About done with Forest River!

[boss mare]

I have been trying since February, wish I had your info on good dealers the. I love supporting the good guys.

[Weezer]

Originally Posted by boss mare

I have been trying since February, wish I had your info on good dealers the. I love supporting the good guys.

The info was available here re my dealer (and wmtire and dcheatwood's dealer).

Check out my post in the dealer review section of this forum.

And, dcheatwood drove much further than wmtire, myself and DH did.

[Radio]

We began our RV journey on local dealer lots in 2001. Were not in a position to buy anything, so I used the time to research and plan.

When we took delivery at RVWholesalers in July of 2008, I was pretty well satisfied with the camper, the dealer and the price. I would later become enraged at US Bank (AVOID) but that was another story.

I knew what to expect, and pretty much got it...

"Here's your trailer"
"Here's my money"
"Sign this. and this. and this.... "
"Thanks, bye"

I don't think some dealers are dishonest. I just think they are stupid. Do your homework, Their reputation will proceed them.

[Capt. Mike]

Boss Mare, it sounds like you are somewhere east of Ohio if it is an 11 hour drive to Albany.

Like others on the forum, I'm here to tell you that there ARE good dealers (FR and other brands) out there. We bought two tts, both Rockwoods, a 2012 in 2012 and a 2014 in 2013, from the same dealer. The first unit was a "stock" one that happened to be on their lot; the second time we ordered the unit exactly as we wanted it. Both times we were treated fairly and with plenty of respect. We have gotten service when we needed it, a time or two when it was a "rush job" as we were leaving for an extended trip. Everybody at he dealership has been helpful, and I don't feel like they are ignoring or taking advantage of us.

I negotiated hard with them both times. I know they have to make some money, and I think I got a fair price both times. Would I have liked to pay less? Of course, but they need to stay in business, too!

Kudos to Bill Thomas Camper Sales in Wentzville, MO.

Hang in there...you will eventually find "the right" dealer!

[Terier]

I'm glad things are looking better for you. This won't necessarily make you happy but thank goodness you found out in time about the previous dealerships business conduct. It could have been much worse dealing with them after the sale. People who are willing to play games before the sale are usually willing to play more games after the sale.

I also agree that credit should go to the bad dealerships and not so much FR. Why not contact FR and share your story? While a single complaint might not go far it can be a beginning of a track record for future complaints. After all history has a way of repeating.

A couple years ago I called FR to put in a good word about my dealership. I have had nothing but great service from my local dealership since buying the TT back in Sept. of 2010. The name of my dealership is also Family RV which is located in Ontario, CA.

Good luck and please do keep us updated.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

Cheyenne Camping Center walcott Iowa.
Awesome great dealer!
Fast friendly dealer!

Did Cheyenne use to sell Holiday Rambler?

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

Did Cheyenne use to sell Holiday Rambler?

Back when they we're located in Eldridge Iowa it's quite possible.
It's was a family owned business then when the old man passed away the brothers split off and Cheyenne moved to walcott and Terry Frasier rv was born in Eldridge.


TURBS


"Sabre owners united"

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

Back when they we're located in Eldridge Iowa it's quite possible.
It's was a family owned business then when the old man passed away the brothers split off and Cheyenne moved to walcott and Terry Frasier rv was born in Eldridge.

That's who we bought our 81 Alumalite 5er from. They were great then also. When we had an issue with a gas pipe/axle interference. They ordered a 3" drop axle for it, installed it and re-vamped the gas line also. NO CHARGE. So their SOP must have gone with the boys.

[BamaBob]

Originally Posted by dcheatwood

X2!

Sent from my XT907 using Forest River Forums mobile app

AND there are Forum Members who go out of there way to help other RV'ers...Thanks again Dave!!

[Brother Les]

Originally Posted by Weezer

Whoa there .... broad brushes being what they are, and what they do....

I am here to tell you that there ARE dealers out there that will bend over backwards for you/US. I'll put my dealer (Route 66 Certified BTW) up against any RV dealer out there, no matter the brand.

I have two other brand dealers right here in my home town....was NOT impressed with either of them or their brand.

So we drove 90 miles away to;

Bayou Outdoor Supercenter in Bossier City, LA which is absolutely AWESOME! We've bought two (new) RVs from them in the last year and could not be more happy with their sales, and service after the sale.

