Dealer is horrible!

[Ladiver]

OK, I bought my Cyclone out of state because the local dealer did not want to sell one too me. I had a small list of warranty items and e-mailed the selling dealer. They never got back to me, so I took it straight to Heartland. I was told I can go anywhere for the list I had (except one item). Everything seemed OK and just needed written estimates for approval. There was one item that needed to be done through the dealer since it should have been caught prior to delivery and could have been caused by user error. So, I finally got in contact with the selling dealer and they arranged to have the local dealer take care of it. Sounds nice, right.

Well, the dealer has had the trailer for 2 weeks. The list of warranty items, which Heartland told me was no problem, seems to be a hassle for the dealer to get approval (mainly labor hours and not parts). The extra items that I wanted done, that I will pay for, are completed! Go figure! So now I have told the local dealer I am picking up my trailer this afternoon. I am not sure what has or has not been done, but I have a problem with billable labor hours being completed, while there is no time for warranty labor hours. I keep my fingers crossed that the one item that had to be handled by the dealer is actually done. Everything else was only being done since it was there. I will gladly take my trailer elsewhere. There is a great little repair shop near me that I will be using.

Now I remember why I did not buy from them in the first place! I am preparing myself to the trailer to be returned completely torn apart with them saying that I did not give them sufficient time to repair it. When I dropped it off, I told them they had a week. I called them Friday and said they could have the weekend. Well, it is now Wednesday and they have had 3 extra days. We will see.

Jeff

 

[kowAlski631]

Good luck. Let us know what happens.

 

[WileyCoyote]

It sounds like what I and all of my friends who have purchased new RVs have experienced. All I can say is "Welcome to RV-ing" and dealing with Dealerships/Warranty work where you have not purchased from them. A true blight on this industry for sure!!!

Good Luck!

 

[RoadJunkie]

Typically dealer repair facilities use "whatever time it takes" to make repairs and(I have found) the key elements of ensuring repairs are executed is communication and patience with a smattering of liaison between dealer and factory. Keeping focused on the goal of getting the unit repaired is more important (to me) than trying to control the actions of the dealer. I know it is frustrating, but hang in there.

 

[Ladiver]

So, back home tonight. List of things to be done (first 5 are warranty and 6 is my expense);
1. Antenna Crank - DONE!
2. Cabinet Door in Kitchen to be replaced - Not Done
3. LED on rear awning blows fuse - Not fixed
4. Counter Top need re-polished - Done (as I was hooking up to leave!)
5. Home Theater receiver needs replaced - Not done.
6. Sliding Glass Door needs to be reversed - Done

So, after 2 weeks, they reversed the sliding glass door, trimmed 1/4" off the antenna crank shaft and polished the counter top. All in all, less than 2 hours worth of work. I was really hoping that the awning would have been fixed, but oh well. Just have to remember not to flip that light switch for the rear LED's.

 

[danemayer]

So, back home tonight. List of things to be done (first 5 are warranty and 6 is my expense);
1. Antenna Crank - DONE!
2. Cabinet Door in Kitchen to be replaced - Not Done
3. LED on rear awning blows fuse - Not fixed
4. Counter Top need re-polished - Done (as I was hooking up to leave!)
5. Home Theater receiver needs replaced - Not done.
6. Sliding Glass Door needs to be reversed - Done

So, after 2 weeks, they reversed the sliding glass door, trimmed 1/4" off the antenna crank shaft and polished the counter top. All in all, less than 2 hours worth of work. I was really hoping that the awning would have been fixed, but oh well. Just have to remember not to flip that light switch for the rear LED's.

Hi Jeff,

Before you blame the dealer for all of this, understand that most parts orders will be shipped using economy rates that often take 7-10 business days for delivery - regardless of vendor.

I needed quick turnaround on an icemaker solenoid from Dometic. The dealer's service coordinator was on the phone to Dometic to expedite the order. But my choice was to wait 7-10 business days for the part to arrive (standard policy with Dometic), or pay Dometic $25 for expedited handling and next day air delivery. I paid the $25.

Cabinet doors are not stocked - there are far too many to keep in stock. When ordered, they have to go into the manufacturing queue which may add 2 - 3 weeks to the delivery time.

Depending on who's paying to replace the receiver, getting a replacement could take 2 - 4 weeks.

If the LED string needs to be replaced, that could be why it's not fixed yet.

The dealer surely understands parts delivery times and should have made it clear to you.

 

[gpshemi]

Been working with Heartland on a countetop extention since just before the Goshen Rally. I was suppose to pick it up there, but someone dropped the ball. I paid for it in advance since we were down there, and it took a month to get it worked into the que for whatever reason, then it arrived to my house with the incorrect edging. The remake had to go back into the que again. So I'm still waiting. It's suppose to be here today. I pray it's right this time, but sometimes you just can't rush stuff like this.

 

[Mizmary]

The problem with the dealer is though, that they should order the parts BEFORE the rig is brought in. If you take a car in for a specific job, they check parts inventory and then tell you to bring the car in when the parts get there. They have a vin# unless it is investigating to fix a problem these waits are silly. And it's a nationwide problem. Then, to add insult to injury, the dealers are very rude when the timeframe they promise is extended by weeks and months instead of hours and days. I am sure parts has something to do with how slow they are- but I'm pretty sure it's because the dealers don't care as much about fixing units as selling units. There is a major disconnect there -- all over the country.

The only thing that LADivers rig may have needed investigation was the led fuse. So realistically they could have ordered EVERY OTHER PART in advance so that while they were investigating the fuse problem the rest could be fixed.

