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View Full Version : Is this normal at RV dealers nowadays??


Javi
08-11-2012, 12:15 PM
I purchased a 2012 Passport 2890RL on June 1st at which time we went straight to the gulf coast for a long weekend shakedown trip…. I checked the dump valves before we started using the facilities and all were closed… when we got ready to head home I pulled into the dump station and again checked the valves… again all were still closed.. Took the cap off to hook up the hose and got a black shower… finished hooking up quickly and dumped the tanks..

I wrote it off to a mistake on my part and returned to the campground for a quick shower…

Fast forward three weekends and again another BLACK shower… This time I figured it weren’t me and the valve was leaking a good bit.. Back to the campground for another quick cleanup shower and when we get home I call the dealer we purchased the trailer from… I was told to bring it in that Saturday and it would be fix shortly… This was the 22nd of July… Called the service man as instructed on the following Tuesday for an update and was told it had not been looked at yet but it should be ready shortly… Called back Friday several times with no return call, also emailed twice with no response… Finally called the switchboard on Saturday morning and with a little coaxing was put through to the Service Department manager who promptly told me that the trailer needed a NEW black tank and it would be ready shortly..

Gave them another week and now another week with no response to phone calls and communication only when I call the switch board and gripe enough to get through to someone… Was told Thursday that the tank wasn’t here yet but should be in next Tuesday and the trailer would be ready shortly…

Finally drove down to the dealer (98 miles one way) this morning.. and asked to get something from the trailer… Funny thing… it was parked on the back of the lot and all three dump valves were still in place..

I worked as a mechanic for an RV service center back in the early 80’s and I’m kind of hard to fool about this stuff… By the way… I was told again today that the trailer would be ready shortly… :D

What say y’all…. Should I involve Keystone in this or just wait until the dealer has had the trailer for more weeks than I did…???

poochy
08-11-2012, 01:31 PM
was it camping world? and if it was me I would call keystone sometimes they seem to light a fire :D I had to by pass service advisor and went to the dealership GM some times you just cant follow the chain of command good luck and please keep us posted :banghead::banghead::banghead:

Festus2
08-11-2012, 01:35 PM
Javi -
I'm not sure whether or not it would be of any benefit at this point to involve Keystone. The difficulties you are encountering in having your tank fixed appear to rest with the dealership not with Keystone. The communication problems and the so-called assurances you have been given are examples of poor customer service from this particular dealership. Keystone is not likely to exert any pressure on this dealership to provide you with better service.

Not sure if you are still under warranty but it seems like Keystone has authorized/approved to have a new tank installed. Do you know if Keystone is shipping the new tank to your dealer? If they are, then you might try to contact them and ask why it is taking so long to have it shipped. If the tank is coming from another supplier, then again it is the dealership who needs to try to hurry things up.

Sounds to me as if your dealer isn't overly interested in your problem now that you have bought and paid for the RV. Is this typical of today's RV dealerships? Some members have had poor experiences and others report excellent service. Like any dealer selling a product, you will find different levels of customer service amongst RV dealerships. Unfortunately, it looks as though your experience has not been great.

Let us know how this all turns out.

therink
08-11-2012, 04:46 PM
Was it Camping World? I experienced the exact type of service or lack of that you described. I would recommend going to the RV.Net Open Roads Forum. Camping World runs the forum and they have a Camping World section on the forum. If you post your complaint, CW will respond quickly and address the issue. I have read good things on the forum regarding response by CW to complaints.

Javi
08-11-2012, 05:34 PM
No, it was not Camping World.

I wouldn't have an issue with the four weeks and counting IF there was a flow of communication with honest discourse, but having to conjole and plead for information is just annoying and will end in bad feelings toward the dealership as a whole.

As for warranty, yes. I purchased the trailer new on June 1st of this year. I was told three weeks ago that Keystone authorized six hours labor and a new tank, I am curious though how a leaking $15 valve has turned into a six hour job requiring a new tank..

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

therink
08-11-2012, 05:50 PM
I am agree that a tank and a valve are two separate items. I would be asking the dealer why the tank needs replacing. My guess is either they are trying to pocket additional labor hours or they somehow damaged your tank. If they damaged your tank, this could explain the delays and lack of communication. I would be asking them to show them your old tank so you can verify what was wrong with it.
I can't imagine they would want to touch your black tank unless they absolutely had to.
Let us know how you make out.
Steve

JRTJH
08-11-2012, 06:56 PM
It is entirely possible that there is nothing wrong with your black tank, and the valve is all that needs to be replaced, however, without pointing fingers, there are dealers who "upcharge" repairs and claim bigger repair problems than really exist. Why? Extra payment and the advantage of getting an expensive tank that they may need to install in an out of warranty trailer. If they can get Keystone to ship them a tank for your RV and then install it in another RV that's sitting on the lot, they've doubled their profits and "so what" that you've been idle while they manipulated the repairs.

