Problems with Parts Department

I need a few items, shower curtains etc. I sent Adam and e-mail and got a quick response. He said when I get the parts they will send an invoice then I pay by check.

Originally Posted by cmc211

I need a few items, shower curtains etc. I sent Adam and e-mail and got a quick response. He said when I get the parts they will send an invoice then I pay by check.

I have had good luck with Adam, also. I call him up, and if it goes to voice mail, he will usually call back within a day or so. He has answered my emails within a day or so, also. I usually recieve my order within a week, and immediately send a check back to them. I don't know what is happening now, unless it is just the beginning of camping season rush......I usually order things in the off season.

Chap

Larry-

What business these days that expects to sell parts doesn't take credit cards? The method you suggest I haven't used with anyone for 15 years. If this is the case then TM needs to just quit selling parts and tell us all to go through the dealers and pay the markup. Why pretend? They are only hurting themselves.

This is the 21st century last time I checked.

Phil

Phil, I agree; when I visited the factory in person in November I had about $1,000 worth of parts (awning, etc.) already loaded in my truck...and then they gave me the news that they don't take credit cards! Two hours later after having to visit small banks in a small town I was able to pay in cash and get out of there. But frankly I don't carry much cash and I don't bring the checkbook out of the house and never have.
Everyone whom I came in contact with at the factory couldn't have been nicer or more helpful. It was a great experience taking the tour with the only negative being the inability to pay by credit card. I would have even paid the charges they would have to pay to Visa/Mastercard for processing.

Time to weigh in on this dicussion. We all must remember that this is a small, family owned business and not an international (or national) conglomerate. I have had experience with ordering parts and also repairs at the factory that had to be paid for. An email to Adam has worked fine for me the two times that I have ordered parts. The amounts were not large and I paid by check after receiving the parts. When having repairs done at the factory and they told me they didn't accept credit cards it was no big deal. A check works fine. If cash is necessary there is a Bank of America branch downtown about a mile from the factory. BoA is about the fifth largest back in the country and I'm confident that they can manage any financail transcation that may be necessary.

I can also testify from time spent in the waiting area while waiting for my unit that Adam and Ed are both verrrrry busy. Lots of calls and pages and if you get an opportunity to meet them they are both consumate professionals. You couldn't ask for nicer and more friendly folks than those who run this company.

My wish for those who have had problems is that they will quickly be resolved and they will not sour your TM ownership.

Bill

Bill,

While I appreciate your defense of TM being a small business. I too owned a small business- a lot smaller than TM and I took all credit cards because that's what you have to do.

While I'm certain they are all consummate professionals, that isn't really what matters is it? What matters is that they act with the convenience of their customers as their top priority. If they go out of business because of poor operations, all of us will be in a lurch. A very large part of buying a something like the TM is the support you get as an owner. So far I'm not impressed.

Phil

[grill-n-go]

Thank you Bill, that was the point of my previous dissertation. I had about $500 worth of work done on my TM... forgot my checkbook and paid with a bunch of ATM 20's. Was it an inconvenience? Yes. Did I care? No. The people that work at Trailmanor are no different than any of us. They are just doing the best they can to be profitable. Yes, Ed and Adam are the finest most caring people you will ever know. There is a limit.

Would "you" rather have your next call for service be answered by someone in another continent? And have the made in "another continent" label pasted on your TM?

Yes, TM is a little behind the wave, so what. Trailmanor is a unique product, ahead of it's time. A few months ago being fuel efficient was for treehuggers. As trailmanor owners most of us are people that want something better than plain vanilla. That makes us a little more demanding. We want better. We've worked hard, and we want something which we are willing to pay a premium for.

Be assured that not too long ago our "friends" at Trailmanor we're trying to figure out how to stay alive, let alone get cute to optimize their profitabity. There is an abyss between what we think our dollar will buy and what it can really buy. Go shopping, sell your TM, and try to get service from Airstream, Fleetwood, or your average TT manufacturer.

Be patient, or consider the prospect talking to someone in another continent the next time you call for service.

