Who has dealt with RV Wholesalers??? - Page 2

Linnemj · 12-01-2011, 06:08 PM

We purchased a new XLR toy hauler from RVW on June 1st. The price difference in our case was over $4,000 and we do not have a local dealer within 5 hours of our home.

Overall the experience was very good. We made significant changes to the standard equipment for the trailer. This included deleting the standard Murphy bed and adding a single happy-jac bed in the bedroom/cargo area.

One item that was missed on our ordered unit was the extreme package. We discovered this after we had spent 5 hours conducting an in-depth PDI on the trailer. When we brought it to their attention, we were offered the cost of the package as a refund and take the unit as is, or they would re-order the trailer and deliver it for free to our home 7 hours away. We thought that was a fair offer. Since we saw no issues with the trailer we inspected, we decided to take the refund. Our thoughts were that we had a good, well built trailer in hand, why take a chance on something else. My suggestion is that you require the salesperson to send you a copy of their purchase order submitted to Forest River when they send it. In addition, at time of delivery ask to see the invoice from FR to ensure you got everything you ordered. We did not do this and we could have missed that our unit was not as ordered.

We camped two nights at Indian Lake State Park which is within 3 miles of RVW for a shakedown. We discovered that the floor vents for the furnace were not hooked up. The problem was corrected before we left the area. I strongly recommend you do a minimum 2 days shakedown immediately after buying a trailer no matter where you decide to purchase.

I have one warranty claim still to be fixed on my trailer. RVW required pictures of the issue as well as a cost estimate to be completed by a service center to be submitted to FR. The local large RV dealer will not do a written estimate for us to send. They will handle the warranty claim directly with FR to fix our issue. It is a pain in the butt to have to take the trailer out twice to have warranty issues addressed.

You said your local dealer will not negotiate on pricing and are charging some extra fees. I would take your written price quote from RVW to them and give them the choice of matching the price. It puts the ball in their court. My opinion is that trailers, cars, boats, ect are commodities and I shop for pricing. The exception I would make in your case is if the local dealer has an excellent service reputation, I would be willing to pay a little more money.

Good luck with your decision and have many nights of happy camping!

Koodog · 12-01-2011, 07:04 PM

Road Dog,
I agree this should not happen, but Linnemj's post is exactly what I've been reading about. Some slight misses, some completely out of the ball park. I just know it happens.
I'm sure it's not just an RVW issue, probably happens more than one would think.
As you also noted, I would get order form and invoice to make sure its correct.

carsonizik3 · 12-01-2011, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koodog

Road Dog,
I agree this should not happen, but Linnemj's post is exactly what I've been reading about. Some slight misses, some completely out of the ball park. I just know it happens.
I'm sure it's not just an RVW issue, probably happens more than one would think.
As you also noted, I would get order form and invoice to make sure its correct.

Already working on getting the list of local service centers,and the list of options on the camper. Imade a mistake earlier. I said it had every option except slide awnings. It does not have the washer/dryer in it either. The camper i looked at in N.C. had every feature and option we wanted except corian,undermount storage, and 2nd a/c which we added to the list when contacting RVW. We are waiting for another non camping deal to go through and I will be on the horn ordering this unit. I will write down every option we want and fax it to my salesperson after he sends me his list of the options that will be on it. Its hard to deal over the computer or phone but we will make sure we're on the same page before the order. That campng a couple of days to make sure everything works is a great Idea. Thanks guys and gals.

Firepup · 12-01-2011, 08:25 PM

I just purchased from RVH and have been waiting for 5 weeks to get issues resolved before picking it up. I would not sign any finace papers untill the unit passes your inspection and all items if any have been fixed.

carsonizik3 · 12-01-2011, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Firepup

I just purchased from RVH and have been waiting for 5 weeks to get issues resolved before picking it up. I would not sign any finace papers untill the unit passes your inspection and all items if any have been fixed.

Did you buy a unit that was on the lot or did you order one? It will take 5-6 weeks for us to get ours because it will be ordered to our specs. My deal is I give a deposit, we get all options,colors,packages,add ons, etc, down on paper, we order it.(we have already discussed this) When it arrives we go up and go through the unit with a fine tooth comb and only when we are satisfied is when we go in and do the financing and paperwork which will have no hidden fees and no "extra" hidden charges. The price of $35,800 is the total price out the door period. I have already discussed if one dollar is added or its not what we ordered we walk. They have agreed so we'll se what happens.

camper_Lucy · 12-01-2011, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carsonizik3

Here is the deal. Finally narrowed down to the 365 SAQ Sandpiper. Local dealer is at $38,665.38. RV Wholesalers are at $35,800.00 Both prices are out the door. Local dealer is about 7 miles away. RV Wholesalers is around 450 miles one way. $2865,38 difference in price. 900 total miles to pick up camper. I figure around $ 500.00 to go get. Thats a $2365.38 difference for the same camper. I have talked to the salesperson and finance dept. and both seem to be very helpful. They have answered many questions and have been very patient with us so far. Local dealers have told us "horror" stories about these "bug time wholesalers". If you have delt with RV wholesalers chime in and let me know how your experience went. I would appreciate it.

