WWYD: Feeling violated

ApexBunk · 09-26-2016, 07:53 AM

Hey all--

We've owned our camper since October of last year. Last month we went through the camper to see if we had any warranty issues before our year was up. We did, but they were minor. Delamination, stickers on exterior peeling, and the awning was becoming just slightly detached where it meets the camper. That's it.

It was there for 3 weeks and we decided that I want to camp for my bday weekend this weekend. I asked if we could pick it up while they await parts and bring it back Sunday.

We picked it up yesterday, and the battery was dead. We found that inconvenient, but manually hooked up, no biggie. As soon as we parked in the driveway I heard what sounded like an whining, or alarm. It would go and then turn off. Long story short... this is what we found with our camper:
- The rear slide no longer works, one side is completely dead but the motor was trying to either close/open it and fried. The entire camper smelled like burning something. That explains the dead battery.

-Both bedroom door latches were completely broken. One came off entirely from the metal clasp that connect it to the wall, the other was ripped in half???

-The black trim around the camper was popped out in at least 4 places, where I could now push and flex the trim and the glue was no longer sticking.

I feel really violated to have dropped this off in like new condition, with such minor repairs needed, and to get it back in a way that not only shows little care when in their hands, but will never be "like new" again. The only thing my husband and I could think of was that they hit a bump while towing it from the shop to storage and the chassis flexed so much that the doors banged so hard the latches broke, the slide came off the tracks, and the trim came unglued.

What would you do in this situation? I know it's all covered under warranty, but this is a 2016 brand new unit. How do you ever make it like new again after needing these repairs now? And should we expect to give up camping this entire fall? Like I said, I feel violated.

youroo · 09-26-2016, 08:09 AM

First time I have heard "Delamination and Minor" used in the Same sentence!

Are your doors "Hinged or Sliding"? Hinged doors falling off is Very Rare! It has been a Long time since I have seen "Glued Trim" on a RV,are you talking about the Vinyl insert trim"?

Youroo!!

ApexBunk · 09-26-2016, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by youroo

First time I have heard "Delamination and Minor" used in the Same sentence!

Are your doors "Hinged or Sliding"? Hinged doors falling off is Very Rare! It has been a Long time since I have seen "Glued Trim" on a RV,are you talking about the Vinyl insert trim"?

Youroo!!

LOL, the delamination was on the very bottom corner of where the floor meets the wall in the rear bunkhouse. Very minor and fixable.
The doors are sliding and have the plastic "lock" that snaps on one side, and it attached by a clasp on the other.
The trim that goes all the way around the bottom of the camper. Not sure of the proper term. It bowed out and is no longer seam sealed to the camper. I used the word glued to explain that its detached.

Salt Shaker · 09-26-2016, 08:40 AM

Are you sure you picked up the right camper...lol.

Document, take lots of pics and talk to the GM. I would also contact a factory rep and address ALL issues while under waranty. Since you are using it, go over everything.

Salt

**Flybob** · 09-26-2016, 08:51 AM

Sounds like your unit is in worse shape now than when you brought it to the dealer. If that is the case, I am not sure I would want that dealer to touch it again. I would assess the damage and determine what you can fix on your own ( your OP says all items were minor) and bring it home and fix it. Anything you can't fix, ask FR to recommend another dealer.
I know it is very frustrating to have to fix ( and/or pay for) repairs that should be covered under warranty, but my policy is forget about the principle and focus on results. You should not have to fix warranty items, but if you can it is usually less hassle and time to do it yourself.

ApexBunk · 09-26-2016, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salt Shaker

Are you sure you picked up the right camper...lol.

Document, take lots of pics and talk to the GM. I would also contact a factory rep and address ALL issues while under waranty. Since you are using it, go over everything.

Salt

Ha, if only that was the issue! The Service manager is going to send someone to pick up the camper from us. Guess we're canceling my birthday camping trip. You think I should contact Forest River directly?

ApexBunk · 09-26-2016, 09:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flybob

Sounds like your unit is in worse shape now than when you brought it to the dealer. If that is the case, I am not sure I would want that dealer to touch it again. I would assess the damage and determine what you can fix on your own ( your OP says all items were minor) and bring it home and fix it. Anything you can't fix, ask FR to recommend another dealer.
I know it is very frustrating to have to fix ( and/or pay for) repairs that should be covered under warranty, but my policy is forget about the principle and focus on results. You should not have to fix warranty items, but if you can it is usually less hassle and time to do it yourself.

That's certainly an idea. I felt the same way; why bring it back to a place that I *feel* didn't take good care of our unit when in their possession? My husband thinks since they broke it, they should be held accountable and I don't necessarily disagree. The service manager said he's going to find out what happened but before I could finish explaining my findings I was hearing excuses like "Oh it sounds like the switch is stuck on the slide". After I explained the other damages he seemed to agree that the chassis flexed hard enough to knock the slide off, break the door latches and de-seal the trim. He said it's all quite fixable, but it makes me feel like its a used unit that is going in for repairs due to age. And unfortunately, it's due to lack of care which is appalling.

jk510 · 09-26-2016, 10:41 AM

What could they have possibly run over in their lot that would cause that much damage?!

ApexBunk · 09-26-2016, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jk510

What could they have possibly run over in their lot that would cause that much damage?!