They have *earned* our business and our loyalty.

(nobody read this please, it is only for me and my rant)
Hello Weezer... I agree on finding the right Dealer. I have 'had' the 'right' 'Dealer' for over 20 years.... 10 mile away from my home. Have a very good working relationship with them and have always trusted them to be honest and fair and fast in all that they do. Went to them First when the wife wanted to upgrade. They ("U S Rents It") sell Forest Rivers (among also renting everything under the sun). They did not have the model that we wanted and could not get it because of RV 'agreements'. Buying a unit from a Dealer over a 100 miles away would never have been a problem if the unit was built correctly and with a better standard of parts, which makes it Totally a Forest River Manufacturer Problem. Tire exploding with less than 200 miles on it from purchase. All agree of cheap tires problems and FR knows it. Slides that go out and can never get back in on three different camping trip. Slide motors bad design and was told that there is a third generation of slide motor. Lippert makes junk and FR buys their junk. I could go on about the list an arms length long of problems that should never have left the manufacturers factory. Five times I hauled my unit to and from the Dealer 100 miles away and he seemed to have it more than I did. I was POed about it to the point of taking my unit to U S Rents it and pay for some repairs out of my pocket for work that would have been covered under warranty. Saved time and money by paying for it myself. It is a game that adults have to play, but really should not have to. After a year, I think all of the bugs have been killed and I have a unit like that that should have came out of the FR factory. A word of warning, don't trust the tires on these units with your life or the life of your family and others. It seems to very true that the bare minimum of standards are put on these units. Remove them now and get the very best of a higher grade that you can afford and find. A Dealer issue.... no... this is a FR issue.

The moderators can delete this post and it will be fine with me as it goes over old ground brought up before.

Blessing and safe travels.

[Evereddie]

Originally Posted by Radio

......I don't think some dealers are dishonest. I just think they are stupid. Do your homework, Their reputation will proceed them.

I mean no disrespect but I don't think you have been there, done that. I have to totally disagree with your above statement. My dealer is 100% dishonest. After a branch went through my roof it was brought to them for repair. To make a very long story short they charged for parts and labor that simply was not done. While my insurance company ate it, I also got screwed. And from what I read on this and many other forums, dealer dishonesty is running rampant in this industry. Nice try but you my sir are wrong.

[pgandw]

We saw a 2013 A122 at a used car lot. Price seemed high, so we investigated new ones. We could buy a 2014 for what the used car lot wanted for a used unit (at a few places).

The closest dealer in Colorado Springs was not offering a good price, and did not seem particularly interested in our business. Offered to let us know when the model we wanted came in, but never answered the phone after that. Eventually called to say an A122 had come in, but by then...

We called Nolan RV up in Denver. They gave us a very good price up front over the phone, and quoted us reasonable prices for hitch install, transmission cooler install, and brake controller install. They said they expected delivery of an A122 in a week, and they would call us as soon as it came in.

Went up there a week later to see the unit. Compared it to some pop-ups - we were prior very happy PUP owners - and decided to go with the A-frame for the weekend camping we foresaw ourselves doing for the next few years. We agreed on terms and set closing for a week later. No deposit was required or asked for. We arranged for our own financing in advance, and would take the dealer's if they would beat the deal. USAA won, Nolan was fine with our approach.

At closing, Nolan found our Hyundai Entourage minivan already had a large transmission cooler stock and recommended we not bother. I asked about a Prodigy brake controller, dealer said not to pay the extra $$ for a unit designed for dual axle TT. Same with the BAL levelers; dealer said use the plastic blocks from Walmart for $35 instead. After setup, I took the unit test drive around the lot, and was unhappy with the bounce of both the A122 and minivan. Dealer said take the transmission cooler money ($200), kick in $100, and we'll fit you out with the Equal-i-zer small model WDH/anti-sway. Best $300 I have spent on the camper; tows very nicely at interstate speeds. Dealer lost money on the WDH (based on on-line prices), but they wanted things to be right for me.

What I like is the shared philosophy about camping - KISS. They didn't try to upsell me to the toy hauler or front storage models they had in stock. They recommended we not buy the FR add-on room as not very good quality, and not all that useful in a gain/effort comparison for our style of camping. Nolan was perfectly happy spending a couple of hours going through the comparison of a PUP to the A-frame, and let us taking our time to decide which we really wanted.

