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Old 10-31-2019, 01:23 PM   #1
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Help with Forest River Warranty

Forrest River Wont Honor their Warranty!
Just upgraded to a fifth wheel and the nightmare has started...
We purchased a brand-new RV on 3/16/19 from Best Rv in Turlock CA. New 2019 Coachmen Chaparral Lite 29BH Fifth Wheel. We have only used a handful of times. We started to notice an imperfection starting on the outer RV surface by the outdoor kitchen exterior door. The imperfection has gotten worse and is now starting to crack. We took our RV to Camping World in Sacramento (the nearest Forrest River warranty service center) and they would not write an estimate and they said Forrest River would likely not cover this repair. Camping World will not touch my RV without authorization from Forrest River. Camping World stated the crack was likely from not cutting the door opening correctly. They also pointed out to me the window opening above the door was starting to crack the same way as the door and two screws are pushing out against the exterior surface.
I took the RV to another local repair shop for a second opinion and they confirmed the severity of the problem but wanted fee to prepare an estimate. They also suggested I contact Forrest River.
Best RV is over a 2 hour drive from my home and we traveled there as they were they only dealer that had this particular model. I contacted Best RV and they are backed up on work and suggested I contact them with pictures. Best RV stated they will not cover the repairs unless Forrest River authorizes the work. I have sent those pictures to Best Rv with no response. It would be very inconvenient for me to transport my RV 4 hours for a repair.
I contacted Forrest River via email they only responded by asking for my Vin number which I provided. I have struggled to get a response since then. I purchased a brand new $40,000 RV that is under warranty and I cannot get a any service to get this resolved.
Any tip on how to escalate this? The exterior wall of my fifth is cracking and I assume will only get worse as it bounces down the road. HELP!
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Old 10-31-2019, 01:32 PM   #2
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So you went to 3 different repair shops and they confirmed that there is a problem but won't contact FR on your behalf?

Sounds like the issue is with the repair shops and not so much FR itself.
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Old 10-31-2019, 01:44 PM   #3
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I'd really like to see the pictures, but that's not going to help your situation.

Did you contact the warranty contact for the Coachmen division specifically?

Here's a Contact List of the specific people to contact.
Just scroll down to the Coachmen division and find your model.

Hopefully that will provide more assistance than you've gotten so far.

Just be aware that they're going to want you to take it to your dealer and let them process the claim. Also be aware that unlike car warranties, RV dealers aren't required to work on a unit they didn't sell. So you're most likely going to have to take it to the selling dealer.

You may be able to get an independent service center to look at it, but you'll have to get pre-authorization and be reimbursed after they are done with it.
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Old 10-31-2019, 04:52 PM   #4
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FR Warranty

I feel your pain.

I purchased a 2020 R-Pod from a dealer 300 miles from my home. We were loading it for our first trip and water was pouring in through the front window. Mattress, wall, pillows, covered with mold. I was nuts. Contacted the dealer and FR, dealer said to bring it in. FR sent a transport on their dime, took it to their factory in Indiana and are in the process of fixing the problem. Granted, they have had my TT longer then I have, but I am getting it fixed by the people that made it.
Bottom line, contact the manufacturer. Keep after them, they are a bit of a pain. Here is the contact info:

www.forestriverinc.com/Contact-Us
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Old 10-31-2019, 04:55 PM   #5
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Best RV has had tons of bad reviews, especially regarding service, for many years. We shopped there 12 years ago and were trading quite rudely. We couldn't get out fast enough. I later read all the bad reviews and was so glad we didn't buy there.
They do have cheaper prices than almost any California RV dealer but it comes with high pressure and poor warranty service.
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Old 10-31-2019, 05:05 PM   #6
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Did you contact Coachmen? FR is the parent company of several companies that operate under their umbrella. I would use the contact list provided above and contact Coachmen. I completely understand your frustration, but years of experience on FRF has proven that members who approach the issue with a positive attitude usually get better and faster results. You might also find a local repair shop with a good reputation and ask if Coachmen will approve the repair being done there. Avoid CW for this issue.
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Old 11-01-2019, 01:28 PM   #7
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Be sure to keep this thread updated as you work through this. and let us know the outcome.
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Old 11-01-2019, 03:27 PM   #8
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Best is....not the best...

I think you've received good advice here regarding the actual manufacturing division for your rig. Stay after them.

