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Old 05-10-2018, 10:51 AM   #1
cougarpelt
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the sad truth about keystone warranty

before you pay, you have priority over all other customers and all the tech attention you need to find problems with the many many systems that are in your new "HOME" RV.
BUT AFTER YOU PAY, all problems are assumed to have been caused by you, the customer and your sales company and their techs have to "prove" that Keystone is liable for any repairs that are needed after the sale.
14 day after I paid, on my first use of RV, my wife noticed that the dining table was way out of level - the top of slide was against wall while the bottom was 2 1/2 inches away from wall resulting in a severe drooping of the slide. on the 16th day after reporting the problem a tech first saw it and did his analysis, with pictures to send to Keystone for THEIR APPROVAL to do warranty work to repair. SOMEHOW Keystone needed proof that I did not install the slide brackets in the wrong position AT THE FACTORY before they would pay Bama RV to repair. REALLY?? Now we wait 48 hours for someone at Keystone to agree that I didn't come in the factory and install the brackets incorrectly???? REALLY???
This just show how absurd Keystone Warranty policy is. The warranty policy is designed to avoid paying for anything they did wrong UNTIL the customer with the help of BAMA RV can prove that the problem was due to factory error.
NEW CUSTOMERS BEWARE: test EVERYTHING before you pay; there is almost no quality control in the manufacture of RVs. THE ONLY TESTING that is done before you pay is YOU and the techs at your sales company; YOU WILL FIND PROBLEMS and when you do you WILL LEARN the hard way how frustrating the so-called "warranty" that Keystone proudly displays on their RVs on the sales lot. IT IS UP TO YOU TO TEST THE SYSTEMS BEFORE YOU PAY!!!!
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Old 05-10-2018, 12:36 PM   #2
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Sorry you feel that way, but I can assure you Keystone isn’t the only ones that make you jump through hoops. I hope you don’t have a Norcold refer and it quits working....just sayin.

How the issue is described and the supporting documentation is important, and even then the warranty person at the factory may have NO CLUE what your talking about. It may not be Keystone, but the person the tech is dealing with. It can be difficult sometimes to convey what your talking about without a bunch of pictures. BTDT.

I’m not trying to defend Keystone, but I’m trying to help you understand that the employee handling the claim may not “see” what your looking at or understand everything about every system in today’s RVs. What’s obvious to us techs isn’t to the guy/girl looking at pictures. That’s why it’s important to take lots of pics and write a detailed description.
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Old 05-10-2018, 12:44 PM   #3
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You could delete "Keystone" from your comments & add any manufacturer/model/price you could think of & will find the exact same situation. Welcome to the rv business!
Sorry for your issues, hope all gets taken care of to your satisfaction.
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Old 05-10-2018, 02:11 PM   #4
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A big part of the problem, IMHO, is that enough "fly by night" dealers have tried to scam the manufacturers (not just Keystone) for bogus repairs. Ca-ching). Also, legit dealers are strapped for techs, and bay space to keep up with demand. That is part of the reason for July and August repair dates this early in the season. Also factories notoriously don't pay retail shop rates to the dealer!

Part two is the lack of consistency of the build. Build a truck... it only fits one way, with the only bolt that fits! Build a camper... give the guy a staple gun, some plumbing parts, and a basic concept, and over time (maybe) he'll figure it out. Then they change the floor plan, just to keep it interesting.

Part three is the first time owner with no clue, and no guidance, and no PDI (and maybe some mistakes setting up). Once you own it, it's your problem!

Part four are legitimate claims cutting into marginal corp. profits. (Mitigate, and stall)

Part five is no regional factory authorized rep to intervene and negotiate a claim, and assess errors. Quite common in the auto/truck industry.

Sometimes I wonder why we pay extra for the RVIA Certification?

Good Luck,
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Old 05-10-2018, 04:28 PM   #5
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I think I'm wondering why you're so upset.

You found a defect on day 14 (that should have been found on walk thru), on day 16 the tech looked at it and submitted information for warranty approval that would be in 48 hours?? What is wrong with that?

