Patients the key to working with repairers

Many Australians work hard and long to buy a motorhome, caravan, or camper. That’s because it is one of the largest consumable items you purchase over your lifetime.

With the global pandemic causing overseas travel to remain off the cards, Australians have made the most of easing restrictions by choosing to hitch up a new home-on-wheels and see this wide brown land.

As a result, caravan dealers are reporting record sales, while many holidays parks are being overwhelmed with visitors. On the downside, increased RV traffic has seen an increase in both the wear and tear on RV components as well as an increase in accidental damage to caravans, motorhomes and campers.

Insurance claims surge

Recent insurance data showed that since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, the insurance industry in Australia has seen a shift in the types of claims submitted as Covid-19 related travel disruptions.

The country’s largest insurer IAG, with subsidiaries NRMA, CGU, SGIO and SGIC, said travel-related claims had surged as early as May 2020.

"Given the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, we have also seen a substantial increase in travel insurance claims," IAG said in a statement.

Covid-19 has disrupted supply chains making it difficult for many caravan and motorhome repairers to service the insurance claims rapidly.

RV & Caravan Centre spokesman Matt Linton said that while supply chain disruption impacts on all manufacturers and repairers, repairers that operate from centres in multiple locations like RV & Caravan Centre have been more resistant to the impact of the covid-19 supply chain difficulties.

Matt Linton said that operating from three centres means that RV & Caravan are better able to manage its spare part supply so that customers need are meet as soon as possible.

It is a challenging problem. The Caravan Industry Association of Australia has pointed to the problem in a statement saying, ‘whilst a reasonable level of component or product stock may be held by Australian based stockists… in some cases they are required to be shipped from Europe or China before being forwarded to the repairer. This causes significant delays in repair, which has been further exacerbated by COVID-19 related impacts on supply chains.’

Matt said that while RV& Caravan Centre has the advantage gained from synchronising stock across its three centres, most repairers are finding it difficult to keep up with demand.

He said, ‘It is also very important for customers to remember that working on caravans is slow and sometimes physically demanding work and quality work does take time, especially with existing supply disruptions.’

Suppliers overwhelmed

RV & Caravan Centre Insurance and Purchasing Leader Tim Seivers agreed with Matt saying that they are having to work hard with customers making sure that they listen to the clients’ needs and negotiate a suitable result that accommodates the supply chain problems, puts the right resources to the problem and keeps timeframes as low as possible.

In terms of the sort of repairs they are seeing, he said he is currently seeing a wide range of repairs from broken solar panels ripped or torn side-cladding.

Despite their hard work to meet customer needs, Tim said that he said such is the problem with supply that even some of his biggest supplies seem ‘overwhelmed by how busy the industry has got.’ Tim and Matt both contend that patience is the key because patients during Covid disruptions will mean that RV&Caravan Centre customers will get quality work as soon as possible.

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