Is your dealer doing this? Who knows, as I said, I'm not pointing fingers or making any accusations, but things like this do happen.

If it were me and I were tired of waiting, I'd be all over the GM/owner (not the service manager) getting resolution. Try the "honey and fly" approach first, but if the GM doesn't get involved to resolve your issues, getting more verbal could well get him out of his office to really get involved in his business.

Javi
08-12-2012, 04:53 AM
JRTJH, the thought has crossed my mind that this is exactly what is happening because unless holding tanks have changed a bunch since I worked on them I can see no reason for the tank to be bad… It was not leaking other than into the manifold which would indicate a faulty valve not a busted tank.. I was more than a little curious that when I looked at the trailer yesterday that all three dump valves were still in place.. ( I did not crawl under the trailer) it would seem to me that you would not reassemble the tank and valves if you had removed them to inspect and were going to replace them.. I do know I can’t get any information from the service people other than “well you’re getting a new tank” and “it’ll be ready shortly”…

This was a trial run trailer that we bought after spending 8 weekends touring various dealer’s lots and looking at countless trailers… This is the one the wife wanted and this was the one we bought.. but I knew from the get go that it would be necessary to upgrade if she liked RVing at all… We’ve owned it 11 weekends now and she is already looking at others in the campgrounds..

She is disappointed that it has been in the shop for nearly as much time as we have had it parked and longer than we’ve been able to actually use it.. We’ve canceled one trip already and from the looks of things another will be down the drain if something doesn’t get going soon… Or she’ll be so frustrated that we will just sell the trailer and go back to motels.. it took me 39 years to talk her into a trailer and this isn’t helping :D

35mastr
08-12-2012, 07:39 AM
I can see that the trailer is still under warranty. But is all that aggravation and close to 100 miles each way really worth it.

I would have replaced the valve on my own since its pretty cheap as soon as I got the first shower.

Javi
08-12-2012, 08:05 AM
I can see that the trailer is still under warranty. But is all that aggravation and close to 100 miles each way really worth it.

I would have replaced the valve on my own since its pretty cheap as soon as I got the first shower.

If I had known up front that I was going to have this happen I would have... but then hindsight is nearly always 20/20... :D Who knew...

Javi
08-19-2012, 06:30 PM
As requested I am reporting back with the outcome of my dealer / warranty experience…
After my surprise visit last week they seem to have gotten off high center and finished my repair on Friday… (although I was not notified of this at all)… I chose to drop in again on Saturday to see how the repair was progressing and to my surprise the TT was ready… Hallelujah :D
I was not allowed to inspect the trailer before paying and to my chagrin I was presented with a bill for $1280 bucks US… I protested that the trailer was brand new and why was I being charged… I was told that the repair was not under warranty and that was the cost.. After some heated exchange with the young fellow behind the counter I talked him into “checking” with someone over his head which he did by cell phone, cause the higher up wasn’t there on Saturdays… We finally get this all figured out and I get the keys to the TT at which point I see it being hauled to the front lot by the yard tractor…

As I walk across the lot to my truck I see the hand drop the trailer and take off.. I drive out there and start inspecting the work… sure enough they did replace the tank and ALL the valves and associated plumbing, it even looks as if the corragated plastic was replaced; it is much tighter and anchored much better..

This time the valves are labeled and the grey water tanks are grey in color.. last time they were all black and had no labels and the piping is now routed completely differently…

As suggested I asked to see the old parts and was told no… No one even came out to see if I was happy or to ask if I needed any help… Like many dealers… once they have your money, you no longer exist..

Keystone did what it should have and warrantied the repair... Not sure how I feel about the dealer... although they eventually did the repair..

Festus2
08-19-2012, 06:57 PM
I assume that, in the end, you didn't have to fork out the $1280 for the repairs which Keystone authorized under warranty. Or am I making the wrong assumption? When your warranty with Keystone runs out, I would be looking around for another RV facility to do any other future repairs. From your description and the way you were treated, I wouldn't be taking my RV to that dealership for any other work. Not being allowed to see the parts that were removed and replaced, just doesn't fly. That action just reinforces what you and others suspected ---- there probably wasn't anything wrong with them to begin with.
Glad to hear you have your RV back.

Javi
08-19-2012, 07:15 PM
No I didn't pay the charges, it was done under warranty The young fellow was mistaken, although somewhat adamant about my paying.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

Halibutman214
08-19-2012, 07:26 PM
I would have contacted Keystone after the first week with nothing happening. These dealers are selling their product and if they're doing a crappy job then Keystone needs to know.

