Negative: Adventure RV

[vinmaker]

After buying two pop up's. I am not thinking it is worth upgrading to a more expensive rig. The warranty issues just do not encourage me to think about buying a unit with more bells and whistles to break and not get fixed. I think the safest course is to just buy the simplest unit. The good ol KISS method.

Not sure if the industry gives any thoughts to upgrading people to bigger units. If they did, I think they would take care of the problems in a better fashion.

Vin.

[B and B]

I see the OP has been provided with several options to his warranty issue. I have had no trouble with warranty work with my local dealer, the next closest is 100 miles away and had exactly the same price on my 5th Wheel. No one can force anyone to service anything. I know myself being in customer service my whole career 36 years now a little honey and discussion goes a long way to resolution. Maybe a nice revisit to the local dealer, talking to manager or buying some accessories would go a long way to building a relationship rather than ordering from online far away dealer or wally world internet portal. I don't buy many things like hoses or cables from my local dealer but I do order all my parts from them and sealants. The lowest price option has its pitfalls for sure.

[ChooChooMan74]

I read a similar thing on the Ram 1500 diesel site. Someone needed warranty work. He purchased from another dealer because they had what he wanted in stock. The closest dealer gave him issues because he didn't buy there.

As for my idea, I have 2 Roo and 1 Shamrock dealer in my area. I got flexibility to shop around.

[X96mnn]

Post like this can go either way for people. For me you would make me want to buy from that dealer who refused you and not lead me away from them. If I spent the extra 7k keeping a company in business there is no way I should have to wait for a repair while you get your RV fixed. Sorry but I do not want to share.

I am actually looking at a Forrest River product now and in the actual pamphlet for the rv it has a section on why I should by local. One of the items is service work and that Forrest River can only guarantee work from the original dealer. Most rv manufactures are posting the same, in Canada the gov put out their own pamphlet telling people not to call them or the bbb if it is in regards to their non local purchase.

[vinmaker]

Originally Posted by X96mnn

Post like this can go either way for people. For me you would make me want to buy from that dealer who refused you and not lead me away from them. If I spent the extra 7k keeping a company in business there is no way I should have to wait for a repair while you get your RV fixed. Sorry but I do not want to share.

I am actually looking at a Forrest River product now and in the actual pamphlet for the rv it has a section on why I should by local. One of the items is service work and that Forrest River can only guarantee work from the original dealer. Most rv manufactures are posting the same, in Canada the gov put out their own pamphlet telling people not to call them or the bbb if it is in regards to their non local purchase.

Wow. Canada actually issued an official announcement on this issue? That gives you some idea of how many complaints they must get about dealers refusing service.

[rattleNsmoke]

This brings up two issues with service work.

1) Either warranty work pays the dealers less than cash-in-hand or,
2) There is not enough shop hours nor techs available to handle their own customers on a timely basis let alone customers that come from the outside.
With the 'Greying of America' and the baby boomer wave increasing RV sales nationwide, dealers have a real dilemma they are facing.

[nosaint3]

I have found, thru factory warranty folks, RV repair service companies close to the factories like dynamax and my old Carri lite from carriage. They seem to work with factories and vice versa to get parts and repair the problems better than dealers who are more interested in selling RV's only. I plan on using Fox RV services or Charger Enterprises for repairs that I can't handle.

[vinmaker]

Originally Posted by rattleNsmoke

This brings up two issues with service work.

1) Either warranty work pays the dealers less than cash-in-hand or,
2) There is not enough shop hours nor techs available to handle their own customers on a timely basis let alone customers that come from the outside.
With the 'Greying of America' and the baby boomer wave increasing RV sales nationwide, dealers have a real dilemma they are facing.

That is a great point.

