Dealers and Warranty Work

[LoveLife7478]

Originally Posted by Rollingdunder1

Sorry to hear about your problems. Warranty, repairs and service of any kind after the sale is the weakest part of this industry. I believe that we consumers must identify the bad and the good dealers we encounter. We need to send factual correspondence to FR management. We need to send letters to the industry organizations such as RIVA and let them know that in order to sustain industry growth; the dealer network must become more owner friendly. Going to a rally in Northern Indiana with 1,000 other owners should not be the only way to get repairs accomplished. Please make your voice be heard.

Yes you are right on the money. Things need to change. I will be writing some letters for sure.

[Kevin & Judy]

bclemens
Need to work harder to get the 2nd year on the motorhomes !!! I know you have stated you have tried, but no one listens..
Actuall less things to warrant than a TT. No frame and axels to worry about. Same stuff inside as a TT ?????

[hillsdaletc]

Warranty pay per hour is adjusted every year to keep up with the regular rate in the area of the country the dealership is in. The dealer applies for adjustments yearly if Nesc. Our dealership was always paid the same rate as the customer is charged. If the shop is using the flat rate guide to charge for labor services he will get paid ( eventually, and after many phone calls for approvals and pictures ) the same as customer scale. Where many repair shops get a profit is when they hit you with a diagnostic fee for each item.
The hard feeling with dealers is when a customer goes to another dealer to save a few bucks and considers him not worth doing business with then comes back and demands that he fix some other dealers problems before he takes care of his own customers.

[LoveLife7478]

Originally Posted by hillsdaletc

Warranty pay per hour is adjusted every year to keep up with the regular rate in the area of the country the dealership is in. The dealer applies for adjustments yearly if Nesc. Our dealership was always paid the same rate as the customer is charged. If the shop is using the flat rate guide to charge for labor services he will get paid ( eventually, and after many phone calls for approvals and pictures ) the same as customer scale. Where many repair shops get a profit is when they hit you with a diagnostic fee for each item.
The hard feeling with dealers is when a customer goes to another dealer to save a few bucks and considers him not worth doing business with then comes back and demands that he fix some other dealers problems before he takes care of his own customers.

I get your your point, I have spent my life in dealerships of all kinds, I can tell you price was not what made me buy out of state, local dealer never even priced me so that was a non issue, bottom line is they are a dealer for FR and should represent as such, it's too bad I would have been a well paying customer to the local but not now. And I would have taken an appointment at their choosing. If someone owns a FR product they are any dealers customer. If dealers believe otherwise and think they are only fixing another's problems is so far out there they should lose their dealership

[bclemens]

Originally Posted by Kevin & Judy

bclemens
Need to work harder to get the 2nd year on the motorhomes !!! I know you have stated you have tried, but no one listens..
Actuall less things to warrant than a TT. No frame and axels to worry about. Same stuff inside as a TT ?????

You're late to the party, I already did that. I did it by taking over the Dynamax division (they already had it). So it's a round about way, but got it none the less

For what its worth, many dealers will work on other units. Just like quality issues, you'll hear most of the complaints here, not the success stories. People are typically tracking down forums to fix problems and thus you get an unrealistic percentage of negative feedback. In no way am I saying there are not some issues, but most of the dealers we work with will work with us and customers they did not sell. I know a dealer in the Northwest that has about 26 pull through service bays and they want them full. It would be silly to turn service work away.

We just had a customer that didn't feel like he was getting good service from his selling dealer. There was a dealer closer to him. We made a call, set up the appointment and they were happy to have him. They didn't even sell our product.

As has been mentioned here in this thread, independent service dealers will do work as well. I have mentioned Charger Enterprises here in Elkhart, they do a fantastic job from what I have seen. There are dealers like them all over.

To say we should control the dealers better...you don't understand how laws work. These are not franchise locations and state laws vary widely when it comes to RV's. Some states we have very little control over what we can make a dealer do or not do. Even when it comes to canceling that dealer.

