Hearthlist Digest #546 - Monday, December 18, 2000
 
Re: VC / God save me by "Grant Darrow"
  by "by way of Craig Issod" <[email protected]>
 

(back)
Subject: Re: VC / God save me by "Grant Darrow"
From: "by way of Craig Issod" <[email protected]>
Date: Sun, 17 Dec 2000 17:56:22 -0500
 
Now, now Grant, don't be discouraged. They may be getting what they
deserve.
 
Poor customer support seems typical after a hearth industry buyout. It's
got to be the result of deliberate management decisions.
 
Now that the buyouts of VC and Whitfield are over, reality has set in
from the deliberate management decisions to cut service and it shows.
The only buyouts that I can think of in the history of our industry
where dealer support actually improved was when Travis bought Avalon and
Fireplace Xtrordinair. HON, to their credit, kept good support going at
the same level, after they bought Heatilator and Heat-N-Glo.
 
Have you been trying to get Whitfield support from the Dave Lennox
folks? It's actually been much worse than trying to VC support from CFM.
Some dealers have incredible stories to tell about the situation.
 
I think it takes quite an investment in good salaries, good benefits and
a good working environment to keep the kind of capable people needed for
good customer service. Neither organization has shown much interest in
investing in the capable support people needed to save what's left of
the Whitfield and VC reputations.
 
My guess is that CFM is so intent on making VC such a commodity brand
with so much multiple, overlapping distribution that there will never
again be much specialty hearth dealer interest or support.
 
The only possible satisfaction in this abuse of dealers may be that poor
customer support causes dealers to take their business to other
manufacturers, and that CFM and Lennox stock values have absolutely
cratered during the last 12 months.
 
It looks like the the stampede to other manufacturers may be on.
 
 
Roger Sanders