World United States Alabama Red Bay

Our little road trip - 2011

Red Bay AL May 23, 2011

We woke up about 7:30 at Camp Red Bay, as they call the company owned campground adjoining the 50+ service bays, where you can stay to take the tour or have your coach worked on. For $20 per night, or for free if it’s warranty work. Not the fanciest campground, but for the price and convenience, it is a pretty good deal. We left CRB to head to the Tiffin factory at about 8:45 for the 9:30 tour. While we were waiting for the tour to start, we met people who live in Sebring, people that live in Ormand Beach and a couple that used to live in Fort Lauderdale, that know a family that Kyle played baseball with years ago that live about a 30 second drive from our house. Small world - scary small at times. The tour took about an hour and they physically take you through the middle of almost the entire process, from making cabinets, welding the chassis, running the wiring, installing the flooring, putting up the walls, dropping the roof on and the finish work. The only thing we did not see – because it’s at a separate facility off the main property – is painting. And when I say “through the middle” I mean it. You are actually stepping over air hoses, getting sawdust all over you and having to step aside while they drive a chassis past you to the next step in the process. Very up close and personal. As opposed to Graceland which was a lot of “don’t touch”, “no flash photography”, “no audio or video recording” warnings, Tiffin tells you to take as many pictures and videos as you want, talk to the workers, poke around the coaches, just be careful. In fact when the tour is done, they tell you to get a visitor pass from the guard shack and you can wander anywhere you want in the factory - unescorted. Doesn’t Bob Tiffin know anything about liability? How can he possibly run a company like that? Well, customer service is one of the main reasons we bought a Tiffin. As an example, they keep every body part mold for every model that they have ever made in a warehouse. If you get in an accident and need, for example, a rear compartment door for a 1986 35’ Tiffin, they will make it for you and will charge you the 1986 price. Does Chevy do that? I don’t believe that they do. It’s too bad Mr. Tiffin was not in town today; we would really like to meet him and ask him just how he expects to stay in business doing things this way. But, enough about their destined-for-failure business model…We are scheduled to have our coach worked on tomorrow morning at 07:00 to get a couple minor things looked at and if they get it done by 1:00ish, we will head to Lynchburg TN, if not, we’ll spend another night. No worries…That’s all from CRB – it’s movie time.

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