Local Dealer Won't Service Out of State Trailer

[NXR]

As far as the FR policy on buying local, on the same web page they reference their Code of Conduct that states all employees and dealers must comply with the policy, if you read through its entirety it would lead one to believe that all dealers must do what they can to resolve any issues with their product line.

“If it’s not part of the contract, it’s not part of the deal.”

Companies can force their employees to follow a Code of Conduct because most states are at-will employment areas, meaning you can be terminated at any time and for no reason. The only way a dealership could be forced to comply with a Code of Conduct is if it is part of or an addendum to the dealership contract (and thus negotiable).

Otherwise that Code of Conduct is just advertising puffery where dealerships are concerned .

Ray

[Rdgillilan]

Originally Posted by USMCbh1983

I am looking to purchase a trailer. I got a quote from an out of state dealer that was very very competitive. I spoke to a local dealer who said that they will not service anything from that particular dealer and that I won't find anyone in the state that will. I was told I could verify that with other people. So I did.

I called around and spoke to the service departments at 4 other dealers. When I asked them, 3 said they would service it, 1 said they aren't servicing anything unless purchased from them because they are so busy, and nobody ever heard of the dealer that I mentioned.

What's interesting is that when I spoke to salesmen at 2 additional dealers, they both gave me a line that I won't be able to get my trailer serviced if I buy elsewhere and that 99.9% of the dealers only service those who buy from them. Even with that said, though, they still never heard of the out of state dealer.

My lengthy post leads to this: has anyone else run into this?

Don’t rely on dealership service dept. my experience with them has all been bad. Not sure what the problem is maybe taking on too much work or just having trouble hiring quality technicians, maybe both. If you can find a good service shop in your area that is authorized with FR with good reviews that is not a dealership.

[deciccocpa]

No service department has ever asked us where we bought our unit. Never a problem getting service since 2005. It's not unusual for a salesperson to tell you nonsense to make a sale. I can understand a busy service service putting customers first, never experienced it and don't know of any refusing money.

Our home is in Largo, Fl and we bought our last 2 coaches in Buffalo NY. Mid-winter in the snow belt saved us $10,000 on the first and end of season saved $13,000 over the best deals for the same unit anywhere near our house.

We drove our car north and picked up the first unit at the start of our summer trip. We bought the second unit towards the end of our summer trip.

[D W]

My dealer will not turn you away if you purchased elsewhere, but he's quick to let you know that you go to the back of the line. His loyalty is to customers that have purchased from his business.

[PenJoe]

[QUOTE=rsdata;2329135]

ON the other hand... Independent RV repair shops and mobile RV techs are entrepreneurs that will help you fix your RV under warranty but ONLY IF YOU do the paper-work to get your warranty work pre-approved ( time consuming) then, pay them directly and then settle up with Forest River ( or whomever) authorized the warranty work. GREAT business model BTW.

We had an exceptional experience with RV Merchandising in Englewood, FL. While wintering in the area, our stove piazo gave up the ship. When we called this shop, they said they would get the warranty approved from FR. But, they were very busy. They called back within minutes and said they had the piazo in stock and it would be an easy DIY fix. They had a service person that would be passing our camp sight and could drop it off. They said it was not worth the effort of contacting FR and there would be no charge for the part delivered to the door. We offered to pay for the part, but they refused. Called it good will for future business. We were elated with this response, but have never required their services. The folks at RV Merchandising probably knew they would never get a bump in business because of this gesture, but they were there to help anyway.

[deciccocpa]

Originally Posted by D W

My dealer will not turn you away if you purchased elsewhere, but he's quick to let you know that you go to the back of the line. His loyalty is to customers that have purchased from his business.

The dealer is being more then a little foolish.

Do you leave the dealership thinking, "great people, love doing business with them" or "won't use them again unless I have no choice"?

RV owners tend to keep their units many years and service needs only increase over time. A dealership telling me I'm last on their list is also telling me go elsewhere for good service. That would put the dealership last on my list of where to go when the warranty runs expires.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by JCs2020Rockwood

I have never heard of this, I understand a salesman might say something like this to get you to purchase from them, but normally the service departments are willing to service no matter where the purchase was made. Money is money, they want to make it, and you want to keep more in your pocket.


I personally bought my first brand new Travel Trailer from a dealer in Indiana, while I live in Central New York, yes the deal was that much better that I chose to make the hike to make my purchase. The local dealer never gave me an issue when it came to service or warranty work, however when the salesman at the local dealer saw me with the camper that I spoke with them about buying they knew I did not make the purchase from that dealer. Still they were always professional with me. When I made the decision to upgrade last year, she was the first person I went to see, I told her what I wanted and what I wanted to pay and we were able to work out a deal. I have had more issues getting problems resolved with my new travel trailer than the old one, and I am going to the dealer that I purchased it from.


