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Old 10-19-2015, 10:15 PM   #1
Dooley
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How do you get Camping World or Keystone respond

After Purchasing a new 5th wheel in Feb , we have had several issues with this unit and of yet had no satisfaction from either Camping World and its great customer service, or Keystone.
Camping World can't seem to ever finish a damn thing and Keystone is very slow to approve or respond to dealer .

And they both blame one another , it appears just to make the time past so you can't use your unit for the year of warranty.
Not trying to bash , but would like some help from people who have navigated through this quagmire that just wont stop !!!



Help
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Old 10-20-2015, 03:52 AM   #2
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For most problems, the issue starts, is managed and ends with the dealer. It's not (or should not be) your problem to contact Keystone or to "run interference" for the dealership. You "should" be able to drop your RV at the dealership with a list of problems and get it back in a "reasonable time" repaired and ready to use. Those issues that were "warranty related" should be repaired at no cost and those items that were not "warranty related" should be itemized with a statement of what was done and how much you owe.

Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen. There are a number of reasons why, not all are always the fault of any specific "bad guy".

Camping World is made up of some "franchise stores" some "company stores" and some "independent stores". So without knowing which store you're talking about, management at that location could be "corporate inspired" or it could be "owner inspired". It "shouldn't make any difference" but it does.

If you go to the CW website: http://www.campingworld.com/contact/contactus.cfm there is a list of phone numbers and email addresses that you can use to contact the corporate offices. As for Keystone, there is a contact point on their website also, but it appears you've already initiated complaints there.

Marcus Lemonis (sp) is the CEO of Camping World and he has an email set up for customer complaints that goes directly to him. I don't have it handy, but it is available in any Trailer Life magazine.

You haven't been specific on what kind of complaints you have and what specific repairs you need, so there's as much likelihood that your repairs would require significant time as not. More information would give our membership the opportunity to relate their personal experiences with you, but without knowing what you're problems are, it's difficult to relate past experiences with how your issues differ or are similar to theirs.

Good Luck
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Old 10-22-2015, 01:55 PM   #3
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There is also a Dear Marcus link on RV.net.
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Old 10-22-2015, 08:33 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
For most problems, the issue starts, is managed and ends with the dealer. It's not (or should not be) your problem to contact Keystone or to "run interference" for the dealership. You "should" be able to drop your RV at the dealership with a list of problems and get it back in a "reasonable time" repaired and ready to use. Those issues that were "warranty related" should be repaired at no cost and those items that were not "warranty related" should be itemized with a statement of what was done and how much you owe.

Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen. There are a number of reasons why, not all are always the fault of any specific "bad guy".

Camping World is made up of some "franchise stores" some "company stores" and some "independent stores". So without knowing which store you're talking about, management at that location could be "corporate inspired" or it could be "owner inspired". It "shouldn't make any difference" but it does.

If you go to the CW website: http://www.campingworld.com/contact/contactus.cfm there is a list of phone numbers and email addresses that you can use to contact the corporate offices. As for Keystone, there is a contact point on their website also, but it appears you've already initiated complaints there.

Marcus Lemonis (sp) is the CEO of Camping World and he has an email set up for customer complaints that goes directly to him. I don't have it handy, but it is available in any Trailer Life magazine.

You haven't been specific on what kind of complaints you have and what specific repairs you need, so there's as much likelihood that your repairs would require significant time as not. More information would give our membership the opportunity to relate their personal experiences with you, but without knowing what you're problems are, it's difficult to relate past experiences with how your issues differ or are similar to theirs.

Good Luck
Best advice I've seen. It all revolves around the dealer. Unfortunately RV manufactures seem to put up with many dealers that don't do their job. Don't mess around and go to the top of the chain.
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Old 10-23-2015, 10:24 AM   #5
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Best advice I've seen. It all revolves around the dealer. Unfortunately RV manufactures seem to put up with many dealers that don't do their job. Don't mess around and go to the top of the chain.
Of course they put up with them, they're how RVs get sold. I'm not sure what the typical return-to-the-dealer is for the "next" RV, but if it was frequent, customer service would probably play a bigger factor.

For clarification, your advice is to go to start at the top? With Keystone or with the dealer?

