If you’re looking for a Class B and want something exceptional, Grech RV is going to be a hard company to ignore. Coming out of the limousine and luxury bus building business, Grech returned to RVs when COVID almost completely eliminated demand for buses and limos. But they didn’t just step into the RV industry gingerly. They went in feet first and really set themselves apart. In fact, their approach to RV customer service could be revolutionary. (At least, we hope so.)
Refreshingly, the way Grech RV supports their owners is completely counter to how RV companies normally do it. In an industry in need of a higher customer service standard, Grech RV is clearly doing pioneer work.
Let’s take a close look at what that new RV customer service standard looks like.
How Grech RV’s Origins Led to a New Approach to RV Customer Service
Before we talk about the new standard for RV customer service that Grech RV is leading, let’s talk about the standard is in the RV industry right now. Basically, what’s typical. Most RV companies handle warranty claims through dealerships. From the start, owners are expected to exhaust that channel (the dealership) before considering calling the manufacturer. This process has proven less popular with some RV customers. (Especially those whose local RV dealerships may be unenthused about helping them with the repairs once the RV has left their property.)
That kind of customer service was completely foreign to Grech’s origins in the luxury people mover business. In that business, professional contractors whose vehicle was inseparable from their business demanded quality and responsive service. That kind of service is in the Grech DNA. And when they made their move into the RV industry, they took that same ethic and applied to RV customer service.
Making RV Customer Service More Personal and Responsive
In an incredible contrast with the industry, Grech RV encourages owners to contact them first — and even provides Grech RV customers with an advocate that can help them with any repairs or questions. Remarkably, company provides its owners with a specific telephone number and assigns a team member to the owner. So, you create a personal relationship with the company.
What Grech RV has found is that the vast majority of the issues can be simply resolved with a phone call. In fact, most are not a technical issues at all, just an owner that needs a little help. Which is totally normal for new owners of any RV. By talking with owners over the phone, Grech RV saves them time and money — especially with regards to unnecessary services. For those cases where there actually is an issue, Grech RV will even assign an approved technician to repair the issue.
On the other side of the coin, there are so many stories where RV owners can often spend months waiting for approval of repairs or awaiting spare parts. It’s not unusual that someone discovers an issue with the RV at the start of camping season and then have that RV awaiting repairs during the entire camping season.
Grech RV offers a welcome contrast. It’s no wonder that the company has extremely enthusiastic owners.
Investing in Class B Build Quality
Grech RV is a private company with founder Ed Grech at the helm. In my personal experience, I’ve found that these smaller, private companies often have a greater respect for their own names and, thus, produce a better product. I recently got to watch David Reagan, the director of R&D at Grech RV, give a tour of the operation at the company.
The materials used in the vans they build are really top notch. Many of the pieces that are installed on the exterior of their vans utilize stainless steel components rather than plastic or less expensive materials. This means that rust won’t be an issue over time. Stainless steel is a much more expensive material than traditional steel but has the advantage of being rust resistant.
While the company minimizes any cuts that have to be made to the exterior of the van (more on this in a minute), where holes are necessary they use a pattern system. That keeps each hole exactly where it should be so that it matches up with any interior component, many of which are cut by computer-controlled cutting machines. The upholstery and interiors of Grech RV products are cut using this precision process. So, everything is precise and matches as it should.
What the Wiring Says About the Build
Another process that has sets the company apart is the wiring. Most automotive manufacturers wire their vehicles in very specific ways according to a specific process. If you look at your personal vehicle (talking cars and trucks here), a red wire on your own vehicle does the same thing as a red wire on any vehicle on the lot.
RVs are typically different. Line workers pull wire from a spool and string it according to need. A white wire with a blue stripe on your RV might serve a completely different function on your RV than it does on the one built right after yours.
Buy wiring things intentionally results in far fewer issues. When diagnosing an issue, things are much simpler. In fact, Grech RV provides owners with wiring diagrams of their rigs and has them available on their website.
As someone who managed an RV dealer warranty department, one of the ways I would get a laugh out of an RV company was to ask for a wiring diagram. (I’m quite serious.) In many cases, they just don’t exist. So, when you do have an issue, you’re paying a technician their hourly rate just to first figure out the wiring on your RV and then diagnose the issue. The way Grech RV does it is smarter. Plain and simple.
Cutting and Bolting Like Craftsmen
Regarding those holes in the exterior of the rig, if you look at many even premium Class B RVs, you’ll see multiple holes cut for water and power. On a Grech RV model — like the Strada-ion Lounge — there is a single hole behind a door. That means that, when you’re not hookup to services, there no visible sign that you have these connections.
The company also reinforces any seating surface with steel and conducts industry-standard testing on any seat belts installed in the van.
Something else I saw in the production process was that there are bolts secured inside the van for things like solar panels and other items on the roof. So, rather than simply using sheet metal screws, Grech RV bolts these items purposely.
And once all these bolts and provisions for things like air conditioners have been cut into the rig, Grech RV pulls the van into a wet bay. There, water is sprayed onto the rig for three hours. During that time, a team member looks for any hint of a leak inside the van.
On the subject of water, Grech was happy to state that their holding tanks are now 3D-printed. The company explained that this process results in a more consistent tank with more consistency wall thicknesses. It also allows them to create the shapes that they need. The tanks are, of course, also heated and all the plumbing to and from the tank is insulated.
A Promising Trend in RV Customer Service
The whole process that Grech RV uses to build their RVs shows a very strong attention to detail and quality. And it’s smart. After all, the better quality the build, the less customer service a model will likely need. Even so, the fact that they take ownership of the customer service process is miles ahead of where many RV companies are. And it stands out in a big way.
As an aside, I have some friends who work in another young RV company. And I honestly think that the products they make are pretty good. However, the company seems to have made some poor choices when it comes to dealerships. And, since their customer service goes through the dealership … you guessed it. The drum beat on the internet is not very positive. (At all.) Sure, there are some standout stories, but there’s even more complaints about lack of availability of service. In my opinion, it’s truly damaging the brand.
Grech RV is the polar opposite.
Grech RV has taken a really good product and made it even better with the way they handle their RV customer service issues. No RV is perfect. And no company is perfect, but how that company takes ownership of the situations that do arise can make all the difference in the world.
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