My horror story for the day

Sarge2 · 05-21-2020, 05:14 PM

When I had my trailer winterized (due to being in warranty and not wanting anything or anyone to say I failed to winterize it properly) I took my 2020 Passport into Gen RV... this was in Nov of 19 and I had a small leak under the vanity sink that they allegedly fixed as well...
FAST FORWARD TO JANUARY 2020... went to check the trailer and replace the little mouse packets I put in and found Picture 1 and 2 same leak as I had only now is antiFreeze...
FAST FORWARD MAY 8TH.. Took the trailer in to have it made ready for summer and have leak actually repaired... was there until Friday May 18th told it was all done and come and get it...
Got there and write up person took me out and proudly showed me that there was no water from under the vanity... I asked did you DE WINTERIZE IT? since there was antifreeze in the sinks, bathtub and toilet... NOPE... didn't DE Winterize it... So they said they could do it if I wanted to wait... of course I did..because I was still trying to figure out HOW they fixed a water leak without turning on the water...
After 1/2 hour the tech comes in and tells the write up person... Houston, we have a problem... Apparently the tech that "winterized" it .. did a poor job at best and when they put water into the holding tank to flush it... there were leaks all over the place.. Water pump cracked, pex lines broken and fittings popped... After nearly 8 hours they fixed all the "problem" areas, replaced the pump and pressure tested it... The service mgr told me he wasn't going to charge me for the de-winterization... GEE YA THINK?!... so now that I've got it home, I'm going to do my own inspection, put water in the tank and do a camp out for the weekend to make sure that there are no surprises...
Had I just hooked up and pulled it out and not asked about the De winterizing, I would have have found these leaks when I decided to go campiing... I was warned about General RV doing shoddy work but this is inexcusable... So there is my tale of woe...
Sorry it's so long...
Sarge

**sourdough** · 05-21-2020, 05:35 PM

Sarge, sorry for your woes. Sounds like that dealership needs to be in your rearview mirror. If that is where you bought the trailer I would recommend some things;

1)Never trust them to do anything right. ALWAYS check whatever they have done right there, in the bay. Don't let them "send you on your way".

2)Always tell them explicitly what you want, what's wrong and what you expect as an end product returning to you - don't take it until those things are done. If they aren't when you arrive to pick it up don't worry about the service folks, take the service manager by the hand and direct him to the GM/owner to fix it...right now.

3)KNOW the people that work on your trailer, from the techs to service advisor, service manager and upper management. Make sure they know your face, your phone number etc. Don't ever let them "put you off" due to "xxxx".

The above takes work and time....and generally a little of being uncomfortable - for them. That's what you paid for and you should get it. In this case you need to be front and center with these folks, one on one, and get this straight....and every other visit straight so this doesn't happen to you again. Yes, inexcusable.

Gary R. · 05-21-2020, 06:44 PM

Gee, man, this would ruin anyone's day. Things like this simply should not happen, but sadly they do.

Hopefully, it can all be resolved in time for camping season, and this event becomes a distant memory.

Take care!

gearhead · 05-22-2020, 03:54 AM

I've dealt with 2 mega dealers with multiple locations. Both the same...incompetent from the top down. Apparently they don't pay enough to hire anything other than rejects. Those that are more competent are pathological liars so it's lose/lose for the customers.
Dang I need to go fishing.

notanlines · 05-22-2020, 04:14 AM

I also feel that need to go fishing! I also have a need to maybe say something nice about a mega-dealer; Camping World. Our experience with them has been stellar, both CW in Ocala and in Fort Meyers. As a matter fact, years ago the salesman at CW Ocala came outside and LOOKED to make sure I had enough truck to haul our Raptor. His statement before we went out to the parking lot was "I just have to make sure you're driving a one-ton."

**chuckster57** · 05-22-2020, 04:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gearhead

I've dealt with 2 mega dealers with multiple locations. Both the same...incompetent from the top down. Apparently they don't pay enough to hire anything other than rejects. Those that are more competent are pathological liars so it's lose/lose for the customers.
Dang I need to go fishing.

It is hard to find qualified techs and even harder to keep them with the traditional low pay. If your working in a flat rate shop, it’s worse because techs will shortcut to “make time”. Not all competent techs/service writers are pathological liars, but there definitely are some.

travelin texans · 05-22-2020, 08:11 AM

This happens in all service type businesses nowadays! People have NO pride in workmanship, they're only interested in paydays & weekends.
Somehow it started with my kids generation, both in their 40s, that I worked them building/remodelling houses along with their normal chores, now they will use any excuse to call off going to work & bitch cause the pay is low!
Unfortunately my grandkids can't get off their electronic devices long enough to carry out the trash when told to & when they take the trash if they drop some they won't pick it up just step over, so the problem will get worse in the future.

wiredgeorge · 05-22-2020, 02:17 PM

How much is a dealership hourly rate these days for non-warranty items? I imagine that winterizing is non-warranty?

