Cedar Creek Warranty Process Changing

[kevin211]

Originally Posted by Rockinh

Where did you find the update. I couldnt find a lot on their website.

Did you log in? Forum/ Tech Tip/ General RV Discussion and Questions

[Rdgillilan]

Believe me this will take awhile, my Cedar Creek has been the shop now for 11 weeks, it took 10 weeks for evaluation, approval and parts delivery. Now waiting on the dealership to get it worked into their schedule.

[BandJCarm]

I need to stay out of this pretty much. BUT.....Warranty work, as a general statement, is one year. CC has backed up major issues way past that for many folks, even though they did not have to.

But again.....Orvan has never had Carte Blanche to make warranty decisions. He has always had to get CC approval to charge back to them. No clue where the idea came from that he has been in control of that decision in the past.

That said, I can see that CC is probably trying to cut back on the freebies that go out the door. Just understand that Orvan is not the sole source of that type of thing.


Everybody is free to get whatever work they want, wherever they can get it. As for me, I will have an annual appointment with Orvan and pay him directly to fix my 4 year old unit as it needs it, as long as I own it. I'm pretty much down to not needing anything.......but whatever is needed, he will be the one to fix it, and no one else....unless I'm broken down on side of the road. And I'm 1,000,000 percent appreciative to CC for all they've done for me, and I don't expect them to do anything more.

[Splashes3]

The folks at CC have been extremely good to us as well...first on our2009 Silverback, much free work done past warranty - due to a design flaw...but Denise Davis & crew did so much more that what was required.

CC also took care of us last year for our 2019 Hathaway....They did ask for pictures and some detail, but they sent me the part no charge.

We also will only go to Orvan for major repair work...for regular maintenance I have an independent guy that is pretty good.

[Rockinh]

Originally Posted by kevin211

Did you log in? Forum/ Tech Tip/ General RV Discussion and Questions

Thanks for the direction. Just needed to dig a little deeper. I was interested because I spoke with the "Eastern director of customer relations" who explained that the warranty work could be done by any Forest River Authorized Repair facility, however, they no longer take calls from "retail", whatever that means. We do not have a forest river dealer who has sold a silverback toyhauler within 300 miles from me. The garage lift needs some attention and no-one between Mass, and Michigan has sold one or repaired one, that I could find. Kinda dont want to be the guinea pig so to speak. I did find a RIVA certified shop who can do it but they are not getting a response from forest river so its a no-go. The Michigan dealer I bought from said he would do it, but the cost of hauling it there, and then coming back to get it is more than an independant would charge to fix it here in upstate NY.

[hughd033]

Having been in a manufacturing world where your product gets one chance to work and work right it has been touted that quality first and cost and schedule will follow. Quality control takes some time and money up front to implement but the long payout is reduced scrap cost , warrAnty costs and most important increased customer satisfaction. With increased customer static action comes increase in business repeat as well new. This is all something the RV business as missed as a whole and someday it will come back to bite them right in the seat meat. They will learn just like the American Auto industry did the unfortunate side for now is we the consumer are paying for their education both monetarily as well as stressfully. Sorry for the soap box speech but this industry needs a rude awakening and it starts with us.

[4garylee]

One thing that folks are not aware of is that Orvin does work with the factory line when he sees issues to address any further headaches for CC. I can speak with facts on this as i was an early adopter to the 37RTH model change for 2019. Orvin found a list of issues on ours that he went back to the factory line to explain and assist with bettering the line quality. He and his team are experts at what they do and only help CC to better thier product. He is at the factory daily helping them for the better. I just hope that CC doesnt loose light of the positve of what Orvin and his team provides...

[wayne272]

Originally Posted by Rdgillilan

Believe me this will take awhile, my Cedar Creek has been the shop now for 11 weeks, it took 10 weeks for evaluation, approval and parts delivery. Now waiting on the dealership to get it worked into their schedule.

It would have been worth a trip to amish family rv and you would have had your rig back already.

[wayne272]

Originally Posted by 4garylee

One thing that folks are not aware of is that Orvin does work with the factory line when he sees issues to address any further headaches for CC. I can speak with facts on this as i was an early adopter to the 37RTH model change for 2019. Orvin found a list of issues on ours that he went back to the factory line to explain and assist with bettering the line quality. He and his team are experts at what they do and only help CC to better thier product. He is at the factory daily helping them for the better. I just hope that CC doesnt loose light of the positve of what Orvin and his team provides...