As far as the FR policy on buying local, on the same web page they reference their Code of Conduct that states all employees and dealers must comply with the policy, if you read through its entirety it would lead one to believe that all dealers must do what they can to resolve any issues with their product line.


Me personally would be more concerned with keeping more money in my pocket, anyone can do basic repairs and service work, if its something big and it involves the warranty you should be able to find someone reputable to take care of the issue.

Maybe... but after being on this forum and reading about such 6+ years, I'd say this "normally" might be better changed to "possibly". The "not paid as much for warranty work" is true for some/many/most/several dealerships -- translates to "I have all I can handle servicing the units our customers bought here."

Regarding the Code of Conduct, I'm fairly certain a dealership can and will skirt that "must do" statement.

I'm not saying it should be the way it is; I'm saying one seldom knows what goes on in dealerships across the country by having dealings with 1-3 dealerships.

[hack522]

Originally Posted by USMCbh1983

I am looking to purchase a trailer. I got a quote from an out of state dealer that was very very competitive. I spoke to a local dealer who said that they will not service anything from that particular dealer and that I won't find anyone in the state that will. I was told I could verify that with other people. So I did.

I called around and spoke to the service departments at 4 other dealers. When I asked them, 3 said they would service it, 1 said they aren't servicing anything unless purchased from them because they are so busy, and nobody ever heard of the dealer that I mentioned.

What's interesting is that when I spoke to salesmen at 2 additional dealers, they both gave me a line that I won't be able to get my trailer serviced if I buy elsewhere and that 99.9% of the dealers only service those who buy from them. Even with that said, though, they still never heard of the out of state dealer.

My lengthy post leads to this: has anyone else run into this?

Purchased mine in Indiana and was able to get it serviced by a local dealer even with warranty issues. FR gave them the approval for the work.

[deep6doug]

Yes I got my 5th wheel out of state. RV's warranty is not the same as car dealership. 😫 I wish. And yes most only work on there own. Or it is a 4 month wait
Mine went in for a a/c fan motor. Took 3 months to fix. Each part of the rv is under who made it.😫 Not like a car dealership [every thing is covered by one company]
Well the bottom line is by the time I got it back. My warranty was up. So when next time 6 months my bushings on my leaf springs went bad I had to fix with grease able bushings

[GoneSouth10]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

Maybe... but after being on this forum and reading about such 6+ years, I'd say this "normally" might be better changed to "possibly".

I'm saying one seldom knows what goes on in dealerships across the country by having dealings with 1-3 dealerships.

Mr. Dan - your comments prompted a thought (always scary, I know ).
Is there a "Survey" feature on the Forum where members could respond with a simple "click a box" response in order to get a true sense of people's experiences? It seems, in this particular thread at least, that it's kind of evenly split on the questions of "Were you able to get general service work done by a local dealer on an RV you bought elsewhere?" and "Were you able to get warranty work done by a local dealer on an RV you bought elsewhere?" Oftentimes the editorializing and opinions (let's face it, a feature of ANY forum . . .) get in the way of the actual data. A simple "click the box" response would also allow people to respond without feeling a lengthy post was necessary (guilty as charged ), thereby increasing the response rate/sample size.
Even if it was a situation where we could submit a proposed survey question to the moderators for approval, I think it'd be a very useful feature.
Just a thought!

[dpearce]

Originally Posted by wmtire

Here you go:


https://forestriverinc.com/buy-local.aspx

For EastToWestRV (a FR Brand) there is one Dealer in my state of Oregon, its in BFE in relation to the main metro area of Portland (350 Miles away) and they get awful reviews on Yelp....get your **** together EastToWestRV and recruit get a Portland Area dealer would ya ?

[filthy-Beast]

I can understand a dealer prioritizing customer who purchased from them but not outright refusing to service a unit. As soon to be full timers, there will be no such thing as a local dealer for us, so where does that leave us?



Manufactures can start putting teeth into contracts for bad behavior and incentives for good behavior. Until they do, not much will change.

[RetiredSoldier919]

Originally Posted by USMCbh1983

Right now, I'm considering a 2020 Salem 32BHDS and this would be my first.