**sourdough** · 05-22-2020, 03:22 PM

Best I recall it's about $150hr labor rate but they have a pkg. for winterization (CW). Don't recall exactly but think it's like 125???

gearhead · 05-22-2020, 03:58 PM

^^How much of that does the "mechanic" see?

gearhead · 05-22-2020, 04:08 PM

As for the kids that can't/won't do manual labor. I blame their dads. When our son got his first job (I&C Tech at a power plant) he rented an old farm house from a co-worker. They needed to level the house and our son helped. Later the co-worker/landlord told me he could tell our son had worked as a teen. Yes he did. No laying around on Saturday mornings watching cartoons.
If the RV shop employees get away with poor work, it's their supervisors fault. It becomes acceptable.

notanlines · 05-23-2020, 04:15 AM

The national average salary for a Ford certified Diesel Technician is $36.00 per hour in United States. (All three sources were about the same ) The Ford dealer I use charges $120.00 per hour labor.
As a line mechanic in 1974 at British Leyland our average wage was $12.00/hour and shop labor rate was $24.00/hour.
Since that time overhead/profit costs to maintain an automotive section in a dealership have increased 5 fold while mechanic's overhead/cost of living has only increased three fold....

I simply don't understand those of you who disagree. Techs can now buy tools at Harbor Freight, marry a mate who also works thereby having dual income. Women are no longer required to be June Cleaver. See how much better life is?
(If there is any age, sex, occupation, creed, or national origin I failed to denigrate in this asinine post, raise your hand and I'll try to do better next time)
On a more serious note, stealershis have done this simply because they can.
Greed is ever present at all levels, but generally those with the money make the rules.

**flybouy** · 05-23-2020, 05:28 AM

I think a lot of people don't understand that a workforce is a commodity and as such is dictated by supply and demand. My wife was a NICU nurse and back in the early 1980's nurses were in such high demand the hospital's were offering sizeable sign on incentives.

Rv manufacturers use unskilled labor and locate their assembly plants where that labor is plentiful. Unskilled labor in today's economy has a low demand and a surplus of willing bodies. Any manufacturer, still operating, will have no problem finding bodies at a bargain.

Now I'm not defending a dealership by any means but they are a "for profit" business. As a business their expenses are far greater than a small independent shop. The differences in costs can be staggering. The multi million dollar fire insurance, worker's compensation, unemployment, health care, 401K or profit sharing, utilities for the massive buildings, EPA compliances, and the list goes on.

So typically if you want better service at a lower cost go to an independent shop. Their costs (overhead) will be lower, their profit margin most likely less, and they have a vested interest i.e. they screw up and loose business they starve.

But here's the bottom line ... "If you want to play you got to pay". When I was young and bought my first boat (21' jet drive with Old's 455 pushing water) I'd complain about costs. My father would always say "if you have the money to buy it you better have the money to keep it".

Mastrblastr · 05-23-2020, 06:19 AM

This is a worldwide problem (I'm Canadian) and not just in the RV industry, as most dealerships I have had to deal with are mostly inept in their business when it comes to maintenance and repairs. They're fantastic on the sale side (promise you the moon!!)---------not so much once they have your money. For this reason, I usually take my vehicles to a small, independent, mom and pop style business for repairs, if I can't fix it myself. Those people are the ones that have real world experience and are more inclined to do quality work the first time. I have had some rather heated confrontations with auto stealerships over the years, one ending in me being escorted off the property by the police due to my "aggressive behavior". I told the cop he'd be aggressive to if someone stole your money and didn't fix anything. This was a "3 return to deal with the problem" scenario where they had my vehicle for a total of 36 hours and I didn't make it 5 blocks before the problem reappeared. "Extended warranty"---------translation-----"we stole 3K from you". The problem with most vehicles nowadays is that without an engine analyzer, you're screwed.

I've always been pretty hands on and enjoy fixing stuff myself, so I usually just get into it and fix it if I can. These forums, Youtube and just some good old fashioned elbow grease is all a guy really needs to fix a majority of problems. With RV's, most of this stuff isn't rocket science and can be easily fixed with regular hand tools and a multimeter. My trailer has never seen a dealership and it never will.

travelin texans · 05-23-2020, 06:43 AM

We watched a news program a while back stating the average 40 year old man today could not begin to change a flat tire on his vehicle, although some cars today don't have spares & had absolutely no idea how to open the hood & clueless how to check the oil. My wife, kids & grandkids can all do both.
Bought a new Jeep a year ago, the dealer offers free oil changes, the 1st change I opened the hood in their drive to find the oil on the dipstick over an inch above the full mark, I flagged the service writer & ask "do they check the level after changing" he says "well of course they do" to which I say "not this time", they took it back to drain it & add the correct amount.