[AquaMan]

The refusal (or delay) of dealers to do warranty work for units not bought at their location is not something that has just popped up in the last couple years. This has been going on for decades. Yet people who have been camping "for years" are just finding out about this? The first timers may be shocked to find this out, but just a little investigating and/or homework prior to purchase would have brought this to light, it's everywhere. It's upsetting to the buyer, but this is a dealer issue, not a manufacturer issue. Dealers want it this way, or they would change their policy. With the increase of sales, come the increase in complaints.

[X96mnn]

I agree with both points, it has been going on for years and the market increase has doubled so more people are experiencing it.

Another large contribution, 10 to 15 years ago I would bet 95% of RV shoppers did their search in a comfortable driving radius. With the internet you go view the rv at the local dealership then jump online and find the best price, and in some cases complete the whole transaction online. Although this may have existed long ago it was not widely accepted as a comfortable thing to do.

Also, with new age communications such as this forum, much easier to read about it happening then actually hearing about it happening. Public awareness is far greater today then even 5yrs ago.

[DDC]

The really sad thing about this is that we are all talking about a product that is for TRAVELING with, so having to get something repaired away from home should be no great surprise for either FR or the dealers. I think this falls wholly on FR, they should have an established programme with their dealers stipulating that to be a FR dealer doing warranty work for anyone on a FR product is mandatory.

[rlocicero]

Can you really blame the dealer. You walk into his business, tie up a salesperson, use his resources (showroom, inventory, restrooms etc) and then buy somewhere else. We had the same problem in the car business. There was a dealer about 35 miles away that cut prices drastically to sell cars and did not give a damn about servicing them so he saved by not providing adequate service. We, on the other hand were very proud of our service department and gave our customers excellent service. The people who shunned us for a few bucks expected us to drop everything to take care of them. We made it known up front that we would take care of them but only when our loyal customers were done. It might be a day, might be a week. We did give them the option of going back to the dealer where they purchased the vehicle, knowing that they were going to end up with terrible service. But, again, that was not our problem. They chose their bed and had to lie in it. We did make exceptions for individuals who were traveling and had broken down. We never left anyone stranded. For those who were shopping for the best deal and went to Shady Deals Auto Sales (That's the nickname we gave them), they soon found out that the best deal is not always the cheapest one.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by DDC

I think this falls wholly on FR, they should have an established programme with their dealers stipulating that to be a FR dealer doing warranty work for anyone on a FR product is mandatory.

DDC, you make a valid point. That might be reasonable, if FR (or any manufacturer) would then guarantee a dealers sales territory and not allow ANY FR products to be sold in a certain radius.

Since manufacturers make several brands, (IE Flagstaff and Rockwood), just to get around dealer territory exclusivity, this isn't going to happen......no more than a manufacturer dictating service work terms to an 'independent' dealer.

Forest River would have to open up its own company-owned dealer network to achieve stipulated warranty work.

It is what it is.


I thought I read (maybe I'm wrong) that the internet RV wholesalers had a network of service places for products they sold. It might be good to get the word out for those who buy from internet dealers, to absolutely confirm there is a place to also SERVICE the RV nearby before purchasing.

[rlocicero]

I do need to give kudos to Wilkin's RV in Churchville. They opened up after we bought our 2010 Flagstaff and were very helpful in getting our unit back to the factory for a major warranty repair.

[BigJohnD]

Here's my approach for what it's worth. My whole life, I've tried my darndest, to only pay somebody once to do something, then learn how to do it myself to avoid that cost again. With our current rig, my only limitations were the fiberglass cap and hung side walls. I cannot do much of this in my shop. So, our new rig, which is not yet purchased, will be of the type that I am capable of completely disassembling and reassembling in our shop. I will not have to bring it to any service center or dealer for anything. I know I'll have a warranty, but it costs me a LOT to utilize it. I only get 6 months off a year due to my work (21 days on 21 days off rotation), so time is everything to me. I want it fixed now, and my way. Like we've experienced this year, I may bring it in for a new front cap, it's in for 3 weeks plus. I can be out of the unit for up to 9 weeks, depending on when I'm at work and how everything times out. Add that aggravation to the fuel cost to get it to / from the dealer several hours away, and it adds up in a hurry.

