mk216v
Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
Adam, I hope yours turns out ok if you stick with it. Seems that one other E-Series van'r I know who was on the "other list" and couldn't wait for it, has pulled their C*V spot and gone west instead.
Anybody heard from Colorado Camper Vans?
- Thread starter Augdog1964
- Start date
Adam, I hope yours turns out ok if you stick with it. Seems that one other E-Series van'r I know who was on the "other list" and couldn't wait for it, has pulled their C*V spot and gone west instead.
coloradocampervan
New member
CCV
Hey All,
Stephen here with Colorado Camper Van.
We have been watching this thread and its always difficult to know when to chime in.
I figured I would post something to let everyone here know that we see your comments/responses and we are working hard to change are processes and strategies to create more happy customers.
I hope any and all that are having problems contacting us please try again soon! I am the new sales guy for CCV. I have another full time job that I do so I do not always answer, but PLEASE leave a voicemail. We get TONS of spam calls, so I don't return all missed phone calls. I currently have zero e-mails in my inbox and zero voicemails to return. For those of you working directly with Derek, I would urge you to please contact me first. Derek is over loaded and sometimes he doesn't know how/when to delegate. Please e-mail me at stephenatcoloradocampervan.com or call the phone number on the coloradocampervan website 970-699-6000.
I do apologies to anyone that has had an unpleasant experience with CCV. We are a small business and going through growing pains. It has been a huge deal for Derek to bring someone like me on and to understand that he cant do it all. Please realize there are really great changes happening right now at CCV to ensure quality and success. We have a dedicated shop manager now too, anyone notice the new website? I know they seem like small steps, but they are none the less steps towards change.
Although we will always strive for the best quality we can, I hope people also understand that we will most likely never be outside van or van specialties. We are geared more towards the users. The users that have an average income and can't afford $60,000 conversions. We offer affordable prices that we think are ethical and moral. We charge fair prices for parts, and believe in helping the customer anyway we can. I hope everyone understands this!
Rest assured that you can talk to me anytime, and if anyone has any issues or concerns I am happy to talk to you on the phone or via e-mail about those concerns.
Thanks and have a great day,
Stephen
Hey All,
Stephen here with Colorado Camper Van.
We have been watching this thread and its always difficult to know when to chime in.
I figured I would post something to let everyone here know that we see your comments/responses and we are working hard to change are processes and strategies to create more happy customers.
I hope any and all that are having problems contacting us please try again soon! I am the new sales guy for CCV. I have another full time job that I do so I do not always answer, but PLEASE leave a voicemail. We get TONS of spam calls, so I don't return all missed phone calls. I currently have zero e-mails in my inbox and zero voicemails to return. For those of you working directly with Derek, I would urge you to please contact me first. Derek is over loaded and sometimes he doesn't know how/when to delegate. Please e-mail me at stephenatcoloradocampervan.com or call the phone number on the coloradocampervan website 970-699-6000.
I do apologies to anyone that has had an unpleasant experience with CCV. We are a small business and going through growing pains. It has been a huge deal for Derek to bring someone like me on and to understand that he cant do it all. Please realize there are really great changes happening right now at CCV to ensure quality and success. We have a dedicated shop manager now too, anyone notice the new website? I know they seem like small steps, but they are none the less steps towards change.
Although we will always strive for the best quality we can, I hope people also understand that we will most likely never be outside van or van specialties. We are geared more towards the users. The users that have an average income and can't afford $60,000 conversions. We offer affordable prices that we think are ethical and moral. We charge fair prices for parts, and believe in helping the customer anyway we can. I hope everyone understands this!
Rest assured that you can talk to me anytime, and if anyone has any issues or concerns I am happy to talk to you on the phone or via e-mail about those concerns.
Thanks and have a great day,
Stephen
wanderweg
New member
Thanks Stephen. You have always been up front with me and I appreciate that. Just got off the phone with Derek and feeling pretty good about the rig in the shop right now. Derek has been very flexible with my requests. One thing I did that I think has helped, is leave my van with CCV for a month. I think the extra time gives them extra focus on the details. My .02.
Mwilliamshs
Explorer
Sales guy tip: you should return all your calls/emails/whatever. A timely reply is likely to create a sale. A late reply might save a sale. No reply guarantees no sale. If you're getting lots of spam you can add repeat calls do your DNC list with your service provider. It's an efficient practice to determine the source of the spam and take steps to avoid it. It's an inefficient practice to deal with repeat spam. It's a faulty practice to neglect customers/potential customers due to spam.
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tequilasunset
Adventurer
BAM^^^
30+ years in cust svc/sales... basic rules apply.
Treat customer like a King increases odds of profitability.
Treat customer like a 2nd thought increases odds of no longer being profitable, AND/OR in business.