Whatever you do, DO NOT, buy from Camping World. I made that mistake and now I have a Vibe TT with torn up slideout that no one will do the warranty work. Only a mobile RV repair tech will do it, and he wants payment up front even though FR approved it. I don't have thousands extra cash laying around to fix a RV that Camping World sold me as a dud. Camping World is straight up garbage. I hope I save at least one poor soul from my mistake.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by dpearce

For EastToWestRV (a FR Brand) there is one Dealer in my state of Oregon, its in BFE in relation to the main metro area of Portland (350 Miles away) and they get awful reviews on Yelp....get your **** together EastToWestRV and recruit get a Portland Area dealer would ya ?

East to West is a new division for FR. It's a crowded field of long established trailer brands so E to W has a lot of competition. Plus they only make a few different sizes and floorplans, compared to similar divisions like Salem, Wildwood, Cherokee or Evo.
The Della Terra stick and tin line has only been out for around a couple of years. Only 9 models.
Their new Alta aluminum/filon ultralight line just was introduced last year. Only 7 models.
So it's going to take some time for dealers to recognize East to West.

[upflying]

Originally Posted by GoneSouth10

I understand that this is the assumption underlying all of these arguments, but is it true?
Any actual, real world intel from an actual bona fide dealer service writer out there regarding the price charged/payment received by a dealer's service department on two identical repairs, one under warranty and one not under warranty?

Also, I'm fully aware of all the regular drawbacks of getting warranty work done from the perspective of the consumer (e.g., long wait times, multiple trips, not done right, etc.) and, frankly, I've been fortunate to not have to deal with any warranty issues in the RV world (a couple of recalls, yes). But I have had a lot of warranty work done in the automotive/motorcycle world and I've just never had the impression that warranty work wasn't profitable (it may not be AS profitable, but that still wouldn't support a refusal to do it).
Maybe this is just a case of "Covid Curiosity" (the phenomenon of drilling down to the granular level on a topic out of sheer curiosity/boredom versus a real need to know!! )

I am going to go out on an assumption that a partial reason for warranty problems with RV dealers is because they do not have to comply with the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act.
RV dealers can choose not to honor your warranty whether they are reimbursed sufficiently or not by FR.
But you know what they say about assume.

[Major Oz]

Originally Posted by USMCbh1983

I am looking to purchase a trailer. I got a quote from an out of state dealer that was very very competitive. I spoke to a local dealer who said that they will not service anything from that particular dealer and that I won't find anyone in the state that will. I was told I could verify that with other people. So I did.

I called around and spoke to the service departments at 4 other dealers. When I asked them, 3 said they would service it, 1 said they aren't servicing anything unless purchased from them because they are so busy, and nobody ever heard of the dealer that I mentioned.

What's interesting is that when I spoke to salesmen at 2 additional dealers, they both gave me a line that I won't be able to get my trailer serviced if I buy elsewhere and that 99.9% of the dealers only service those who buy from them. Even with that said, though, they still never heard of the out of state dealer.

My lengthy post leads to this: has anyone else run into this?

If ANY manufacturer does not require EVERY dealer selling their products to service ANY of their products, regardless of where purchased........that seems to be a pretty good reason NEVER to purchase that product.

[DanMistyMiler]

I ran into this situation when I purchased my Flagstaff 21 FBRS. I purchased my trailer from a dealer in Indianapolis. I store the trailer at my brother's house less than 2 miles from the RV dealer in Greenfield. On my first trip with the trailer, the hot water heater board blew. I had already trouble shot the problem and contacted my dealer in Indianapolis. They were unable to get the trailer in. I then contacted the dealer in Greenfield whom had the time to service the trailer but would not service it because I purchased it from the other dealer. Said I had to purchase it there if I wanted it serviced there. Interestingly, as I was looking for an additional entry key, they tried to sell me a blank and suggest that I go to another dealer to have it cut.

Moral of the story? Do it yourself and be done with it.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Major Oz

If ANY manufacturer does not require EVERY dealer selling their products to service ANY of their products, regardless of where purchased........that seems to be a pretty good reason NEVER to purchase that product.

The RV Industry is NOT like the Auto Industry. They can't require a dealer to service units they didn't sell.
RV Dealers are independent contractors, not a franchise. They can pick and choose and drop any of the RV brands they carry.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by bikendan

The RV Industry is NOT like the Auto Industry. They can't require a dealer to service units they didn't sell.
RV Dealers are independent contractors, not a franchise. They can pick and choose and drop any of the RV brands they carry.

X2

[WonderberryJAM]

We had a warranty claim in March that Forest River agreed to pay. The bill was around $300. We are still waiting for reimbursement. So while it's okay to have someone other than the dealer do the warranty work, be prepared to pay out of pocket and wait months for reimbursement.