I'm wondering the same damn thing! Any other ideas? I'm open minded. If it was just the slide, I would think it was simply coincidental, and a blessing in disguise to get it repaired while under warranty. But the slide, broken door latches and unsealed body moldings? How does that happen? This thing would have had to flex HARD for all of that to happen. Please throw out some ideas. I'll see if I can upload the video I took.

ApexBunk · 09-26-2016, 11:14 AM

let's see if this video works..

https://www.facebook.com/rachel.atla...04124981069811

dieselguy · 09-26-2016, 11:39 AM

90% of the time ... delamination no matter how minor goes hand in hand with water intrusion which is not minor. Can your doors get caught by the slide when retracted if they are left ajar? Parasitic draw by several electric devices can draw a battery down in 3 weeks if you don't have a main disconnect.

asquared · 09-26-2016, 11:49 AM

I see you are in NC. What dealership are you working with. I might be able to give you some insight (good or bad) on dealers I have worked with around here.

ApexBunk · 09-26-2016, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieselguy

90% of the time ... delamination no matter how minor goes hand in hand with water intrusion which is not minor. Can your doors get caught by the slide when retracted if they are left ajar? Parasitic draw by several electric devices can draw a battery down in 3 weeks if you don't have a main disconnect.

So, are you saying that they should be looking for a bigger issue with water intrusion? This was never mentioned by the service dept. They simply said warranty was approved for it. Thanks for the heads up.

The pocket doors cannot interfere with the slide, at all. We have a main switch for the battery to turn it off and on, and it was left on. That definitely could have caused the dead battery when we picked it up. As soon as the truck charged it enough the slide started trying to open/close the slide and the motor died. It could have been either culprit depending on when they left the switch on.

ApexBunk · 09-26-2016, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asquared

I see you are in NC. What dealership are you working with. I might be able to give you some insight (good or bad) on dealers I have worked with around here.

We're at Camping World where Tom Johnson was by the track. We wanted to bring it to Country Camping corner but the closed the Matthews location. I would have taken it to Kings Mountain if I knew this would be the result.

asquared · 09-26-2016, 11:56 AM

Two FR dealers that are good to work with: Country roads RV in Lexington and bill Plenmons in Raleigh. I have not really worked with bill Plemmons in Winston Salem. Camping world in Colfax was nothing but headaches with my old tt. They even hit it with something causing external damage/dents etc that had to be fixed. Do a dealer search on here, you won't find much good about CW service anwhere in the country.

ApexBunk · 09-26-2016, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asquared

Two FR dealers that are good to work with: Country roads RV in Lexington and bill Plenmons in Raleigh. I have not really worked with bill Plemmons in Winston Salem. Camping world in Colfax was nothing but headaches with my old tt. They even hit it with something causing external damage/dents etc that had to be fixed. Do a dealer search on here, you won't find much good about CW service anwhere in the country.

We bought our camper from Country Roads. The service was great, just not super happy with the drive to get there. Lesson learned. I called Country Camping corner earlier, and they said to take it back through CW because if they damaged it, Camping corner would have to charge us, instead of going through warranty. I was bummed that I couldn't leave town for my birthday because of kids' sports, but now we can't camp at all.

ApexBunk · 09-26-2016, 12:13 PM

So can anyone else think of how this occurred? The camper is kept in pristine condition. We clean inside after we use it every time. It's washed and waxed everytime we use it. A thorough walk through was done at drop off, and everything was fine other than what is mentioned in the OP.

ApexBunk · 09-27-2016, 07:59 AM

So did anyone think of a better scenario as to how this happened?

I was told they were going to call me to schedule a time to have someone pick up the camper and take it back to the shop. I got a call, except it was from someone saying they're outside my house

I had to leave work immediately and meet them. Really nailing this coffin shut for me. Lack of customer care, or customer service, and communication.

**Flybob** · 09-27-2016, 08:26 AM

As I mentioned earlier. Pick it up and take it somewhere else.

5picker · 09-27-2016, 08:36 AM

I'm going to be the Devil's Advocate.

Are you certain that you didn't cause these latest problems?

I have to assume when picking up the unit at the dealer you must NOT have went inside and checked things out before you towed it home or you would have likely seen the busted door(s). You realized there was a dead battery when you went to hook up... did you check for items that could have been left on once you applied 12v power. Do you know the switch for the slide was somehow damaged by the dealer causing it to be on? Had I seen these things when picking up my unit, I would have marched right inside the dealership and dragged someone out by the ear to document this stuff.

I'm not trying to be a stickler but lets face it, there still remains a certain amount of responsibility each and every one of us must bear EVERY time we hook up our rigs to tow them somewhere.

Did you fully communicate with your dealer an exact time when you would be dropping by to pick up the unit? If you did, shame on them for not having it ready but if you simply said "I'll drop by and pick it up so we can use it while waiting on parts" then some of that onus is on you.

The other thing that is going to be tremendously hard to overcome in this situation is your perspective of whether it will EVER be good enough for you from here on out. I'm not supporting the dealers position (or yours) but from your comments, I just don't see you being happy with any outcome.

I sure hope you get this resolved but I also hope you don't let it eat at you to the point you will never enjoy your camper or the RV life all of us here look forward to. We all have make lemonade out of lemons sometimes.

Comments meant respectfully.

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