Javi
08-20-2012, 03:39 AM
The dealership is one of the largest in Texas and has been in business since the 60's but I doubt I'll be buying my next trailer there... The problem is that to look at the place and listen to them talk you'd thing they had their act together but their communication with the customer after the sale is some of the worst I've ever seen...

In retrospect, if the service writer had only communicated to me that the trailer would be out of commission for up to four weeks from the get go, I would never have had to write this in the first place.

With a few simple words from him, I would not have expected it sooner and if he had simply taken the time to explain why the tank needed replacing I most likely would not feel like someone was trying to put one over on me and / or Keystone.. But he didn't take that few moments, nor did he take the time to listen to what my issue with the trailer was... The moment I said valve leaking he went on the defensive and started craw-fishing about warranties and repair costs, became very curt with me and acted like I was wasting his time asking questions..

Bottom line... the trailer is supposedly repaired (the work looks good) and I didn't have to pay out of pocket any more than the cost of fuel for three round trips... I guess I'm lucky that we only lost one trip to the repair... The wife loves the trailer and like I said in another thread is already looking forward to the next trip in a couple of weeks.. After I find a public dump station around here I'm going to fill all the tanks and check everything about the repair.. is it wrong for me to have a lack of trust for the dealerships creditability..

Me.Bikes.Dogs
08-20-2012, 11:32 AM
So who was the dealer and in what town? I'd rather not do business with them in the future accidentally.

rpatron95
08-20-2012, 03:02 PM
"bouncey:
Camping World Tallahassee has been great, on my third service repair on my Keystone 320BH, first two minor stuff but this one is a major item. My roof is no connected properly and requires quite a bit of work to fix which has been approved. They have been ready each time they committed.

Javi
08-27-2012, 04:47 AM
Being somewhat cynical in my old age, I took the opportunity to test the repair this weekend... and I must report that all is in proper working order... The valves work flawlessly (something they didn't do on delivery) and there are no leaks visible at this time.. All tanks where clean and had been filled with water, although I wasn't told this.... It proved to be a good test of the valves and tanks as they set unattended all week.... I was a happy camper.."bouncey:. now hopefully no more fecal showers... :eek:

now if they would only improve their communications skills..:rolleyes:

KJcachers
08-27-2012, 06:00 AM
Do yourself a favor and add a small section of clear drain pipe so you can see what's going on behind the cap before you take it off. You can get a small extension for just a few bucks. Nice to keep an eye on progress while draining too.

Javi
08-27-2012, 07:00 AM
Do yourself a favor and add a small section of clear drain pipe so you can see what's going on behind the cap before you take it off. You can get a small extension for just a few bucks. Nice to keep an eye on progress while draining too.

Thanks... already done (tx)

Exsailor
08-27-2012, 12:42 PM
call me vindictive, but if it were me they would be reading about this in every forum page on the internet as well as newspaper editorials, BBB letters and letters to keystone. I commend your patience and manners, but they dont deserve our business and their poor customer service should be "outed". You are a better sport than I am.

007stiggs
08-29-2012, 10:45 AM
I too have had terrible service from Camping World Warranty/Service Department. I purchased a new Cougar 26BHS in April from CW in WA State. I had a faulty gray water valve as well as a couple other warranty issues. They fixed the faulty valve but failed to "remember" how they fixed it and which gray water valve it was. I have two gray valves on my rig.

The main issue I have is the lack of service they provide. I had to call 5 seperate times just to get through to the warranty department. I left a message every time and never received a return call.

I love my trailer but hate the fact that I have to go through CW for my warranty/service issues.

TheLadyFreedom
08-29-2012, 11:52 AM
I purchased a 2012 Passport 2890RL on June 1st at which time we went straight to the gulf coast for a long weekend shakedown trip…. I checked the dump valves before we started using the facilities and all were closed… when we got ready to head home I pulled into the dump station and again checked the valves… again all were still closed.. Took the cap off to hook up the hose and got a black shower… finished hooking up quickly and dumped the tanks..

I wrote it off to a mistake on my part and returned to the campground for a quick shower…

Fast forward three weekends and again another BLACK shower… This time I figured it weren’t me and the valve was leaking a good bit.. Back to the campground for another quick cleanup shower and when we get home I call the dealer we purchased the trailer from… I was told to bring it in that Saturday and it would be fix shortly… This was the 22nd of July… Called the service man as instructed on the following Tuesday for an update and was told it had not been looked at yet but it should be ready shortly… Called back Friday several times with no return call, also emailed twice with no response… Finally called the switchboard on Saturday morning and with a little coaxing was put through to the Service Department manager who promptly told me that the trailer needed a NEW black tank and it would be ready shortly..