And, you are absolutely correct; if you don't find the defect before you take it off the lot you are going to have to provide a lot more info than if you didn't take it. Why? Well, after spending many hundreds of nights in hotels, condos etc. etc. I understand it. Many years ago I would never have said it, but these days, I can't believe the craziness that people do "just because". Defacing, breaking things for no reason. Couple that with the dealers that "fudge" as mentioned above and Keystone HAS to make sure what they are paying for is actually something they should pay for.

I'm not implying that you are the kind of person that would do anything like I mentioned, or that your current problem is any of your doing. I'm simply trying to point out the way Keystone looks at it (as would I). Hopefully you get it repaired and you're on the road in short order.
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Old 05-10-2018, 04:45 PM   #6
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I just picked up my 240 URS and walked through it like I was buying a $500k house. Every screw that needed tightening every gap that wasn't right was corrected insight and my seller was glad to do it. This is my first camper but I have heard enough stories to be particular up front and get a warranty. I hope you get your table sorted and I have yet to find a camper that has had no issues.
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Old 05-11-2018, 09:57 AM   #7
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to add insult to injury, yesterday when I picked up the trailer from the dealer after repairs, I failed to notice that one of the tires was low; 13 miles later when I got home, it was completely ruined = $100. while removing the tire we found that the entire undercarriage was covered with rust! the paint installed during manufacturing is not sufficient to resist the salt sludge that this trailer was driven through between Dec when it as manufactured and March when it arrived at the dealer. both axels, springs and all the connections were covered with rust with less than half the paint remaining. I went ahead and repainted the undercarriage myself with Rustoleum and I will spray a layer of undercoating over that when it has dried. Fat chance I would have been successful getting that taken care of under warranty. At 70 years of age, I do not need the stress that dealing with Keystone warranty has been over these last weeks. You can lay all the blame you want on me, I don't care, maybe we have already evolved into a country where you shouldn't expect quality control for a $37,000 purchase. I am very disappointed with some of the comments I received from people who think, like keystone reps think, that these problems are no problem and mainly caused my me?? really?
I guess the best advice I can give a perspective buyer is: DO NOT BUY A KEYSTONE RV THAT WAS BUILT IN THE WINTER OR DRIVEN ON SALTED HIGHWAYS, UNLESS KEYSTONE/DEALER IS WILLING TO REPAIR THE CORROSION/RUST THAT RESULTS. AT THE VERY MINIMUM, THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BEAR THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR DAMAGE(MISSING PAINT AND RUST) BY REPAINTING WITH SOME KIND OF UNDERCOATING. THE FACT THAT KEYSTONE DOES NOT APPLY AN EFFECTIVE UNDERCOATING FOR DELIVERING IN THE WINTER MONTHS AT LEAST IS A COST CUTTING POLICY THAT WILL COST THE CUSTOMER BIG TIME DOWN THE ROAD.
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Old 05-11-2018, 11:05 AM   #8
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Cougar “You can lay all the blame you want on me, I don't care.” I don’t think any of us are laying the blame on you. We do understand where you are coming from. The problem lies with manufacturing and sales. On occasion the customer is expecting too much for their mioney and THEY become the problem. Just keep on fixing the little things and hopefully the big things will go wrong over on the Heartland forum!
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Old 05-11-2018, 12:41 PM   #9
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found defect on first use; reported immediately; given and appointment 14 days out; 2 days after appointment, tech first looked at.
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Old 05-11-2018, 01:11 PM   #10
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Why can there not be people like insurance adjusters for the RV dealers and warranty claims? I have gone through the same process with getting warranty work completed on my new last June Laredo. Pictures and begging from the dealer techs to get approval. Warranty issues should be between the dealer and the manufacturer anyway and the selling dealer should just fix the things that are wrong and then argue with the maker to pay for it. Not our problem, or it shouldn't be anyway.
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Old 05-11-2018, 01:33 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ken56 View Post
Why can there not be people like insurance adjusters for the RV dealers and warranty claims?
The bottom line answer is "the bottom line". Hiring people on a national level (Keystone sells throughout the US and Canada) would cost a significant amount of money. Who's going to pay for them? Not the dealerships, not Keystone, are you willing to pay an extra $1000 added to the cost of your new RV, just in case you might have a warranty issue and want it "streamlined" ??? Most would answer, "Heck NO!!!"
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Old 05-11-2018, 02:01 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by ken56 View Post
Warranty issues should be between the dealer and the manufacturer anyway and the selling dealer should just fix the things that are wrong and then argue with the maker to pay for it. Not our problem, or it shouldn't be anyway.

