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Old 11-14-2017, 05:45 PM   #1
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AC took a dump after 3 months

Ah yes the quality of Dometic.. proudly made in China with child labor... barely 4 hours of use and it craps out..total replacement.... freon magically disappeared.....btw.. my 30WCR is 3 months old.....
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Old 11-14-2017, 05:59 PM   #2
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Have you moved towards the dealer/warranty resolution side of life yet?
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Old 11-14-2017, 06:01 PM   #3
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change in the air....

We also have a demontic. Had a board go south after three years (fixed by extride ext warr). But the diffrentail temp is lousy (read the cold is just cool) and was really insuffuicent at the beach this past summer. We are opting for a coleman for xmas, mach 10 - 15k heat pump. Last two rvs had colemans and no problems encountered. Hope for the same, but atleast they come from Kansas. Prob add a second bedroom 13.5 this spring and run on a seperate line, just as much for lower tv noise in the evening as for the extra dare I say colding..

We plan a west texas trip in July, stupid huh...
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Old 11-14-2017, 06:03 PM   #4
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The mobile service tech was fantastic.. my problem arises with a 3 month old unit crapping out.... my 10 year old Coleman works like a champ to this day....my concern lies that this “bump” is just a precursor of what lies ahead of me with FR ownership..
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Old 11-14-2017, 06:26 PM   #5
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So do tell, What did the tech do for you that resolved the issue?
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Old 11-14-2017, 06:40 PM   #6
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Had a Dometic refrigerator that was DOA. It happens.
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Old 11-14-2017, 07:03 PM   #7
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So do tell, What did the tech do for you that resolved the issue?
Replacing the unit...
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Old 11-14-2017, 07:14 PM   #8
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Did the mfg pay for the replacement/labor or did you have to reach into your pocket?

I understand you are wondering about future issues. Are you calling out Dometic for being junk (lot of issues they have) or are is FR suspect? In my simplified perspective the mfg is a parts assembler of products to put into their boxes. Is your concern that the whole rig is suspect for using Dometic or the mfg in general?
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Old 11-14-2017, 07:45 PM   #9
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Did the mfg pay for the replacement/labor or did you have to reach into your pocket?

I understand you are wondering about future issues. Are you calling out Dometic for being junk (lot of issues they have) or are is FR suspect? In my simplified perspective the mfg is a parts assembler of products to put into their boxes. Is your concern that the whole rig is suspect for using Dometic or the mfg in general?
My out of pocket expenses will be $150.00. That is to have the mobile service tech come to my residence. The dealer where I purchased the FR, Lazy Days Tampa , 2hour drive time, could schedule a service appointment on December 27,2017..spend $40k 3months ago and wait 6 weeks to get it repaired. That is a crock of shizzle....The research conducted lead to the belief that all RVs are crap with a average life span of @ 5 years... typical American planned obsolescence, but the WnP was better than average because of their construction. Coleman, Atwood , Dometic they all have glowing reviews and horror stories....just like the RV manufactureres.... but to have a ac unit die after 4 hours of use is inexcusable...
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Old 11-14-2017, 08:16 PM   #10
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Is FR going to do anything for you? Sounds like Dometic ate the cost of the AC... Do you go that route?
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Old 11-14-2017, 08:20 PM   #11
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Is FR going to do anything for you? Sounds like Dometic ate the cost of the AC... Do you go that route?
Dometic will take the hit,,,,
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Old 11-14-2017, 08:27 PM   #12
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I would try FR just to see which way it flops om the service call cost.
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Old 11-14-2017, 08:51 PM   #13
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Our first a/c lasted three months. Replaced under warranty by a mobile guy on our second day of vacation. Second one crapped out fourteen months later, also replaced under warranty. It’s a Dometic issue, not Forest River issue, other than that is the product Forest River uses, much like every other manufacturer.
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Old 11-15-2017, 07:48 AM   #14
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One has to take a deep breath and understand a few facts. I own a furniture store and mostly all our case goods come from over seas. The appliances we sell come form the US and overseas. I deal with damages and failures daily. One can only guess how many hands handle products shipped from the manufacturer to the end user, domestically and even more from overseas.

