November 2007 · Wednesday November 14, 2007
White Belt Chronicles # 4
I think that most RVers tend to be a pretty loyal bunch, particularly if they get good service and good value. RVers also are a supremely viral bunch; weather it be traditional word of mouth, on-line forums or blogs such as this one.
The power of the consumer has never been greater thanks to technology. This little article of mine can be read by thousands of people. Some may agree with my observations, and other may think I’m a little soft between the temples, but I find it somehow therapeutic to get these things off my chest.
Since Karla and I began RVing, we have always sought out good service providers to make our RVing experience more enjoyable. One of the regular stops we all have to make is for fuel. We have always sought out Flying J service centers for a number of reasons…….they are one of the few fuel chains that recognize RVs and go out of their way to cater to the unique needs of the RV Nation. Special fuel lanes that accommodate big rigs, dump stations at the fuel islands, propane, a special RV loyalty card with fuel discounts and a place to grab a pretty passable meal.
Maintaining brand consistency is a real challenge for every organization and I’m sure it’s hard to please everybody all the time. Well I think Flying J does a pretty good job of providing consistent service and value…..the fuel prices always seem to be competitive.
Now some of you might be saying, did they pay him to say this? Is he getting soft? Whoa! Slow down! I’ve got a few bones to pick with Flying J. First of all, we have tried to contact Flying J for several years to set up a story with them. Free, no strings attached editorial that would profile a company that recognizes the needs of RVers. Well, clearly, nobody at Flying J has any idea who we think we are. Nary a return phone call or email. That would appear to be common courtesy, but all I got was deafening silence from the Ogden, Utah head office.
I’m not done yet……
On a recent trip down to Connecticut we were wheeling Big Mo down I 90 in up-state New York and I asked Karla to pull out our trusty Flying J locater map and find the nearest fuel oasis to fill our Powerhouse Coach’s wallet-draining 300 gallon tanks. My co-pilot delivered the good news that we were very close to the only Flying J in New York state, at exit 48 on I 90…….whoo hoo!
I wheeled in expecting the usual carefree pit stop I had enjoyed at countless Flying J locations across the US and Canada. I pulled up to the propane fueling station that was located in the designated RV area. I called for service and out came a professional young man who filled up my empty 36 gallon tank…..so far, so good. Then I had to pull ahead to the fuel island…..that’s when the fun started. The card reader would not read my credit card or my Flying J RV Card, so after several attempts to activate the pump at the island, I had to go inside, wait in line and hand over my plastic to activate the pump. We have fuel tanks on both sides on our semi chassis based rig, so I started fueling on the passenger side only to discover that the fuel nozzle had no latch on it to allow me to keep it running while I went to the satellite pump. The satellite pump was without a latch as well so by the time I was done, my hand was cramping. The fueling process took 25 minutes! Yep, 25 long, frustrating minutes. Then it was back inside to line up for a second time to pay and retrieve my plastic that was being held hostage. Now we’re approaching 40 minutes on the entire propane/diesel transaction. Time to get back on the road right? Wrong! There was a semi truck backed in to the cash area making a delivery to the retail store. He was completely blocking the RV exit lanes. I asked the driver how long he thought he would be…….”about 20 minutes.” he said. So we set a new record for the amount of time it took us to refuel. I usually look forward to seeing a Flying J sign ahead, on this day, I was happy to see it in my rear camera.
And one more thing, if you’re going to offer a fuel discount, make a meaningful one. On a purchase of over $400.00 of fuel, my discount was a dollar and change……..Karla and I have consulted professional financial planners to help us decide what to do with our windfall.
We will continue to choose Flying J as a preferred fuel stop, but hopefully they will improve the shortcomings at their Pembroke, NY location and realize that RVers represent a worthy segment of the population to attract as customers. It would be nice to see some of the other fuel companies create facilities for us Rvers.
Got some good fueling experiences or horror stories? Post them here.
In the meantime, Travel Safe and Have Fun!
— Rob Engman