So in a nut shell, I'm eliminating dealing with service centers all together. It may cost me my time and a little money to fix my own rig, but my service bays are always open, and it will get fixed right, my way, and in a reasonable amount of time. Not everybody has this option, but it's the route I'm taking due to the trend in the industry.

[Cajun Po-Boy]

So...with the Dealer attitude of if you didn't buy from me, you're gonna wait awhile for me to service you...must be terrifying to full timers!? ...as they are always on the road and their home is where they park...it would be very interesting to hear how those group of campers take care of their rv issues if they can't make the repairs themselves!

[Kaadk]

Originally Posted by Cajun Po-Boy

So...with the Dealer attitude of if you didn't buy from me, you're gonna wait awhile for me to service you...must be terrifying to full timers!? ...as they are always on the road and their home is where they park...it would be very interesting to hear how those group of campers take care of their rv issues if they can't make the repairs themselves!

Ah, well they might actually have it a little easier. If they're full timing because they're not tied to any one location, then they have the freedom to drive back to the original dealer who sold it to them and get the service work done there.

[AquaMan]

Originally Posted by BigJohnD

I only get 6 months off a year due to my work (21 days on 21 days off rotation), so time is everything to me.

Really? Most of us that still work dream of "only getting 6 months off"!


Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

[Wyowind]

I shopped around to get a good price on my RV, not just a little better, but a lot better. - guilty as charged !

I bought a unit from a major manufacturer that has a solid warranty in writing. The warranty doesn't say that their dealers can flat out refuse to honor the warranty - guilty!

I used my brand new RV and found a defect in the furnace through no fault of my own. I am expecting the written warranty, with cash sent to the company for a second year of warranty, to actually work as stated. Guilty again.

I am not expecting same day, same week or even same month service work on the repairs.

In Wyoming which is still part of the wild west, we don't have a Forest River dealer around every bend in the trail. My next closest dealer is 1.5 hrs, 3 hrs and then 5 hrs away. I will be checking with them in the future. None of them would give a decent deal to purchase from.

And, Forest River did provide the option of MAYBE partial reimbursal to other types of dealerships if I can ride a unicycle on my head while doing higher math equations and a jigsaw puzzle at the same time. ( a little comic relief for a ridiculous situation).

It has been suggested on here that all manufacturers are the same. I don't know, I haven't dealt with a lot of them. If true, this industry is a disgrace on the service sector side.

A quick review of the Jayco, Keystone and Dutchman sites, for example, don't indicate anything about using local dealerships for purchase or service. Actually, Keystone and Dutchman go out of their way to say - - they will provide timely warranty service whether purchased from a specific dealership or any of their other dealerships. That sounds good in theory. If it works in practice, that seems to be what the standard should look like.

By the way, the guy here in town that is willing to look at my trailer next week is a Jayco dealership. His lot appears way more busy than the Forest River dealership in town.

This situation will be resolved eventually. I will then be able to either thank Forest River for their good customer service or do the opposite for poor service and not living up to their promise.

I believe that is partly why this forum exists.

[BigJohnD]

AquaMan, I may get 6 months off, but the other 6 months, I don't see my kids, my wife, I miss most holidays, birthdays, etc. So, I've only seen my 6 year old for 3 years of her existence. 2 days out of my 21 days off are spent in transit. I work minimum 84 hours a week. So that's 12-14 hours a day, 21 days straight. Most ***** after having to work 5 - 8 hour days, being home with their kids every night, weekends and holidays off etc.

The sacrifice I make, so we can all drive the diesel and gas burners, and enjoy everything else made from petroleum products (RVs). So, yes, I get 6 months off, and I miss half of my wife, kids and normal as yall know it, life on dry ground. 19 years and counting doing what I do, and believe me, I've earned every bit of the off time I get. Nobody's stopping anybody from becoming an oilfield hand. They are hiring you know. Then, you can get 6 months off. Off the soap box.