Neutral RV Wholesalers, Ohio

fireman1317 · 03-23-2016, 09:26 AM

I apologize now for the long read, but I feel that I owe it to myself and RV Wholesalers to paint the entire picture.

We began the process of shopping around the first part of January. We shopped a local dealer, RV Wholesalers and RV Nation. While for many reasons, I would have like to buy locally, the $4,000-$5,000 difference between local and wholesale, made the choice for us. Around the end of January, we had decided on buying a 2016 Vibe Extreme-Lite 315BHK TT. We received quotes first from RV Wholesalers and then RV Nation. The trailer was custom spec'd, so it would have to be ordered. It came down to the last Saturday in January and we were ready to sign papers and get our trailer ordered. We did have one last question regarding the ability to have a TV in the bunkroom. Now granted, to some degree this is a fairly minor feature of the trailer, but how the question was answered became a deciding factor on who we bought from. The RV Nation salesman said he went out onto the lot and look at a 315BHK they had on the lot. No place for a TV, was the answer. The salesman from RV Wholesalers said he would call his Forrest River rep to confirm. It turns out that Vibe had realized midway through the model year that they had not allowed a place for a TV, but that they had made a change and that any ordered now, would have a place for a TV. With everything else being equal, that was enough of a reason to go with RV Wholesalers.

Trailer is ordered and we are given the typical build time frame. There were a couple times that I had questions and our salesman and or the logistics manager were very responsive. Fast forward to March 19th. Our trailer is ready to be picked up.

We leave central Indiana early on 3/19/2016 for our 2.5hr drive to RV Wholesalers facility. Our anticipation and excitement was at an all time high. We arrive at RVW at the time we had agreed upon and walked into the waiting room. It was a very busy morning at RVW. My name plus about 8-10 others were on the board to pick up units as well as a few families that were there looking at new trailers. Finally we found someone to help us and they took our name and eventually someone came out and told us to head down to the end of the building with our truck and they would meet us down there to do our PDI. Now mind you, I was prepared to do my PDI. Had the clipboard with the checklists, flashlight and mindset to look at EVERYTHING. We drove down the row and saw the man we were to meet standing in front of a trailer that said Vibe Extreme-Lite on it, but did not look like the trailer we ordered. I proceeded to look around a little. Yep it has the options we ordered, but where is the font fiberglass nose cap???? The man looked around and said he knew what we were talking about and said he would ask about that. He came back shortly and said that it your trailer. To which I said, we need to talk to someone. I will say that my BP was starting to raise ever so slightly and the thought that the order had been screwed up.

We were meet in the now empty waiting room by a tall gentleman named Kelly. He proceeded to tell us that the trailer out there is the one we ordered and started going to down the sales order. I said there is no front cap, to which he said that the Vibe Extreme-Lite does not come with that option. We went back and forth, eventually moving to a semi-private office. I made my case that the pictures that were on his web site for the Vibe Extreme-Lite showed the front nose cap. His only reply is that they just use the picture that they manufacture supplies. Of course I backup my claim as well as call it false advertising by showing him their web site on our iPad and said that this is what we saw and thought we were getting. He stated that they go by the build sheet. Part of it comes down to us seeing a picture and then seeing on the build sheet that it says "Fiberglass Front Radius". A typical person is going to look at the picture and read that and believe they will have the fiberglass cap. At this point things are pretty heated and Kelly just looks at us and says, "do you want the trailer or not". Never once apologized for the misunderstanding or even tried to empathize with us. It was just take it or leave it.

We ended up going back out and doing a PDI, to which I was very mentally distracted at this point. We found some issues that they ATTEMPTED to fix. In the end, we ended up deciding to take the trailer as we were not going to let something not much more than an aesthetic ruin our plans.

I ended up and talking to the regional rep for the Vibe Extreme-Lite and asked him about the front nose cap and the situation we had on Saturday. He actually shouldered some of the blame on Forrest River saying that initially when the Vibe Extreme-Lite was introduced it did have the front cap, but then they split the line into the Extreme-Lite and the regular Vibe. THe regular Vibe kept the front cap, the Extreme-Lite lost it. At least that is somewhat of an explanation I can live with.

At this point, we have not been contacted by our salesman to see how things went Saturday (he was not there) or by anyone else. Also, I'm now taking the trailer up to Goshen next Monday to get the slide out sink in the outdoor kitchen fixed and the deadbolt, that RVW claimed was not working because the ground was uneven.

