Happy customer profile: Bill & Gaye Harman
Author: Laura Gray Date Posted: 28 February 2019
Bill and Gaye Harman are not shy about taking on a challenge. They bought their new motorhome a few weeks before selling their Auckland home and relocating to the Bay of Plenty. ‘The motorhome was our base for six weeks while we looked for a new home and combined that search with some R&R,” Bill explains. ‘The weather was shocking for most of the time. But we’ve been together for 45 years and, fortunately, we get along really well.”
The couple packed up most of their belongings and moved them into storage before hitting the road and exploring; eventually settling on an almost-new home in a freehold gated community at Omokoroa.
Likewise, their refurbished KEA – a 2017 short-wheelbase Mercedes Sprinter - is nearly new. It’s just 6.5m in length, but they say the space, though on the small side, is perfect to meet their needs.
THE PERFECT RV FOR US
“If you consider the ideal motorhome to be seven or eight metres long with a full sized bathroom and an island bed, you might disagree with us,” Bill says. “But quite a number of years ago, we borrowed a motorhome from a cousin and toured around, backing our vehicle with its large rear window right up to the view. Gaye has never forgotten that and she really wanted a motorhome with a rear window.”
The vehicle also has a space-saving drop-down bed. “It’s a slat bed and it’s more comfortable than our bed at home. Gaye doesn’t usually sleep well, but she sleeps better in the motorhome than at home.”
Bill also says the smaller size of the vehicle has another bonus: it’s really nippy on the roads. ‘”I am not sure if it makes the difference but we love the Mercedes engine.”
THE BEST SERVICE AROUND
Buying their motorhome from RV Super Centre’s Albany branch was a breeze. “Initially we saw Ian Melville who showed us the vehicle we would eventually buy. When we returned to take it for a test drive, Ian was on leave so we were looked after by Tom Harkins. Both of them were great. Lovely guys to deal with.”
After buying their motorhome, they experienced some very minor issues – one with a door lock and the other with the awning. “We rang Tom and he said ‘bring it in and we’ll fix those things for you’. Tom was off the day we brought the van in, so the workshop guys sorted everything for us. In passing, Gaye mentioned we needed some way to retain rolls of Glad Wrap and foil on a shelf on top of the cupboards, and the workshop technicians fitted a lip to the shelf as well as supplied a new door lock cover and repaired the awning, all while we browsed through the huge amount of camping items in the shop. When the van was returned to us, we were shocked at the quality of the service and, what’s more, there was no charge for anything. If we can get service like that there, why would we ever go anywhere else?”
