Negative: Jeff Couch’s RV Nation

[Ncpops]

I always try and find a positive...Jeff Couch’s prices are good. As for the rest...RUN AWAY!!

I don’t expect perfection, but for over 60,000.00 I do expect some service. Let me share my experiences with them after 2 weeks of ownership:

Our Silverback was purchased sight unseen, everything was done via phone & email and was delivered to us in NY.

1-After purchase I asked our “salesperson” for a FaceTime or Skype walkthrough. He said the unit was at a transportation location and that couldn’t be done.

2-When delivered the driver said to just inspect the outside because he was in a hurry to get back on the road. We were told anything on the inside was warranty and he wasn’t responsible. As I’ve come to learn that is called a dump & run.

3-A few rips, scars and holes on the inside and we were asked “did you note those on the drivers form?” Now Forest River wants me to find a repair person (nearest dealer is 150 miles) and submit a claim for reimbursement.

4-When the water was connected, the Washing machine was not installed properly (after an extra 2000.00) and it filled the washer area with about an inch of water. I contacted the GM of the dealership and he was less than helpful.

5-The One Control system does not operate the HVAC system. Called Forest River again and was told I’d have to bring it in to a dealer (150 miles) for service. We don’t even own a truck. They offered to cone get it so now I can repack everything to avoid damage.

Remember, this is only two weeks in.

If you want a good price, then Jeff Couch is the place but if service or helpfulness matters at all to you, buy elsewhere.

[W5CI]

the transport driver is only responsible for any damage he did to the outside of the trailer. he probably never opened the door and looked inside. as a retired commercial trailer transport driver I never looked inside of a trailer. I looked for cosmetic damage only on the outside and noted on the BIL if there was any damage at pickup

[lbrjet]

Once it was transported to NY Couch's is out of the picture. You can hire a mobile tech to come to your unit and fix the problems and get reimbursed by FR. Remember that it was your choice to buy a unit sight unseen.

[mwdilday]

I bought a Cedar Creek Champagne from Jeff Couch and it was a great experience. Hope yours works out.

[corn18]

I live 30 miles from Couch's and will buy my next trailer there. Been there many times to look at trailers and I can say that a lot of them have small issues that I would not accept during a PDI. If they delivered them to me out of state with no help, I would be irritated, too. Had the same issue with RVW. I drove 12 hours to do a PDI in person and they had some stuff to fix before I left with the trailer.

[RussellReyn89]

Fortunately I had a good experience when we dealt with Couch during our purchase. But sorry to hear you are having the difficulties, hopefully the money saved can help you get FR to correct the warranty issues. We had several minor issues that were FR problems all dealt with by a mobile tech. Hope you can
locate someone who can do same for you!

[CaptnJohn]

Not being an ***** but why would anyone spend the amount of a new Rv without seeing it and a psi? Even having it delivered why not view before purchase? Whether an entry tt or Prevost the amount being spent is a lot to the buyer. My local CW has been delivering to local CGs for decades but only after a psi done at the dealership. Surely the dealership knew of OPs problems but once it was gone they care less, glad to have it off the lot.

[Homebrew]

Jeff Couch did a great job with my trailer. I decided to pick up my trailer after learning that some delivery people sleep in the trailer at rest stops.

[bikendan]

Yep, would never accept a RV without going through a PDI/Walkthrough first. For our first new trailer, we found a great deal with all that we wanted. But it was 2000 miles away. We still drove there and back, making sure we did the PDI/walkthrough before we paid them.
Had that trailer for 10 great years before we sold it.
Living on the West Coast, you generally have to buy from Midwest dealers, like Couch's, if you want a great price.

[komco3]

Just wanted to throw my two cents’ worth into the discussion. Recently purchased a 2021 Cedar Creek Silverback from Couch’s. Our bad luck to place the order the day before the plant was shut down due to Covid-19, which delayed the delivery about 2 months. Prior to ordering our Silverback, we made 4-5 trips to Couch’s to decide exactly what we wanted. Through the whole process, Brandon Osterberger (sales manager) was extremely helpful. During the delay, he kept in touch with frequent updates and answered all our questions. We picked up our unit and were given a thorough tour and PDI. Bottom line- not only will I purchase our next unith from Couch’s, I will highly recommend them to anyone. Sorry NCPOPS had a bad experience, but probably the exception rather than the rule.

[Grapehound]

I think that if you're going to spend $60,000 plus on an RV, I would certainly want to check it out ahead of time. You can still get the good price, even if you drove or flew out to inspect the unit before paying.

There are always things you will have to fix, it's just the nature of the beast. RV's are made fast and cheap, so you will always find at least some minor issues and occasionally some huge ones. RV dealer staff just don't have the time or personal incentive to get down on their knees and inspect every square inch of the trailer that some stranger hundreds of miles away will live in. When you bought your unit, they were off to sell another.

Going over your unit before you buy it can head off a great deal of angst after the fact.

