Thinking twice about AS....

[outthere]

Ok...so we pretty much made the decision to go with an AS as a retirement home. But...we're 2 hours away from the nearest AS dealer so we called AS in Ohio to ask some questions. In the process they said they would send us a brochure of the Safari line. We waited and no brochure arrived. So...my wife went on the website and filled out the form requesting a brochure....still nothing. I go on the Website and fill out the form....again nothing. I than call AS back again and explain my experience and leave a message asking for a brochure....again nothing. I than go on the AS website and fill out a comments card explaining that I've asked a number of times for a brochure and can't seem to get one. Still nothing. I plan to call back again today.

But....it's not the brochure that has me worried. What I'm really concerned about is the lack of response and follow up. This is a simple matter to handle and it could help to induce me to buy one of their products -- and they still are not responding. I can only imagine what it would be like if I had a problem or concern AFTER I purchased the AS....

In my experience the lack of response from a company is what one would normally expect of a "B" rate outfit that one should stay away from. Not sure if this is a typical experience or if AS is just so secure in their product that they don't need to sell it. Something seems wrong here.

Can anyone comment on what their expereince has been when dealing with AS? Do they follow up on issues? Are they always this hard to deal with?

[Silverhobby]

Welcome to the FORUMS. I have never dealt with the factory or tried to secure a brochure from them. But I have dealt with the North Carolina dealer in Kernersville. If you will contact them toll free at 1-866-636-2267. I am sure you can get a brochure sent to you as fast as snail mail can travel. Ben is the parts manager and I can get any part I want shipped to me, as long as I provide a credit card number for purchase. Ben is very knowledgeable in parts and the owner and sales team will go out of their way to help you and let you "kick the tires" as you look over the lot of new and used Airstream trailers. I think you will be happy with an Airstream trailer. Just my two cents worth.

[BillTex]

I have never dealt with the AS factory either. But I have tried to contact the Mfr of SOB's in the past and my experience, and I think others would echo this, is that the RV industry as a whole is not known for it's customer service...
Having said that, you are probably better to find a good dealer, not try to work with the Mfr.

[outthere]

Guess what? The brochure arrived along with a whole bunch of other information!! Not only that, but it was sent via UPS two day express delivery....maybe they do care? There seems to be hope after all!!

[doorgunner]

More and more companies are doing the on line thing. The airplane company I used to be a dealer went the online way. This for them was a vast improvement over their printed brocures. Newer up to date info, latest colors and options and ability to raise prices in an instant! Now that you do have the brocure grab your digital camera go to a dealer take a zillion images go home load them on your computor and generate a slide show to watch daily untill you get the real thing. Then start working on it.

[Goin camping]

There is no substitute for actually being in the rigs. Spend a day at a dealership being in every trailer they have.

[CanoeStream]

Dealer websites may actually be as informative and they certainly have better photographs than www.airstream.com. Colonial Airstream in N.J. is an example; this webpage includes pics of all recently sold models to increase the variety that you can "see" (certain upholstery patterns may no longer be available). Airstream of Arkansas is another (see New Inventory). Both of these allow clicking to bring up a large picture on your monitor.

[flyfisher]

I wouldn't be surprised that they sent it to you after reading your comments when you first posted here.

In my experience with Airstream, they don't mind screwing up as long as no one hears about it.

[Silvertwinkie]

I've dealt with the factory several times. Been happy each time. Before I bought the current Safari, they sent me fabric samples...also via United Parcel Service.

One note is that all trailer info is availble online via a PDF download. All you do is go to the model type you want and click the floorplan button. It will take you to all the floorplans for each model. Once there, at the top you will see this:

A brochure featuring full specifications is also available for download.

Word download is in blue and when you click it, you enter basic info and you get info on any model you'd like. I found it bet though to select only 1 or 2 at a time, rather than more.

Here is a URL you can visit as an example:

http://www.airstream.com/product_lin...ari_plans.html

[Minnie's Mate]

You will get more information from a dealer. Airstream is very loyal to their dealer network and will be glad to refer you to a dealer in your area. They will sell you any part you need for your Airstream if you are at the factory service center, but they will NOT sell you parts by phone unless it is something that is in their on-line store. Parts that are not in their on-line store can be ordered through a dealer and drop shipped from the factory directly to your home, but you have to go through a dealer.

I needed a specific part and found this to be the situation. When the part arrived it was the wrong part. I happened to be at the factory for body repairs and asked to swap the part and buy some additional parts and there was no problem.

The only other time I dealt with the factory over parts was when I placed a order from their on-line store. They shipped the wrong item...their fault. I called and left a message but got no response. I called back the next day and again got voice mail. I tried again later that day and finally got the lady who handles the online store and she said she had pulled up my order and, based on the description of what I received, Airstream had shipped the wrong product and she had shipped the correct one out the previous day via UPS and that I should just keep the incorrect item rather than sending it back.

When we ordered our complimentary jackets and caps in August we gave up on getting them and low and behold they arrived in mid-October.

They have a small staff and can get overwhelmed at times and sometimes they get behind or rushed and make mistakes...they are, afterall, only human.

[Silvertwinkie]

Originally Posted by Minnie's Mate

You will get more information from a dealer.

In most cases this might ring true, just be careful. I dealt with one Airstream dealer, and although they were a newer dealer back in 2003, they knew squat. They told me things like there was no fire extinguisher that came with the Bambi and one call to the factory had one sent to me in a matter of a day or two. RVIA code I was told requires one for each RV, period and that the dealer was new and mistaken.

When we did the walk through, the dealer didn't know where anything was either. When upgrading to the Safari, they got upset that I would even consider shopping around for one.

Good Airstream dealers can be hard to come by.

As for the folks at Airstream, I've had great interactions with them. My first time to Jackson Center I expected some warehouse of a store and staff everywhere, but it was a very modest setup, run buy one woman (as was pointed out). Want to see something really special, order your unit (unless you find what you want on the lot of a dealer) and go see the RV be built! Just going there gave me a whole different perspective.

[TIMEMACHINE]

I agree with the rest of the posters who suggest you find a good dealer. The dealer network is responsable for all AS sales and such sould be your primary contact. That being said, the AS factory in Jackson Center builds the AS trailers and services them as well. It has been my experience that the factory service center is the best place for service and repair. The folks there are top notch and very customer service oriented. I used two other authorized service facilities, one being a dealer, and although the service was OK, the factory blew them away in all catagories, quality, knowledge, timeliness, and completeness. This has been my experience, there may be dealers or authorized service centers that are as good as the factory, I just have not found them in my area.

Don't give up on Airstream......most of us luv our AS.

John