Colorado Camper Van ... questionable customer svc??

[REF]

That’s probably why there hasn’t been any Econolines up at CCV the last few times I stopped in. It’s been all new Sprinters and a few Transits.


'03 Ford E350 7.3L Diesel
SMB RB50 w/CCV top
Quigley 4X4 w/Deavers & Agile RIP kit

[arctictraveller]

Originally Posted by 86Scotty

Over 12K now? That's insane. I paid half that for my CCV top only a few years ago. If you take a bone stock Ford van, from practically any year, subtracting the insane worth of 7.3's nowadays, there is hardly one out there that is worth the price of this top.

I agree completely, but remember that something is only worth what somene is willing to pay, and clearly plenty of folks are willing since CCV is so backed up. The good news is that those that already own them have seen their investment improve in value over the past couple years.

[Darkstar]

<<<<GOOD NEWS.... UPDATE>>>>>

Thanks to help from this thread, a conversation with 1Der for some insight, and a chat with Korey from Cardiff Camper Vans, www.cacampervan.com stuff happened.

One quick email to Korey and he provided me with a full quote on every available option. He is a local liaison and has a way in... A quick phone call and we discussed everything including concerns voiced by myself and from this thread. Apparently, he called, spoke with Derek, who said that he was not aware that there was a delay in responsiveness or messages that had not been returned, and wanted to act on this right away to address the perceived slight... I got a call earlier today with a confirmation, an actual quote, an actual deposit was made and and I have an appointment for mid January. Just Pop top, Arctic Canvas a fan and rain gutter mounts, for well under 12K due to fewer options. Hopefully they address the responsiveness. My concerns were answered due to my new connections and the help of this room. Thanks everyone, especially 1Der Ray and and Korey in Cardiff for the problem solving help.

[mikracer]

Does Cardiff actually install the tops or do they just get the tops installed by Derek, then do their own buildout?

[Darkstar]

He is a contact point in So. Cal for CCV who can book work for them. He does a lot of custom stuff, CCV tops are primarily done at CCV in Colorado as far as I know. He can get it shipped to him (I just discovered) for about 12-1400 but does not do the install also, you'd have to talk to him about that specifically as far as what third party shipper he uses etc... He is also working with Derek to offer the custom DIY cabinets at his shop in Cardiff he told me. Basically if you need Derek and cant get him as I did, this guy is the guy that handled that problem for me. I had a cell for Derek, but it was provided second hand. I would not want someone calling my cell that I didn't provide that number to, so I was glad to have him help.

[shenrie]

congrats! having a resource that much closer to home would be a huge plus for me if i didnt install the top myself.

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by Darkstar

He is a contact point in So. Cal for CCV who can book work for them. He does a lot of custom stuff, CCV tops are primarily done at CCV in Colorado as far as I know. He can get it shipped to him (I just discovered) for about 12-1400 and can do the install also, you'd have to talk to him about that specifically as it takes a considerable amount of man hours to install. He is also working with Derek to offer the custom DIY cabinets at his shop in Cardiff he told me. Basically if you need Derek and cant get him as I did, this guy is the guy that handled that problem for me. I had a cell for Derek, but it was provided second hand. I would not want someone calling my cell that I didn't provide that number to, so I was glad to have him help.

Geeeeeeez,those ccv guys are lucky you were classy/determined vs pissed off and bad mouthing,they better show some appreciation and throw some options for free or cost at a minimum,I don’t care how busy they are if they can’t be professional they should shut down their website except for big bold letters “no new orders until further notice” they may have a great product but it seems from what I’m hearing greed brings out the worst in a company and it can actually act the complete opposite of how they started! Just my opinion

[1der]

Pretty sure it is not "greed", in this case if you mean greed like cool! I can go buy a new truck, boat or $$ if I get this next gig!

It is a very classical growth problem combined with desire to please and reluctance to say "no". Virtually every single van Derek has done has been by referral, virtually no advertising. People call and/or drive up - "I really want this, and can you do this little special mod, too?" Pretty sure we can.... Great!!! When can get my rig in?? Well, we are pretty busy, how about .......

