We understand that ease of ownership is such an important factor when it comes to buying a boat. Whether your RS is pre-loved or box fresh, having the confidence in RS that we want to give great service to everyone who trusted us enough to buy one of our boats is incredibly important to us.
RS Sailing is run by sailors, for sailors, we know how infuriating it is to not be able to get hold of a spare part or to be messing around underneath your boat in the boat park, dodging stinging nettles whilst your mates are enjoying an epic day on the water. That understanding has enabled us to form an ease of ownership ethos and a customer care process that we are truly proud of.
What does ease of ownership really mean to you as the sailor?
Warranties – We offer warranties to give you peace of mind on our new and used boats, but arguably more importantly, whether your boat is two months old or pre-loved, we will always endeavour to do right by the customer. We know sailing is your hobby and your passion. You spend your hard-earned money to make it happen.
Exploded Diagrams – An absolute game changer when it comes to finding a spare part, from a split ring to a boom! What is an exploded diagram? Luckily they’re not as volatile as they sound. You’re on the RS Sailing Store website, looking for a spare part. Imagine a 2D line drawing with every single part and fixing clearly numbered and then a list of the products in a numbered and linked list below the diagram. Find your number, click the link, get it straight in your basket, boom! No need to speak to a human, though we must say that Andy and Ben in the parts team are lovely, if you ever need to speak to them!
OEM Fit – As the original equipment manufacturer, you could argue that we have an unfair advantage, but our parts fit perfectly. They’re not replicas where the size or loads have been gues’timated, they’re made to measure and to a specification that means you’ll get the best from your RS.
Stock on our shelves – As RS Sailing has grown, we’ve been so lucky to gain dealers all around the globe. We’ve moved away from being a seasonal business which means we always aim have to have stock available 365 days a year. Our more recently designed boats use universal parts, from rudder stocks to hatches which allows us to keep stock levels healthy. As always, we don’t claim to be perfect, we sell out of stock sometimes, but there is always one on back order being supplied by our amazing suppliers. But you can always trust that the parts team will roam the back mezzanine at RS HQ, dusting off spares or used kit that can get you on the water in the meantime before our new stock comes in.
Customer Care Team – We don’t know of any other dinghy manufacturer that has a stand-alone Customer Care Team. Toni and Guy not only have great hair, but they dedicate their 9-5 to looking after RS customers. In the pursuit to constantly improve our service and product, we have invested in a ticketing system for our Customer Care. As soon as you have raised a customer care ticket, they will be on the case to help reach a resolution for your problem or query. We’re not perfect, so if your brand new RS400 main won’t fit up your 10-year-old mast track, reach out to us, and we would love to help, our technical team utterly love to bimble and solve problems.
Added value – Have you noticed that the second-hand RS dinghy market is booming? RS Aero’s sell like hot cakes. You’ll fight tooth and nail for a fantastic 28-year-old RS400 for £3k. Obviously, RS boats are fantastic, durable and offer endless fun on the water, but we truly believe that the added value around our customer care and ease of use truly makes RS ownership a breeze, excuse the pun, and ensures they hold their value.
Hopefully, all that added value will result in more money in your pocket that you can spend at the sailing club bar at RS Events, which is naturally another passion of ours!
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