Warranty support has also been top notch, it goes without saying 9based on past and present experience) that QC on RVs is not great. We have had the following taken care of under warranty without issue:

- propane leak. Turned out to be defective cast fitting at trailer front frame. Nolan mechanic found replacement at Ace Hardware and replaced and leak tested again within 2 hours. Refilled gas bottles as part of service.
- door lock. Key was missing for door. Nolan ended up replacing entire lock. They gave me a credit for $40 worth of merchandise from their store for taking the time and trouble to bring it in (we live 50 miles away).
- outside shower plumbing leaks downstream of outside valves. I will probably fix on my own, although they will do it if I take it in.

Yes, Virginia, there are good dealers out there.

Fred W

[Weezer]

Originally Posted by Brother Les

(nobody read this please, it is only for me and my rant)
Hello Weezer... I agree on finding the right Dealer. I have 'had' the 'right' 'Dealer' for over 20 years.... 10 mile away from my home. Have a very good working relationship with them and have always trusted them to be honest and fair and fast in all that they do. Went to them First when the wife wanted to upgrade. They ("U S Rents It") sell Forest Rivers (among also renting everything under the sun). They did not have the model that we wanted and could not get it because of RV 'agreements'. Buying a unit from a Dealer over a 100 miles away would never have been a problem if the unit was built correctly and with a better standard of parts, which makes it Totally a Forest River Manufacturer Problem. Tire exploding with less than 200 miles on it from purchase. All agree of cheap tires problems and FR knows it. Slides that go out and can never get back in on three different camping trip. Slide motors bad design and was told that there is a third generation of slide motor. Lippert makes junk and FR buys their junk. I could go on about the list an arms length long of problems that should never have left the manufacturers factory. Five times I hauled my unit to and from the Dealer 100 miles away and he seemed to have it more than I did. I was POed about it to the point of taking my unit to U S Rents it and pay for some repairs out of my pocket for work that would have been covered under warranty. Saved time and money by paying for it myself. It is a game that adults have to play, but really should not have to. After a year, I think all of the bugs have been killed and I have a unit like that that should have came out of the FR factory. A word of warning, don't trust the tires on these units with your life or the life of your family and others. It seems to very true that the bare minimum of standards are put on these units. Remove them now and get the very best of a higher grade that you can afford and find. A Dealer issue.... no... this is a FR issue.

The moderators can delete this post and it will be fine with me as it goes over old ground brought up before.

Blessing and safe travels.

Well, you'll have to color me clueless regarding this post. Nothing in it pertains to dealer problems. THAT is what I was pointing out with my initial response to your initial post.

[Brother Les]

Originally Posted by Weezer

Well, you'll have to color me clueless regarding this post. Nothing in it pertains to dealer problems. THAT is what I was pointing out with my initial response to your initial post.

Dealer too far away....

Dealer could not replace blown tire with same product. FR would only pro-rate the tire for wear and I had to kick in the difference.

Dealer always asked for pictures of any problems and then ask FR if ok to fix.... Dealer would do no work unless paid for by FR.

Dealer tried to jury rig slide issues with old parts two times before ordering a new part. All of the slide issues they placed on FR/Lippert and had little or no clue on what to do about it.

Dealer took way to long to fix and twice order parts.... received said parts... had to return and get new parts because Dealer ordered them wrong.


And it is true that none of the above point directly to a Dealer instituted/caused problem..... They all came into play because of the manufacture issues, be they FR or FRs parts suppliers. I have a FR Dealer less than 10 miles from my home, but because the unit was not bought there, it cost me around an extra thousands dollars and many days of my life that I can not get back. Should I throw in the many time of the wife Beeechen because 'something else broke or was not working'.....

I guess I could just blame it on God For He doesth cause all things from the beginning to the end....( errr... sorry different religion) (I am religious, but I Do Not blame God for any of this... it is my mother-in-laws fault..... she wanted her daughter to have a new camper


Blessings

[D-mo]

yes .. there are good dealers out there .. unfortunately there are service depts. that are able to accept or decline what is needed under warranty .. or even paid service.
At this present time .. we are dealing with a good RV dealer .. which is unaware of their warranty service/work order quality ..
this will be rectified shortly ...

d-mo