With thoughts of: how long is this craziness going last?, how do I keep my guys busy?, we can do this, I'll figure out how to fit it in somehow.... what if demand slows down.... what if someone cancels? If you have never owned or run a small business, the forgoing will be very hard to relate to how deeply it can drive decisions. It is operating from closer to the Fear end of the Fear - Greed spectrum.

Regardless, the experience of the customer is not going to be the best between the start of the process and delivery. But when the final results are exceptional enough, the enjoyment of use will fade the pain of the beginning of the journey. Hmmmm, sounds like the last backpacking trip over Mono Pass!!

I think rallypanam stated it very well in his post. Set your expectations accordingly. We are very happy with our CCV top, but it was by no means a painless journey. Would I go through exactly the same scenario and pain knowing what I know now if that is what it took to get it done again? Yep, without hesitation because I also now have two years of actually using it and it has exceeded our expectations and provided wonderful experiences and memories that are valued far in excess of the discomfort and effort required to make it happen.

[yelnam]

+1, agreed


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by 1der

Pretty sure it is not "greed", in this case if you mean greed like cool! I can go buy a new truck, boat or $$ if I get this next gig!

It is a very classical growth problem combined with desire to please and reluctance to say "no". Virtually every single van Derek has done has been by referral, virtually no advertising. People call and/or drive up - "I really want this, and can you do this little special mod, too?" Pretty sure we can.... Great!!! When can get my rig in?? Well, we are pretty busy, how about .......

With thoughts of: how long is this craziness going last?, how do I keep my guys busy?, we can do this, I'll figure out how to fit it in somehow.... what if demand slows down.... what if someone cancels? If you have never owned or run a small business, the forgoing will be very hard to relate to how deeply it can drive decisions. It is operating from closer to the Fear end of the Fear - Greed spectrum.

Regardless, the experience of the customer is not going to be the best between the start of the process and delivery. But when the final results are exceptional enough, the enjoyment of use will fade the pain of the beginning of the journey. Hmmmm, sounds like the last backpacking trip over Mono Pass!!

I think rallypanam stated it very well in his post. Set your expectations accordingly. We are very happy with our CCV top, but it was by no means a painless journey. Would I go through exactly the same scenario and pain knowing what I know now if that is what it took to get it done again? Yep, without hesitation because I also now have two years of actually using it and it has exceeded our expectations and provided wonderful experiences and memories that are valued far in excess of the discomfort and effort required to make it happen.

I did mean greed in the sense I will get all the $$ I can while I can instead of for any particular item(would this be a new concept?) i owned and ran an electrical contracting firm for 16 years and went through similar growing pains of being in high demand 6 years after I started.I had built a great reputation but when I realized I could not give everybody the same level of customer-service and keep my promised timelines I worked 12 hour days and weekends to catch up.i also referred general contractors/interior designers to other electrical contractors I knew with high standards and did not accept blueprints or take on any more work.it was a similar situation,people were excited to use me I started to apologize/reschedule and the tone would change slowly to I hope I’m not wasting my time and we really need to get started and lastly thanks for screwing me around etc.im glad it only took me a handful of customers to start complaining before I jumped into action because it made me feel bad.i do understand that people are willing to pay top dollar and not expect much customer service if they get a great product that no one else supplies.some general contractors would even make me sign performance agreements when I did chain stores or restaurants which would state for every day I was late on completion I would be charged $300.00 (guess what I was never late!)
I would also give people big discounts or extra lights/outlets For free if something went wrong and they were upset and guess what their faces would light up when they realized I respected them and understood customer satisfaction,not sorry for the hassle and get over it type attitude.only time will tell if the van top co takes any steps to change and I hope they do and learn from it but if they won’t change on their own and everybody is so willing to give them a pass then everyone can line up for the same beat down! Why does someone have to have a special connection to someone to get ahold of someone your contacting directly with no response? I don’t need one of these tops and probably never will I just don’t like seeing people get screwed around! Just my opinion