Warranty work at CW

[litespan46]

You have to do a complete pdi. We spent day and a half going over our 2017 silverback 37bh. We found 3 pages of defects mainly cosmetic. Dealer fixed all items . They owe us a sofa bed seat. Warped door and believe it or not a spare tire. We have been using it continually for a month with no problems . If you do not do a thorough pdi you are left at the mercy of the dealer and forest river . You have to get down and dirty looking for problems especially the roof and major systems

[camaraderie]

Originally Posted by QC Torpedo

Forest River is owned by Berkshire Hathaway whose CEO is Warren Buffett, one of the richest men in America. That said, do you think his company cares about you? IMHO - NOPE.

Well 800 of us are showing up in Goshen in a few weeks and Warren is gonna provide FREE fixes for in AND out of warranty problems we have....so YEAH...I'd say his company cares about me. YMMV

[camaraderie]

LOL...then I guess someone is an idiot for buying a Buffett product eh? Which one of us would that be, feeling the way you do??

[Mr Havercamp]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

Well 800 of us are showing up in Goshen in a few weeks and Warren is gonna provide FREE fixes for in AND out of warranty problems we have....so YEAH...I'd say his company cares about me. YMMV

I doubt Warren Buffet even knows that event exists. Also, I did not realize that event is free. It sure seems like I read in some threads about sign ups and credit card payments. Well whatever floats your boat.

800 people can attend to get "specials" out of who knows how many who purchased only to find out they were handed a multitude of manufacturing defects? How about the attendees whovare getting free fixes for work "out of warranty" giving up their spot to someone who needs "in warranty" work?

Heres some novel ideas. How about not making dealers jump through numerous hoops for approvals? How about shipping parts for warranty repairs in 4 days instead of 4 weeks? How about paying dealers what the work is worth?

The number of buyers with problems caused by sloppy assembly is a hell of a bigger number than 800. The vast majority of buyers do not have the resources or time to travel to Goshen for such a thing even if they could be accomodated, nor should they have to.

[MCTroy]

Wow, venting a little? Still, love both the Forest River TT we have owned and so little problems with them. And I think Mr Buffet is kinda cute!

[KatanaPilot]

Originally Posted by Mr Havercamp

I doubt Warren Buffet even knows that event exists. Also, I did not realize that event is free. It sure seems like I read in some threads about sign ups and credit card payments. Well whatever floats your boat.

800 people can attend to get "specials" out of who knows how many who purchased only to find out they were handed a multitude of manufacturing defects? How about the attendees whovare getting free fixes for work "out of warranty" giving up their spot to someone who needs "in warranty" work?

Heres some novel ideas. How about not making dealers jump through numerous hoops for approvals? How about shipping parts for warranty repairs in 4 days instead of 4 weeks? How about paying dealers what the work is worth?

The number of buyers with problems caused by sloppy assembly is a hell of a bigger number than 800. The vast majority of buyers do not have the resources or time to travel to Goshen for such a thing even if they could be accomodated, nor should they have to.

Mr. Havercamp,

You are so right. While it's great customer service providing out of warranty repairs to the 800 or so who travel to Goshen - I dare say hundreds, maybe thousands more of us would have been thrilled with in warranty repairs completed in a proper and timely manner. Now that would be good customer service.

[camaraderie]

Originally Posted by Mr Havercamp

I doubt Warren Buffet even knows that event exists. Also, I did not realize that event is free. It sure seems like I read in some threads about sign ups and credit card payments. Well whatever floats your boat.

800 people can attend to get "specials" out of who knows how many who purchased only to find out they were handed a multitude of manufacturing defects? How about the attendees whovare getting free fixes for work "out of warranty" giving up their spot to someone who needs "in warranty" work?

Heres some novel ideas. How about not making dealers jump through numerous hoops for approvals? How about shipping parts for warranty repairs in 4 days instead of 4 weeks? How about paying dealers what the work is worth?

The number of buyers with problems caused by sloppy assembly is a hell of a bigger number than 800. The vast majority of buyers do not have the resources or time to travel to Goshen for such a thing even if they could be accomodated, nor should they have to.

