Dealing with grumpy guests
While attending the National Camping Show in Phoenix this week, I’ve become envious of the campground owners. They are a highly-energized, but laid back group of people who truly enjoy helping RV owners have a good time.A common theme has emerged in talking with the campground owners and managers. They all say they work hard – very hard – but find the job rewarding and relaxing at the same time. Many campground owners are refugees of Corporate America. Many are family-owned businesses. And all report they had a great season this year.
When I asked what it is that causes them to work so hard, I expected to hear about the constant check-ins and check-outs, routine maintenance of the park, and enforcing noise rules. But that wasn’t it at all. That’s the fun part of the job, they say. There are challenges, such as facing Mom and Dad who have just driven four hours to two days cramped up in a car with fighting kids staking claims to their side of the seat and begging to know “are we there, yet?” I’ve been there, done that and got the T-shirt. It’s not a fun way to travel and it adds more stress to the “vacation.”
These people arrive frazzled and on the edge of a nervous breakdown, but the campground owners live for this type of challenge – to help melt away the stress by keeping the kids temporarily occupied so the folks can take a breather. That’s a positive kind of stress that campground owners are accustomed to dealing with and they often find reward in seeing customers come to life after a few hours or days outdoors.
Most of the campground owners I’ve talked with this week have said the biggest challenge for them is in dealing with difficult customers who believe the world, if not universe, revolves around their very lives. Demographics apparently plays a role in determining whether a camper is generally happy and easy-to-please, or hell-bent on fault-finding and complaining. The campground owners have made these observations:
- Baby Boomers are the most demanding customers in the marketplace
- But the Boomers are willing to pay well for quality service
- The more expensive the RV, the more difficult it can be to make customers happy
Several campground owners noted that drivers of big, expensive rigs are rarely happy with their campsites, their neighbors or the amenities of the park. When they complain, they always preface the complaint in the same way:
- “I’m a vice president of such-and-such and own a $335,628.97 motorhome and you want me to park in THAT site?” or
- “I just drove 1,366 miles in my $335,628.97 Type A diesel motorhome, why can’t I have a site this weekend that isn’t anywhere near children?”
By contrast, the owners of folding camping trailers rarely complain, the park owners said. They are grateful for the amenities offered by the park and are often among the friendliest campers in the campground.
I have not heard this type of comparison from RV dealers. But, it fascinates me. I have often wondered why an RV dealer wouldn’t stock motorhomes and opt to focus on towables only. I suspected it was due to the cost of maintaining a floorplan and in repairing RVs with engines. But, perhaps these towable-owner dealers have come to the same conclusion as campground owners – that people who buy expensive motorhomes are difficult to please.
So my question is, from a dealer’s perspective, do customer egos and attitudes change as the buyers move up the line from folding campers to towables to motorhomes?
Also, in the RV industry, can generalizations be made about customer service requirements based on age or income?
I realize that the goal is to treat all customers the same. But, must dealers adjust their tactics and strategies in providing customer service due to the demands and expectations of particular demographic groups?
Please take a minute and let me know. You can remain anonymous.
January 21st, 2010 at 5:13 am
Great comment, love the design of the site too.
November 7th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
I would bet that the categorization of these customers is more of a reflection of the CG owner’s attitude than it is a true fact. It’s a form of class envy. (pun intended. :-))
Bob’s comment is right on. I wonder how many salespeople judged Sam Walton and his truck.
November 7th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
Trying to pre-judge personality, income, or RVing experience is a tragic mistake the many dealers and campgrounds do make.
I have had the owner of a dealership tell me that his sales people won’t pay attention to somebody that shows up in jeans and looks like they just came in from the farm. I’ve seen many prospects like this turn into customers when they open their checkbook and pay cash for six figure motorhomes.
When our kids were both in college we opted for a pop-up because we love RVing and although we could afford the six figure motorhome, I would have sat at the window and cried becuase I couldn’t use it enough to warrant the investment. I had many a campground look down on us because we showed up in a pop-up. I was so mad at one in New Hampshire that I wanted to buy the campground and get the owners out of the business so they couldn’t spoil anybody else’s day.
However, by far, the majority of dealers and campground owners are wonderful people who understand that they (the dealers) are selling something that nobody really needs - but wants real bad. The campgrounds that do well understand that they are in the hospitality business and respond with incredible grace and professionalism when the real jerks show up.
On our motorhome vacation this past summer when I was doing a story on the Gulf Stream Super Nova and stayed at KOA Kampgrounds each night, I was truly impressed with the owners and their desire to create a great camping experience for their visitors.
If I was selling RVs I would take every prospect the other reps didn’t want to deal with, because those are the ones ready to buy if somebody would just respect them and meet their needs.
November 7th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
I agree…equal. I have had both kinds as well… some of the nicest folks I’ve met, from a service standpoint, and as a former CG manager had close to $1million rigs. I’ve had jerks with 30 year old beat up campers.. it runs the gammut.Just do the best you can with each, and I think you’ll win.
November 6th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
Greg,
I have spoken with many a campground owner in my travels with Pop UP Times magazine. The one thing that most have in common is their feelings about pop up campers - they’re families who come to have fun, they’re easy on the utilities and resources, they spend more in the camp store and their children love the game rooms. In general they are less demanding and spend more at the campground.
David Gorin, the past president of ARVC and renowned campground industry consultant even wrote an article about Why Campground Owners Love Pop Ups that we publsihed in our last issue.
Pop ups, like motorhomes, represent a life style and both have their opinions of the other. I have a photo of a class A towing a pop up and wonder who sleeps where.