So in closing, ha ha, would I buy from RVW in the future?????? Maybe. I'm a much more informed buyer now and have learned some lessons. One big lesson is don't go by what the dealer shows on their web site. They may just put up any willy, nilly photo and call it good. I gave this review a Neutral, because I put some of the blame of the experience on my shoulders. I shouldn't have trusted the pictures and what a salesman told me. I should have done more to confirm 100% what we were ordering. I will say that RVW could stand a lesson in customer satisfaction and how to deal with upset customers. It was very apparent that they are a LARGE volume dealer, so I guess customer service is one of those things that takes a dip. Don't ever make a buyer feel like just another number and that you could care less if they spend their money with you or not!!

P.S. Here is a link to the web page we looked at when shopping. What would you think you were getting?
New Forest River Vibe Extreme Lite Travel Trailer RVs For Sale at The Original RV Wholesalers

dustman_stx · 03-23-2016, 09:45 AM

I've ordered 2 trailers now and figured out that manufacturers can and do make changes constantly, so it's really hard to know for 100% that your rig will be exactly what you think it will. Too late now, but I would have also recommended checking out the exact model you want online to see pictures of actual rigs, not a stock photo. Again, though- manufacturers make changes constantly, so just because it is the same year model does NOT mean changes won't be made. Like was pointed out, RVWholesalers, and every other dealer for that matter, will use stock pics provided by manufacturers and are at the mercy of how accurate those are. So, it boils down to, RVW used the manufacturer photo, which is what was available to them. FR doesn't use the front cap shown. RVW clearly couldn't change that, so it really did boil down to "do you want it or not", because clearly it wasn't something that could be changed. Was it said "nicely enough?" Who knows, but since that's just the way that line is made, it was pretty much a moot point. I also learned early on to let things that I can't change like this slide or owning an RV will drive you crazy. So, in conclusion, I've been through these lessons myself. Try not to let it get to you- just learn from it and move on. I'm sure you'll enjoy the new Vibe if you don't dwell on the front cap issue.

Big Vic · 03-23-2016, 09:50 AM

I ordered my Rockwood 2604 from RVW, which was shipped to CA. My salesman sent me photos of the unit before it left. That was helpful in reassuring that I was getting the exact unit and configuration that I ordered. Just a suggestion for those reading this and planning to order in future.

fireman1317 · 03-23-2016, 10:00 AM

dustman: In the end we took the trailer because it was more important for our family to get out and have adventures than to worry about fiberglass. Camped that Saturday night and really enjoyed ourselves.

Big Vic: The only way pics would have helped us is if RVW would have taken a pic of a 315BHK on the lot and said it will look like this, not what we advertize!

BandJCarm · 03-23-2016, 10:13 AM

I just ordered a biggie unit from one of these 'Wholesalers'. This is after almost 9 months of constant comparing, calling, emailing, asking, thinking, and figuring out what we wanted......including several trips to see the models we were considering.

I have always gotten the answers I needed, to every question I asked. I will say this......there is a dealer here in town, not 4 miles away, that I am sure would fix anything I was unsatisfied with on any trailer I got from them. They are very good folks, and do wonderful service work. However, they are a full $24,000 more than the "Wholesaler" in Ohio we ordered from. When I asked about the Wholesaler dealer installing the B&W hitch I wanted instead of theirs, or a PI EMS or the TMT tire monitor, or if I could switch out a couch only........the answer was always a polite "We don't really do that". The local dealer? I'm sure he would have done all those things (maybe for a fee, but he would have). Why the difference? It's that $24,000.

And the one I ordered is probably going to end up in May being a 2017 model. Will it be 100% exactly like the one I saw before ordering? I bet something is different. Will it have all the add-on items I have a printed listing of ordering? Yeah, I'm sure it will......it'll have the right refrig and the correct # of A/C units, etc. But the cabinet door handles may be different looking. Or the stain may be slightly different. Or the decals/graphics on outside may be slightly different. Or stuff like that.

So what I figured out was that you can get a great price, but those type dealers will only discuss options that the factory considers options. They're in the volume sales business, not the custom change business. There are dealers in both categories, and you sorta have to figure out which type dealer you want. Both have their merits. But the Wholesaler type dealer is going to sell 10X the volume of the Retail type dealer, and he ain't got time to tweak things too much. Such is life.