I guess I'll respond with a list:
1. I'm paying for the rally...and it is a good value compared to other rally's without the free service.
2. I'm happy with the DIRECT service I've received from Forest River in and out of warranty.
3. I'm not here to defend the industry or dealer service throughout the industry. Dealers have no obligation to help, the product is universally problem prone and dealers lie a lot. It is not a Forest River Buffett problem as a quick read over at IRV2 will confirm. My guess is when a part does not get approved or arrive...9 out of 10 it is because the DEALER didn't put in the part order or fill out the claim and send it in...then lied to the customer about waiting for a response from FR.
4. I am not suggesting that anyone should have to travel to Goshen. I was responding to the idea that Big Bad Warren doesn't care with the counter proposal that he DOES care in that his company does something for customers that NO other RV company does. He (IMO) is likely aware of and supportive of the event having charitably donated $59B of his own money to others AND having a coach named after his company.
He especially likes it when companies build an unassailable brand based on their value. Peter Liegl is the Chairmen & CEO of FR and I'm sure the tone he sets for the company reflects both his and Buffets values. Someone only interested in profit wouldn't do something to help customers that no one else is doing. They are building a brand and loyalty. Not easy and not quickly and obviously not to everyone's satisfaction...but I see a positive direction and some good people doing their best.

[Wobbles]

I thought this was a rant against CW.

[Skyliner]

Originally Posted by Wobbles

I thought this was a rant against CW.

Let me get things back on track. I have not been impressed with CW's overall and will never frequent one even if I am in dire need of RV TP.

The warranty practice experienced by the OP is actually common among many RV dealerships. The reality is that they want to discourage you from future warranty claims. The way they do this is by taking months instead of days to fix your RV camper during the summer months. RV dealers such as CW charge $120/hour for labor and probably receive a small fraction of this for warranty work. Its not personal but a business decision to put better paid work, i.e. non-warranty work ahead of warranty work. It all comes down to the almighty dollar.

[Denny B]

Welcome to the wonderful world of service in general in tt's campers, and motor homes, and Camping world in specific. Having enjoyed their special brand of service after sales, warranty, and insurance work with our first tt. I would NEVER EVER buy from them EVER AGAIN. And I have shared my experiences with friends and fellow campers who have asked me about purchasing a tt.
Good luck..... I'm sure you will need all the luck you can get with CW.

[HappyGuy]

I bought my first RV from Camping world in Garner NC just after the dealership was purchased by CW and the experience and after sales experience was good. The staff turned over and my sisters family bought a SOB camper. Their experience was similar to the OPs which is unfortunate. I have watched the site expand and the attitudes of the employees sour. I will not buy from that dealer simply because I can see that there are problems in the ranks and the service department failed my sister miserably. That being said I purchased my current rig from Carolina Coach and Marine and my after sale service experience was worse. I won't go into the details because those posts are already on the site and searchable. I did my own warranty work and went back to the factory for the things I couldn't do. Forest River has stood behind their product and I am very satisfied with their after purchase support. Try to find a vendor that has a voluntary manufacturer support on a forum like this, a rally like the FROG rally, or the factory service that FR has. Not even the premium brands like Prevost or Newmar do this. Kudos to FR for setting the bar higher there. One thing Newmar did do was tie their product support and service level to a dealers ability to sell their product. That might be a good next step for FR to consider. It would be a hard hard hit initially but would pay dividends later.

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by Wobbles

I thought this was a rant against CW.

It will never end. I have owned RVs by FR and SOBs. Every one except the last 2 had a list at the PDI and a few were left to return when the long list was complete. The last 2 came from CW in Myrtle Beach SC. PDIs lasting 2 1/2 hours or more found zero, NADA, nothing. Neither has had a warranty problem either. I questioned an item under warranty on the prior unit and brought it in, 2 days later they called, explained how and why and it was how it was properly designed. Neither of the SOBs had sawdust or insulation or building trash from day 1 or ever. Cannot recall how many units since 1977~~ but we have had a bunch. From 19' TTs in the beginning to a Class A and back to a 5er. The best dealers have been CW in Myrtle Beach SC and CW outside of Ashville NC. If those two do not have it or cannot get it, I'll keep what I have.