November 6th, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Equal, equal but all good! That is how we treated every customer. We treated the pop-up buyer with as much respect as the Motorhome buyer…during the sale, in for service, storage, rental or what ever. We made friends first and customers later! It’s pretty hard to pick out a buyer’s social status in an rv dealership or campground for that matter. That is one of the great things about camping. It tends to bring all kinds of people together. Now, were there “characters” read…”A” holes, of one kind or another? You bet, we ran across some of them in our many years of operation. I’d like to say that jerks are jerks no matter what they buy or how deep their pockets are. I think it’s genetic! The best general rule is to treat all people the same way, all the time. Trying to pick out idiots is flawed and hazardous to your business.
November 6th, 2007 at 4:41 pm
As a Parts/Accessories Manager at 40 year old RV dealership, I can honestly say we meet ALL kinds! I have personally dealt with rude, demanding customers with every kind of rig and from every walk of life. I truly believe that a persons personallity, or lack there of is just who they are rich or poor. And so, after 30 years in customer service I have learned to take the good with the bad and adapt to the circumstances at hand. From my experience there are far more “good” folks out there than bad!
November 6th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
Hey Greg, great article! I believe I can honestly say that in all of my years of staying in Campgrounds, I have never met a Campground Owner or Manager that I did not like. By and large, they are all well mannered and courteous.
On one of our recent travels, my co-pilot and I witnessed a “happening” between the Owner of a 40 foot Diesel Pusher and the lady manager of a very nice csmpground. The owner of the Pusher was being an absolute A__ about the fact that he felt that the Campground should furnish firewood for his evening campfire. Yes, there was a large display of firewood stacked in neat bundles near the doorway to the Campground headquarters. Attached to the firewood display was a nice sign that read “Firewood for Sale”.
Now tell me, what was left out?
Maybe after you’ve put your life savings into a 40 foot Diesel Pusher that had every convenience except a swimming pool, you don’t have enough cash to purchase the firewood for the evening campfire.
But the Campground Manager, bless her heart, smiled sweetly and walked over to the firewood pile and returned with a bundle. She handed the firewood to the Pusher Owner.
On our evening walk later that evening, we noticed that the firepit near the Diesel Pusher was cold and dark. We also met the campground manager who mentioned that maybe Mr. Pusher did not have any matches.
Oh well, I love Campgrounds and their Owners/Managers. God Bless them all….
Gene
November 6th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
I agree, but some things have not changed. 25 years ago a seasoned rv salesman told me “If you want to be lonley in a campground, just park your pop up between 2 Airstreams” If you disagree with his profound observation you never delt with an Airstreamer in the 70’s or 80’s. 25 years ago some Airstream owners were so wrapped up in themselves and their Airstream they would either tell you how great they were or ignore you.
November 6th, 2007 at 2:44 pm
I have said it since I first started in this industry, there would be fewer headaches if we only had towables!
Better get your jogging shoes out for the high dollar guests!
I can tell you from working shows at RV Parks, they are the roughest! Although their not all full of complaints, the complainers out weigh the smiles! I’ll never understand how you can be retired and living in my opinion the best lifestyle and still be full of nothing but complaints!
November 6th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
In my opinion, this statement answers most questions: “owners of folding camping trailers rarely complain, the park owners said. They are grateful for the amenities offered by the park and are often among the friendliest campers in the campground”…Campground owners have provided facilities & service levels catering to that demographic almost exclusively for years…Now that the upper echelon of society has entered the market, they are overwhelmed by a demand for accommodation that exceeds their abilities & facilities…That is why savvy corporate entities are developing upscale RV properties as we speak…Speaking for myself & most of our customers - PLEASE HURRY!
November 6th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Greg, As a retired RV dealer, we look forward to your weekly tell it as it is, no holds barred commentary as a way to keep abreast of the current happenings and trends in the RV industry. Your willingness to tackle all subjects and not worry too much about being politically correct is refreshing to say the least. I suspect that you are right about the increasing difficulty in dealing with customers as you go up the scale in cost of unit as well as age and demographic of customer, with those used to the most power in their personal lives demanding the most consideration in their other dealings as well. It is for that reason that we used to bend over backwards serving the considerate and understanding customers, while seeing the more demanding people as a challenge to satisfy, while not giving them the little extras that we would give the nicer customers. That may be because we tried to treat everyone with courtesy and fairness, but it also may be the reason that we are ex-RV dealers! Sometimes you just get tired of the squeaky wheels, and look for calmer pastures! Keep up the good work.
November 6th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Hey Greg:
I thought we were supposed to feel sorry for these campground owners because Walmart National Parks were taking most of their customers!
I have been in the industry for 40 years and I find just the opposite, for the most part; the more affluent buyer is more willing to allow you to make a fair profit and is much easier to get along with after the sale whereas the chiseler doesn’t think you should make any profit and you have to put up with his after the sale B.S. to a much great extent.
With my company and our products we are dealing with a much larger % of First Time Buyers and yes, they are Boomers, but on the other hand they are complete novices when it comes to an RV so they usually require more hand holding until they reach a comfort level with their new coach.
I know very little about the campground business but I do know that a lot of RV Dealers do a very poor job when they deliver a high tech. product to a 1st Timer and as a result, they create a lot of the “After the Delivery Aggravation” themselves. Then they bitch because the customer bitches!!!
These are the same guys that tear a customers’ head off when it come to gross profit then when he returns a few years later and he is big time upside down they laugh at him and make jokes about him…..
November 6th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
All customers are not the same; nor are their expectations.
If you are not in business to satisfy your customers, you needed to reassess your objectives and/or your career.
Anonymous!!