gkainz · 05-23-2020, 06:54 AM

I’m an “over 40” (well over 40) that grew up as a farm kid and learned to change tires (including mount and dismount with spoons and then a tire machine), oil changes all the way through engine rebuilds and everything else goes along with keeping a ranch running.
Last year my brother and I had a flat in a rental car (a Tahoe, iirc) and we initially could not change the tire!!! Rental company removes the owners manuals from the vehicles! Found the jack finally and got the flat off but then absolutely could not crank down the spare! Ended up tearing off a bunch of plastic guides and cranking it down. Was NOT a NASCAR pit crew record, but we did eventually got ‘er done!
“Country boys will survive”

Rental company got an earful when we returned it - they credited back half the total rental, so they made up for it.

redfernclan · 05-23-2020, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notanlines

The national average salary for a Ford certified Diesel Technician is $36.00 per hour in United States. (All three sources were about the same ) The Ford dealer I use charges $120.00 per hour labor.
As a line mechanic in 1974 at British Leyland our average wage was $12.00/hour and shop labor rate was $24.00/hour.
Since that time overhead/profit costs to maintain an automotive section in a dealership have increased 5 fold while mechanic's overhead/cost of living has only increased three fold....

I simply don't understand those of you who disagree. Techs can now buy tools at Harbor Freight, marry a mate who also works thereby having dual income. Women are no longer required to be June Cleaver. See how much better life is?
(If there is any age, sex, occupation, creed, or national origin I failed to denigrate in this asinine post, raise your hand and I'll try to do better next time)
On a more serious note, stealershis have done this simply because they can.
Greed is ever present at all levels, but generally those with the money make the rules.

Been a mechanic for 34 years. I would not take anything I own to a mechanic that got his tools from Harbor freight.

wiredgeorge · 05-23-2020, 07:43 AM

I buy tools at Harbor Freight... I stow them on my motorcycle(s) in the event they are stolen, there isn't much lost. I don't much work with these tools in my motorcycle related mechanical business.

The question was how much RV techs make...

https://www.bls.gov/oes/2018/may/oes493092.htm

If you wonder why the quality of service may not be what it should, the lower 50 percentile hourly wise for RV techs is $12-18. When the shop manager sets a tech on a specific job, the seemingly simpler jobs probably draw from that percentile. Note the TOP (10 percent) RV techs are making about $28 an hour. Do these numbers appear to induce highly motivated and talented young folks into this trade? I am also surprised that there are not more mobile/independent RV techs out there who have fled from the dealerships because of pay... perhaps they need the insurance and other benefits... dunno....???

**sourdough** · 05-23-2020, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

I buy tools at Harbor Freight... I stow them on my motorcycle(s) in the event they are stolen, there isn't much lost. I don't much work with these tools in my motorcycle related mechanical business.

The question was how much RV techs make...

https://www.bls.gov/oes/2018/may/oes493092.htm

If you wonder why the quality of service may not be what it should, the lower 50 percentile hourly wise for RV techs is $12-18. When the shop manager sets a tech on a specific job, the seemingly simpler jobs probably draw from that percentile. Note the TOP (10 percent) RV techs are making about $28 an hour. Do these numbers appear to induce highly motivated and talented young folks into this trade? I am also surprised that there are not more mobile/independent RV techs out there who have fled from the dealerships because of pay... perhaps they need the insurance and other benefits... dunno....???

The mobile RV techs must be doing fairly well. There was a guy here in the park moved his older Alpha motorhome in about 2 years ago. Worked each day out of a cube/box truck. Visited with him that 1st year and we swapped histories, which were sort of close, and he said he was a mobile RV tech building a new house out on the point. Hmmm, right I'm thinking.

Fast forward to this year. One evening saw him pulling up stakes taking the motorhome, trailers, trucks etc. out. Walked over and sure enough he said his house was "dried" in so moving his stuff out to his new house. Hmmm, I'm thinking. On a mobile RV tech salary? Well, out of curiosity the other day decided to drive out to the point just to check it out. Fully expecting to see some cheap, thrown together something back in the trees I saw the roof of a new house poking above the treeline. Told DW "hey, there's a new house". Sure enough, sitting on a beautiful stretch of the beach, on concrete pylons 15' or more high was this large, beautiful new home....with an older Alpha sitting under it between the pylons. "Holy Cow" I tell DW, he must be doing a lot better than I thought. Anyway, this guy ain't making no $20-25 hr. Looks like going independent might be a whole lot better than working at some dealership.

**flybouy** · 05-23-2020, 09:13 AM

Danny money is a relative thing. Many people spend far more than they make, a few spend far less than they make.

As a kid I would spend the summer with my cousins in WV. My third cousin owned a dairy farm and my first cousin worked on the farm and I tagged along (free labor but my uncle was feeding me). Anyway, my cousin and I accompanied my uncle to get a haircut. This old farmer we went to had a old worn out barber chair in his living room. I think it was the mid 1960"s. He charged a quarter for a hair cut. Walking to the car I asked my uncle how the guy could live off that. My uncle stopped turned and pointed to a brand new tractor setting in the barn. They said the old man paid cash for the tractor with buckets of quarters. That's something I'll never forget.

You may also like: