Destination Fee

[Willie Hayes Jr]

I have received many words of encouragement. I like the idea of visiting family; so, I think I'll make the trip to pick up the RV and if I save a few bucks that's OK too. Thank you all for your words of wisdom.

[270S]

Originally Posted by bikendan

I always say that the only thing the two industries have in common, is they both make things on wheels that are sold at dealerships.
Other than that, they couldn't be more different.
Many make the mistake of comparing the two.

I think this is the #1 reason for newcomers to the "industry". As first time buyers, like me 2 years ago, were/are under the assumption that there are dealerships in a nationwide warranty network (similar to Ford & GM to name only 2) that are there to stand behind a reasonably manufactured product wherever one travels in the US should anything happen in the significantly shorter warranty period - should have been first clue. Assuming this product is build (assembled) like current day automotive standards is the underlying fundamental flaw in the thought/decision process.

It is one of the best kept secrets and honestly I blame the existing customer base for not telling everyone, as I do, the inherent problems and flaws that exist because of the enjoyment these products are capable of providing to the customer base.

The customer base sits back and absorbs all of the grief just to be able to go exploring and enjoying time when available. I honestly do not understand the reluctance to tell others the bad with the good. Unfortunately, my experiences, the bad has been overwhelming. Repeating the same process will yield the same results if nothing changes. So for me, it will be my first, last and only TT followed by an RV 3 months later because I still didn't grasp the extent of the problems in this entire industry regardless of Company, Make, Model, or Price.

The foundational operating principles are flawed. Had I know this 20+ years ago, I would have started "manufacturing" in this industry instead of another and changed the foundational manufacturing and operating principles. All one has to do is produce a decent reliable product without known and anticipated failures, not a Rolls Royce, just a Chevy or Ford.

It is easier to prevent problems than deal with them after the fact. The expense of dealing with problems would be 90+% eliminated compared to the current levels, wait times less than 6-8 weeks for appointment reduced, and a national service level willing to assist I am sure of would make customers knocking down the doors.

These are my ideas on a viable business plan. Feel free to agree or not, but no need for arguments that tend to develop on this subject which would only reinforce my observance of the customer base - willing to take it and be abused. Sounds so familiar to many other life problems. Maybe human nature, but not mine. Not always possible, but if you don't aim for the stars, you'll never get to the moon.

[rsdata]

270S...

It is one of the best kept secrets and honestly I blame the existing customer base for not telling everyone, as I do, the inherent problems and flaws that exist because of the enjoyment these products are capable of providing to the customer base.

The customer base sits back and absorbs all of the grief just to be able to go exploring and enjoying time when available. I honestly do not understand the reluctance to tell others the bad with the good.

As a consumer it is on YOU to do some investigation BEFORE buying. IF anyone spends 30 minutes on this or any other RV forum, one of the first things you will notice is DIS-SATISFACTION with dealers and their attempts at repair.

Do you expect owners to paint on the side of their trailers "Ask me what is wrong with my camper"

The internet is a great place to start asking questions... AND you could always ask questions at a campground of other camper owners...

[Msgtret]

Originally Posted by 270S

I put a deposit and then drove to Indiana to pickup my first, last, and only TT from "Total Value RV of Indiana" because they were close to the factory - disaster. Avoid them at all costs. They never even did a dealer PDI, … tried to have me pay for agreed items at N/C (power cord, adapter, and a few minor items).

That was my impression at the time and still is, but I have learned that they are probably operating the way the entire industry operates. Promise everything, Deliver nothing. I would purchase as close to local as possible, but expect nothing and be surprised if they provide anything at future service times.

We purchased our Flagstaff 26RBWS from them and had a great experience. They did the dealer PDI and when I did my inspection he was right with me the entire time.(3 hours) There was no up charges for anything. They even installed my Husky Hitch that I provided at no charge. They also saw that I had a 20lb tank for my grill in the truck and filled it at no charge also.

[wabakami]

Originally Posted by 270S

I think this is the #1 reason for newcomers to the "industry". As first time buyers, like me 2 years ago, were/are under the assumption that there are dealerships in a nationwide warranty network (similar to Ford & GM to name only 2) that are there to stand behind a reasonably manufactured product wherever one travels in the US should anything happen in the significantly shorter warranty period - should have been first clue. Assuming this product is build (assembled) like current day automotive standards is the underlying fundamental flaw in the thought/decision process.

X2

Geoff
.

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by Willie Hayes Jr

I would like to avoid a destination fee and as many fees as I can. How much do you think I could save if I drove from Denver to Indiana to pick-up a 2019 Rockwood 2608WS? I have a lot of family to visit in the Mid-West and the South.

you can save more then enougnn to pay for your trip and then a trip or two after pick up . I bought mine from Jeff Couches . a few small hick-ups but nothing major . did my pdi spent a few hours saved enough to make it worth it . The very best part was if i needed warranty they gladly sent me any parts i needed . i just did the installs my self . Though i had very few thing go wrong when i did the parts came . replaced the fender flares because they cracked and they sent me new sticker also , also replacement motors for the cheap ventline fans ,

[wabakami]

Originally Posted by rsdata

270S...


As a consumer it is on YOU to do some investigation BEFORE buying. IF anyone spends 30 minutes on this or any other RV forum, one of the first things you will notice is DIS-SATISFACTION with dealers and their attempts at repair.


You are missing 270S's point about nothing being done to improve safety and construction standards of RVs, yes, there is a crap-load of complaints out there but that is all there is, complaints. When are all the retired lawyers and advocates who own RVs going to get together and form a watchdog committee to address these issues properly and get us results? All we do is park our arses in chairs around the campfire and wine and bitch. Lets stand up and get some political clout.


Do you expect owners to paint on the side of their trailers "Ask me what is wrong with my camper"

Why not? In the 80's I saw a Ford pick-up in Michigan and one in Ontario plus a Chevy in New York with "Lemon" or some other wording written on them.


The internet is a great place to start asking questions... AND you could always ask questions at a campground of other camper owners...
There is so much untrue or unverifiable information on the internet that you have to take it with a grain of salt.

As for asking fellow campers... Hmm...

Two years ago I stopped asking fellow Rockwood owners about their problems because only one ever admitted to any defects, every other one said there RVs were perfect. Maybe Canadians are too nice to complain.

My 8310SS has had 7 major issues, two were taken care of at the dealer (separate occasions), 2 weeks for the first and almost a month to fix the second; so that was the last time I would try that and just buckled down and did the repairs myself.

I don't talk about the half welded axles on the curbside of my TT anymore because no-one believes me until I show them a detailed invoice for repairs (and I have my photos) plus I have photos of another owner's 2013 Rockwood with a mangled front axle that wasn't welded correctly and failed at the bottom of Thibeault Hill at the stoplights in North Bay.

So, where do we report this stuff so that an un-biased investigation team can look into all these allegations and publish reports that are verified and acceptable?


Where is a 21st century Ralph Nader?


Geoff
.

[wabakami]

My apologies to the moderators and the op, I (we) seem to have hi-jacked this thread.

Maybe the moderators can move this to a new thread.


Geoff
.

[garybeau]

I actually did that 19 months ago when I went to pick up our new rockwood from RVW. We saved about $4000 just on transportation plus they had much better pricing than any of the local dealers. I saved about $6500 so the trip was well worth it and we made it a mini vacation on the way coming back home.

[270S]

To avoid problems, no quoting, but I did!

A) research - only found problems with Thor, not FR & Didn't know about this forum at the time. Didn't come up in Google from how I was searching. If I saw all these 1 star type review, I would have gone elsewhere or not at all.

B) tell all as I travel when they ask me.

[67L48]

Originally Posted by Willie Hayes Jr

I would like to avoid a destination fee and as many fees as I can. How much do you think I could save if I drove from Denver to Indiana to pick-up a 2019 Rockwood 2608WS? I have a lot of family to visit in the Mid-West and the South.

I did this last January. I'm not talking about the general concept of traveling to pick up an RV. I drove from Denver to Indiana last January to save money.

As you have realized, delivery cost is variable in the RV world. For autos, it's not. If you buy a Ford 2 miles from the factory, it will have a $1,000 (e.g.) delivery charge; if you buy a Ford 2,000 miles from the factory, it will have that same $1,000 delivery charge. Standardized. Not so, for RV. It scales to actual distance from the factory.

Local dealer here was very pleasant to work with, but couldn't come near IN prices. That's just CO. Really a seller's market in CO.

I made it to around Gary, IN on the first day. That's about a 14-15 hour drive, not including stops and such. 2 hours to the dealership (Wana RV in Shipshewana) and we were headed west again with the new trailer by lunch time. I think we stayed around Lincoln. Then, on Day 3, we were back home.

So, you have 2,300 miles and 2 nights total for the round-trip, out and back. That ends up being around $375 in gas (15 mpg average, $2.40/gal average). Add $75 for cheap hotels. You can stay in your RV on your way back to save money, but it was around -20 F for us ... so, too cold. Yes, you have to eat, too ... but I'd bet my next paycheck that you would have eaten those meals even had you stayed in Denver. So, the incremental cost to driving to IN from Denver is about $500 plus the value of your time.

You can add in other things ... like you need to do a $30 oil change when you get home. I used hotel points, so no out-of-pocket hotel costs. Whatever, you're still in that $500 +/- 15% range for your incremental cost.

I had zero warranty claims, so I can't speak to the value of buying local for dealership support. Wana did an amazing job of walk-through. Paperwork on the trailer took about 10 minutes -- everything was ready to go, exactly as discussed on the phone/email, and no surprises. They did a great job of setting up my Equal-I-zer WDH, and even included the ball.

For me, it's a no-brainer. I have more time than money. I left on a Thursday morning. I was back at my house Saturday afternoon with a new trailer. Saved about $4K.

[Daves rv]

So nice to see another answer to the OP instead of grumpy complaining that have posted here. I also had a great experience with Wana rv. Saved a lot of money, over $4000 and have had no complaints about quality of our trailer. Was it perfect? No but not enough issues to be grumpy.

[pgandw]

Originally Posted by Willie Hayes Jr

I would like to avoid a destination fee and as many fees as I can. How much do you think I could save if I drove from Denver to Indiana to pick-up a 2019 Rockwood 2608WS? I have a lot of family to visit in the Mid-West and the South.

We ran the numbers on buying our new A-frame from a dealer in Michigan as compared to buying in Denver. Our best estimate - based on our road and travel habits - was about $1K and 5 days for the trip. We didn't think that was bad at all.

We ended up finding the A-frame at Robert's RV Sales in Denver for $1,300 more than Michigan. Since I'm still working, saving 3 days PTO to use for better than camping along I80 was worth the $300.

Robert's doesn't have any fees besides the cost of the A-frame or PUP, which they sell for a no-negotiation discounted price (lower than any other local dealer after add-ons). But Robert's only sells (and rents) PUPs and A-frames.

The dealer prep was absolutely top notch. We did a pre-inspection, and they fixed/repaired everything we asked for, and then some things we didn't ask for.

Before we went with Roberts, we checked them out both on the web and in person. I am satisfied we made the right choice.

Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

[67L48]

I'd also not do a 2,300 mile round trip to save $300. However, I also can't imagine spending 5 days for a 2,300 mile round trip! That's like 6 hours a day on the road. That's a leisurely pace.

If you're light on vacation days, then pick a 3-day weekend -- veterans day, presidents day, MLK (I bet you get/got one of those off). Take a Friday off. Leave Friday and arrive at the dealership on Saturday. Complete the transaction. And, even if you drive slow, you're home on Monday after a 4 day trip. It's still $375 for the fuel and whatever you spend on lodging. Don't include food as an expense unless you were planning on fasting those days at home.

For $500 and 1 day of PTO, you get it done. Obviously, the larger the purchase, the more this makes sense.

For my popup trailer, I drove to Wichita. Easier, cheaper drive. Still saved a bundle. Bought a used popup in Wichita, used it for 6 years, sold it to the penny for what I paid for it ... all because of the jacked-up CO RV market.

Time or money. It's always that trade-off. What do you have more of... which are you willing to spend ...

[pgandw]

I appreciate you thinking it through with me. Our plan wasn't as leisurely as you think. I planned one day at the dealership - arriving in the morning when they opened. I figured the day to get everything corrected that we found on the PDI, go through the paperwork, and install and adjust the brackets for the WDH (we have a E2 600/6000 that we used on our previous A-frame). Then camp nearby, or go further if we got done sooner than I estimated. For these reasons, I planned to arrive in Michigan on Thursday night, have Friday at the dealership (to avoid Saturday chaos), and take Saturday and Sunday to drive home.

Also, planned on 65MPH on the way home in case the new camper didn't come with 75MPH+ tires.

Since we bought the new high wall A-frame, I found my gas mileage towing dropped from 16-18mpg to 13-15mpg. Kind of disappointing, but it would have increased our gas costs on the return trip. Windage counts when towing with a V6 vehicle.

I do appreciate your thoughts
Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

[ChooChooMan74]

I am lucky as I have a friend who lives close to RVW, so I have a place to stay on my way there. You just have to figure out what your time is worth, time off from work, wear and tear on the vehicle, etc etc, and see if it is worth driving there.

[SacRV]

We are in the process of getting quotes on a special order Cedar Creek Cottage.

I'm taking the approach of throwing a wide net and seeing where the prices fall. What I did is use the Cedar Creek dealer locator and found about a dozen dealers between the factory and our property in Northern California. Dealers close to the factory should have a minimal destination fee but I'll pay $4k to delivery it to CA. Or I can buy it locally and pay whatever they paid to get it there and get my delivery for free.

I think this will give me a good idea on where I should be on price and destination/delivery fee.

[whj469]

Please keep in mind that most warranties last one year and if you are lucky two years.