Talin Manufacturing Contact Information Problem

[imadiver@swbell.net]

I was very much interested in getting a quote for the Guardian Plates for our 2004 40' Beaver Santiam PDQ. I submitted a request from their website contact us page and it informed me that it could take up to 2 weeks to respond. So, I waited and when I didn't hear from them, I started calling them. I left a couple of voicemails and finally on the second one Bethany called me back. When I mentioned to here that I had sent the request in via their website, she told me that they were having trouble getting the messages via the "Contact us" page. She proceeded to send me the forms to fill out with all the measurements and I did so. I am waiting for her reply, but she asked me to relay to this group that until they get the website communication problem fixed to please just call in on 352-942-2653.

I am looking forward in getting the Guardian plates on our coach. 

So, if your having trouble getting in contact with them, please just call and don't use the Contact Us website interface.

 

Good Luck,

Jim Randle

04 Beaver Santiam 40PDQ

Pipe Creek, Texas

[RBRODDER]

Thank you Jim!

[dreamweaver]

Had work done at Talin this year. Guardian plates installed plus other work. Great people to work with. E-mail Bethany for a quick response. bethany@talinrv.com. She does the scheduling. 

[imadiver@swbell.net]

dreamweaver, I must be doing something wrong, since I have posted this information, I did get an email message from Bethany stating that she had received my information and it was on her stack of "To Do" things. This was almost 2 weeks ago. For me this is NOT quick response. If anyone knows of a better place to get something like the Guardian Plates, please let me know. I'm not too sure this company can live up to providing service unless you're thinking 1-2 months is good service.

[Tom Cherry]

The Guardian Plates (or that name) are only manufactured by Talin.  Chris Throgmartin is the owner and member here.  I have included him in this post so that he is aware of the issue.... They are specifically designed to take care of the moisture infiltration as well as "refurbish" the under layer of the slide where it contacts the rollers.  Chris spent many years experimenting and many of us beta tested or provided feedback as they were being developed and improved.

Many shops have alternatives, I'm sure...but most are thin aluminum plates.  Some shops actually installed the "Trim Plates" that you see on residential doors.  Just putting a plate on the bottom does NOT correct the deficiency in the side seam and interface of the panels.  USUALLY, it is water infiltration here that causes the damage...and that water deterioration is very expensive to repair as the floor is a "foam sandwich".  It is NOT like floor joist system in a home or a studded wall.  The best insurance against costly repairs is to fix, as they should have been from day one, the seams on the side walls.  YES, some of us have had some scarifying or damage to the lower underlayment...which is barely 3/16" and has an almost micro plastic laminate coating.  BUT, the real benefit is that there will never be any water infiltration at the side seams.  Yes...  I have installed three sets of them....each in a different style of slide...and I understand a bit about the issue...

Chris @throgmartin

FYI as to some concerns.

Thanks....

 

[imadiver@swbell.net]

Tom,

I am not questioning whether their produce will and does resolve the issues that many of us have with the Monaco slides, rather the issue of slow or no responses from the company. As I posted in the original post, I submitted a request via their "Contact Us" page on their website and didn't ever get a response from them. I also had called and left a voice mail. I tried to call them again today in an attempt to find out when I might be getting a reply to my input of the various measurements. I couldn't leave a message to the voice mail box was full.

I find it very frustrating to request information from a company and get no or very slow response. I can only wonder if their response for a quote takes this long, how long will it take for them to send the product?

Thanks for your input.

[96 EVO]

3 hours ago, imadiver@swbell.net said:

 

I find it very frustrating to request information from a company and get no or very slow response. I can only wonder if their response for a quote takes this long, how long will it take for them to send the product?

Thanks for your input.

Seems to be a common problem with website 'Contact Us' forms!

I probably have filled out 3 or 4 of those forms to tire dealers, and never got any reply other than 'We received your request' email!

[Dave Shackelford]

Talin makes a great product. Installers there are great. I have been trying to contact Chris as well but no luck. We all need to send him messages until he responds so we can call him. Stay away from Britany 😞

Dave

 

[Georgia Mike]

I ordered Gaurdian plates back in July last year from Talin. Bethany told me up front that they were short staffed and very busy and it might take a little longer than usual so I was prepared for some delays. I was thinking maybe a month or so but I was way off. I received my Gaurdian plates the first week in December and I have to say I was very disappointed at how long it took. I had to reach out to Bethany most of the time to find out what was going on throughout the process and finally had to reach out to Chris through the site to get things going again. Over all I am very pleased with the quality of the plates and the installation kit that came with it I just wish it didn’t take so long to get. Bethany was always very nice and apologetic but she seemed like she had to be in three places at one time.

[imadiver@swbell.net]

Wow Georgia Mike, I like you would expect possibly a month to get the product in but it took 5 months to get your product. When I was checking for other reviews and problems, I found several complains on Indeed from previous employees that were not very good. 