Sent you a PM

Linnemj · 12-02-2011, 04:45 AM

It sounds like you have the right process to follow based on our experience at RVW. You might find that a 5 week delivery cycle is optimistic. Best of luck! Be post again after pick up to tell us how it went.

BigRed · 12-02-2011, 10:09 AM

We purchased our Rockwood from RVW. We ordered and it came in just as we ordered it! Our local dealers will service it if needed as someone else noted money is money to an RV dealer. No hidden charges it cost us exactly what we where quoted! The only problem we have had with our camper had to go back to the factory for repair but had nothing to do with RVW. Save your money go with RVW !!

RoadDog66 · 12-02-2011, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carsonizik3

Did you buy a unit that was on the lot or did you order one? It will take 5-6 weeks for us to get ours because it will be ordered to our specs. My deal is I give a deposit, we get all options,colors,packages,add ons, etc, down on paper, we order it.(we have already discussed this) When it arrives we go up and go through the unit with a fine tooth comb and only when we are satisfied is when we go in and do the financing and paperwork which will have no hidden fees and no "extra" hidden charges. The price of $35,800 is the total price out the door period. I have already discussed if one dollar is added or its not what we ordered we walk. They have agreed so we'll se what happens.

Carsonizik3,
Are you guys planning to pick it up right away once it gets sent to RVW or are you gonna take them up on their "free" storage offer?

I'm asking because you mentioned not signing the finance paperwork until you pick it up (we are planning on letting RVW store ours until Mar/Apr and planned to stay at the State Park next door to test it out for a couple days). I figure we won't get all the kinks worked out in a first time 2-3 day camping trip, so we'd likely have to have any issues fixed later locally.

Your plan is probably the best idea, but since we aren't planning to pick it up right away I was going to have them mail me the paperwork to ensure proper finance rates and use the deferred 90-day payments while it's being stored. Prior to signing the paperwork I'm going to require pictures of the inside and outside of the unit, a copy of the build sheet, a pre-test of the A/C, Heater, Water Heater, pumps etc just in case there's any issues that can be fixed before I drive out.

I guess I could drive out ahead of time and do the PDI and then come back a couple months later and pick it up, but again we wouldn't get more than one camping trip in before heading back home with it so any issues would likely be found on the consecutive camping trips.

wayne anthony · 12-02-2011, 12:22 PM

As far as staying close to where you bought the r v for a few days, it wasn't until our fourth trip, about 9 months after we bought the trailer that major problems showed up. Wayne

RoadDog66 · 12-02-2011, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wayne anthony

As far as staying close to where you bought the r v for a few days, it wasn't until our fourth trip, about 9 months after we bought the trailer that major problems showed up. Wayne

Wayne,
Sorry to hear you had "major problems"...could you elaborate? I'm wondering what can happen and what to prepare for. Did you buy from RVWholesalers? Were the issues taken care of to your satisfaction?

Firepup · 12-02-2011, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carsonizik3

Did you buy a unit that was on the lot or did you order one? It will take 5-6 weeks for us to get ours because it will be ordered to our specs. My deal is I give a deposit, we get all options,colors,packages,add ons, etc, down on paper, we order it.(we have already discussed this) When it arrives we go up and go through the unit with a fine tooth comb and only when we are satisfied is when we go in and do the financing and paperwork which will have no hidden fees and no "extra" hidden charges. The price of $35,800 is the total price out the door period. I have already discussed if one dollar is added or its not what we ordered we walk. They have agreed so we'll se what happens.

It was on thier lot.

carsonizik3 · 12-02-2011, 06:49 PM

Ok I just keep digging on this 365 and now I have talked to another dealer who says he can beat anybodys deal. So I give it a whirl. After discussing price and the deal that RVW is offering I got the same pitch. "They can't buy that camper for that price. I don't know how they can price you that camper that cheap!" I explained that I had been working with RVW for awhile and they had answered all my questions and they gauranteed the camper would be exactly what I ordered with no hidden fees etc. Then he came up with I had better watch RVW because they had worked on some of the campers thet had sold and they had "added" some of the options on the camper at the dealership and these "add ons" were not from the factory. Things like a/c units or "refurbished" fridges and water heaters?
Also since they were in Ohio they could do this legally. Also if I paid the deposit and got there and the camper wasn't what I wanted they could keep my deposit.

RoadDog66 · 12-02-2011, 07:44 PM

Well if you signed a contract that says this is what was ordered from the factory and it ends up that's not what you get then you can take legal action. I can't see them changing stuff that was part of an ordered unit for other items, unless you wanted additional items after the order was placed.