As far as credit cards go I'm sure before the dust settles on this thread TM will figure out a way to take them.

Another thing......when I call Trailmanor, a human being actually answers the phone speaking American English....well maybe with a Tennesse twang. I don't have to punch in a half dozen buttons on my phone and listen to elevator music just trying to reach someone.

Chap

There's a TV commercial that we see often. It features several people shouting "It's my money and I want it now!" The commercial reminds me sometimes of our dependency on credit cards. I think that our lending institutions responded to this American desire to obtain something right away by giving birth to the credit card industry. What is the primary advantage in the use of credit card accounts? I believe that it is quick payment to the seller of goods and that results in more prompt delivery of the goods to the buyer. Before we had credit cards we'd have to send in a check or money order with our order. We knew that we'd have to wait about 10 days until our personal checks cleared the banks. Once the vendor was assured of payment, he'd ship the goods to us. This personal check-snail mail combined process caused about a 2 week delay before goods were shipped. Payment by credit card may reduce that delay by around 10 to 12 days. For accelerating payment the credit card companies charge vendors around 3% of a payment, or, slightly more when a vendor's monthly maintenance fees are added in.

Even though the TM Factory does not accept credit card transactions, their selling policy doesn't add much delay since they do not require assurance or proof of payment before shipping parts to us. Like others here I've had the Factory ship me parts along with a bill, in the expectation that I'll subsequently send them a check. Since most of us don't have a long established vendor-customer relationship with them, that tells me they seem to place a lot of trust in the integrity of TM owners. By avoiding credit card usage, the Factory saves 3%. 3% saved is just as if 3% were added to their profit margin. These days that additional 3% for American businesses may mean the difference between survival or bankruptcy.

Why is it that you and I get so many new credit card offers in the mail every week? It's because the credit card business is extremely profitable to lending institutions. They can make money from both vendors and their customers at interest rates much, much greater than those they charge for regular loans. This extreme profitability can be seen by comparing a regular bank loan with an interest rate of, perhaps, 10% per year with the same bank loan to a vendor for the price of a purchased product at 3% for 2 weeks. 3% interest on a 2 week loan annualized out to a year amounts to an interest rate of 116% per year! I don't expect the TM Factory to begin accepting credit card payments soon.

When I went to the factory on a spur of the moment trip, I was like a kid in a candy store! Because I was there I was going to save on shipping, dealer mark-ups, etc., plus they had everything in stock! If they posted a sign that explains they don't take credit cards, or if someone told me initially or even called me from India to tell me that up front, I would have been fine with it and not purchased a thing. But as I explained I didn't find out until I had $1,000 equipment carefully loaded, hidden and strapped in to the truck - which disappointed me. As an aside, I was actually shocked that they let me leave the factory with all of the parts to get some cash without knowing me from someone off the street!

Maybe I am different from the majority here, but I don't take thousands of dollars in cash when I go on vacation. The small town didn't have any of my bank branches and the ATM's are usually capped around $400 maximum withdrawals during a 24 hour period. Luckily I was able to get a weak cell-phone signal, and 12 calls and two hours later I had my cash.

If we are discussing what is better for TM and their long-term business profitabilty then taking credit cards will increase sales - I don't think anyone will dispute the fact that the more options consumers have to pay, the better it is for the company. Providng they pass their 2 or 3 % fee on to their customers it really doesn't cost them a thing and the customers have another option. Again, we all want what is right for TM and appreciate them because they still have that Mom and Pop mentality. But they nearly lost $1,000 in sales that day.

Larry is right, many people - including much of the younger generation (future TM owners!) seem to have the 'I want it now' mentality. Which is why TM should try to offer credit card payment to increase their profitability. That day I would have been happy to pay $20 bucks extra to cover their credit card charges just for the convenience of using my credit card.

Larry is also right about credit cards being rip-offs. However, it doesn't matter to me because I pay all of my credit card charges up front and never have to pay any interest. It's quick, convenient, and safer than cash or bringing along blank checks.