Best is an interesting study of marketing and sales as it applies to RVs. They move a lot of units and at least when we fell in with them a couple of years ago, the owner made all the deals himself. He knows exactly what business he is in and how to always make a profit, as any good business person does. The service facility is, IMHO, a box-checking exercise for his major manufacturers and that is all.

Good luck and please do let us know how it goes.
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Old 11-01-2019, 07:58 PM   #9
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Poor quality

It's a real shame that these kinds of things are happening in the rv industry. When people put out tens of thousands of dollars on what turns out to be a disaster, then that puts a huge black mark on the industry. While owning an rv is not a necessity, one would think that there would be better engineering and quality control being put into something that some one has worked hard for, and saved money for, to enjoy without having to worry about having it break or fall apart. In my opinion, the rv industry is sorely lacking in quality control for the money that the average rv owner puts out. It only takes a small amount of time to put things together properly, rather than spit them out as fast as you can.
I can sympathize with t26tbss: we bought what we thought was a great brand name in a Class A: Holiday Rambler in 2015. Turned out to be a huge mistake financially and it put a tremendous amount of stress in our lives; walls coming apart (interior), slides that failed numerous times among many other issues we had with it. When we went out with it, we didn't know what would break or if we would be stranded as we had been before. In the first year of ownership, the shop had in for 9 months total (many times just waiting for warranty authorizations and parts). We were very happy when we sold it (fully repaired). We re-named Holiday Rambler to Holiday Ruiner. In all, we lost $60K in that deal: 30K for down payment and 30K for a flat-towable car, not to mention the depreciation and the rv payments.... Makes me sick when I think about it: a total waste of money.
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Old 11-01-2019, 09:07 PM   #10
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Contact Forest River

I had great luck with Forest River warranty repair. These folks cannot help you directly, but they treated me very well, and I'm confident they will point you in the right direction.

Contacts: Humans who can help you find the right person.

Rayna Dimitroff
rdimitroff@forestriverinc.com
Warranty Administrator
Flagstaff/Rockwood
Phone 574-642-8944
Fax 574-970-6881 (Linked direct to my computer)


KATHY SWOPE
ROCKWOOD and FLAGSTAFF TENT CAMPER PARTS
KSWOPE@FORESTRIVERINC.COM
PHONE # 574-642-8927
FAX # 574-970-7973

Have photos and any other details at the ready so when you are connected you have a prepared problem description, photos, dates, etc. Have your VIN embedded in all correspondence, and have the sales record - dealer, date of sale, etc.

Then be patient and start looking for a dealer nearby other than CW. My selling dealer closed up shop. I took mine about 90 miles to a dealer that was eager to do the work. They did it over the winter (full roof replacement), and I had it back in late winter.

Once you find a dealer to do the work, FR will coordinate with that dealer to set things in motion.

Good luck.
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Old 11-01-2019, 11:06 PM   #11
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Unhappy

Quote:
Originally Posted by bikendan View Post
Best RV has had tons of bad reviews, especially regarding service, for many years. We shopped there 12 years ago and were trading quite rudely. We couldn't get out fast enough. I later read all the bad reviews and was so glad we didn't buy there.
They do have cheaper prices than almost any California RV dealer but it comes with high pressure and poor warranty service.

X2
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Old 11-02-2019, 01:58 AM   #12
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I bought a new Sunseeker MH in late August, and on our first trip out in Sept the factory installed solar panel departed ship and damaged the awning on the way off.

Going through my selling dealer had me a little discouraged at first due to a slow response time, but once they got going on it they are sending updates and asking for additional info, so I know they're working on it. They do seem to be doing their thing a little slowly, but knowing they're working on it, I'm patient.

That said, it seems strange that your selling dealer isn't authorized to put a claim in to FR themselves as an authorized dealer would be expected to.
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Old 11-02-2019, 07:20 AM   #13
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Just curious how much to local shop wants for estimate ? Sometimes they will reimburse if they get the repair job, they just don't want to waste their time for another shops benefit.
I might be tempted to get the estimate to have some repair numbers to present to Forest River.
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Old 11-02-2019, 07:37 AM   #14
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ncebeemer: My earlier post regarding our "Holiday Ruiner" disaster also applies to the dealers themselves. We have found that some dealers are more interested in sales than service after the sale. Shame on them! They need to be called out.