Yes, when I was there last week having Orvan do work on my rig, he did say that he has sat in on cc meetings and had made suggestions on things to change/improve.

[NMWildcat]

Actually, any independent RV service shop would be better than going to any dealer in my experience.
I'm glad Orvin and his crew are miracle workers and that they work closely with the CC factory. He seems to be a great resource. I've followed these CC threads for years and what bothers me about the whole thing is that it appears that if you have a CC and have any major problems, or want anything fixed correctly, you either go to Orvin or back to the factory. That's great if you live back east, but not really feasible if you live out west.
We have looked at several CC fifth wheels, and while they are nice, I don't see that they are built any better than other upper/middle tier brands. What seems to set them apart is being able to take them back to Orvin/factory to fix things that shouldn't have made it out of the factory or dealer. And for folks out west, it just doesn't seem worth it.
And now CC is tightening it's warranty requirements and not treating Orvin as a factory sponsored fixit shop, so they are losing that incentive to buy for folks willing to travel back to the factory/Orvin.
Is that the gist of this thread or am I missing something?

Originally Posted by wayne272

It would have been worth a trip to amish family rv and you would have had your rig back already.

[johnnyb440]

I very seldom posts on this forum but feel we need to try and control this to the real facts and not let the rumors get to out of line. I don't have a lot of information on this but what I do have has come from the very top of Cedar Creek in this matter. I am part of the CCRVOC and we have all helped develop Amish Family RV as a go to guy to get around the current lack of dealer support in warranty and non-warranty issues. Yes, it is true that that Orvan can get your unit back up to better that it was when it came out of the factory no matter what is wrong.

When Orvan was set up four or five years ago, his business did not go through the standard dealer setup but was more of a handshake with Cedar Creek to take the overflow on some warranty issues. When his business blossomed beyond his and everyone else wild imagination, it took the service department at the factory (which has always been there) to almost where they were doing very little. Another factor here, a lot (or most) of the warranty work that is covered by Cedar Creek, has to be back billed after your unit is repaired to the correct vendor that supplied the parts that had to be changed out. Just use the Front and Rear caps that were changed out as an example. This was a tremendous benefit to all of us but in the end it was not really an issue of Cedar Creek but the vendor that supplied those caps.

So, with all of this change at the plant, a lot of this was uncovered. The new guy Steve Hall definitely was thrown into the mix. All of us were very concerned about the first post in this thread where it looked as Orvan was being cut off. While Cedar Creek should have handled this maybe a little differently to keep the negative publicity down, we have been assured that Orvan's relationship with Cedar Creek is very much in tact. They are going back to make his business a real service dealer now, but this should take just a very short time and may be done already.

In the end, it comes down to the fact that Cedar Creek was covering tons of warranty claims that were not billed to the proper vendors as I understand it. They were also covering a lot of warranty issues from many older units that were not really warranty issues and even some very older units that had second and third owners. Any of us in business can understand this can be disastrous. So, they are cleaning it up.

Hopefully, all is well. I can tell you the people that build these are human beings, they have families and they do care about the quality of their products. But I can also say that if you turn to social media and scream the loudest with half baked truths, you will probably go to the back of the line.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by johnnyb440

I very seldom posts on this forum but feel we need to try and control this to the real facts and not let the rumors get to out of line. I don't have a lot of information on this but what I do have has come from the very top of Cedar Creek in this matter. I am part of the CCRVOC and we have all helped develop Amish Family RV as a go to guy to get around the current lack of dealer support in warranty and non-warranty issues. Yes, it is true that that Orvan can get your unit back up to better that it was when it came out of the factory no matter what is wrong.

When Orvan was set up four or five years ago, his business did not go through the standard dealer setup but was more of a handshake with Cedar Creek to take the overflow on some warranty issues. When his business blossomed beyond his and everyone else wild imagination, it took the service department at the factory (which has always been there) to almost where they were doing very little. Another factor here, a lot (or most) of the warranty work that is covered by Cedar Creek, has to be back billed after your unit is repaired to the correct vendor that supplied the parts that had to be changed out. Just use the Front and Rear caps that were changed out as an example. This was a tremendous benefit to all of us but in the end it was not really an issue of Cedar Creek but the vendor that supplied those caps.

