Keystone Propane Recall - My Experience
Like many of you, I received a notice from Keystone advising that the Winn-Tec 6020 propane regulator provided on my 2020 Bullet 273BHS is subject to a recall. I'm sharing this experience to advise others who decide to replace the regulator themselves, what they might expect from Keystone. Since my dealer is 100+ miles away, I decided not to wait for them to obtain replacement regulators, decide to call me, and schedule a maintenance visit. I found an authorized replacement from a list of Keystone approved regulators and ordered one from Amazon. Turns out I needed to also order replacement pigtails since the connection to the regulator used a 1/4" female inverted flare compared to the 1/4 female NPT connection on the Winn-Tec. Tip - be sure to understand what pigtail connections your replacement regulator requires if doing it yourself. Now comes the tricky part - getting reimbursed from Keystone. Here's my timeline of contacts:
11/30/21 - contacted Keystone customer service. After waiting 15+ minutes agent requested that I send a picture of the old and new regulator along with the invoice for the replacement. I also included a copy of the recall notice. Requested receipt confirmation that info was received...never happened.
12/1/21 - Received email response requesting that I provide last 8 digits of VIN.
Responded with VIN information and advised that full VIN of RV was on the recall notice provided 11/30/21. Requested receipt confirmation...none received.
Attempted a few calls into Keystone customer service but decided not to wait in queue.
12/31/21 - Emailed Keystone asking for an update...crickets
1/4/22 - Received email apologizing for response delay. Asked that I resend regulator pictures (old and new) along with purchase receipt. Claimed they never received original from 11/30/21.
Responded with requested information and asked for confirmation of receipt...crickets.
1/18/22 - Call Keystone customer service. Waited about 5-10 minutes in queue and reached an agent. When I explained my saga, the agent looked up my claim only to find that the pictures and receipt had not been posted. Asked that I forward them again and that she would personally deal with this. She explained that since I was replacing the regulator myself, this claim for reimbursement goes thru customer service whereas the dealers use a different chain within Keystone. The customer service agents are in a call center and are only given 1-2 minutes between calls to review emails. She claims they might get 50+ emails per day and can easily fall behind. However, I felt that by making this replacement myself I was certainly saving Keystone $$ since the dealer would also be adding shop labor to the claim and with the size of this recall, Keystone should be planning a little better assuming that many RV owner DIY. I suggested she share the recorded conversation of this call with her superiors, so they can hear first hand what my experience has been.
However I must add that - true to her word, the agent handled my re-submission and by the end of the day had confirmed that Keystone would be reimbursing me for the cost of the regulator.
I share this not in frustration, but to advise others of what they might expect.
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2020 Bullet 273BHS
2016 GMC Sierra SLT Z71
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