Landing Gear Bracket Warranty Denied

[Essvar]

Ok.... looking for anyone who might be able to help me out. My 2021 trailer is in for warranty work and one of the items was my drivers side front landing gear out of alignment (splayed about 15 degrees out)


My dealer looked at it and the weld where the mount attaches to the frame was not completed and they will need to cut off the bracket and re-weld it correctly to fix the issue.



Keystone is denying this claim!!!!!! I'm on the phone with customer service and the very ill inform3ed CSR is trying to tell me that they don't manufacture the part so its not their problem.



I informed her that its a WELD TO THEIR FRAME... and she said "we don't weld" and we don't make the frame so its not our problem.



Now she's contacting the bracket manufacturer for further review.



Any suggestions as to how I should proceed would be very helpful.



Thanks guys!

[Canonman]

Have not had this exact problem, but this is where your dealer and their service team get to step up and find a solution between the frame manufacturer (likely Lippert) and Keystone. The push has to come from the dealer and leans heavily on their relationship with Keystone. Calls and follow up emails to their GM as well as the service manager might help. Tactfully but firmly let them know that you are counting on them to work this problem through.

[Essvar]

Originally Posted by Canonman

Have not had this exact problem, but this is where your dealer and their service team get to step up and find a solution between the frame manufacturer (likely Lippert) and Keystone. The push has to come from the dealer and leans heavily on their relationship with Keystone. Calls and follow up emails to their GM as well as the service manager might help. Tactfully but firmly let them know that you are counting on them to work this problem through.

Thank you, I'll circle back to my dealer and push from a different angle. I was just floored by the canned response from Keystone saying the frame isn't their product and not their problem.

[Javi]

Originally Posted by Essvar

Thank you, I'll circle back to my dealer and push from a different angle. I was just floored by the canned response from Keystone saying the frame isn't their product and not their problem.

They say that because it isn't their frame... it is made by Lippert
The correct way to handle this is through your dealer if the dealer will step up and deal with it..
If the dealer won't work with you... the next step is Lippert and they have always been good to deal with for me..

But first... your dealer is the first line of defense on a new trailer..

[Essvar]

Originally Posted by Javi

They say that because it isn't their frame... it is made by Lippert
The correct way to handle this is through your dealer if the dealer will step up and deal with it..
If the dealer won't work with you... the next step is Lippert and they have always been good to deal with for me..

But first... your dealer is the first line of defense on a new trailer..

For sure, the dealer submitted the claim. And was denied so they had me call Keystone. With this new info I'll be working with the dealer further, just from a different angle.


I still feel its like Chevy saying they won't warranty the Allison transmission.

[chuckster57]

I can understand Keystone denying your claim, what I don’t get is the dealer not going to Lippert in the first case. Did they tell you keystone denied and it would be on your dime in the beginning?

[Essvar]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

Did they tell you keystone denied and it would be on your dime in the beginning?

They did not, spoke to the dealer and they said "usually Keystone approves and gets reimbursed from Lippert"



The old run around, but I have the correct parties talking to each other now so hopefully we will come to a good resolution soon. There's no way this will be on my dime....



Slide adjustment after 90 days.. I'll eat that one, but not a factory weld.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by Essvar

They did not, spoke to the dealer and they said "usually Keystone approves and gets reimbursed from Lippert"



The old run around, but I have the correct parties talking to each other now so hopefully we will come to a good resolution soon. There's no way this will be on my dime....



Slide adjustment after 90 days.. I'll eat that one, but not a factory weld.

Good deal, hope it gets fixed.

[Essvar]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

Good deal, hope it gets fixed.

All repairs were authorized by Keystone this morning

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by Essvar

All repairs were authorized by Keystone this morning

Come on! Follow up and tell us what got the repairs authorized? Dealer intervened?

[Essvar]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Come on! Follow up and tell us what got the repairs authorized? Dealer intervened?

Nope, apparently the conversation I had with Keystone was more effective than the CSR let me believe. I received an Email from the Keystone CSR this morning simply stating that all items on my PA were approved by "service"

Whatever that means?

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Essvar

Nope, apparently the conversation I had with Keystone was more effective than the CSR let me believe. I received an Email from the Keystone CSR this morning simply stating that all items on my PA were approved by "service"

Whatever that means?

When you call the "owner relations/customer service" line they are only front line info gatherers and nothing more. They know nothing (some act like they do) and can do nothing. The folks in the "service" area are the ones that assess your situation and act as middle men for you if your problem involves a piece of equipment has an individual warranty and you are within the 12 month Keystone warranty (after that it's on you to run that gauntlet).

If it is a Keystone product problem they will be the ones to approve it and dictate the method of repair if left to their own devices. They will be communicating with the repair tech/service manager of the dealership to determine what route to take. I ALWAYS tell the technician (I go visit them when it goes in) and the service manager my thoughts on the repair and have them contact me right away when Keystone approves a repair and advise what the method of repair is so I can either approve or protest for a different approach. My first go round with a warranty repair, left unquestioned and then returned "repaired", was the last warranty repair made without my input and approval.

I'm glad they are going to get you taken care of.