So, with all of this change at the plant, a lot of this was uncovered. The new guy Steve Hall definitely was thrown into the mix. All of us were very concerned about the first post in this thread where it looked as Orvan was being cut off. While Cedar Creek should have handled this maybe a little differently to keep the negative publicity down, we have been assured that Orvan's relationship with Cedar Creek is very much in tact. They are going back to make his business a real service dealer now, but this should take just a very short time and may be done already.

In the end, it comes down to the fact that Cedar Creek was covering tons of warranty claims that were not billed to the proper vendors as I understand it. They were also covering a lot of warranty issues from many older units that were not really warranty issues and even some very older units that had second and third owners. Any of us in business can understand this can be disastrous. So, they are cleaning it up.

Hopefully, all is well. I can tell you the people that build these are human beings, they have families and they do care about the quality of their products. But I can also say that if you turn to social media and scream the loudest with half baked truths, you will probably go to the back of the line.

Too bad you didn't reply 50 posts ago to eliminate all this conjecture. And since social media is so active, maybe CC should of contacted it's customers this way instead of them finding out about changes from Orvan's shop w/o the context of why things were changed. That just leads to conjecture and misunderstanding.
Loved the post until the end. Could of done w/o the threat of going to the back of the line if the use of social media isn't to CC's liking.

We are looking to buy a new fifth wheel in the next two years and are currently looking at CC, GD, and Beacon (Vanleigh) So this type of info does affect our decision.

[B and B]

I am glad I didn't buy a Cedar Creek. Local dealer is brutal and now the Factory option seems to be a harder to get service from. The stock price will jump with this news of savings pushing more out the door!

[Parrothead Mike]

I've enjoyed the long thread on this topic and wasn't aware of some changes at CC. I have a 2015 Silverback RE29 and first took it to Orvan back in 2017 after having been referred there by CC when I was having black & gray tank valve issues. Orvan was excellent and very thorough with his inspection and work. And yes, I got more warranty work done than I expected, but the front cap was starting to flake and I didn't realize the water seepage problems on the slides that Orvan pointed out. He really saved our Silverback.

I live only about 50 miles from CC, Orvan, and Topeka, IN and had gone down there to pick up some of the small dome lights that were faulty and a bedroom window that blew out as a result of my forgetting to close it not long after purchasing my unit down in Florida a few months prior.

I scheduled another appointment with Orvan last fall and that is coming up in early April, about 2 months from now. I know that I'm well out of warranty, but thoroughly trust Orvan and his crew to do what needs to be done. Most of that is due to the usual wear & tear plus I'm not able to crawl all over the unit anymore due to some limitations.

We've enjoyed our Silverback for the past 5 years as we live in it during the winter months, usually 4-5 months in Florida and use it throughout the summer & fall in Michigan. I certainly hope that CC works through the changes that are likely necessary as that usually happens in various manufacturing businesses. I also hope Orvan's business continues to thrive because he is truly an honest hard working individual. Thanks for all the input and safe and happy travels to everyone!

[BandJCarm]

Originally Posted by B and B

I am glad I didn't buy a Cedar Creek. Local dealer is brutal and now the Factory option seems to be a harder to get service from. The stock price will jump with this news of savings pushing more out the door!

Buy what you want. Our local dealer is great on service of ALL makes, and he sells CC's, but we bought 800 miles away because we saved $23,000.


I don't see how any of this says it's going to be harder to get service.


Stock price comment is unwarranted. But it's probably true, since I don't own any shares. LOL

[B and B]

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

Buy what you want. Our local dealer is great on service of ALL makes, and he sells CC's, but we bought 800 miles away because we saved $23,000.


I don't see how any of this says it's going to be harder to get service.


Stock price comment is unwarranted. But it's probably true, since I don't own any shares. LOL

Just not FR but Thor or whom ever. The Recreation Industry is a good investment and QC that all manufacturers are trying to implement will make all brands better. I see more and more doing full water testing and better training after a fault is found during the manufacturer.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by hughd033

They will learn just like the American Auto industry did the unfortunate side for now is we the consumer are paying for their education both monetarily as well as stressfully. Sorry for the soap box speech but this industry needs a rude awakening and it starts with us.

Don't expect foreign competition to enter the RV manufacturering world, like it did the American Auto manufacturering world.
It would take something else to force the needed changes.

