Hi all
I wholly agree it is important for companies to recognise when their products have not performed faultlessly. But the fact that faults do occur (and continue to reoccur) means the after sales departments of the caravan companies tend to be larger and busier than should be necessary. Sadly this is a fairly typical state of affairs in the industry.
It is the companies that do try to help, and 'go the extra mile' that stand out. Despite the inconvenience customers are put through to rectify the fault, it is the after sales service that seems to be turning a bad experience into a positive. It seems from the correspondence here that Bailey scores well on this point. Perhaps others are not so good.
The caravan industry relies heavily on brand loyalties for repeat business, so keeping the customer happy should be one of their prime activities, and whilst turning a fault into a positive is obviously a better outcome than losing the customer, it is generally much better not to upset the customer in the first place.
From a business perspective, the level of activity in after sales to rectify faults should be a key indicator, and it is a rich source of information pointing to what is wrong with the product(s).
All business have to make a profit to survive. It should be the aim of every management to prevent unnecessary costs that reduce profitability. All rectification has to be funded from its profits, so it is a prime opportunity for improvement. So reducing product faults that give rise to after sales costs is a very effective measure.
With the level of detailed information available to the caravan manufactures, it continues to amaze me that the same major faults seem to reoccur so frequently. Leaky caravans are not uncommon yet despite this information, no significant or effective development has occurred to reduce this problem in the last 20 years.
Doors and windows are still ineffective security measures, Pipes continue flavour water, taps leak and can't be re-washered, Drains still don't drain properly. TV aerials are still ineffective, heating systems are still not fitted to best effect - and many more examples exist.
If these issues were addressed in the first place with good design, and production techniques to match, then the level of customer satisfaction would rise, after sales activity would reduce, and costs would come down to benefit both customers and the business.
Good after sales support is still desirable, and could be maintained, but with reduced workload, the numbers of personnel in these areas could shrink, allowing more companies to go 'the extra mile'