First-class service as a cornerstone

It is neither rocket science nor anything new, and yet the understanding of what good “customer service” means for many competitors raises questions. In this article, you can find out why we consider first-class service to be a cornerstone of our business and what benefits it offers you as a customer.

It may sound esoteric, but we firmly believe in the principle of karma. And not the way it is used on the Internet, according to the motto “Instant Karma = This serves you right!” We understand it as it is used in Hinduism and Buddhism. There, karma describes the spiritual connection between cause and effect in abbreviated form. Every action has consequences for the future.

For us, this means that it is important to treat others fairly, honestly, openly and as equals. Or whether you try to exploit them, take advantage of them or put your own benefit above that of others.

Translated into the context of a camper rental, this is the difference between bait-and-switch offers, long surcharge lists and a mediocre product. In contrast to fair prices, honest communication, an all-around carefree package, simply the best possible product we can think of.

We believe that it makes a difference whether you just exchange money for car keys or whether you offer your customers a coherent, enjoyable and memorable travel experience. To put it somewhat pathetically: We want to make you happy!

The market is full of offers where it quickly becomes clear that it is primarily about the provider’s profit. Of course, every company has to operate economically. However, I see no contradiction in reconciling the interests of the entrepreneur with those of the customer.

On the contrary. I am firmly convinced that the better this works, the greater the long-term success. It should therefore be the aim of every entrepreneur to meet their customers at eye level. That is why first-class service is our second pillar alongside sustainability.

But what does this mean for LIGHTstern in concrete terms?

There is already a separate monologue on this topic, in which I calculated a real bait offer with seemingly low prices all the way through to the final cost. If you are interested, you can take a look here.

The bottom line was that from quite acceptable prices of 100 to 160 EUR per night, a long list of surcharges for self-evident things resulted in an effective price of 201 to 242 EUR per night. This may be an extreme example. But while researching this blog post, I kept coming across offers based on this pattern.

As we don’t believe in such methods, we at LIGHTstern take the opposite approach: we only have two simple seasons. And our surcharge list consists of only a handful of services that are truly optional.

What is added to the rental price is the service fee, which we charge almost entirely for the final cleaning. There are simply no other surcharges with us! Accordingly, you can see your final total price on the booking form on our website right from the start.

However, you may be pleasantly surprised, as we often have special offers. In addition, we automatically grant a staggered discount of up to 15 percent from the eighth night.

And for really long trips, such as during parental leave or at the start of retirement, we offer long-term rental from two months. The discount here is up to an incredible 40 percent!

To avoid a long list of extra charges, LIGHTstern offers the all-round carefree package. This means that our campers are always equipped with everything you need on your trip anyway. And at no extra charge!

For example, our clever flip covers with integrated sheet and the fully equipped kitchen. Camping furniture, an awning, the dry toilet and, last but not least, the charging cards with the best rates are also included. So you only need to take your clothes and provisions with you, everything else is already on board for you!

If you arrive by train, we will be happy to pick you up from Stadthagen station (and bring you back, of course). If you want to take your bike with you, you can book a bike rack.

If you have any special wishes or plans, we are always open to individual arrangements within the bounds of what is feasible. If in doubt, just get in touch with us!

For us, good service means not only actual “performance” but also not promising anything we can’t deliver. This runs through all of our communication, but is particularly relevant when it comes to the range of electric vehicles. The fact that the WLTP range, which is not very practical, is almost universally advertised on the market is obviously intended to make one’s own vehicle look better than it is in reality.

I can’t quite understand this short-sighted behavior. After all, when a disappointed customer returns from their trip, they will be less than thrilled to have been lured in with unrealistic advertising promises. This is certainly not conducive to a lasting good customer relationship. That’s why we tell you from the outset how far you can realistically go on a single battery charge and how to handle it with confidence.

As many of our guests do not yet have any experience with electric vehicles, e-mobility is one of the most common causes of uncertainty. That is why we have really comprehensive information on the subject in order to answer as many questions as possible in advance.

We have created blog posts and video tutorials on many subtopics. And the vehicle instruction is now also available as a video. We call this “LIGHTstern Academy”. This has the advantage that you can watch it in as many parts and as often as you like until you feel completely comfortable with your touring vehicle.

We’ve also written an eBook about planning your perfect electric road trip. You get it for free when you book a camper with us or sign up for our newsletter.

Especially for electric beginners, we also have ready-made electric tours especially for electric beginners. They will suggest daily destinations where you can find a charging point. This allows you to familiarize yourself with the public charging infrastructure without having to rely on it directly.

We have also recently started offering a monthly “Ask-Me-Anything” video chat. If you have a question that you haven’t found the answer to, you can register for free and ask us anything.

As you can see, we take the idea of “first-class service as a cornerstone” really seriously. It is our sincere wish that you book with us and start your journey with a good feeling, because you feel that you are in good hands with us. And that you return home happy and satisfied because everything went so well.

Of course, I hope that we can prove our service promise one day. That’s why we look forward to your booking, but also to a message from you!