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For Macy - dwalks@... - 10-29-2008 03:51
I've never met Mr. Chaffin or Mr. Neshati, however I agree as to what Macy wrote. Mr. Chaffin maybe has some issues that he needs to address and I suppose he had no other choice than to vent on this web site. I hope he get things done to his satisfaction. We all hope that BB survives and does well. Being a pilot I have read the reports about the plane crash, very strange deal. I'm sure youhad your plate full with all the turmoil.Best of luck to you Macy and CCW
Walker
84fc35
kcmo
For Macy - Bob Lawrence - 10-29-2008 04:19
I just want to weigh in here on this discussion.
I believe in giving CCW the support that I can in these difficult
times.
I'm sure it must be difficult to have this happen just after your
buying a company, but I want to give kudos to you for backing the
warrenty issue.
I doubt I will ever win the lottery (have to buy a ticket first), but
if I did, I would look to getting a new BB.
All motorhomes have problems, that is the nature of the beast, but I
would buy another one in a heartbeat if I had the resourses.
I support BB and CCW at present by buying parts. It's the least I can
do.
Thanks for your help with a return issue (small one)that I had.
You are a good ally to have in our corner.
Sorry to hear about the health issues. I truly wish you the best
outcome.
Bob Lawrence
84 PT36
Leaving Branson Mo. after workcamping here 6 months-on the road again.
> I have wrestled with my response for two full days now and I still
don't
> know where to start. I will for sure start by thanking several
people
> including Curt Sprenger, Eric Perplies, David Brady, Ernie, and Tom
Warner
> for their support and to answer a simple question from Jim
> Riorden regarding the number of Blue Birds at the 2007 RIV it was
198 not
> the 400 that it has grown to by some accounts in the last few days
of these
> posts.
>
> Just as importantly, I want to apologize for my failure to attend
this years
> rally. It was my idea to move it, I thought it would be fun and a
change of
> pace, and last year at the RIV our informal poll of attendees showed
> overwhelming support. However as this year has unfolded we have been
> besieged by the worst economic downturn in recent history, a credit
crisis,
> a further blow as a result of the axle recall that we could not have
> anticipated
> the death of our CEO's brother and business partner this past April
forcing
> Dale to become active in two additional business units, and capped
off with
> my personal health issues. As many of you know I have been battling
with
> Parkinsons for several years now and this past 90 days my symptoms
finally
> outran the medications ability to control them, forcing me to spend
several
> weeks with my doctors experimenting with new drugs and doses and
deciding
> which side effects I could live with for the relative relief
> they provided. Consequently as I was under physicians care at the
time I
> simply could not make it. Dale has been consumed in dealing with
the loss of
> his brother, consolidating the companies and dealing with issues I
would
> normally be responsible for and therefore was covering a pressing
business
> obligation for me.
>
> Not wishing to reveal too much of my or Dale's personal struggles I
asked
> Rick Clayton to simply apologize for our absence and hope that
people would
> understand that there may be years were circumstances simply won't
allow
> Dale and or I to attend. However the very vial and personal nature
of the
> attacks that have ensued over the last few days have compelled me
to share
> my situation more openly as the last thing I expected to do is to
> offend any of you by taking our lack of presence as a lack of
interest or
> desire to be with you.
>
> I must take very strong and pointed exception to Mr. Chaffin's
attacks first
> and foremost on behalf of the company and the hardworking people
who have
> labored against all odds to succeed in these adverse times, and
secondly on
> behalf of myself for being called a liar, not just once but several
times by
> Mr. Chaffin. In over 30 years as a business executive I have never
witnessed
> this lack of civility. How many of you think it is
> acceptable for someone who has a different perspective on a set of
> circumstances than you do, to go on a public forum and call you a
liar? Has
> the internet, emails, blogs and such dehumanized us to the point
that we
> find it OK to publicly slander and defame people? Does this forum
find this
> behavior acceptable?
>
> I will not dignify Mr. Chaffin's allegations and claims of warranty
on this
> site and in this public arena. I will state emphatically that we
have spent
> millions of dollars covering warranty claims on units that we felt
were
> legitimate and there are hundreds of you out there that know this
is true as
> you have been the beneficiaries of our warranty work. I have dozens
and
> dozens of emails from customers thanking us for our hard work on
> Their behalf and in many cases telling us we fixed the problem when
the
> previous owners couldn't.
>
> I do want to address many of the false allegations from several of
you that
> have appeared over the last few days: That we built all the M380
and LXI's
> and profited from them but won't spend the warranty money.
> FACT
> We did not build a single M380, and only one 450 LXI, and the
owners of the
> one we built reported to me as recently as a week ago that they
love it and
> have had great joy from it. However we have poured millions into
warranty
> coverage on legitimate warranty
>
> "They knew about the axle problem when they bought the company"
> FACT
> We did not have any knowledge of the axle problem when we bought the
> company, this particular piece of slander is particularly
disturbing on many
> fronts, but simply put, we aren't stupid, we would never have
purchased the
> company knowing this, the impact on owner confidence, the costly
recall
> process, not counting the repair cost, and the delay in coming to
market
> based on the need to completely redesign and reengineer the unit
would have
> been more than enough to stop the deal. And we all know where that
> Would have left Wanderlodge and you all. Cerberus had stopped all
work on
> the Wanderlodges, and were ready to shut down the business had we
not bought
> it.
>
> Instead, we bought the business, redesigned the product to meet
weight
> requirements, and went right down the line to fix the historic weak
points,
> we engineered fixes for leaks, slides were a problem, went back to
HWH
> slides, inverters were a problem went to two Trace pure sine wave
4000 watt
> inverters, house wiring a problem, went to the industry standard
spyder
> controls, the list goes on and on.
