Why are some aviation companies so difficult to deal with?

Who?

Continental, Lycoming, Cessna to name a few.

Cessna with their bogus Wing spar AD and SBs. Asked to show proof and it becomes proprietary information. Just like some of the crap you get from the US govt. only they call it secret info due to national security reasons.

Brave new world we are entering.

Maybe not all pilots are sufficiently qualified for justified criticism. So you may find very different opinions about the same company. In all cases one should ask for details about problems that may be the reason for that. There might be some logic why things went as they did. But it is often difficult to get the whole picture from the pilot because he may not be the technician to judge . Vic

There certainly seems to be a “personality” issue in some firms… so one person has a good experience while another gets a bad one.

I think that is true. But vic’s comment also makes sense. Some customers are personalities as well. These would be customers from hell either through a lack of knowledge or by believing that they know a lot hence “telling” an aviation company how to do everything.

Customer expectation is a real issue and some don’t have a realistic idea of what is required to maintain an aircraft to a resonable standard, usualy you can see these people, a quick look at the log books of the aircraft and you will see the last six annual checks having been done at six different places.

Usualy those owners tell the maintenance company that they want to improve the aircraft and the annual is just the start of things, the maintenance company then does a basic annual check expecting the aircraft to be with them over the next years so that they can slowly improve the aircraft state………
This never happens and the owner of the old dog moves on to another maintenance company using the same story to get a cheap annual check.

It’s simply not worth doing work for these people as you will be lucky to not make a lost on the job ( a friend in the classic motor car business tells me they also have people like this and they are called MG owners !)

Dealing with the larger companies usualy needs to be done via one point of contact otherwise the communication can get lost as it rattles around the offices never really finding someone who “owns” the job, I for instance would not like to make a first enquire to one of the larger maintenance companies in the south of the UK as I am sure the sustem would loose anything sent to their company enquiry email, however knowing how the company works enquirys directed to the correct person within the company will result in a speedy reply.

AandC, I would also highlight that some organizations also have no realistic idea of how to manage and maintain an aircraft. Put the two together, then…..

Seriously though, I think it is now not only confined to the avaition business. Overall levels of customer service, awareness, is non existent. I think it is a sign of the times we live. Lying politicians, fraudulent and criminal banks, illegal wars, political PROPOGANDA at every turn, energy utilities stuffing everyone, I could go on and on. Sooner or later, and I think it is well past, the notion of customer service, is met with an apathy, a get stuffed attitude of any customer that may query how he is treated. Call centre kids on 4.50 an hour, zero hour contracts, staring at screens, whilst the organization crow about, the new word on the street, BILLIONS of profit. Profit by the way, that generally does not exist, due to the highly paid board, attempting to appease investors, and get the bonus payment right. Read TESCO…..

Amongst it, obviously, there are exceptions, but I feel these are few. Some of the old legacy organizations, still have, surprisingly, old timers left, who appreciate the customer. Beechcraft for instance, despite what they have been through of late, have some good folks in the Service and Parts department at Wichita. Business is hard nowadays, and owners/operators are swept up in trying to keep some business afloat, never mind trying to keep a customer happy. My view, a bit cynical nowadays, but IMO realistic.