No close dealers to me...

420brady · 08-31-2012, 08:53 AM

I've been doing a ton of research on-line and I've decided that I like the Forester/Sunseeker the best. Im really sold on the construction material, fiberglass roof, etc. The comparison grid BClemens provided was great (id love to see that updated and expanded, by the way).

Anyway, The next step is to go to an upcoming RV show and really walk through them to confirm my decision and and really settle on a floor plan once we can see them all within close proximity. Here's my dilemma...I was surprised to find out the dealer where I bought my Forest River popup doesn't sell Forest Rive Class C's. In fact the closest dealer is quite a ways a way from where I live. That dealer only deals SunSeekers. I'd have to go to a dealer even farther away for a Forester. Given that's its almost a certainty that there WILL be some warranty work required over the first year of ownership, the thought of driving back and forth to a dealer that is hours away is not attractive to me. I find this frustrating. I have a great dealer where I bought my popup. They've handled all the knicks and knacks under warranty with no troubles. I'd LOVE to continue with that dealer. They're close to where I work and they're great to deal with.

I'm not a confident 'do it yourselfer' so I would prefer to buy from a dealer instead of direct. If i buy somewhere else, I don't know if my current dealer would honor warranty issues as easily as they have with my popup that I bought there. I'm sure they would prefer me to buy a Jayco from them. Anyway, I'm sure there are reasons why this happens this way, but I'm finding it frustrating and just thought I'd blow off a little.. Thanks for listening.

crasher · 08-31-2012, 08:58 AM

Have you talked to your dealer about this?

If he is already a Forest River dealer, I would think it's not much of big deal to carry an additional line - that is if he already carries C-class or A-class motorhomes. I'm sure he'd love to have your business.

Anyone in the know, please comment on this. Do they have to pay a franchise fee or something to add a product line? Should any Forest River dealer be able to order the product you want?

**wmtire** · 08-31-2012, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wincrasher

Should any Forest River dealer be able to order the product you want?

I would doubt this, for the reasons that Forest River makes the exact same trailer in different names ( ie Flagstaff/Rockwood). The dealers are promised exclusivity for the name they carry. The dealer is the frontline person promoting their brand that they carry. This promotion can come by the way of advertising, great sales people, excellent service, etc. The dealer has an investment in this promotion, and accordingly will want exclusivity for their investment.

The same works in the tire business. There may be three dealers all across from each other...actually buying from the same manufacturer/distributor...but all three selling different named tires (that come out of the same factory). The dealers can only buy the name tire they carry, but not the other two that their competitors carry. The tire manufacturer wants to sell their product to all three dealers, so they make three different branded tires to sell them. These three tires may be identical in every aspect, except the name put on the sidewall.

Another example is car dealers. You probably won't see two Chevrolet dealers beside each other, but there may be a Chevy and GMC dealer in close proximity.

GottaGoNow · 08-31-2012, 09:41 AM

I just ordered a Rockwood trailer from RVdirect and according to them you can have your ForestRiver serviced anywhere that carries Forestriver. You might want to give the manufacturer Forestriver a call and ask them about this.

Road-King · 08-31-2012, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GottaGoNow

RVdirect and according to them you can have your ForestRiver serviced anywhere that carries Forestriver.

I sure you could have it serviced, it may take awhile and you may have to pay for the service out of your pocket.

If you go that route, I would call your local dealer and ask if they do warranty work on units that were not purchased from them.

Unlike the automotive world, I think a Forrest River dealer or any of the other RV manufacturers dealers are NOT required to do warranty work on units they didn't sell...

PS After re-reading I left an important word out. See the bold type above...

**bclemens** · 08-31-2012, 01:48 PM

Any Forest River dealer can service a Forest River unit, whether they carry the product or not. The fact that you already have a relationship with this dealer leads me to believe that they would service your unit. it's not as if they had it and you bought elsewhere. They don't carry it. Also, for them to become a dealer they would have to agree to minimum stocking levels.

Joerossi · 08-31-2012, 02:48 PM

We purchased our 2011 Sunseeker 2650 DS from RV Direct in Albany NY, saved over $12,000 from the local dealers who made it quite clear ( the local dealers ) that if you did bring it ( RV Direct unit )in for service, you would go to the bottom of the list timewise plus at $100.00/hour labor rate, who knows what you would pay. I was able to find a local guy in our city who is an autherised Dometic repair technicin who fixes everything above the chasis. So far the only issue we had in 2 years was part of the AC tubing was rattling on the outside cover, had this taken care of by the local tech and the unit is very quiet, hard to know it's running from 20 feet away. Try and find out if there are any repair shops in your area who can fix stuff for you. dealer warrantys only last so long and most units are pretty reliable over the first few years.

Emptypockets · 08-31-2012, 04:41 PM

We also don't have any RV Dealers (any brand) closer than 150 miles from where we live. We bought from RV-Direct - the first time I needed a small item taken care of by Forest River warranty they mailed me the part that I changed out my self. Before the 2nd year warranty ran out I had another item develop that was more than I could do - so I found an independent shop to do it. All you do is communicate - I repeat communicate with Forest River before you have work done, get their okay to do the repair - pay for the repair & mail them the bill that they okay-ed - the check arrived in less than two weeks.

RvBill3 · 08-31-2012, 05:13 PM

We have no FR dealer near us. Bought from RvDirect. So far no major issues but on two items FR has sent parts under warranty and I have fixed. Both times they offered to direct me to a repair place near me if I preferred that someone else do the.work.

I would not worry about it. My experience with FR warranty has been 5 stars. They will see that you get what you need no matter who you buy from.

Road-King · 08-31-2012, 07:18 PM

I was not trying to say buying from RVDirect or RVW was a bad idea. It seems to work out great for alot of poeple. But as they say "For warned, is for armed..."

420brady · 09-01-2012, 08:02 AM

Thanks for sharing all the thoughts. After the RV show in a couple weeks, I'll call my guy at the dealer where I got the popup and just talk with him about my options and what their service policies are.

MOD Guy · 09-01-2012, 09:17 AM

Another thing to think about doing if you purchase from a dealer that is not close is plan on spending a couple of days at a campground close by them when you pick the unit up. Make sure you do a real good PDI, make sure every thing works (open the awning, fill the water tank, fire up the water heater, etc). Camp for a couple of days, and if you find an issue, you can take it back to the selling dealer. Our first new unit (TT) was purchased from a dealer 5.5 hrs away from home. Only one issue found after leaving the dealer (fiberglass cap issue). They sent someone to the campground we were staying at close by and fixed it on site. Great service from PECO Campers / Starcraft in Tucker GA!

digger47 · 09-08-2012, 07:11 PM

I live in Alabama and bought my Forest River in Ft. Worth Texas, 800 miles away. I have my Sunseeker serviced locally by Camping World. I have had it in twice for warranty work and had no issues getting the work completed.
The only issue I have is once they identify a repair or needed replacement part they must get approval before ordering or beginning the work. This may take an extra day or two, but it beats driving back to Ft. Worth each time I need something completed.
Initially one of the sales reps had told me they would not do the work if I did not buy from them, but this seems to be a standard tactic to get you to buy from them. I talked directly to the service manager and was assured there would be no issues.
Internet sales are big business for these dealers so it only makes sense that they would have no issues servicing anyone's RV.
I also had checked out RVDirect, but opted for McClain's in Ft. Worth. Got it for the same price.

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