Gave them another week and now another week with no response to phone calls and communication only when I call the switch board and gripe enough to get through to someone… Was told Thursday that the tank wasn’t here yet but should be in next Tuesday and the trailer would be ready shortly…

Finally drove down to the dealer (98 miles one way) this morning.. and asked to get something from the trailer… Funny thing… it was parked on the back of the lot and all three dump valves were still in place..

I worked as a mechanic for an RV service center back in the early 80’s and I’m kind of hard to fool about this stuff… By the way… I was told again today that the trailer would be ready shortly… :D

What say y’all…. Should I involve Keystone in this or just wait until the dealer has had the trailer for more weeks than I did…???

After our shakedown trip, we had to take ours in for some minor repair things, like a broken landing jack, door lock, etc. Well, the door lock required a whole new door from Keystone. This turned into SIX WEEKS at Mike Thompsons. We were promised we would have it back for the 4th of July weekend for our trip to Yosemite- NOT. I made numerous calls to the dealer which went unanswered. Phone calls were never returned, even when our service writer promised me he would call me by a certain day, or at the end of the day he didn't.
This was on top of them drilling through the brake line of our truck while installing the hitch, which we never got paperwork on for the work order, for the entire 6 weeks it was there... (luckily I found out via sales mgr that I sold real estate with the GM's wife :D- I sent her an email about that).
I eventually got a portable ice maker from them (display one of course), but I can tell you, the whole purchase process was a nightmare. So, yes, I think that is the way the dealers/service are now. It sure as heck wasn't like that when I worked in the car business 20 years ago, and when I was selling Real Estate, I sure as heck wouldn't ever dream of treating my clients that way.:(

happytrails
08-29-2012, 03:57 PM
I had a similar problem with my "valve" and I found out it was actually the extension that my dealer gave me to put on the valve pull rod because it didn't have a long enough pull rod when I bought it. I guess the factory one fell off/came unscrewed? Anyway, the extension was just a coupler that joined the threaded piece from the original valve to an aluminum piece for the extension and it had set screws. You can buy them at any RV store. What I found is that when I installed it, I was trying to avoid the set screw from going into the original threads so I slid it way up on the valve pull rod. That coupler was preventing the rod from fully closing my valve. I finally found some rods that had threads and custom made my own extension, problem solved.

It was a small mess the few times I had to arrive at a camp site where I dumped a little black water (no solids) on the ground. It wasn't too bad since I had previously flushed the black tank, but there's always some left in there. I travel with a couple gallons in my black tank with water softener and detergent for an easier clean next time. I think it's called the ECO method. Anyway, I have learned to carry a bucket and remove my cap with a bucket under it because you never know who's pulling your valves at rest areas or in your driveway. :D I'm just saying…. I would have done it as a kid for a little fun.

Javi
08-30-2012, 02:50 AM
I too have had terrible service from Camping World Warranty/Service Department. I purchased a new Cougar 26BHS in April from CW in WA State. I had a faulty gray water valve as well as a couple other warranty issues. They fixed the faulty valve but failed to "remember" how they fixed it and which gray water valve it was. I have two gray valves on my rig.

The main issue I have is the lack of service they provide. I had to call 5 seperate times just to get through to the warranty department. I left a message every time and never received a return call.

I love my trailer but hate the fact that I have to go through CW for my warranty/service issues.

Just as a note: My problem dealer isn't Camping World, but I understand now that the problem isn't related to only one dealer...

schwalbach
08-30-2012, 03:14 AM
I had a very similar response from my dealer, first trip out had waterleak in slide, gave dealer a months notice of day I took in, had a dozen minor items and gave them two weeks to work on it, after two weeks and no response, called dealer, they said all minor items done and should pick up as a new wall is ordered and will take 6 weeks, picked up after hours got it home and you guessed it NOTHING was touched! Been too pissed to call dealer and ask what is up, and did not want to jeopardize them installing wall in future!

apr67
03-27-2013, 08:31 AM
"bouncey:
Camping World Tallahassee has been great, on my third service repair on my Keystone 320BH, first two minor stuff but this one is a major item. My roof is no connected properly and requires quite a bit of work to fix which has been approved. They have been ready each time they committed.

Good to hear as I just bought a Bullet 294bhs from them.

Trigger12
04-03-2013, 05:43 AM
Sounds like my experience with Crestview RV in Georgetown. The trailer sale was great, the after sales was HORRIBLE! I eventually spoke with the GM and he assigned me a new service writer who did a great job working with me. I too had issues of non communication from the prior service writer as well as shop foreman. My next stop was owner of Crestview if the GM couldn't resolve my situation. Good luck with future repairs, find a service writer who communicates, makes life much easier