[jertourrider]

It's good to hear there are some good CW dealers. I purchased my
2015 27RR from CW in greenwood IN. I will not go back to them
ever again. I have not dealt with one person who is not a lier at there Greenwood store

[spock123]

The only thing Warren Buffet cares about is market share and PROFITS!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by Mahlstedtd

Oggie, I too work at a gm dealership for 25years. I too bought at CW. I too got the big run around. Took 8 months to get 4 things fixed. The RV warranty is totally different. Forest River has to authorize repairs before anything can be fixed. If the dealer is slow to request repairs it will take a long time. Waited 6 months for a door. I did contact Forest River directly and they seemed to want to repair anything damaged. Find the website and give them a call.

It seems to me the DEALER, CW, is the problem. If I were you I would go directly to Forest River to get the issues resolved. Forest River has a vested interest in insuring your satisfaction and their reputation.

Since you know the hole in the door did not exist when you first looked at it and it appeared while at the CW Dealer, I can see why Forest River is denying the warranty. They sent it out with a good door and while in CW's custody it was damaged. That issue is CW's fault and they should replace it at their cost.

[KatanaPilot]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

It seems to me the DEALER, CW, is the problem. If I were you I would go directly to Forest River to get the issues resolved. Forest River has a vested interest in insuring your satisfaction and their reputation.

Since you know the hole in the door did not exist when you first looked at it and it appeared while at the CW Dealer, I can see why Forest River is denying the warranty. They sent it out with a good door and while in CW's custody it was damaged. That issue is CW's fault and they should replace it at their cost.

Not going to argue whose fault this is or if CW has a poor reputation or not.

However, to your point about FR's desire for high customer satisfaction - If this were truly the case, then FR would drop bad dealers. I know that LTV surveys their customers about their dealers and will drop them if the survey results don't meet LTV standards. FR could do the same, but they don't.

[Oggie]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

The CEO of Good Sam and Camping World is Marcus Lemonis (also star of the reality show THE PROFIT). For email try:
MarcusVIP@campingworldrv.com

or visit this page: RV where you can link to the above address or re-post all your problems with the SPECIFIC CW into their "Marcus" forum for action.
Like Capn John...I'm not down on all CW's and have a few that have treated me well and solved my problems.

CW has announced they are gonna make Marcus a lot more money with an IPO shortly...my guess is they will be concerned with keeping you happy.
I've also found my warranty guy at Georgetown/Forest River to be most helpful and reasonable. Go to the forest river site to find the name & # of your guy for your brand & give him a call.

Unlike Automotive...NO dealer has a legal obligation to fix any mfrs. product or service a particular coach. They make more by fixing out of warranty issues than the meager amounts mfr's will pay them. As others have implied...you made an unforced error in signing on the dotted line without personally doing a comprehensive PDI..mine took FOUR hours. Once you leave the lot with problems unsolved... at a variety of dealers...you become a low priority.
I hope you get some help from Marcus or Forest River...it is apparent your dealers people have treated you like crap. Good luck.

Thanks for the contact info for Marcus I sent him a email last wednesday night and saturday night I recieved a phone call from the operations manager from the Greenwood CW he was very apologetic and said he had received my email from Marcus we will see what happens this week

[W5CI]

Do your home work people, PDI, And never pay for a unit until you are completey satisfied. And stay away from CW

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by W5CI

Do your home work people, PDI, And never pay for a unit until you are completey satisfied. And stay away from CW

I will not buy from anyone but CW Ashville NC or Myrtle Beach SC. Every CW is different for now as they have grown so fast. That is slowly changing. If you read you will see there are more bad service reviews than good by a huge percentage of non-CW dealers as well. To use a blanket statement is irresponsible.

[camaraderie]

Originally Posted by Oggie

Thanks for the contact info for Marcus I sent him a email last wednesday night and saturday night I recieved a phone call from the operations manager from the Greenwood CW he was very apologetic and said he had received my email from Marcus we will see what happens this week

I'm encouraged that you got a response from Marcus to the manager...confirms my thoughts about HIS values. You can be sure the mgr. has to report back how your issues were resolved to his office. Good luck this week.