And all that may NOT be on same level as a Front Cap, I don't know. But to me, that's the difference I can find. When we started this process, I was (and still am) amazed by the total quantity of Trailer/MH manufacturers. How can all those stay in business??? Amazing. Consolidation would help the quality issues dramatically (and probably increase the price). And there's a dealer behind every tree in America it seems. The volume of those things blows my mind. But it does allow us to choose what kind of situation we're willing to live with.

My nine cents.

dustman_stx · 03-23-2016, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fireman1317

dustman: In the end we took the trailer because it was more important for our family to get out and have adventures than to worry about fiberglass. Camped that Saturday night and really enjoyed ourselves.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fireman1317

Big Vic: The only way pics would have helped us is if RVW would have taken a pic of a 315BHK on the lot and said it will look like this, not what we advertize!

Not trying to play devil's advocate, but there's just no way a salesman would ever be able to keep straight all of the differences a manufacturer might make with changes coming all the time.

fireman1317 · 03-23-2016, 01:15 PM

Ha, Ha, playing Devil's advocate is usually my job!! I get what your saying, I just think its a problem that they still show a trailer on their web page for the Vibe Extreme-Lite that is not an accurate representation of what the trailer actually looks like.

Teamfour · 03-23-2016, 02:41 PM

So the real question is...did the bunk room have a place to mount a TV?

fireman1317 · 03-23-2016, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teamfour

So the real question is...did the bunk room have a place to mount a TV?

Yes it does, though it might never see a TV. In fact, the wife and I are neither one in a hurry to get a TV for the trailer at all.

**ddurnell** · 04-04-2016, 03:16 PM

fireman1317, please let me start by apologizing that you were not treated the way we do it at RVWholesalers. I never give excuses, but I am hoping you will allow me one this time. First of all I and my brother were not there as we have been dealing with the loss of our father. My staff was very close to my dad especially Kelly. It was a very sudden loss, he literally was healthy, got a stomach issue, went to the doctor was sent to the hospital and passed four days later. We are needless to say in a bit of shock. I am sorry this affected your experience with us. This really is not normal and especially for Kelly. Kelly has been with us since the 7th grade and again has been around us and our dad for a very long time. I promise in the future should you need anything at all I will be here to assist you and you will get great customer service. Again, very sorry. Thank you for your business and understanding. David Durnell ddurnell@rvwholesalers.com

lbrjet · 04-04-2016, 05:19 PM

Mr Durnell,

Sorry for your loss and that of the whole RVW family. I have never bought from your establishment, but I do have and wear two RVW t-shirts that you kindly donated to hand out at the very first FROG rally held in Branson in 2011. So thank you for that.

2010 F250 5.4L 3.73
2011 Flagstaff 831FKBSS
Equal-i-zer 4pt 12K

**ddurnell** · 04-13-2016, 09:44 PM

lbrjet, thank you so very much! Glad you are enjoying the t-shirts! If you ever need any service please let me know. Thanks again- David

fireman1317 · 05-23-2016, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddurnell

fireman1317, please let me start by apologizing that you were not treated the way we do it at RVWholesalers. I never give excuses, but I am hoping you will allow me one this time. First of all I and my brother were not there as we have been dealing with the loss of our father. My staff was very close to my dad especially Kelly. It was a very sudden loss, he literally was healthy, got a stomach issue, went to the doctor was sent to the hospital and passed four days later. We are needless to say in a bit of shock. I am sorry this affected your experience with us. This really is not normal and especially for Kelly. Kelly has been with us since the 7th grade and again has been around us and our dad for a very long time. I promise in the future should you need anything at all I will be here to assist you and you will get great customer service. Again, very sorry. Thank you for your business and understanding. David Durnell ddurnell@rvwholesalers.com

Figured it was time to respond to this. First, Mr. Durnell, please accept my family's sympathies regarding your loss. It is understandable how this event would affect those that were close to father like you say Kelly was. I'm not sure I could have handled things any better having a heavy heart as I'm sure Kelly did. I'm sure Kelly was not in the mood to deal with a hard headed, stubborn Hoosier that day.

Needless to say, when we came to the decision to take the trailer, everything else went very well.

With that said, I pretty sure we will be back in a few years to hopefully pick up a 5th wheel. Yes, after only two months of owning our Vibe, I'm already planning our upgrade to a Columbus 5th Wheel.