Keystone chooses to correspond with some customers and apparently not others. I asked the about resolution on a roof warranty issue - they essentially told me to talk to the dealer and couldn't provide any information on what the dealer had submitted for warranty claims. They said that info was the property of the dealer.

No great dispute - I just wanted to know what work the dealer claimed to have done versus what they actually did. I accepted the response and didn't push it.

I'm all for escalating problems when you run into an impasse, but if everyone "started at the top" - it's create a really big mess.
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Old 10-23-2015, 06:17 PM   #6
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Things are starting to move a little faster , and actually had a lady from Keystone calling us today ,not sure what her title was , reassuring us that they were doing everything they could to expedite this matter and get it resolved by Friday of next week .
So that is good , and I am hopeful that this ends on her time frame .
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Old 10-23-2015, 08:52 PM   #7
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Things are starting to move a little faster , and actually had a lady from Keystone calling us today ,not sure what her title was , reassuring us that they were doing everything they could to expedite this matter and get it resolved by Friday of next week .
So that is good , and I am hopeful that this ends on her time frame .
What is broken on your new RV?
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Old 10-26-2015, 11:39 AM   #8
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Keystone is generally good about contacting you or being contacted. It's a real shame the RV service industry is coming to this point. I hear stories almost every day about repairs half-assed or taking forever to get done. I know my dealer screwed me big time on a simple repair on my Cougar. The selling dealers are living large right now like the boat dealers did in the 80's and early 90's but when the sales start to dry up only the dealers with a "strong" service dept will survive!!
My motto with service: A happy customer only tells the people that ask, but a pissed off customer tells everybody he sees!
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Old 10-26-2015, 02:14 PM   #9
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Camping World has what is probably the worst customer service in the RV industry. A friend bought a high end Winnebago van from them and the AC went out shortly after. Parts were ordered and when my friend checked on his van 6 weeks later he was told that the parts had been sitting there for some time, but the tech who originally started on the job had quit. That is beyond unacceptable and that with other horror stories that I have heard about CW insures that I will never buy anything from them. BTW, the items in their stores are also over the top expensive.

Keystone is hit or miss on calling you back and when it does happen, it's usually days later. They will not deal with you directly and will not give out any information about the construction of their trailers, citing "customer safety". What you can do is find out if a dealer has submitted a warranty request and the status of the request. At least that gives you something to take back to the dealer when getting the inevitable runaround and you know if he's blowing smoke up your A$$.

The more service related issues I read about, the better my trailer looks. If I ever do buy another one, it won't be from Keystone, not so much because of quality, but the hassle of trying to deal with them. maybe the other manufacturers are just as bad, but there's no reason to raise your stress level thinking the next time will be different.. It won't be.

As far as repairs, I can fix just about everything on my rig and for the things that are above my pay grade, I have a local guy that I use that even with the service call charge, he's cheaper and better and I know i'm not part of a production line service because he wants to get to the next job.
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Old 10-26-2015, 04:29 PM   #10
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What you can do is find out if a dealer has submitted a warranty request and the status of the request. At least that gives you something to take back to the dealer when getting the inevitable runaround and you know if he's blowing smoke up your A$$.
Unfortunately, that's not my experience.. but maybe it was or how I asked.. Or maybe I got the wrong person on the wrong day?

Quote:
Originally Posted by dcg9381
Can you tell me what work or parts have been submitted to Keystone prior to this? It would help me move things along with the dealer.
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Thank you for your email. Unfortunately I do not have the ability to distribute the information submitted to us by the dealership, as the information including the work orders and parts orders are property of the dealership.
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Old 10-27-2015, 05:17 AM   #11
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I stand corrected. So much for dealing with Keystone. It's just sad that they can't just be up front instead of blowing smoke and telling you they don't have information. Nobody can run a business like that. They know every service request that is submitted and where every wire in their trailers is connected.
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Old 10-27-2015, 06:26 AM   #12
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Wasn't my intention to correct you - I'm just posting my recent experience. Maybe I got the wrong person on the wrong day... Hopefully someone else will be along to comment.

To clarify: They have the information, they just won't provide it. How a repair order submitted for warranty approval is the property of the dealer is beyond me.
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Old 10-29-2015, 03:31 PM   #13
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dcg9381

This is a little late. I've not been able to monitor the site.