As Tom posted, Chris is a member of this group and possibly these messages will up his interest and see what is happening on the communicating end of the business. 

I really don't want this to turn into a bash Talin thread, I'm just trying to see if what I am going through is out of the norm. 

[Scotty Hutto]

All,

As I consider Chris a good friend, I’m going to jump in here. I last spoke to Chris in February when I was at Talin. He’s dealing with some serious health issues that have him on very restricted duty. In addition to her duties at Talin, Bethany also helps Chris with travel to doctor appointments, etc., which pulls her away from her duties at Talin.  

I’m currently trying to checkin on Chris (I wanted him to respond to this thread), but I’m not getting a response, which is *very* unusual. 

If I get an update and permission to post it, I will. 

In the meantime, please show Chris and Bethany some grace as they deal with all of this. I understand the slow response is not acceptable, but I can only share what little info I have. 

[imadiver@swbell.net]

Scotty, I appreciate your update and fully understand medical issues. Please do share (if you can) any updates of their situation.

I am trying to get our coach ready for a trip in June so the sooner I can get these plates to install would be best. If not, I am going to have to make other arrangements for the trip. 

Best of luck and prayers to Chris and Bethany. 

[throgmartin]

To Everyone Here:

I first want to apologize for all the issues some of you are experiencing. There is absolutely no excuse for the lack of communication by Bethany. She is in the office 40 hours a week. I have no excuse and neither does she. We have had issues with our phone causing it to say " Voice mailbox full " but there have been very few problems with our website " contact us " messaging system. I am looking into why these contact us messages are being ignored. I am a stickler on communication including return calls and follow up e-mails or text messages. As a matter of fact you can say I am downright OCD about customer service.

I am currently in the process of doing a customer service analysis which includes timely responses to e-mails, phone calls and any other type of correspondence. I have had a few complaints from a few others outside this forum which prompted this analysis. I will not tolerate poor customer service. Period. I founded Stone Vos and Talin with the goal for both companies to provide exceptional customer service and quality work and products. Over the years we have enjoyed an excellent reputation for quality work, products and customer service. It appears my office staff has forgot my demands and directives in providing this.

I am not about to make excuses. There should be no delay in processing plate orders. We at times get 3 weeks behind on production but my goal is always to have plate orders shipped out in that time frame. My customer analysis is now showing this is not the case. To find out a plate order placed in July and shipped in December makes me livid to no end.

I have to admit here that all of these issues is my fault for trusting the company to one individual while thinking I could semi-retire. I thought I could back off on the day to day issues of the company to concentrate on my health problems. Sadly I see this is not possible. Maintaining quality and excellent customer service can be very hard to obtain for an absentee owner. Other company owners have found this to be true and unfortunately I have also.

I can assure you that this coming week will not be a pleasant one for my staff. I will be making some very big changes so Talin can get back to our the reputation we have enjoyed over the years of meeting and exceeding our customers expectations. In the meantime I do need some help from all of you. If you could kindly provide me with information on any issues you have had dealing with Talin in the last 6 months I would appreciate it. You can privately e-mail your comments to me at - chris@throgmartin.com  - or you can send me a private message here on the forum. Either way I do need to hear from you and promise full confidentiality.

Once again my sincere apologies for all that you have had to endure in the lack of communication and quality service.

 

 

41 minutes ago, imadiver@swbell.net said:

Scotty, I appreciate your update and fully understand medical issues. Please do share (if you can) any updates of their situation.

I am trying to get our coach ready for a trip in June so the sooner I can get these plates to install would be best. If not, I am going to have to make other arrangements for the trip. 

Best of luck and prayers to Chris and Bethany. 

I do want to clarify Jim that Bethany is not involved in my medical care. That is something I handle alone and am blessed to have amazing friends who can support me and look after me when the need arises. I have had multiple hospital stays in the last 2 years due to heart issues. None were pleasant and I am sure many of you who have had heart problems can testify to this. I am happy to say that the Doctors have finally stabilized my condition and I am doing very well now. The plumbing is OK, the problem has always been electrical. Thank you for your prayers Jim.

Could you please contact me directly at - chris@throgmartin.com or private message me here so I can get your plate order going.

[Susan and Don]

If something's not right, they won't stop until it's fixed! Chris' attention to customer services and his business practices are a rarity. Oh the stories we can tell about "other" service providers. We are blessed and thankful that we've found an incredibly knowledgeable service provider with golden business practices that will go above and beyond on ALL levels!

[LakeBob]

I'm in the process of ordering guardian plates for one of my slides. Spoke to Chris yesterday and I'm pleased to report that positive changes are taking place at Talin.  Of course, It will take some time to change the course and get the ship headed in the right direction.