Dealer doesnt get it

Flicdog · 10-14-2015, 12:12 PM

So I brought my 333MKS in the middle of August for three warranty items, one being from pre delivery in February that was waiting on parts. The service dept burned down last weekend and luckily by rig was parked in a lot adjacent to the service dept and not in one of the bays (they lost 18 coaches in the fire). Now the service adviser told me to come get it and the parts for my warranty were lost in the fire. He suggested I call their other location and make an appointment and start over with the warranty approval. I blew a head gasket and am waiting for call from his boss...rant over

bsmith0404 · 10-14-2015, 12:19 PM

The only part I don't get is the warranty approval process since that has already been approved by Keystone, you should only need an authorized service center.

As for the rest of it, not sure what you want from the dealership. The fire was an unfortunate situation, they not only lost parts, they lost tools and other items needed to do repairs. They will be waiting for their insurance to process the claim and then they will have a long process of cleaning up the mess, rebuilding, and resupplying their maintenance facility before they can provide a valid repair service to their customers.

Flicdog · 10-14-2015, 12:26 PM

I would expect if they have my rig for 2 months they complete three fairly simple repairs, if they had the parts wouldn't have been lost in the fire. I also expect them to arrange for the repair to be completed elsewhere and not leave it up to me.

bsmith0404 · 10-14-2015, 12:56 PM

Did you have an appointment with a repair time window or did you just drop it off at your convenience? If you had an appointment, I would agree that 2 months should have been more than enough time to complete the work.

As for them arranging to get the work done, it's not their vehicle. They cannot make the decision of who will work on your equipment, they can only make suggestions of where you can take it.

BSHGTO · 10-14-2015, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flicdog

I would expect if they have my rig for 2 months they complete three fairly simple repairs, if they had the parts wouldn't have been lost in the fire. I also expect them to arrange for the repair to be completed elsewhere and not leave it up to me.

I don`t know, I think you should let them slide on this one.

**JRTJH** · 10-14-2015, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flicdog

So I brought my 333MKS in the middle of August for three warranty items, one being from pre delivery in February that was waiting on parts. The service dept burned down last weekend and luckily by rig was parked in a lot adjacent to the service dept and not in one of the bays (they lost 18 coaches in the fire). Now the service adviser told me to come get it and the parts for my warranty were lost in the fire. He suggested I call their other location and make an appointment and start over with the warranty approval. I blew a head gasket and am waiting for call from his boss...rant over

If I'm reading your post correctly (please identify what's not correct if I'm wrong), you had ONE problem that was already approved by Keystone (found during the PDI) and TWO other problems that you didn't say whether or not they had already been approved by Keystone for repair or if the process for approval started in August. If they had not already been approved, the approval process may have been "in the works" since August waiting for Keystone's approval, parts ordering, parts arrival, then work scheduling. If so, that could explain why the work had not yet been done, no matter how simple the problems may seem. If Keystone doesn't preapprove the work, the dealership stands a good chance of not getting paid.

Now, most dealerships won't "piecemeal" repairs. Even if they have parts on hand for one problem, they won't schedule the repairs until all the parts are in and everything is available to complete all the jobs. So, it's likely the parts that were in their parts department for the initial problem were "gathering dust" waiting for the other problems to be finalized by the warranty department and parts arrival.

You didn't say "when in August" you took it to the dealership, so from "then to now" could be as long as 10 weeks or if it was the "end of August" as short as 5 weeks since you delivered it for repair.

I get your frustration, but it's not up to the dealership to "scrounge a repair" for your RV. They lost their building, all the employees lost their jobs (at least temporarily) and their income has gone from "making money" to "zilch"... Just be happy that you didn't lose your RV in the fire. That would have made the "inconvenience" turn into a "nightmare".......

Good Luck finding a dealership to help you get your RV repaired. I'd suppose that you've been using it "from the PDI in February until August", so at least you can drag it home and start to enjoy your RV again.

Good Luck.

Pull Toy · 10-14-2015, 02:03 PM

You never said what the repairs were supposed to be, but count your blessings!

Like you said, your rig didn't burn up. Their insurance probably would have given you 50 to 60 cents on the dollar, and don't figure on "contents", as they won't pay on what "You say is inside, to them it's just ash". Their attitude... Prove It!

The dealer didn't ask for the devastation visited on them, work with him/her, and also, understand that the factory doesn't pay "Shop Rate" so your not their only priority If my rig was in the shop for that long during camping season, I'd have been on the phone every other day to remind them. That being said, it is their responsibility to "Stand Behind" their reputation, and warranty, but remember... "You catch more bears with honey, than you will with castor oil!"

p,s, I'll bet that 75% or better of all repair parts are off of the shelf items, see if they will reimburse you to do it yourself?

notanlines · 10-14-2015, 02:43 PM

Flic, this was a multi-alarm fire, took 70 fire fighters more than an hour to get it under control, many peoples livelihood is on the line here until repairs are made. I'm not certain that it isn't you who doesn't get it. Yes, I am being a little harsh maybe, but where do these people get rent money etcetera until the place is rebuilt?

