With many aircraft dealers, it’s a simple reality of the industry—after purchasing an airplane, you might never hear from that vendor again. Spring, Texas-based Devon Aviation is far from being the typical airplane dealership, however. Instead, the company’s philosophy allows it to be an advocate for its clientele, providing customers with a much-needed lifeline in navigating the often-frustrating bureaucracy of large aircraft manufacturers.
“Our sale doesn’t end at closing,” says Devon Aviation Owner Robert Potters. “We follow up on any kind of post-sale issue and ensure the factory responds. And they typically do, but someone has to be there getting the answers for you—especially now, when you’re dealing with today’s highly technological cockpits.”
Devon’s role as customer liaison is particularly vital for new aircraft owners, who often feel overwhelmed with the routine of service bulletins, owner advisories and the myriad of other things sent to them by the factory after they’ve made their purchase. In many cases, Potters explains, these owners don’t really understand what they’re supposed to do with these materials or why they’ve even received them in the first place.
“We go to every delivery, and it’s our policy not to send a customer to the factory by themselves,” he says. “With a lot of dealers, the customer shows up to the factory alone—they don’t know how to get around, are unaware of the routine, have no idea what to do, and they don’t even necessarily have the name of someone to see. But we go to the factory with our customers and mediate the delivery process for them. On behalf of our clients, we in effect accept the airplane and confirm that all systems operate as designed and any issues are addressed.”
Another aspect setting Devon apart from its competition is its willingness to keep an inventory of planes on hand. Potters believes it simply makes sense to provide a physical floor model with which his clientele can interact—instead of forcing them to buy in the abstract out of brochures.
“Our philosophy is to have airplanes available in our hangar, so you can look at them,” he says. “If you don’t like the color, for instance, we can order one in the color you want; but you can go buy an airplane right off the floor if you so choose, without waiting two or three months for us to go find one for you.”
Unlike many other dealers of its caliber, Devon doesn’t have a service center of its own. Instead, the dealership maintains a good relationship with its onfield service provider, Rite-Way Aviation, at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (DWH). Potters says this is a positive aspect for Devon’s clientele, because it leaves the company free to ensure customers receive prompt attention.
“As a consequence, if one of our customers has a problem with their airplane, we can see that it gets taken care of almost instantaneously,” he concludes. “We can get it into the shop at the first possible moment, with no runaround. Like I said before, we’re our customers’ advocate. If there’s ever an issue of any sort, we’ll be right there to handle it for them.”
For more information, visit www.devonaviation.com or call 877-251-5170.