UPDATE: Derek did pay my local garage to repair his work. Ended up being 7 hours of labor for my mechanic, and he agreed the work was sloppy. You do the math...
While I appreciate the support, I agree with Mwilliamshs. With the technology we have availible today, being hard to get a hold of just doesn't make sense. Plus, to see Stephen chime in on this thread saying that they have been "watching this thread" but not responding is just annoying.
Stephen, I appreciate your calls and emails, but I hope you can understand my frustrations during this process and understand why I'm unable to support CCV moving forward.
ONWARDS
While I appreciate the support, I agree with Mwilliamshs. With the technology we have availible today, being hard to get a hold of just doesn't make sense. Plus, to see Stephen chime in on this thread saying that they have been "watching this thread" but not responding is just annoying.
Stephen, I appreciate your calls and emails, but I hope you can understand my frustrations during this process and understand why I'm unable to support CCV moving forward.
ONWARDS
Agreed. Also, it would have been better to leave out the full time job line. All that did for me was say "you're not that important as this is a side gig"
coloradocampervan
New member
Hey All,
This forum is something we have been watching because it is always hard to answer on forums. We prefer working with people face to face, otherwise things get lost in translation much like what has already happened since my first post. From working in other service related jobs, I know e-mails and forums are the least professional way to deal with conflict and customers.
As TetonVan mentioned, we did not reply to this thread immediately but he did have e-mails and phone calls directly from us. This is the preferred work method for us.
As far as this being a "side gig" for me, it is everything but that. I guess you can call it a side gig because of the compensation I receive from CCV. Rest assured the investment of my time and passion is much larger than a side gig. It is a passion that runs deep for me. Anyone that understand small business knows everything must start out as a "side gig". Not every small business has 10's of thousands of dollars to bring on good people. It all has to be done in steps, and for Derek to bring on myself and a new shop manager is huge for a small business owner. We realize we can't make everyone happy, but we will continue to try as hard as we can to do so no matter what we find on forums, e-mails, or word of mouth.
Thanks for watching this thread and checking up on our status as a company. It means a lot to us and we look forward to raising the bar, and help many in the future build their dream rigs.
Stephen
This forum is something we have been watching because it is always hard to answer on forums. We prefer working with people face to face, otherwise things get lost in translation much like what has already happened since my first post. From working in other service related jobs, I know e-mails and forums are the least professional way to deal with conflict and customers.
As TetonVan mentioned, we did not reply to this thread immediately but he did have e-mails and phone calls directly from us. This is the preferred work method for us.
As far as this being a "side gig" for me, it is everything but that. I guess you can call it a side gig because of the compensation I receive from CCV. Rest assured the investment of my time and passion is much larger than a side gig. It is a passion that runs deep for me. Anyone that understand small business knows everything must start out as a "side gig". Not every small business has 10's of thousands of dollars to bring on good people. It all has to be done in steps, and for Derek to bring on myself and a new shop manager is huge for a small business owner. We realize we can't make everyone happy, but we will continue to try as hard as we can to do so no matter what we find on forums, e-mails, or word of mouth.
Thanks for watching this thread and checking up on our status as a company. It means a lot to us and we look forward to raising the bar, and help many in the future build their dream rigs.
Stephen
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As someone who purchased an GMC Safari with a Colorado Camper Van top previously installed. I have had nothing but good experiences with the company. They sent me a quote of all the work done so that i could get it financed and talked to my insurance guy so that I could get it insured correctly. My next (hopefully larger) van will get a Colorado Camper Van pop top. I cant really speak for any of their other work but we love our poptop and I'm happy they're still building tops for 10-20 year-old vans.
Stroverlander
Adventurer
Kilo, that's good to hear especially considering, as you mentioned - there are not many poptop options out there for the Astro / Safari vans.
This is the response one ASV member recently received when inquiring about a poptop from another company:
This is the response one ASV member recently received when inquiring about a poptop from another company:
Haha that response it pretty cold... At least he got a response though. I never heard back from GTRV after multiple inquiries about adding a top to my E350...
rockbender
Adventurer
Since we are in the world of the internet that often finds itself thriving on negativity, I thought I would throw in two cents worth of happy thoughts:
We've had our CCV top installed on our Express van for a little over a year now and mostly have nothing but good to say about it. The top was installed on an empty cargo van, and I pulled the trim pieces off while I was building the interior and didn't see anything overly concerning with the installation. I ended up making some changes to the electrical side of things, but that was due to my layout and CCV accommodated this by leaving extra loops of wire behind the switches so I didn't have to splice wires after the fact.
In function, we couldn't be happier with the top. The pro's/con's compared with an SMB top have been discussed before, but here are the things we've really appreciated:
1. The storage space in the penthouse while driving is amazing. In an RB van with a family of 4, we're able to put all the bedding for upstairs and downstairs up there as well as a guitar and some clothes. I love how well this frees up the cabin during travel.
