Mr. and Mrs. RV Customer,

      Let me start by clarifying what I am not.

      I am not the manufacturer of your new recreational vehicle. It is not my doing that this item fell apart or that particular thing is made much better on the brand X across the street. I did not make this unit, so therefor I will not and can not claim any responsibility for its shortcomings.

      I did not sell this unit to you. I did not make any claims that this unit would live up to your every expectation. I did not profit by the sale of this unit in any way. I did not promise you that any minor or major inconvenience would be dealt with immediately.

      I am not the one that chose to buy this particular unit, from the many other choices out there, nor was I consulted on any of the above matters.

      What I am is the problem solver. I am the RV Technician.

The Recreational Vehicle Technician     part 2

by Les Doll

      Can your furnace problem be solved by by the manufacturer of your RV ?

      This I very much doubt, since the manufacturer merely buys the furnace, installs it in his coach, and sends it on its way. How many real technicians will you find on the factory assembly line ? After all, these are brand new furnaces, and any defective ones (if noticed) are returned to the furnace maker.

      Can the sales department solve this furnace problem ?

      Well, successful RV salespeople are skilled at selling RV's, the lesser skilled ones are soon weeded out.

      It is not mandatory for a successful salesperson to be able to repair any part of his product or even to know where it is located or what it is supposed to do. His or her job is to sell the product.

      Can the service and parts department solve your problem ?

      Now we are getting closer to resolving the situation, but the job of the service and parts department is not to repair furnaces but to schedule the time slot for the repair and to provide the wherewithal to enable the repair to take place.

      Can the RV technician solve your problem ?

      Yes, the RV technician is the one who can solve the problem. Most likely, the only one !

      The technician has only one real objective, and that is to solve the problem with your furnace.

      He can not tell you why things are not made the way they used to be, or why your cousin got a much better deal two days after you bought your unit. He has absolutely no say regarding the quality of the furnace that the manufacturer chooses to install, nor any input into the various processes or delays in resolving the situation.

      He gets the work order, (usually it just says something like "furnace won't go"), diagnoses the problem, using set trouble shooting techniques for that brand and model, proceeds to repair the problem and tests everything for proper operation. All this is done most efficiently without the intervention of any of the persons involved in the original transaction. In fact, any interference just slows down the solution to the problem, by the only one who is truly capable of solving the problem.

      He's only the fixer.