When I started my TT search I was originally going to purchase an in-stock unit and add some options to it. They said they could add many options right at their shop, which makes sense since alot of options are available as aftermarket products. Of course replacing parts with re-furbished or lesser quality parts is not good or moral business practice and in my estimation that would illicit a serious barrage of negative consequences.

Now I can't speak from experience, but I would assume that like a car the trailer will have a window sticker (or build sheet). This should show all options that were ordered and installed at the factory. So if this a correct assumption and my ordered 19 build sheet has something missing, but the Roo has the option installed that doesn't appear factory then I would certainly call them out regarding their practices.

Does anyone have a legal reference as to what can be done in Ohio in regards to the statements above about "refurbs" that is different from the rest of the country?

carsonizik3 · 12-02-2011, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoadDog66

Well if you signed a contract that says this is what was ordered from the factory and it ends up that's not what you get then you can take legal action. I can't see them changing stuff that was part of an ordered unit for other items, unless you wanted additional items after the order was placed.

When I started my TT search I was originally going to purchase an in-stock unit and add some options to it. They said they could add many options right at their shop, which makes sense since alot of options are available as aftermarket products. Of course replacing parts with re-furbished or lesser quality parts is not good or moral business practice and in my estimation that would illicit a serious barrage of negative consequences.

Now I can't speak from experience, but I would assume that like a car the trailer will have a window sticker (or build sheet). This should show all options that were ordered and installed at the factory. So if this a correct assumption and my ordered 19 build sheet has something missing, but the Roo has the option installed that doesn't appear factory then I would certainly call them out regarding their practices.

Does anyone have a legal reference as to what can be done in Ohio in regards to the statements above about "refurbs" that is different from the rest of the country?

I'm with you. I will be ordering my 365 saq. And the unit will have a build sheet with it. From a business standpoint I can see why some of these dealers don't like RVW. Their what we call in the landscape business a "lowballer". Some dealers have told me to go to RVW they simply aren't going to sell a unit for that price. And I appreciate their honesty. I look at many landscape and lawncare jobs every year that I being a solo operator I simply can't compete with some of the big guys on. And I tell the customer to hire the big guys. 95% of the time its all about money. Again they get "fleet price" on mowers and equipment and can run a little cheaper with illegal helpers.

Linnemj · 12-02-2011, 08:40 PM

As far as the comments made by another dealer that RVW adds substandard options or appliances, that is unsubstantiated. In my opinion, they are trying to justify their higher cost. We had RVW add 3 max-air vent covers and a slide awning at the dealer. They did a fine job.

TJfromfL · 12-02-2011, 10:26 PM

I am sure many folks have had no issues w/ RVW, but be sure, they are a wholesaler, and could care less if they make you happy. They deal in volume and if a problem occurs these owners could care less. I know, I traveled from Florida in May to pick up a new trailer only to find it had a huge hole in the roof. I was never reimbursed for any expenses and RVW was unwilling to make things good. It cost me $1500.00 I finally bought locally in Sept and glad I did. Local dealers handle service issues with much more dedication than you will get 3rd party per se thru RVW. Buy from them if you must but buyer beware.

wayne anthony · 12-03-2011, 12:09 AM

Answer to road dog66, on the third trip, one of the lights above the couch fell apart, which was minor. I've mentioned this a few times on this forum, but on the fourth trip, the emergency escape window blew out. Had a couple different vehicles on the interstate trying to get my attention, but when I would stop to see what was wrong, the window was closed and couldn't see any thing wrong. I put cardboard in my windows when in storage, and if the window was unlatched, it would be obvious with the locking bar sticking out. When I got to Padre Island and watered up, the valve in the outside shower had come apart, and after reassembling, still leaked a little, which increased as time went on. Trip in July was a water leak in rear corner (think it might have come in around the window in a driving rain. In September, during rain in Wisconsin, water was leaking in thru the A. C. Added sealant around the sponge rubber gasket, and that seems to have fixed it. No problems with the appliances yet, just the basic trailer. Wayne

RoadDog66 · 12-03-2011, 08:44 AM

Wayne,
Thanks for the update. I'm glad to hear most of the issues were minor and easily repairable. The escape window one was kinda interesting though. Reading your other post I was thinking you had major appliance, A/C or water heater issues, gaping holes or a cracked frame, etc.

I do still understand the frustration with a purchase not being 100% perfect from the factory, but all in all I'm expecting to have some similar issues to yours. I'm relatively handy and with the knowledge on this forum I think we'll all be able to figure out a way to address most of the issues we encounter. Keeping the fingers crossed tho

wayne anthony · 12-03-2011, 02:12 PM

Escape window was the big one. Lost curtains, and ruined the day-night shade. Forest River said I must have left the window unlocked, therefore they wouldn't do anything. Replacement window cost was quoted as $235 to $400 from different places, got one off of e-bay for $61 that fit perfectly. My previous 5th wheel, I had for ten years, so not new to 5th wheels. After listing all my problems, did get a new day-night shade out of Forest River.
Wasn't a mark on the side of the trailer from losing the window. Wayne

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