We spend (invest if you will) in very expensive rv's and we should get good service when we need service. We have been fortunate to have a good dealer/service department who we deal with. Alliance Coach (Wildwood, Fl) has been very attentive to our needs from sales to service. No complaints about the service we received. Service department lets us know if things don't need to be done (when we think more needs to be done to remedy a problem), which some dealers would take advantage of. Same with Robbin's Camper Sales in Ormond Beach, Fl. Good people to work with and fair in pricing. We go to shops who we hear about from references of other people. Good shops are hard to find.
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Old 11-04-2019, 02:00 PM   #15
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http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...re-197260.html

https://cookcountyrecord.com/stories...manding-refund

Defendant Vacationland Inc. argued that plaintiffs Kimberly Accettura and Adam Wozniak had not allowed it adequate time to fix the recreational vehicle’s defects before revoking their acceptance of the trailer. After succeeding at the circuit and appellate levels, Vacationland lost its argument before the Supreme Court on Sept. 19.

Accettura and Wozniak purchased the RV new from Vacationland in April 2014. That June, they noticed a window leaked, and Vacationland offered to repair the issue at no charge. A month later, leaking windows during a rainstorm caused extensive damage inside the RV, including electrical failure. Vacationland told the couple it could not repair the defect itself and would have to send the RV back to the manufacturer.

Neither Vacationland nor the manufacturer would give the couple an estimate of how long the repairs would take, and the RV sat at the dealership for more than two weeks without being picked up by the manufacturer. Nearly three weeks after returning the vehicle for repairs, Accettura and Wozniak called Vacationland and “verbally revoked acceptance of the RV.”

About six weeks later, Vacationland called the couple and told them the repairs were complete and they could pick up the vehicle. The pair responded with a letter from their attorney confirming they had revoked their acceptance of the RV.

At issue before the court was whether the revocation was allowed under the Uniform Commercial Code. The code states that a buyer may “revoke his acceptance of a lot or commercial unit whose non-conformity substantially impairs its value” under two conditions – one, if the buyer knew the item was defective but expected it to be repaired, and it was not repaired in a reasonable amount of time; or two, if the buyer did not know of the defect at the time of purchase.

While Vacationland conceded that the buyers did not know the RV was defective when they purchased it, it claimed the statute allows that the dealership should have time to address the defect. The buyers, meanwhile, argued that the ability to repair a defect applies only to the first condition of the statute and not the second.

“We agree with [the plaintiffs’] interpretation,” Justice Rita B. Garman wrote in the court’s unanimous opinion. “We find this language plain and … subsection (1)(b) [of the UCC} does not require that a buyer give the seller an opportunity to cure.”
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Old 11-06-2019, 02:27 PM   #16
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x2 I had great luck with Forest River warranty repair.

Work directly with FR, as your repair issue seems to be with the dealers and not FR.

If you have any independent repair shops near you, contact them for more satisfied customer service. The same thing will appy here: FR has to approve the repairs, but they WILL pay independent shops. Be sure to get FR approval in advance of repairs being started.
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Old 11-07-2019, 09:23 AM   #17
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FR Warranty

Has anybody on this thread had their TT taken back to the factory for repairs? Just trying to get a handle on how long they keep them. They told me 30 - 45 days, it has now been about 55 days and no word. FR is not all that responsive to emails.
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Old 11-07-2019, 10:05 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob F View Post
Has anybody on this thread had their TT taken back to the factory for repairs? Just trying to get a handle on how long they keep them. They told me 30 - 45 days, it has now been about 55 days and no word. FR is not all that responsive to emails.
It really depends on how busy the factories are. The factories are primarily in the business of building RVs. They might have one or two repair bays, and one or two people responsible for "repairs", including returned units and repairs that they find on new just-off-the-line units. They aren't designed or set up to be large-scale "repair centers." That's what the dealers are for. Ideally, the factory should not get any units back for repair, or certainly, only the very worst/major problems.
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Old 11-07-2019, 10:07 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob F View Post
Has anybody on this thread had their TT taken back to the factory for repairs? Just trying to get a handle on how long they keep them. They told me 30 - 45 days, it has now been about 55 days and no word. FR is not all that responsive to emails.
Have you asked your selling dealer to contact R-pod on your behalf to ask about your unit?
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Old 11-07-2019, 10:20 AM   #20
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ate complainers that aske for help, then disappear. 2 posts in 4 years, might be a troll
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