You need to be talking to your service manager. He can tell you exactly what was submitted to Keystone and how it was written/phrased, which is important. Keystone can also provide you that.

Recently I had what was an obvious manufacturing defect cause a couple of items to self destruct on a return trip from FL. My trailer was 4 days out of warranty. I've always dealt with the service manager but on the day I took it in he was gone and I was directed to a service advisor. I knew what Keystone would want to prove it was a defect so I went to great lengths to explain the situation and show her the problems then left it with them. A short time later the manager told me it was deemed "not under warranty". i told him there was no way.

I contacted customer relations at Keystone, which is also customer service. I spoke with a lady there, explained the situation, she denied coverage and then we escalated to a manager and it was still denied. I told her there was no way anyone with a brain could say what happened wasn't a defect. I then asked her to read me exactly what the claim from the dealer said; she did. It bore little resemblence to what happened and included none of the specifics that I had given the service advisor so that Keystone would know it was a defect. The rep advised me that I could go back to the dealer, have them re-submit a claim worded properly and then they would re-consider.

I was hot and shot an email off to the manager (who was still gone) advising that 1) the repair submission was inaccurate, incomplete and did not include information that was reflective of my situation although I had gone to great lengths to make sure the rep had all the info, 2) I laid the refusal directly at his doorstep and expected him or the dealership to take care of it and 3) the rep at Keystone said if they would re-submit the claim with accurate info they would reconsider the claim.

Long story short, he called me and said they were repairing the coroplast, with all the modifications/additions I had requested to prevent another recurrence, they were repairing the skirts plus making another major repair that should not have been warranty.....for no charge. All of this after he had a very lengthy discussion with Keystone.

All to say that I have had great luck with my service manager at CW and relatively good luck with Keystone customer service. I have never had them not communicate with me with the exception of one instance in which no one ever replied to my email after we had been discussing a situation at length. Come to find out she had quit.

Wishing you good luck.
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Old 02-13-2016, 06:07 PM   #14
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Took my short list of minor problems after a month long maiden voyage on my Cougar. The dealer is CW at Myrtle Beach. I took it in late Monday afternoon after getting home Sunday night late. Temps were to drop like a rock and asked when it could be re-winterized. Service write Kim said she would have it done before close and would call when the warranty items were complete. She called Friday AM. The list was completed at no charge although one item was not a warranty item.
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Old 02-13-2016, 08:13 PM   #15
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Took my short list of minor problems after a month long maiden voyage on my Cougar. The dealer is CW at Myrtle Beach. I took it in late Monday afternoon after getting home Sunday night late. Temps were to drop like a rock and asked when it could be re-winterized. Service write Kim said she would have it done before close and would call when the warranty items were complete. She called Friday AM. The list was completed at no charge although one item was not a warranty item.
You just affirmed my belief that if you get a great dealer, they do take care of problems in a timely manner. That has happened to to me. GREAT service. Unfortunately, all RV manufacturers seem to tolerate horrible service oriented dealers instead of dumping them. Someday somebody will decide to only sell their products through great service oriented dealers and the whole industry will have to change to keep up. Hasn't happened yet.
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Old 02-15-2016, 07:20 AM   #16
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Ultimately it's our decision. Keystone will sell RVs to whatever dealership is able to move the volume. As I haven't received a "customer satisfaction" survey from Keystone, it's unlikely that customer satisfaction with the product (or dealer) is high on their list...

There are many ways for dealers (not just RV) to "clean" their reputations. Companies specialize in media campaigns and can be hired to help "improve" online reviews. I've observed a few (non-RV) companies do this rather than address customer issues, so they must think it's better for their margin, at least short term.


Note, I'm relatively happy with my dealer. I think that most of the lack of customer service is a product of buying a Keystone product at what is perhaps a lower price point than another brand. Want to pay less? You get to deal with repair rates that are perhaps "under market" - which leads to a lack of prioritization, sometimes sub-par repairs, and no real nationwide support...