Since the DEALER didn’t build it, why should the DEALER bear the cost of repair? What if Keystone or any other maker for that matter decides its not a defect and denies payment. How long would you expect that dealership to stay in business? Or how much longer would you think that (any) dealer would do ANY warranty work?

There are dealerships that SELL but DO NOT do warranty work on what they sell.
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Old 05-12-2018, 02:52 PM   #13
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It seems to me that any business that lets its product be delivered to a customer in less than perfect condition is liable to that customer to make it right IMMEDIATELY. So what if it comes from the factory in poor condition. Mr. Dealer, you should deal with the factory to correct those problems long before any customer touches that product. To suggest that the dealer has no responsibility to fix factory defects that it did not catch before it was sold is complete nonsense. The combination of crowded and crummy RV parks and sloppy factory work and dealers who only cash the checks will kill the golden RV goose sooner rather than later. AirBnb is already cutting into RVs and it will only get worse unless the industry wises up real fast.
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Old 05-13-2018, 04:49 AM   #14
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As already stated, a thorough PDI would pick up most, if not all, of the defects that show up in the first month.

Buyer beware is the law of the land! When we went to pick up our Alpine a few years ago, half way thru the delivery process, Jan and I went to lunch after giving the dealer a list of things to correct. It's amazing how much got done in that hour that we were gone. When we drove back onto the lot three techs were just finishing it up. After a second complete walk thru we signed the check, and took her home.

Good Luck,
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Old 05-14-2018, 05:24 AM   #15
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OMG my Norcold has quit now for the 2nd time!

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Originally Posted by chuckster57 View Post
Sorry you feel that way, but I can assure you Keystone isn’t the only ones that make you jump through hoops. I hope you don’t have a Norcold refer and it quits working....just sayin....

OMG my Norcold has quit now for the 2nd time!.... any help or advice... the dealer took 2 months to fix it the first time...
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Old 05-14-2018, 06:07 AM   #16
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Norcold has a form that must be filled out COMPLETELY and you have to send a bunch of pics. Then you wait for further instructions. Last one had a failed cooling unit, no sign of any leaks but still took a week of jumping thru their hoops and finally a phone call to explain the tests. Very frustrating!!
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Old 05-14-2018, 06:59 AM   #17
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I just got off the phone with a very pleasant lady in Norcold Cust Service. She took my model and serial number, looked it up and said Camping World of Lowell, Arkansas had NEVER contacted them about this unit. It wasn't even registered in their system. She registered it, took notes and gave me a list of three other service centers in the area to contact.
So essentially my problem was never fixed at all! even lied to me saying that my refrigerator had a recall which it does not... I now have service scheduled at a different dealer....
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Old 05-14-2018, 07:03 AM   #18
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I hope the next place gets it fixed properly.
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Old 05-14-2018, 07:07 AM   #19
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Well the gentleman I spoke to there... described several possible explanations and he would be the one working on it.. not some anonymous service tech, shielded by a "Service Writer" working the desk... so perhaps the smaller "Mom and Pop" type place does care about customer service... I hope.
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Old 05-14-2018, 07:57 AM   #20
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Don't bet on the Mom and Pops out there. We were hit buy a driver in October 2016. She took out the skirting and a little damage on the corner of the bump out. We took it to the dealer we purchased it from, had our insurance company all set to approve the work. November/December/January - the insurance company calls and asked if we took it in. We said - yes it has been there since early November. The dealer still had not called for the appraisal approval. February/March still nothing. We went to the RV show in our area, ran into the owner of the dealership that had our trailer. He hemmed and hawed and told us he was sick - okay you were sick - why can't someone else at your dealership handle this if you were so sick. When we called to find out why it has not been handled - nobody told us you were sick. All they said it the owner handles all insurance claims. So then the insurance company came down on him and said this is awful customer service. The appraiser went over and stood there and waited for the owner to write up everything, he approved it on the spot. We still did not get our trailer until May. November to May and the work was really done crappy. We learned our lesson. I had documented everything that went on with it through emails with the owners wife. When we picked it up they acted like nothing was wrong. No apology for taking so long. Nothing.
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