**ddurnell** · 06-24-2016, 12:26 PM

fireman1317, thank you so much for the kind words and for your business. Both are greatly appreciated. Please allow me to assist you if you ever need anything. You can reach me at ddurnell@rvwholesalers.com and I am glad to assist. Please also feel free to call me! Thanks again- David

rjsabe · 05-25-2017, 07:33 PM

David, besides many of the comments in this forum, you are a big reason why I choose to purchase through RVW. I am due to pick my coach up later next month and look forward to meeting the staff. Thanks for being part of the discussion. Prayers to you and your family and RVW family

Mainframe · 05-25-2017, 08:28 PM

I have to chime in here, I too have purchased from rv wholesalers 1.5 years ago and I gotta say I had a great experience, they were so professional and courteous I was stunned, from sales to office, parts and service, and not to mention a great price. I would recomend them and would buy from them again in a heartbeat. So sorry for their loss. I hope they continue to operate for many more years.

Iwannacamp · 05-25-2017, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fireman1317

Ha, Ha, playing Devil's advocate is usually my job!! I get what your saying, I just think its a problem that they still show a trailer on their web page for the Vibe Extreme-Lite that is not an accurate representation of what the trailer actually looks like.

When I ordered our trailer. The colors had changed and the color options were not available. The RVW salesman finally someone to e-mail the sample card picture of 3" square colors. I got a picture of a picture that wasn't very good and wasn't a good representation of the fabric. There were other interior changes too. Lights, knobs, door panel design, etc. We took a leap of faith and it turned out ok. 100%? No, but I can live with it. One other thing I am not proud to admit...we had never been in this floor plan as no dealer within a couple hundred miles. We looked at every picture and video we could find on the internet and had been in SOB trailers with a similar layout. We are happy with the floor plan and the trailer. It isn't our forever trailer...I say prolly 4-5-6 years and we will be ready TT wise and financial wise.

Edit. The brochures for the RVs after the changes were not printed yet either.

arter368rlbhk · 05-30-2017, 07:05 PM

Just recently bought a 368rlbhk from rvw and can't say enough about the experience and how we actually felt like they cared weather or not we would be happy down the line.Scott Robinson was our salesman and David helped answer questions as well! By far the best experience I ever had buying an rv. It's easy to see why these guys are simply some of the best in the business!

Trent
2017 HG 368rlbhk

pbrackney · 06-16-2017, 11:12 PM

Hey all. This is a great company to buy from. I got all my pricing and quotes through email very quickly by requesting price from their web site. I eventually special ordered a trailer with all the options I wanted right from the factory and they were still $1500 cheaper than any dealers near where I live. The buying process was flawless and smooth. Will definitely buy again when it's time to get something new. They also have been great after buying it with fantastic customer service with getting warranty repairs done near my home which is 3.5 hours away from RVW.

abngoat · 10-11-2017, 11:17 AM

I purchased from RVW over this last summer and I am here to warn you. I picked out my Vibe Extreme Lite 315BHK and had them order the build from the factory due to some changes. We were treated like gold by our salesmen and everything was answered quickly, man's name was Cass. Really thought we were something special. Then the day to pick up came and after around 500 miles we were standing in their front office. This is where the problem started, our salesmen never even made an attempt to meet us and we were passed on to another after 20 minutes. We were sat down to fill out paperwork and then given a paper to review them even before we saw the trailer. Whatever, after five hundred miles I filled it out. We went to the end of the line to pick up the trailer and went through the checklist. Found out we were charged for a vent cover that wasn't needed and a couple other things. (This also took about a month to get a check back thanks to the laziness of JARED at RVW not taking it off of the invoice. This guy is horrible and never returns a call.) So time comes when we are supposed to have the title to register in NC, also a hurricane en route, so possible evacauation but I'd have to leave my very expensive lawn ornament because Jared didn't input the VIN correctly in the system. I will say the bank however was fantastic and actually overnighted the original title when I got the right VIN to them. Keep in mind I did all of the contacting of the bank because JARED didn't answer his phone or return calls. Finally after leaving a bad review they asked me to change it because THEY had fixed the issue. Complete crap, they did nothing. I would recommend avoiding them at all costs. You are a valued customer until they have your contract signed, then you are just taking up space they need for the next guy. Sadly, we chose them because they boasted Christian values, not the case. Also everything we asked to have fixed was ignored and we just took it and contacted Forest River who has told us just to call them, not RVW. Good Luck on this process, but beware of RVW, just in my experience. Check the reviews on their Facebook page, I didn't and I feel that I paid the price.

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