the free world or make a CA lemon law complaint.

[Starliner]

Originally Posted by IdahoTrvlr

It really should be perfect, I agree what are we thinking?

Sounds like the choices the OP has are drive 200 miles round trip for a repair, put up with a step that is not working properly, fix it himself (which most AS owners would do), write long overwrought ineffective letters extolling the importance of his AS to the free world or make a CA lemon law complaint.

Thank you.

[Boxite]

Originally Posted by Starliner

Thank you.

Starliner… I suppose you received feedback as you requested…just not the feedback you wanted. You fell victim to the “internet critics” who have no solutions but plenty of ridicule for anyone seeking helpful ideas. These trolls lead boring and petty lives and they sit in their recliners all day hoping to find an opportunity to spew hate and ridicule towards others they deem less perfect than themselves. They are the “RV-Mensa”.

A couple of responses are useful… Shorten the letter, get straight to the point, and ask AS for a more durable repair solution.

I am not familiar with the “Atlas”…but my AS has manual/mechanical steps which are fail-proof. Perhaps you might modify your Atlas to such. Also, there actually ARE some sturdy step-stools which can be used for elderly or frail guests until AS resolves this for you.

(It may be helpful to realize that RV-ownership is a deeply “participatory” process. I don’t know ANY owners that are truly “Happy” unless they are also mechanically Handy, Inventive, and with a sense of Humor.)

Kind regards and Good Luck with AS.

[Kstills]

Originally Posted by Boxite

Starliner… I suppose you received feedback as you requested…just not the feedback you wanted. You fell victim to the “internet critics” who have no solutions but plenty of ridicule for anyone seeking helpful ideas.

A couple of responses are useful… Shorten the letter, get straight to the point, and ask AS for a more durable repair solution.

I am not familiar with the “Atlas”…but my AS has manual/mechanical steps which are fail-proof. Also, there actually ARE some sturdy step-stools which can be used for elderly or frail guests until AS resolves this for you.

(It may be helpful to realize that RV-ownership is a deeply “participatory” process. I don’t know ANY owners that are truly “Happy” unless they are also mechanically Handy, Inventive, and with a sense of Humor.)

Kind regards and Good Luck with AS.

Perhaps if Starliner had said "I have this problem, has anyone else ......" the responses would have been much different.

It's not what you say....well, actually on the internet it is what you say. If you need advice, the boards can be a great resource. If you write your letter to Airstream and ask for opinions, you'll get a variety of them.

Best advice was to pull the fuse to turn off the alarm. But that's really not what he asked in this thread.

[mikeinca]

Originally Posted by Boxite

Starliner… I suppose you received feedback as you requested…just not the feedback you wanted. You fell victim to the “internet critics” who have no solutions but plenty of ridicule for anyone seeking helpful ideas. These trolls lead boring and petty lives and they sit in their recliners all day hoping to find an opportunity to spew hate and ridicule towards others they deem less perfect than themselves. They are the “RV-Mensa”.

A couple of responses are useful… Shorten the letter, get straight to the point, and ask AS for a more durable repair solution.

I am not familiar with the “Atlas”…but my AS has manual/mechanical steps which are fail-proof. Perhaps you might modify your Atlas to such. Also, there actually ARE some sturdy step-stools which can be used for elderly or frail guests until AS resolves this for you.

(It may be helpful to realize that RV-ownership is a deeply “participatory” process. I don’t know ANY owners that are truly “Happy” unless they are also mechanically Handy, Inventive, and with a sense of Humor.)

Kind regards and Good Luck with AS.

If one is looking for a template on how to politely respond to a question this would do nicely.

Originally Posted by Kstills

Perhaps if Starliner had said "I have this problem, has anyone else ......" the responses would have been much different.

Actually, the OP did exactly that and received a very rude reply, rather worse than some he received here. That thread was apparently deleted by the mods since I can't find my response.

[Kstills]

Originally Posted by mikeinca

Actually, the OP did exactly that and received a very rude reply, rather worse than some he received here. That thread was apparently deleted by the mods since I can't find my response.

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f24...rm-237047.html

After he posted this thread, he did post another. It's where the 'pull the fuse to disable the alarm' comment was made.

But even in that thread he posted this:

On Tuesday I’ll visit the dealership where I bought the unit. I know they won’t be able to help. They don’t service the Atlas or Interstates. They only service the travel trailers. But I plan on really unloading myself on whomever I can. It’s not like me to make a scene but in this case I’ll make an exception. I spent nearly 300K on a vehicle that's largely useless.

Largely useless? Hyperbole much?

I have no idea how that emoticon got up there, it was not my intention to post this with that in the message.

[pcskier]

Originally Posted by Glenritas

Ahh … that 96 miles is just to Fairfield from Palo Alto . Then there is the wait time to get in and then get repaired . It might take a day or more .
So what does one do in the meantime ? Oh that’s right one is 96 miles from home with no transportation . The dealer might allow one to stay in their Atlas overnight .
Then once the repair is made one still has to drive the 96 miles back to home .

So that’s about 200 miles to get a repair and 1 to 2 days to do it . Time and fuel spent is money on top of the repair . Can you really blame one for not being happy to have to do this ?

How many people actually have an airstream dealer within 100 miles? Very few I reckon.