Even products that are more consumer oriented - dealers get a big pass a lack of service and general customer dissatisfaction as long as they move product. You can find automotive dealership with <2.5 star ratings... The difference is perhaps that many auto manufacturers do provide some incentives to keep a high customer satisfaction rating, but then again - these are consumers that tend to stick with a product line (Ford, Chevy, Toyota, whatever) and generally buy a new one ever 3 years or so..
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Old 02-17-2016, 01:24 PM   #17
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You just affirmed my belief that if you get a great dealer, they do take care of problems in a timely manner. That has happened to to me. GREAT service. Unfortunately, all RV manufacturers seem to tolerate horrible service oriented dealers instead of dumping them. Someday somebody will decide to only sell their products through great service oriented dealers and the whole industry will have to change to keep up. Hasn't happened yet.

CW in Myrtle Beach is the largest volume dealer in the state. They have 2 stores/service sites and are in the process of building a another facility. They will have around 30 or more bays. I think that helps as the builders get to know the players and the service writers are experienced and know how to write up claims. Service managers at volume dealers probably get a little more understanding from builders too. Also, I think many buyers come into a dealer and when they have a problem just complain. I deal with the internet manager and got to know him well. I also have met the service manager and general manager. Most often if you treat people well they will do the same in return.
I've been told Marcus reads every email complaint he receives and does not hesitate to call the service manager and/or general manager. If I ever have a problem I would work my way up the chain to him. Always try to get a problem resolved at the lowest level but move up as needed and document all conversations.
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Old 02-17-2016, 02:16 PM   #18
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I can confirm that Marcus monitors his email real time.

When I purchased my current trailer, from a new CW being transitioned from a private dealer, with all new people, I was really given a ride by the then sales manager and the GM, who was the past owner.

I really wanted the trailer but got fed up with the double talk after 3 attempts at getting straight answers. I got home one evening after dealing with them all afternoon. Shot an email to Marcus Lemonis outlining at length my situation. At 9PM THAT NIGHT he responded to me and said they would look at it the next day. The next day the VP of sales for CW nationwide (Rod if I recall) contacted me. He then proceeded to take over my buying experience, gave me the sales price (exceptional) and added the perks I wanted. Everything was sent via email to the dealership and my deal was completed with the GM. Afterward, both the GM and sales manager were gone.

I would not advise using this as a tool to accomplish things that 1) aren't dealership problems, 2) that you haven't gone to great lengths (above and beyond) to get resolved, 3) or in a tacky, disrepectful way etc. If you don't do the above I suspect you will have unsatisfactory results and rightfully so. My experience doing this was exceptional, but then again, by reading many of these posts, I guess I just have exceptional experiences with CW and Keystone on a routine basis. Fulfill the obligations expected of you, do your homework, know what expectations you should have from the dealer, manufacturer and sub suppliers. Doing those things will always give you greater success when dealing with them.
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Old 02-19-2016, 05:49 PM   #19
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We had an issue with our 19FBPR that we initially couldn't get straightened out with the CW where we purchased the trailer (the issue was a faulty incandescent light fixture above the kitchen sink; assuming you could turn it on you'd end up breaking a fingernail or two in the process). The service department said it was fully functional; obviously it was not. A snail mail letter to Marcus Lemonis was never answered (very disappointing). After again trying to deal with the local CW service department we eventually called the local CW general manager. That got things rolling. Not only did they replace the bad fixture with a nice LED one, but they also took care of a bunch of little odds-and-ends that we weren't going to bother them about (but they asked, and we told them!)

So, my suggestion: go straight to the top of the facility where you purchased your RV. It worked for us.
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Old 02-19-2016, 08:19 PM   #20
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We had an issue with our 19FBPR that we initially couldn't get straightened out with the CW where we purchased the trailer (the issue was a faulty incandescent light fixture above the kitchen sink; assuming you could turn it on you'd end up breaking a fingernail or two in the process). The service department said it was fully functional; obviously it was not. A snail mail letter to Marcus Lemonis was never answered (very disappointing). After again trying to deal with the local CW service department we eventually called the local CW general manager. That got things rolling. Not only did they replace the bad fixture with a nice LED one, but they also took care of a bunch of little odds-and-ends that we weren't going to bother them about (but they asked, and we told them!)

So, my suggestion: go straight to the top of the facility where you purchased your RV. It worked for us.
I was not at Marcus level at my job and rarely received mail. A secretary opened most and gave it to her supv who only sent what he could not handle to his mgr to be handled. Could be why Marcus has a special email address for complaints that he reads. As you found out ~~ from service writer, to tech, to service mgr, to general mgr.... then corporate CW.
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