[Jim34RL]

I am sorry for your issue with your trailer. But my only comment on this is what I always tell my wife when she is shopping! You get what you pay for, buying cheap and you usually end up regretting the purchase!

I am retired and have been since 2009, so, I am on a fix income. When we purchased our 2016, Cedar Creek everyone on this forum stated to buy from Jeff Couch RV dealer you could not beat the price!

Will I for one want a local dealer that will stand up for you and go to bat for you! So, I paid slightly more money for my trailer, but it has been worth the extra cost! Several items during the warranty period were fixed and even out of the warranty period the dealer worked with Forest River to my benefit. Such as having the front and rear end caps repainted in 2019, do to fading for no cost to me. This is why I went local for a dealer!

[jkoenig24]

Obviously you have NOT read Chuck Woodbury's RVTravel.com free newsletter. Chuck has been an avid RVer for ~ FOUR DECADES now and, for quite some time, has been warning people to NOT do what you have done. As mentioned, the delivery driver is just that and, NOT affiliated with any particular RV builder. The driver's job is to get a "package" (ie an RV) from point A to point B ASAP. Even had you traveled to the dealer so that you could pick it up yourself, unless you are HIGHLY knowledgeable about RVs in general and super knowledgeable about the RV model you're buying, it would be VERY prudent and in your best interest to PAY an "RV inspection specialist" to go over said RV with a fine tooth comb. VERY few RVs get a PROPER QC inspection BEFORE they're sent out the door. RV builders are hoping you either won't mind the shoddy build quality too often found in new RVs or, will be willing to fight with the selling dealer, who will quickly tell you that parts are hard to get and, that said repairs will take a LONG time. Said dealer will encourage you to take the RV home and use it until a time slot sometime in the future will be available. Lemon Laws are DESPERATELY needed for RVs. Once such basic protections were put into place for cars, the production problems were largely "cured". Watch Lehto's Law YouTube videos. They will open your eyes. Try to be a smarter buyer on your next RV. Good luck, I fear you're going to need it!

https://www.youtube.com/results?sear...hto%27s+law+rv

PS: The Escapees have a WONDERFUL educational weekend for RV newbies and wanna bees. It's called RV Boot Camp and, usually runs ove a weekend, often before one of their BIG Escapade RV Rallies. Mistakes made with RVs are often expensive and, sometimes dangerous. RVBC grads are SAFER RVers and SMARTER RV buyers. Covid19 has put many RV activities on hold but, The Escapees RV Club is going to offer a Virtual RVBC online for the first time. Other groups offer their own versions of this important training. It's time and money WELL spent. At RVBC, all of the systems found on a modern RV will be explained and demystified. Complex things like "numbers" (GVWR, CVWR, axle rating, hitch rating etc, etc, etc) will be covered. Other groups (FMCA, RVSEF, RV~Dreams) also offer their own versions of this important training. Mark Polk of RVEducation101.com has training DVDs that cover this information too. Had you taken these classes BEFORE you paid big bucks, it's VERY likely you would NOT be in the situation you are in. Just find an RVBC and take it! You can thank me later.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=RV+Boot+Camp&ia=web

[formerFR]

Originally Posted by Ncpops

-He said the unit was at a transportation location and that couldn’t be done.
[[right, since you ordered it to be delivered directly to YOU, no dealer ever actually laid eyes on it, only the transport driver, at the factory's transport lot, where he picked it up to deliver to you, brand new from the factory]]

-the driver said to just inspect the outside because he was in a hurry to get back on the road... that is called a dump & run.
[[not sure why you'd think that this has a name, other than 'delivery', but you as the owner need to inspect, to your satisfaction, the RV you are buying, regardless of whether someone is 'in a hurry' or not. I agree that the driver is really only responsible for any damage 'done in the course of delivery', but chances are there are none. These drivers do this every day, they are not 'new' to towing a camper or trailer or fifthwheel or driving a motorhome. Your responsibility is to let your Factory know if anything was 'damaged' so that they could assess whether it's a warranty repair, or whether it's something the driver 'could have done' in the course of delivery - sounds like there were none.]]

- Now Forest River wants me to find a repair person (nearest dealer is 150 miles) and submit a claim for reimbursement.
[[that's pretty much the acceptable practice, in the industry, when you don't want to deliver your RV to a dealer. A mobile repair person or a local independent RV repair service is just fine, but they need to be 'approved' by your Factory, meaning the charge for hourly labor and the needed parts to repair are acceptable to the factory, since it's covered by warranty. Many RV owners actually do this rather than waiting weeks and months for a dealer to make repairs, as they are very busy this time of year]]

- I contacted the GM of the dealership and he was less than helpful.
[[no one here knows what 'less than helpful' even means. If the GM can't physically 'see' your RV, how are they supposed to help??]]