[D W]

Originally Posted by hughd033

...This is all something the RV business as missed as a whole and someday it will come back to bite them right in the seat meat. They will learn just like the American Auto industry did the unfortunate side for now is we the consumer are paying for their education both monetarily as well as stressfully. Sorry for the soap box speech but this industry needs a rude awakening and it starts with us.

The only way this is going to happen is when we "all" stop buying their products. Honestly, I don't see that happening any time soon.

[Daycruiser]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

Well, it's now up to you. CC has offered to take care of your warranty work. For non warranty work you are free to take it to anywhere you like.
Sounds like you are just unhappy that they won't pay for you to take it to Orvan. Don't know what happened between Orvan and CC, but sounds like the free ride is over.

Sir you have absolutely no idea what your are talking about. Do you even own a CC? They will pay Orvan Fry to do the warranty work and are. What they are doing is trying to intercept the work before somebody goes to Orvan. I've spoken to the service folks at CC just the other day and that's pretty much what they admitted to. I had to insist about taking it to Orvan and they said fine and that was that. CC won't do the non-warranty and Orvan can do both so before you go spouting off about something you nothing about get the rest of the story first.

[Daycruiser]

Originally Posted by johnnyb440

I very seldom posts on this forum but feel we need to try and control this to the real facts and not let the rumors get to out of line. I don't have a lot of information on this but what I do have has come from the very top of Cedar Creek in this matter. I am part of the CCRVOC and we have all helped develop Amish Family RV as a go to guy to get around the current lack of dealer support in warranty and non-warranty issues. Yes, it is true that that Orvan can get your unit back up to better that it was when it came out of the factory no matter what is wrong.


When Orvan was set up four or five years ago, his business did not go through the standard dealer setup but was more of a handshake with Cedar Creek to take the overflow on some warranty issues. When his business blossomed beyond his and everyone else wild imagination, it took the service department at the factory (which has always been there) to almost where they were doing very little. Another factor here, a lot (or most) of the warranty work that is covered by Cedar Creek, has to be back billed after your unit is repaired to the correct vendor that supplied the parts that had to be changed out. Just use the Front and Rear caps that were changed out as an example. This was a tremendous benefit to all of us but in the end it was not really an issue of Cedar Creek but the vendor that supplied those caps.

So, with all of this change at the plant, a lot of this was uncovered. The new guy Steve Hall definitely was thrown into the mix. All of us were very concerned about the first post in this thread where it looked as Orvan was being cut off. While Cedar Creek should have handled this maybe a little differently to keep the negative publicity down, we have been assured that Orvan's relationship with Cedar Creek is very much in tact. They are going back to make his business a real service dealer now, but this should take just a very short time and may be done already.

In the end, it comes down to the fact that Cedar Creek was covering tons of warranty claims that were not billed to the proper vendors as I understand it. They were also covering a lot of warranty issues from many older units that were not really warranty issues and even some very older units that had second and third owners. Any of us in business can understand this can be disastrous. So, they are cleaning it up.

Hopefully, all is well. I can tell you the people that build these are human beings, they have families and they do care about the quality of their products. But I can also say that if you turn to social media and scream the loudest with half baked truths, you will probably go to the back of the line.

This is mostly accurate with somewhat of a customer relations spin on it. They admitted to me last week they are trying to keep warranty work from going directly to Orvan Fry, instead they did in the end allow me to have the work i wanted done by Orvan along with my non-warranty work but i had to insist that Ovan do the work, they relented and said OK. They know about the blow back from Jolisa having to call everybody who had already scheduled their appointment with Orvan many months out and get permission from CC service after they reviewed the pictures of the issues. There is some face saving going on now with CC after the initial reaction of Orvan's customers. One thing is for certain CC now knows how large of a following Orvan has simply because he makes right what CC screwed up in the first place. My rig was only 3 months old and 300 miles when the roof peeled off, the last place i wanted to repair my roof was CC and have the same crap put back on in the same manner. Orvan repaired my roof the way it should have been done in the first place by CC. This isn't my first rodeo, this is my 11th RV and my family has been in the RV sales and service business for over 50 years, they just aren't very convenient to where I live. The change i was referring to in my original post was that i had to send the pictures to CC to be approved for warranty and then i had to get permission to have Orvan do the work. Not being able to take my rig to Orvan and have Orvan get the work approved was the Change I was referring to.