sportsmobile customer satisfaction

[battleborn]

I recently spoke with the owner of a new Sportsmobile who was a satisfied customer- I looked closely at the fit and finish of his van and was very impressed- I personally don't have any experience or affiliation with Sportsmobile but enjoy learning about these expedition vehicles and was just being nosey asking questions of a stranger. I believe his van came from the West location.

[oclv]

I've been following this thread for a couple weeks now. First of all, the notion put forward by one of the early posters that a salesman at Sportsmobile West might be trying to pad his commission by adding on a tire change fee is just plain nuts. Our experiences with Sportsmobile West have been nothing but perfect. We purchased a pre owned 2004 Sportsmobile in 2008. In 2009 I took it to Sportsmobile West to have the top adjusted to it would go up easier with a Thule box on top, have some hinges tightened up, have a snap re installed on the windshield privacy curtain, and a couple other minor things. I had an appointment and they did it while I waited and everything was done correctly and no issues. Last fall we took the van back to have a new electric top installed with the new finish and at the same time, fix a loose nerf board (from hitting a rock), find a leak in the roof, and install new latches on the propane door. They gave me an estimate and the time it would take them to do the work. Near the end of the time estimate they contacted me and asked if I could give them a little longer as they had some other work that they were trying to finish up. I wasn't in a hurry so said that would be fine. When we picked up our van, Peter went over everything with me and everything was done well and within the budget they had given me.
I am sorry that others have had not so good experiences there, but I also know from being in the retail business for 35 years that there are two sides to every story. I can say that from my end, everything has been more than satifactory. In fact, when I dropped off the van last fall, Alan overheard me asking about a taxi to take me to the airport. He said he was heading that way and he would give me a ride. Over the years I have dealt with Alan, Stu, Peter, Lynn, and a couple others, and I can say that I am a totally satisfied customer. Eric Durfee, Incline Village, NV

[daveb]

X 2 Eric. Glitches are to be expected with an outfit that puts out as many vehicles as SMB west does and I expected issues. These vehicles are complex and built to suit... not clones. But always, SMB treated me with respect and went beyond the norm to solve the problems and take care of me. I wouldn't think twice of having another vehicle built for me when I'm ready.

[rionapo]

I already commented, favorably, on my relationship w/SMB-W & Nick so I'll just add that the OP came, flamed and disappeared, even after being asked for an update on his experience. Each of us can draw his or her conclusions as they see fit.

[notmiller]

I'm not the OP but I'll stand by my earlier post and answer any questions anyone has. Granted, I'm an engineer and an extremely hands-on person so I have more of an analytical eye than the next person. Maybe the quality of my van build and my treatment is a fluke, but I want it to be known so people have an idea of what to look for. That's the whole point of this thread and this forum.

[rionapo]

Originally Posted by notmiller

I'm not the OP but I'll stand by my earlier post and answer any questions anyone has. Granted, I'm an engineer and an extremely hands-on person so I have more of an analytical eye than the next person. Maybe the quality of my van build and my treatment is a fluke, but I want it to be known so people have an idea of what to look for. That's the whole point of this thread and this forum.

Nothing against the thread. It's important that we all share experiences, good or bad. For example, one of the resources I used heavily during our build & delivery was the thread on others' suggestions for what to do during the delivery. Not all those comments were positive either; the combined experiences, good and bad, helped me greatly.

You weren't happy. Others were, including myself. As the old saying goes, it takes many good experiences to erase the impact of one bad one. This thread shows how true that is.

[notmiller]

Agreed. The whole reason I decided to go with them for the interior was because they've figured everything out and their final product has improved year over year based on their lessons learned. I still speak highly about their product, nice fit and finish, etc., but I caveat it with my personal experiences and their shortcomings as well. I still encourage people to get one, if they're interested, but I want people to be aware of things to look for because you're paying A LOT of money. Like I said, mine may have been a fluke, but their handling of it and what they tried to pass off on me was out of hand. They are a great group of people, super friendly, and I liked that. But when more and more issues kept coming up based on their actions, I finally had to look past the smiles.

[rionapo]

Not to roil these waters but I remembered some comments about Nick commission padding for $190(?) as I've been driving to Jackson over primarily back country and forest service roads the last couple of weeks. When we were designing our SMB, I asked Nick about a full-floater for the rear end. If he had sneezed I would have sent $4k his way. Instead he advised against the expense. By my calculations, that would be a bigger commission than a tire mounting fee. He turned it down, assuming SMB sales works on commission.

Why was I thinking about full floaters? 'Cuz I would have liked to have them. Blamed salesman!

[waltsb2002]

I know this thread has been dormant for a bit, but as I just came across it last night I thought I'd chime in. First, super happy with our SMB, have been using it for great family adventures for over a decade now. Also, I've had good customer service and response from Alan and others at SMB West when I've had questions over the years. The incident I had though, reminded me of the two posters experiences. Now I look back and sort of laugh, but at the time I didn't think it was too funny.

In 2002 we flew up to Fresno and picked up our new van, the original Transformer [as I designed a removable rear bed system and later had a removable bench seat installed by a company in LA, as at the time Sportsmobile said they couldn't put in a removable bench seat due to liability reasons, but a few months after our van was completed they started advertising the "Transformer", so they obviously figured out a work around for that]. The van looked and rode great, and we enjoyed the 5 or so hour drive back down to Los Angeles in our new adventure vehicle.

The next week, however, I go to fill up the tank for the first time and notice that it only fills to about 27 gallons. A little surprising as I opted for the larger 50 gallon version. I look under the van and sure enough, not 50 gallons. I call up SMB and they readily agree to switch it out of for the larger version as ordered. The next week I take time off work, drive up to SMB West, drop off the van, fly home. Then later when the work's done, fly back up to Fresno. New tank's installed, all looks good, and the person I'm dealing with tells me, and here's the part that reminded me of the other posters comments, tells me that once the tank was installed they had to fill it full to test it, costing about $100 in diesel fuel....and suggests I reimburse them.

I just look at the guy in disbelief. It's cost me a round trip plane ticket to Fresno, lost income from work, and over 10 hours of my time driving, to fix a line item they missed on an $85k vehicle. I just said no and it wasn't brought up again, but it's sort of like one not seeing the forest for the trees, they were missing the big picture here.

Just was reminded of this incident with the earlier posts. Otherwise love our SMB and the work they do. Made a friend jealous when he saw ours and he got one too, and the only irony is a coolant line on his wasn't secured while routed through some square cabinetry corners and the line also ruptured, similar to above. He had good customer service and they fixed it.

[dig255]

love my SMB but for what you spend would expect better.

They are definitely a for profit business.