GaryWT · 10-14-2015, 02:48 PM

There are 2 issues, the fire aside, what was the word before the fire, had you talked to them to see where things were. I would probably not had dropped the rig off until they had the parts. I was camping every weekend since mid August so I would not have been happy is my trailer was just sitting. As stated, lucky you still have a rig, pick it up and take it somewhere else.

**chuckster57** · 10-14-2015, 07:09 PM

This thread bothers me a lot. I work at a large dealership with 30 service bays. I can't imagine how long it would take to figure out exactly how much was lost in the fire. I have lost count of how much money I have invested in tools and tool storage. And when the service advisor said you should take your UNTOUCHED (and unburned) unit and call the other location to restart the warranty process, you got upset????

Where is your concern for ANYBODY else in this tragedy? Yeah you may be inconvenienced a little, but your not scrambling to make a house payment/rent or put food on the table like the techs. They can't even go to work somewhere else because their tools all burned up too.

The warranty process can be long and tedious, I've seen it from lots of different manufacturers not just Keystone, busy service centers aren't going to put your unit into the work flow until everything can be done at one time. Depending on how many units are in the work flow in front of you, the parts may have been there and your unit may have been on the schedule, I don't have that information, but if it were my rig, I would be giving thanks that it wasn't burnt to the ground and gladly start over at the other location. Would I be a bit frustrated? Maybe, but in the overall scheme of things, I think you came out pretty good, don't you?

Okay rant off.

theeyres · 10-14-2015, 07:58 PM

Sort of reminds me of the time in my former business--a print and copy shop--when somebody knocked down a power pole down the street and we lost our power. A customer came in to get some last minute copies he just had to have and when we told him the power was out he got furious at us. Really mad. He had to have those copies and it was our fault he couldn't get them.

I'm am sorry for the inconvience. You are just lucky to get your rig out of there untouched.

bsmith0404 · 10-15-2015, 04:30 AM

To be honest, I really like this thread. Yes, the OP was a bit self centered and only thinking about the inconvenience this situation caused him, but it also provides some insight from several different people about how a tragedy like this really affects other people. It all makes me appreciate the things I have, possessions, health, and family, just a little bit more. It makes you think twice about others before you go off on a rant about your own problems.

bmach · 10-15-2015, 08:06 AM

I am going to go a different route with this one. I think the dealer taking the easy way out on this. Don't jump on me, hear me out. The dealer had a fire, they have customers that need service. To me a good dealer would be working with other area dealers to help those customers to fix their problems. They should not cast them out and say tough luck. They can contact keystone or whichever other dealers they sell and help move things along. So yes the dealer could do more and it would go a long way with customer relations.

bsmith0404 · 10-15-2015, 12:59 PM

I'm sure the dealer is plenty busy with other items right now. And yes they could help, but how do they know if a customer would want their RV serviced by xyz company? Maybe the customer has a history with xyz and would rather drive 50 miles to abc instead. IMO, if the dealership cannot do the work as a result of the fire, the best thing they can do is let me know the current status, what needs to be done still, and give a recommendation. that sounds like what they did in this case.

Pull Toy · 10-15-2015, 01:39 PM

Have we beat it to death yet?

We have a Junior Member who thinks we're a bunch of heartless b*st***s beating him up!

Yes... The dealer has a lot on his plate right now... but he does have an obligation to his loyal customers, even if it just to help them make other arrangements. Either that or the Dealer doesn't survive. Call it "Concierge Service". Their insurance should cover that under "continuation of service, business, and etc..." Heck... All they need is dial-tone and a secretary! (Not to belittle secretaries.)

Let it go!

Ken / Claudia · 10-15-2015, 02:28 PM

What I have since and been around or helped at fire investigations. This type of loss might take ALL parties involved several years before they are all done. Each person who has any loss will sue or go thru their insurance to get settled and than those go against the dealers insurance for recovery. As upset as I could also be, I would be glad not to be involved in any of the fire loss and get to another dealer ASAP before they are over whelmed and cannot take on more work.

bmach · 10-15-2015, 02:33 PM

If you remember it was the service dept that burnt down not the whole place. That means he still has a building(s) and could very easily work with the customers to get them the help they need. If they do not want his help then they are on their own. As someone else said all they need is a dial tone and they can start the ball rolling, instead of kicking paying customers to the curb.

**chuckster57** · 10-15-2015, 04:28 PM

If you read the first post, it clearly states that he was advised the option to use the dealers other location and start the process again. He wasn't told to find somewhere else.

Have we beat this to death? I am beginning to think we may have.

bmach · 10-15-2015, 04:36 PM

If it is their other place why does he have to start the warranty process all over again. I should already be started. So yes the dealer had a fire but they are not taking care of their customers and are kicking them to the curb. I'm done.

bsmith0404 · 10-15-2015, 06:05 PM

Wow, how difficult is it for a person to pick up a phone and make a phone call themselves? Personally I'd want to do it myself so I can talk to the service department, let them know what has been done, and what I need/expect to be done. I just prefer to take care of my business myself vs trust a "secretary" sitting at some desk that may or may not have real knowledge of what I need/expect speaking for me. There has been more than one time (not all with the RV) that I chose to take my business elsewhere based on a phone conversation with a service manager.

Okay, I'm done kicking the horse as well.

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