FAQ: When will I get my Drifter? How long are people waiting?

Whoa! Congrats. That is awesome. When did you get the word it was ready? I am 159 and have not heard anything.

 

After a quick read of your post I thought you meant just adding a hinge to the ePanel. Rereading it I now interpret it as in fact replacing the glass with ePanel in the “standard canopy frame/hinge”.

Was just over excited/shocked to get the final invoice and my reading comprehension was lacking. Which isn’t really the final because now I’m adding in all the extra options.

 

For those who have received their campers how much notice did you get for pick up? Like many, I paid my final invoice last month and want to plan a family vaca to, ironically, Cali. Ideally I would like to pickup the camper AND do the vaca the same trip but I also don’t want to postpone the vacation waiting for the camper and then not have the camper ready until like January

 

I wouldn't base a trip around picking up your camper unless Phil has given you a very solid date! I planned several trips around when I thought it would be done based on emails. Those came and went. I was very persistent coming close to the last and final delivery date. Even with the final date, slippage occurred right down to the UPS guy the day of installation. I had a lot of time so it worked for me. To answer your question, not much. Your buying a camper that can be compared to a work of art and that takes time. Photo is last week on the RimRocker trail!

 

Anyone see on the comments thread on the most recent Instagram post from late August that someone contacted Chamber of Commerce to confirm they're still in business since they are completely MIA in terms of communication? I swear I'm having a daily battle with myself about whether I should stick it out or sell my spot and take my money elsewhere. It's painful!

 

I agree with you, it was definitely a painful process to wait so long with limited communication. I finally picked up our camper last Friday and got to meet Jay and Phil. They were super nice and took a lot of time to get the camper set up on our truck exactly how we needed it. Those guys have been working a ton, nearly 7 days a week and dealing with a lot of the same supply chain issues that I deal with in my company. They definitely need to hire a customer service person whose sole job is to answer phone calls and emails and keep people updated on their builds, because the product is truly excellent, but the purchasing process leaves a lot to be desired. I'd hate for them to get a reputation that hurts their business, because they are working super hard and have designed a really bomber camper.

 

Stoked to hear you finally got your camper!!! They've needed to hire a communications person for a long time, unfortunately I think the reputation has been built at this point given the comments you consistently see on their social media. As long as it doesn't impede their business and I still get my Drifter at some point in the next six to eight months (trying to be hopeful but realistic) I'll be happy.

 

Any updates from their team on how delayed they are + when they expect ramp up and supply resolution?

 

It sounds like they've got redundant subcontractors now for some of their laser cutting and metal forming, which seems to have been a big part of their delay. They also seemed to have lots of windows on hand, which also was a pinch point for them a while back.

 

Any explanation why they cannot provide accurate push dates to everyone in this group? I would assume their suppliers are providing recovery plans/worst case supply schedules.

 

I would guess they are constantly playing whack-a-mole with different supply chain and production issues that pop up. You can imagine a scenario where: First, lack of aluminum. They then resolve with redundancy. Then, no vendor to do the bending. Again, resolved and with redundancy. Now they have everything they need and then some, but because they are behind, they need more space. They double their space. Etc, etc.

That and I believe they are very optimistic with timelines.

 

My grief isn't with the delays, which everyone has, it's with the complete and unapologetic lack of even the most rudimentary updates to customers with a whopping 50% down on what is going on with their order. I say unapologetic, because every post indicates "things are going to get better and we are improving communication!" and then nothing changes in that respect.

Kickstarters for a board game can muster a bulk email communication with updates every few weeks (posting an apology on a message board *that not all of your customers are on* every 4 months ain't a business strategy.)

I am picking up my GFC next month to tide me over for the next inevitable full year of waiting for my Drifter, which against all better judgement, I am still continuing to wait out.

 

Yeah, I agree. I said more or less the same thing a month or so ago. It's abhorrent.

And, all the supply chain issues, while they are expected, should be acknowledged to the public. On their website. "We are currently experiencing COVID-19 related supply chain delays that are impacting our ability to produce campers. Our delivery estimates may change."

Being 'focused on the product' is not an excuse for poor customer service. They have ~$4k to 12k of 200+ people's money (who all have nothing to show). Hire a marketing/customer service intern. Don't force folks to get in touch with the Benecia chamber of commerce.

It is unapologetic. The thing that gets me is how ungrateful it is. It's also insincere, misleading and unrealistic. I just don't want to hear my camper is going to powder coating at the end of September and find out on a message board that it likely isn't even in production and that they're still working on the same batch they were working on when they gave me that estimate.

 

Ended up scoring a deal on a used canopy to get me by until I get my Drifter one day! Fingers crossed it’s soon but looking forward to getting out and spending some nights in the new to me set up. Still no update where I stand in the production line.

 

Nice! We’ve been doing the canopy life for almost two years now (got it before we ordered the Drifter). That’s a sick rear bumper too!

 

After final payment how long is it typically taking for finalized date for pickup? Received invoice but no answer on timeline when I replied to the team.

 

Good question. I'm 159, next in line by order #s. I paid final invoice end of March and I haven't heard anything

 

climbnow_worklater holy shit

 

Thank you! We sold our RTT set up last winter thinking we’d be receiving our drifter shortly after so this will fill the void until the time comes

 

@Iggy @Overlanerd It's really sad that the only way for us to get your attention is to tag you on a public forum like this. I beg of you to hire someone to handle customer service exclusively. As I see more and more people on here selling spots and some selling spots for even less than they paid, I'm starting to get concerned. Much like the rest of the people waiting, I'm ready to wait for the best product for my truck but more and more often I start to worry about ever seeing it. We all understand the delays and they are excusable. It's absolutely inexcusable to leave people like myself that have handed over $5k in the dark. It sounds like there are several people on here who have paid in full that are in the dark. My timeline:

2020-08-15: Received invoice for deposit and paid. I was assured it'd be 12-13 month lead time
2021-08-02: Given that the original timeline wasn't going to happen I requested a new timeline
2021-08-06: I receive a response saying that they'll send me a new timeline the following early the following week
2021-08-17: I follow up again.
Silence since then.

Given how much money you're holding onto from us all, I think we're not only owed responses in a timely matter but you should be proactive. When it's coming up on an original estimated time of delivery you should be reaching out to us rather than us reaching out to you. It's really sad that this thread exists on here with a spreadsheet for us to guess when our camper might arrive because we can't get a response from you. Engineering and manufacturing a product is only part of what a business does. Customer service is another part.

Also, before any early Vagabond adopters get on here and start saying be cool, just wait for it, it's worth the wait. I just want to make the comment that it's highly unlikely you waited this long for your camper. It's highly unlikely that you were left in the dark like we're being left. You probably didn't have this experience so save yourself the reply.