2. The ability to sit up while in the penthouse adds a great amount of livability in a small van. Simple tasks such as sitting up reading books with the kids or getting dressed were nearly impossible with the SMB top. It again adds a lot more versatility to the small van.
3. The extra storage over the drivers seat is welcomed. While driving, we store towels up there. Once the top is popped this space works great to get car seats out of the way and/or store our small water jug.
4. The double wall canvas seems to do it's job well. Our fingers are crossed that it will live a long life!
5. With the top down, the increased ceiling height is nice in the area without the penthouse. At 5'-6", my wife can stand straight up.
The stop still goes up and down without missing a beat. The top sits down nice and square, and the seal seems to have nice consistent contact. As far as issues go? I have noticed that our screen mesh has torn away from the seams in a few spots and I need to investigate that and figure out what the fix needs to be. I also might have chosen a different way to bring power in for the top, but since I ended up running a larger wire from front to back to combine battery systems it was a bit of a moot point. That's about it - in my case the install was actually cleaner than what I would have imagined. No regrets here!
Glad to hear there is some extra help at CCV!
We've had our CCV top installed on our Express van for a little over a year now and mostly have nothing but good to say about it. The top was installed on an empty cargo van, and I pulled the trim pieces off while I was building the interior and didn't see anything overly concerning with the installation. I ended up making some changes to the electrical side of things, but that was due to my layout and CCV accommodated this by leaving extra loops of wire behind the switches so I didn't have to splice wires after the fact.
In function, we couldn't be happier with the top. The pro's/con's compared with an SMB top have been discussed before, but here are the things we've really appreciated:
1. The storage space in the penthouse while driving is amazing. In an RB van with a family of 4, we're able to put all the bedding for upstairs and downstairs up there as well as a guitar and some clothes. I love how well this frees up the cabin during travel.
2. The ability to sit up while in the penthouse adds a great amount of livability in a small van. Simple tasks such as sitting up reading books with the kids or getting dressed were nearly impossible with the SMB top. It again adds a lot more versatility to the small van.
3. The extra storage over the drivers seat is welcomed. While driving, we store towels up there. Once the top is popped this space works great to get car seats out of the way and/or store our small water jug.
4. The double wall canvas seems to do it's job well. Our fingers are crossed that it will live a long life!
5. With the top down, the increased ceiling height is nice in the area without the penthouse. At 5'-6", my wife can stand straight up.
The stop still goes up and down without missing a beat. The top sits down nice and square, and the seal seems to have nice consistent contact. As far as issues go? I have noticed that our screen mesh has torn away from the seams in a few spots and I need to investigate that and figure out what the fix needs to be. I also might have chosen a different way to bring power in for the top, but since I ended up running a larger wire from front to back to combine battery systems it was a bit of a moot point. That's about it - in my case the install was actually cleaner than what I would have imagined. No regrets here!
Glad to hear there is some extra help at CCV!
I, too, would like to chime in on the CCV Top. In April of 2014 we had one installed on our E150 van plus Derek built an interior to our specifications and added a solar panel on top. We took the van on a maiden voyage from Colorado to the coast of South Carolina in May of that year. We also could not be happier with the top - it performed as expected. We did have issues here and there with the interior and the solar but Derek did fix everything when we took it back in. This was without a lot of frustration, however. He was hard to get a hold of at times. There were issues with many items and he did take care of them, it just took a long time. We feel that he is just so overwhelmed with all the business he has. It is good to see he has finally gotten some help - this is something that was needed for years.
Since the install we have taken many trips and used the top many times. So far all is good. I agree with Rockbender about all the pro's. As far as the mesh tearing away, I, too, have that same issue. I have used some waterproof glue to keep the mesh from tearing away any more and so far it has worked.
Everywhere we go we always get comments from other campers in the area we are in. They always want to know where we got it installed. The top is quite an attention getter!
Since the install we have taken many trips and used the top many times. So far all is good. I agree with Rockbender about all the pro's. As far as the mesh tearing away, I, too, have that same issue. I have used some waterproof glue to keep the mesh from tearing away any more and so far it has worked.
Everywhere we go we always get comments from other campers in the area we are in. They always want to know where we got it installed. The top is quite an attention getter!
Thanks for chiming in guys. Even with all the communication woes, the CCV top seems to be the best bet-considering the other options on the market.
Any insight as to why the mesh is tearing? does the motor power out against the mesh stitching when it opens? having not seen one in person id be very interested to see photos of the CCV install and the screen damage if youve got them.
Any insight as to why the mesh is tearing? does the motor power out against the mesh stitching when it opens? having not seen one in person id be very interested to see photos of the CCV install and the screen damage if youve got them.
mk216v
Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
Curious as to your findings SMB vs CCV vs GT-RV.
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