RIV Report?

[Glenn Allen]

Macy,

I want to thank you and your team's commitment to the Wanderlodge.
Little is certain of our futures, but I have been pleased to see the
continued efforts of CCW in these difficult situations when all
others are retracting or closing. I trust that these bumps in the
road will soon smooth and our course for success will become more
certain.

I especially wish you success with your health. Thank you for
taking the time and sharing your perspective.

BEST Regards,

Glenn Allen
1986 PT-40
Marietta, GA



--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, Macy Neshati
wrote:
>
> 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
>