1. First the A/C unit is a machine... the manufacturerer understands that not everything works as planned, hence a warranty.

2. Trust me that they don't want you to have to use the warranty because they take a hit on reputation and the cost to them to honor the warranty takes away all if not most of any profit they have made in the sale of the unit.

3. Employees, at least most, don't come to work looking to do a bad job. Most take pride in their work. So, they're not out to make a "bad" product.

4. We as consumers want more and more for less and we want it RIGHT NOW!. This can push manufacturers to cut corners, sure. Those that do don't last long in the marketplace and those that do are short sited. They are putting all the investments they have made into the company at risk not to mention the livelihood of all their employees.

Just saying, from my experience we have seen failures from "all" manufacturers, hence the existence of the "Poop Happens" bumperstickers. Many customers don't care, see point#4.

I'm not making excuses for Dometic and please understand I'm not "dissing" the OP. I know these type of issues for the customer sucks. It's hard at times for the customer to take emotion out of the situation. Neither myself or my employees take any joy in seeing the customer suffer with issues... not a perfect world and it just happens. Sounds like to me Dometic stepped up the the plate to replace the unit as they should and hopefully FR and/or Dometic will take care of the remaining cost for their direct and indirect customer.
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Old 11-15-2017, 08:36 AM   #15
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I would try FR just to see which way it flops om the service call cost.
For me it was a dollar cost averaging approach. Lazy Days Tampa is a 2hour trek..... I would bet the ranch that that LD could not diagnose /repair the issue in a normal business day meaning either a return trip then another 2 way trip to get the rv or a overnight hotel stay and its associated costs. Thus the OOP $150 service call is a relative bargain. Will FR help with that cost?.... I can only ask..
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Old 11-15-2017, 08:37 AM   #16
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Jvalich, very good points...
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Old 11-15-2017, 08:56 AM   #17
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For me it was a dollar cost averaging approach. Lazy Days Tampa is a 2hour trek..... I would bet the ranch that that LD could not diagnose /repair the issue in a normal business day meaning either a return trip then another 2 way trip to get the rv or a overnight hotel stay and its associated costs. Thus the OOP $150 service call is a relative bargain. Will FR help with that cost?.... I can only ask..
LazyDays has a nice campground there, perhaps for any future warranty service they might provide a rental coach and a spot in the park? Couldn't hurt to ask. Cheap way for them to insure a repeat sale.
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Old 11-15-2017, 02:50 PM   #18
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....The research conducted lead to the belief that all RVs are crap with a average life span of @ 5 years... typical American planned obsolescence,

OUCH! Easy now. I've owned a total of 4 previous to the one we have now, have upgraded each time, and all have issues. Now I will say that 4 hours and the AC dies is not acceptable but it surely is not the norm. I certainaly would not say "all" RVs are crap. It could happen to a brand new fridge, or oven, tv, etc.
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Old 11-15-2017, 03:02 PM   #19
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! year ago my AC went out took it to the dealer they put a new one up on the roof got it all bolted down turned it on it lasted about 5 min. Took that one off and got another one installed it so far so good. The tech told me that it was not uncommon for them to get several bad ones in a row. So it is not FR fault Dometic. Looks like they would change AC company but probably can't find any cheap enough to replace them with.
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Old 11-15-2017, 04:02 PM   #20
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New Dometic AC units have a two year warranty and you can buy an additional 3 year warranty, giving you five years. You do not have to use the RV dealership for repairs, all you have to do is contact Dometic or look it up on your computer to find the nearest Dometic repair facility. You will need your model number and serial number of your AC unit or whatever Dometic product you need repaired. It is a good idea to have registered your product with Dometic for their warranty coverage, you can do that online. I had a new AC unit that was bad from the factory and had a independent RV repair facility to do the work, didn't cost me a penny. All covered under warranty.
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