- ... was told I’d have to bring it in to a dealer (150 miles) for service. We don’t even own a truck. They offered to cone get it so now I can repack everything to avoid damage.
[[you've lucked up if the factory is going to pay for any type of 'transportation' to a dealer just because you need service. This is NOT the normal practice so it actually sounds like you are getting a big favor, since, after all, you DON'T EVEN OWN A TOW VEHICLE(but your bought an RV??) - can't blame the factory or dealer for that!]]

...if service or helpfulness matters at all to you, buy elsewhere.
[[where is this elusive 'elsewhere' you refer to?]]

wow, I understand your initial frustration, as a new owner, but you might be laying some blame and negativity on others who are actually helpful, despite that you never saw the RV before you received it and have no way to 'move' it when you need service... that may be actually the craziest part.

Many don't realize that buying an RV is not as 'simple' as buying a more common 'car' - which are built mostly by robots. RVs are built totally by humans, and yes, they are not always perfect, just like us owners.

Enjoy! : )

[Lauraholton]

O my goodness. I'm going through the same think with them. We bought a 2019 cedar creek hathaway in October of 2018. Last summer while we were traveling we had quit a few issues. We left it at Couches October of 2019. Explained to them we live in Colorado so it would be spring befor we could pick it up. Well they call January 2020 tell us we have a week to pick it up or they will start charging storage fees. Well I contact them got that worked out. My husband travels for his work well he ended up by Cheyenne, WY. So I contact them went through the list of repairs, and guaranteed me they were all complete. Well we hired a hotshot to bring it to use. Well he goes by there in March to make arrangements to pick it up. Well nothing was fixed. Well I hounded every day for two weeks. They finally say its ready. Well he goes back and we asked him to do a walk through and check a couple things, and low and behold still not done. He got pretty forcefull with them and said he wasn't leaving with out it. So they got on it and did it. Well we get it and I start checking the little things and they still only did half of the repairs. On top of that they scratch the living crud out of our refrigerator, and I'm finding things they actually broke. I have called, E-mail and no response. We will be going home 1st part of July and I'm going to contact Forest River personally and find out what repairs they were charged for. Then I'm reporting them to the BBB.

[Ncpops]

Originally Posted by Lauraholton

O my goodness. I'm going through the same think with them. We bought a 2019 cedar creek hathaway in October of 2018. Last summer while we were traveling we had quit a few issues. We left it at Couches October of 2019. Explained to them we live in Colorado so it would be spring befor we could pick it up. Well they call January 2020 tell us we have a week to pick it up or they will start charging storage fees. Well I contact them got that worked out. My husband travels for his work well he ended up by Cheyenne, WY. So I contact them went through the list of repairs, and guaranteed me they were all complete. Well we hired a hotshot to bring it to use. Well he goes by there in March to make arrangements to pick it up. Well nothing was fixed. Well I hounded every day for two weeks. They finally say its ready. Well he goes back and we asked him to do a walk through and check a couple things, and low and behold still not done. He got pretty forcefull with them and said he wasn't leaving with out it. So they got on it and did it. Well we get it and I start checking the little things and they still only did half of the repairs. On top of that they scratch the living crud out of our refrigerator, and I'm finding things they actually broke. I have called, E-mail and no response. We will be going home 1st part of July and I'm going to contact Forest River personally and find out what repairs they were charged for. Then I'm reporting them to the BBB.

Well it just keeps getting better. I managed to repair most of the problems myself with one exception that just sums up Jeff Couch. Our One Connect system is not the one that was supposed to be on a 2020 Silverback. The unit manufacturer, Lippert Components says contact the dealer who says contact FR who says contact the dealer. Since I contacted FR directly the “sales representative” now refuses to help. Says it’s out of his hands. I guess that’s what the BBB and Ohio Attorney General are for. I just want what I paid for and in my 60 plus years on this earth have NEVER been treated like this.

[lbrjet]

Wouldn't that be factory installed?

[Ncpops]

Originally Posted by lbrjet

Wouldn't that be factory installed?

Yes- Unless it had been switched for some reason . Did I mention it was installed upside down?

[eye95]

If it is factory installed, how is that on Jeff Couch?

[Daycruiser]

I find this all very interesting, When I called Couch RV to get pricing on my Cedar Creek factory order they essentially told me up front they could address and fix minor flaws from the factory but they were not a full service facility. Their model is sell it, PDI it and deliver it, done. Since I am in NC I hired a Level II RV inspector out of Kentucky to go inspect the RV when it came in to Couch RV and identify any issues he found with it. Couch fixed the few problems that were discovered and sent photos of the corrective actions before I ever left home to go pick it up. When I got to Couch RV it was in the Bay all plugged in and ready for a walk thru. It was exactly the way it should have been. I couldn't have been happier with Couch RV and their delivery guys. The warranty issues that did come up went to Amish Family RV in Indiana, about 5 miles from the Cedar Creek plant for repairs at the time. Cedar Creek took care of every issue, no problems. Now that it is out of warranty, I fix anything that comes along, no big deal. Independent RV repair facilities are the way to go.