[Essvar]

Originally Posted by sourdough

When you call the "owner relations/customer service" line they are only front line info gatherers and nothing more. They know nothing (some act like they do) and can do nothing. The folks in the "service" area are the ones that assess your situation and act as middle men for you if your problem involves a piece of equipment has an individual warranty and you are within the 12 month Keystone warranty (after that it's on you to run that gauntlet).

If it is a Keystone product problem they will be the ones to approve it and dictate the method of repair if left to their own devices. They will be communicating with the repair tech/service manager of the dealership to determine what route to take. I ALWAYS tell the technician (I go visit them when it goes in) and the service manager my thoughts on the repair and have them contact me right away when Keystone approves a repair and advise what the method of repair is so I can either approve or protest for a different approach. My first go round with a warranty repair, left unquestioned and then returned "repaired", was the last warranty repair made without my input and approval.

I'm glad they are going to get you taken care of.

I managed a cellular service call center for 6 years so it quickly became apparent to me what the front line CSR's role was and thusly was forced to ask for "the next level" she wouldn't transfer me, or give me a name/number but she did speak to them, in my call center we called it the "Help Desk" apparently Keystone calls it "Service"



As for the dealer interaction I did exactly as you do, I walked the unit with the tech and service writer, showed them the areas for repair and discussed how each item would be repaired in detail. The dealer gave no indication there would be any issue covering my defects as I'm well within my 1yr warranty. The dealer was just as shocked when I was initially denied the claim.

All is well now though so in the end that's what matters.

[xrated]

Just throwing some info out there for you.....not saying you don't have an issue here. I have a non Keystone product, but it is a Lippert frame under it. I also have 6 point hydraulic leveling and just so you know, they do weld the front landing gear brackets on the frame so that the legs are "splayed" outward just a bit. I'm guessing here, but I would say that they are more like 5 to maybe 6 degrees outward and not 15 degrees. That outward angle helps to stabilize that part of the front of the trailer. I just went out and looked at mine and there is a full 100% weld on the bracket though, so if yours isn't, that would certainly be a concern.

[Essvar]

Originally Posted by xrated

Just throwing some info out there for you.....not saying you don't have an issue here. I have a non Keystone product, but it is a Lippert frame under it. I also have 6 point hydraulic leveling and just so you know, they do weld the front landing gear brackets on the frame so that the legs are "splayed" outward just a bit. I'm guessing here, but I would say that they are more like 5 to maybe 6 degrees outward and not 15 degrees. That outward angle helps to stabilize that part of the front of the trailer. I just went out and looked at mine and there is a full 100% weld on the bracket though, so if yours isn't, that would certainly be a concern.

Absolutely, my passenger side landing gear does have about a 3-5 degree negative camber to it, which I figured to be normal, the major splay on the drivers side looked abnormal so I took a peek at the frame and noticed the incomplete weld (35% of the bracket length) and that's when the red flag went up

[xrated]

Originally Posted by Essvar

Absolutely, my passenger side landing gear does have about a 3-5 degree negative camber to it, which I figured to be normal, the major splay on the drivers side looked abnormal so I took a peek at the frame and noticed the incomplete weld (35% of the bracket length) and that's when the red flag went up

Since the bracket isn't a full weld, can you see any gaps between the bracket and the frame itself?....or did they just maybe make the bracket wrong?

[Essvar]

Originally Posted by xrated

Since the bracket isn't a full weld, can you see any gaps between the bracket and the frame itself?....or did they just maybe make the bracket wrong?

Bracket was made wrong, comedy of errors it’s still flush to the frame. I’m getting a new bracket that will be re-welded to the frame. Do you think they would be mad if I asked for a special inspection report on the certified welds?

[xrated]

Originally Posted by Essvar

Bracket was made wrong, comedy of errors it’s still flush to the frame. I’m getting a new bracket that will be re-welded to the frame. Do you think they would be mad if I asked for a special inspection report on the certified welds?

I would definitely insist that whoever welds it have the proper welding certification. I could weld it on there, but that doesn't mean that it is welded correctly. It's just like with other crafts....lot's of folks that say they are a craftsman, but just saying it doesn't make it so. Good luck with this....I hope they do you right.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by Essvar

Bracket was made wrong, comedy of errors it’s still flush to the frame. I’m getting a new bracket that will be re-welded to the frame. Do you think they would be mad if I asked for a special inspection report on the certified welds?

I'm sure they wouldn't mind you paying for a a certified welder to write a report. Don't hold your breath waiting for them to do it. Most warranty repairs and oversite by governing bodies typically state something to the effect of repair to "like new" or "original condition". I serously doubt that the OEM used certified welders that submitted written reports.

[xrated]

Originally Posted by flybouy

I'm sure they wouldn't mind you paying for a a certified welder to write a report. Don't hold your breath waiting for them to do it. Most warranty repairs and oversite by governing bodies typically state something to the effect of repair to "like new" or "original condition". I serously doubt that the OEM used certified welders that submitted written reports.

May be just me, but I would think that a company as large as Lippert would require that their frame welders at least have a certification to whatever level would be required for that type of welding (structural). To me, that would reduce or at least limit any type of responsibility from a liability standpoint. I might be wrong, but structural integrity of a trailer frame and it's components would be a huge liability if performed by a non certified welder.