>
> We were confronted with the front axle problem, forced Blue Bird
Body to the
> table, got them to file the NHTSA recall and have worked night and
day with
> owners to get their units as functional as possible. You want to
scoff and
> belittle the fix? Don't scoff at us, we are doing everything in our
power to
> fix a problem we didn't and would not have created.
>
> Many owners are thrilled with their reworked units, they have ample
cargo
> capacity, better handling due to a lower CG and a quieter less
vibrating
> generator installation. Are some unhappy, sure, again, not our
fault, not
> our problem but we have done everything in our power to make things
as right
> as we can. I truly and honestly don't understand how this issue is
turned on
> us in anger.
>
> Now to our future and the Wanderlodge's survival. Roughly 16 months
ago when
> we bought the company it was widely believed in the industry that
the
> economy was stable, that the RV industry was continuing to grow and
would
> through at least 2009. If you don't believe me go look up last years
> University of Michigan RV industry economic report, widely held as
the bible
> for the industry.
>
> Look were we sit today, two out of the three largest lenders to the
RV
> industry, Wachovia and GE are out of the business, National RV....
Bankrupt
> gone, Weekend Warrior, Bankrupt gone, several other smaller guys,
gone...
> Fleetwood, stock at .25 cents, delisted from the New York stock
exchange,
> nearly gone, Monaco, hanging on by a thread, their dealers have no
more
> floor plan money to buy anymore units, nothing is selling.
>
> RV sales..down 60% and what is selling is at massive discounts, no
one is
> making money. Ten Thousand RV's in San Diego, gone, La Mesa,
closing and
> consolidating stores.
>
> Why don't we have dealers?? The credit crisis has left them with no
floor
> plan money. Simply put they can't afford to buy a stock unit.
>
> So here is the greatest contradiction I have heard yet, "We don't
want to
> see
> CCW fail"
>
> "But I won't buy a new Blue Bird because what if CCW fails"......
anyone
> else
> see the flaw here?
>
> If we don't sell RV's how do we survive? if you want to see us
survive,
> you need to buy Blue Birds... If you don't buy Blue Birds, you not
only
> guarantee our demise... You are responsible for it.
>
> Someone else steps in to criticize us for being late with the 2009
RV for
> the
> FMCA, and for the poor showing our then dealer made of coaches.
>
> The axle issue came up and forced us to redesign the RV to provide
a product
> with respectable cargo capacity on a legal front end. Do you know
the work
> that goes into that kind of engineering feat? While juggling a
recall? What
> you should be proud of is that your brand has new owners that
refused to
> build or ship a product that wasn't engineered or built correctly,
even if
> it missed the whole show.
>
> Our company has poured double digit millions into this Brand to
keep the
> doors open what has that meant to you? So you could get warranty on
product
> we didn't build and wouldn't have built or shipped as designed, to
perform
> recall work for defects in design we didn't design on product we
didn't
> build, to redesign and reengineer a Blue Bird Product to make you
and us
> proud, we decided to trudge on through the worst economy in recent
memory
> and a credit crunch like nothing we have ever seen, and we
> built a beautiful Premier XL. But Mr. Chaffin goes on and on about
where to
> get them fixed and blasts us for not having dealers. what if we
hadn't
> bought the company? No telling how the recall would have gone, who
would
> have done your warranty. How many of you have benefited from us
being here
> to fix your units both in Riverside and Fort Valley? To buy parts
from us?
> Have we had turn over? Sure, people will get scared as a company
slows down
> and has to right size in this type of economic crisis and some will
jump
> ship, is that something to go online and blast us for?
>
> And on a final false assertion by Mr. Chaffin, the 2006 we brought
to
> Branson would have to be parked by the new owner, not useable.
>
> FACT
> It has had the recall done, is fully functional has outstanding
front end
> weight numbers and wouldn't have to be parked in anyone's driveway
other
> than to restock for the next journey.
>
> I have said enough, maybe too much....we have done all we can, we
fixed the
> Design problems, enhanced the product with top of the line
features, provide
> a better ride than any Prevost, build a tougher more rugged chassis
than
> Prevost or Newell, enhanced our warranty by going to a 12 year
chassis,
> structure and body warranty and provide better craftsmanship and
> construction than a fiberglass Newell.
>
> The rest is up to you. No company, no matter how well financed,
stays in
> business if the product isn't selling, not because they run out of
cash, it
> just isn't good judgment.
>
> For now, we are tightening our belts and weathering the storm. We
have a
> beautiful 2009 (RV 02) for sale, Our first 2009, as many saw at
Branson is a
> 1 1/2 bath that was purchased by George and Vel Kistler. We are so
grateful
> for their support and loyalty.
>
> We do understand the importance and the value of a good rally. But
given the
> unique nature of the economic crisis we are faced with, the almost
daily
> business failures, and the need to find ways to weather this storm
we made
> judgment calls as to where to place priorities, we didn't mean to
slight
> anyone, and we will work hard to return next years rally to its
previous
> glory.
>
> But I stand by our decisions this year and ask you
> to consider walking a mile in the other guys shoe before lashing
out. It is
> seldom as simple and as clear cut as it seems looking in.
> As always, travel safe
> Macy
>
>
>
> Macy
> Macy Neshati
> Vice President, Sales & Marketing
> Complete Coach Works & Blue Bird Coachworks
> Office: 951-684-9585 Cell: 951-836-6525 Fax: 951-684-9585
> Visit Our Websites: http://www.completecoach.com
&http://www.bluebirdcoachworks.com
>