[bclemens]

Originally Posted by hillsdaletc

The hard feeling with dealers is when a customer goes to another dealer to save a few bucks and considers him not worth doing business with then comes back and demands that he fix some other dealers problems before he takes care of his own customers.

I agree with this as well. 9 times out of 10, I find the truth is always somewhere in the middle.

Perfect example was someone on here bashing a product because batteries didn't last. Come to find out they had tons of after market mods made, but instead of blaming installer or telling the whole story they blamed the original mfg, and their inability to troubleshoot the aftermarket installation.

Same thing goes for buying online. Many times (not all times) a customer is not always up front. They want the local dealer to give them the best trade-in value and match the online price that does not include a trade. Or they shop the local dealer for a long time, get a price. Find a price online, ask the local to match. They get close, but not close enough for the buyer. Now the dealer is bitter and says silly things like "good luck getting it serviced", customer then wants to prove a point and tries to take it in there for service and is mad when they tell them it will be a month. In most cases its because they're over staffed, not because they remembered you didn't buy local.

I intervened on a sale once. Customer found what they wanted in the Northwest. Dealer pitched all the things that they did as "extra service" free year of campsite membership, 2nd year warranty, etc to justify why they weren't always the cheapest price. (as we know, nothing is free). Customer found a price from an internet dealer and was going to drive 2500 miles to buy at the online price. I got the local dealer to match the price. Customer agreed, but then wanted the 2nd year warranty for free and campground membership. "well was the online dealer offering that?". "No, but you said that's what made you better". Customer refused to purchase without the free stuff, ended up driving 2500 miles to buy the exact same thing, without the free stuff and then was mad when the local dealer didn't want to service their rig.

I get the wonderful perspective of getting to watch both sides, (for the most part objectively) and trust me, I have seen some bad dealers and I have seen some equally bad customers. I have also seen some wonderful dealers and exceptionally understanding customers. As with all things...the bulk are somewhere in the middle.

[LoveLife7478]

Originally Posted by bclemens

You're late to the party, I already did that. I did it by taking over the Dynamax division (they already had it). So it's a round about way, but got it none the less

For what its worth, many dealers will work on other units. Just like quality issues, you'll hear most of the complaints here, not the success stories. People are typically tracking down forums to fix problems and thus you get an unrealistic percentage of negative feedback. In no way am I saying there are not some issues, but most of the dealers we work with will work with us and customers they did not sell. I know a dealer in the Northwest that has about 26 pull through service bays and they want them full. It would be silly to turn service work away.

We just had a customer that didn't feel like he was getting good service from his selling dealer. There was a dealer closer to him. We made a call, set up the appointment and they were happy to have him. They didn't even sell our product.

As has been mentioned here in this thread, independent service dealers will do work as well. I have mentioned Charger Enterprises here in Elkhart, they do a fantastic job from what I have seen. There are dealers like them all over.

To say we should control the dealers better...you don't understand how laws work. These are not franchise locations and state laws vary widely when it comes to RV's. Some states we have very little control over what we can make a dealer do or not do. Even when it comes to canceling that dealer.

Hello Bclemens, I understand laws can be tricky with dealer contracts. But it seems that some dealers out there just don't care, obviously not just from my post but many that get that same line of "If you didn't buy it here we won't do warranty repairs". Not sure there is much that can be done out there even though that line is nonsense, they are independent businessman. But they will put a bad name on your brand. I have been a happy FR customer up to this point and I do like my Solera and have had good experiences with it, so I am giving you that kudos. I am also sure many people talk about good experiences on here too. I know I would if I received good service from a dealer, and I have in my earlier posts today with my selling dealer. I will be calling again to your office later this week to see how we can resolve my concerns and find a dealer that is willing to help me so I can help them in being a good customer. Works both ways, seems some dealers don't see it that way. And if you find me a dealer that is good here in the southeast Pennsylvania area I am more than happy to write up a good review.

[bclemens]

I am no longer with that division, but if you head to the Sunseeker website, the service contact can help you find a service dealer.

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