I don't think it's right to hold on to a unit for weeks and weeks waiting for parts when service can be scheduled to be completed after the parts arrive. JMHO.

 

[TXTiger]

Most dealers have limited storage space for rigs waiting to be serviced. New units for sale are given priority for space on the lot. The few times that I have taken my rig it to my local dealer, who by the way I did not buy from, I was given an appointment in advance that was 2 weeks out. When I arrived for my appointment, all parts were already there for the repair and the work was completed in a few days. I was asked to pick up my rig as soon as the work was completed to make room for the next one coming in for repair.

 

[wdk450]

This whole thread causes me to repeat my mantra: For dealers a Service department is a necessary bother to the primary income of sales profits; for independent 3rd party RV repairers Service is their entire business. Getting your rig done quickly (so they get paid quickly), doing a quality job that will bring your business back (and you will tell other RV owners about), are all things that a smart RV repairer strives for in his business.
Heartland service will pay for warranty repairs to 3rd party repairers with prior authorization. They keep lists of local repairers they have had good experiences with.

 

[Ladiver]

Dan,

I fully understand the warranty and manufacturing process. Where I have my problem is that when I picked the rig up 2 weeks later, the pats were not even on order yet! There is no ETA until parts are ordered. My biggest beef is that the dealer had the list of items ahead of time, told me to bring it in. When I dropped it off they did say that if they need to order parts, it may take a few weeks. They also gave me a story of how busy they are and limited on space, so they would get parts on order, fix what they can and then see when parts are coming in to determine if I should pick up the unit or wait.

There were never any phone calls giving me status updates. It was always me having to call to see what is happening and then finally saying I was picking it up. Thankfully, the ONE item that Heartland told me must be processed through the dealer was done. Now, I am free to go to the independent shop! The parts on order will not make or break any of our trips, so whatever that time frame is, makes no difference to me.

Jeff

 

[JanAndBill]

Jeff I fully understand your frustration. We have no serious complaints against our dealer (who we bought our unit from), other than they seem very disorganized. We gave them a list of 4 things that needed to be done under warranty. At their request we scheduled an appointment 2 weeks out supposedly so they could order any parts they might need. The day we took the unit in we again gave them the list of 4 items. 5 days later they called to advise that they had just fixed one of the items on the list but they had to order a black tank valve that would be in the next day. Told them it wouldn't be a problem and reminded them of the other items. They called 2 days later to tell us that they had finished 2 of our items but that after looking at the last two items they determined that they would have to order parts, and it would be another few days before the parts came in. We needed our unit, so we picked it up and told them we would bring it back in. All of these delays and the need to come back could have been avoided if they had simply did a more efficient job of planning their work. It seems like after reading posts here that a lot of dealers tend to do this. When I had a truck due in for service work there was a work order generated, before the truck ever arrived, the shop manager, checked inventory to be sure the parts he would need were in stock. When the truck arrived the shop manager reviewed the complaint and if additional parts were needed they were ordered right then.

 

[jassson007]

This whole thread causes me to repeat my mantra: For dealers a Service department is a necessary bother to the primary income of sales profits; for independent 3rd party RV repairers Service is their entire business. Getting your rig done quickly (so they get paid quickly), doing a quality job that will bring your business back (and you will tell other RV owners about), are all things that a smart RV repairer strives for in his business.
Heartland service will pay for warranty repairs to 3rd party repairers with prior authorization. They keep lists of local repairers they have had good experiences with.

This is one reason I use a local mobile repair guy, that and I live in mine full time now. Heartland will also, with prior approval, will allow you to pay out of pocket and be reimbursed if your mobile repair guy will not or can not file warranty claims.


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[JanAndBill]

This whole thread causes me to repeat my mantra: For dealers a Service department is a necessary bother to the primary income of sales profits; for independent 3rd party RV repairers Service is their entire business. Getting your rig done quickly (so they get paid quickly), doing a quality job that will bring your business back (and you will tell other RV owners about), are all things that a smart RV repairer strives for in his business.
Heartland service will pay for warranty repairs to 3rd party repairers with prior authorization. They keep lists of local repairers they have had good experiences with.

Bill you may be right, in your observation but that doesn't mean it's the way it should be in the industry. We've owned other brands, and dealt with dealers over the years. While there were some as you describe, we also had the pleasure of dealing with some who were excellent in their service. No matter what the brand there will be some problems come up, but I still believe that the dealer can have the most impact on public perception of a brand when those problems occur

 

[ILH]

You know, we have good tools for rating campgrounds - we one for RV dealers.

 

[danemayer]

You know, we have good tools for rating campgrounds - we one for RV dealers.

http://www.rvservicereviews.com/

 

[donr827]

I have always had good luck with mobile repairmen. Just make sure you get the approval from customer service first if it is a warranty item.
Don

 

[tgreening]

This whole thread causes me to repeat my mantra: For dealers a Service department is a necessary bother to the primary income of sales profits; for independent 3rd party RV repairers Service is their entire business. Getting your rig done quickly (so they get paid quickly), doing a quality job that will bring your business back (and you will tell other RV owners about), are all things that a smart RV repairer strives for in his business.
Heartland service will pay for warranty repairs to 3rd party repairers with prior authorization. They keep lists of local repairers they have had good experiences with.

Bingo. I took my unit to my local General RV for the first and last time. The service rep was a complete waste of space. Two weeks to get in, better part of a week to verify that "yes the xfer switch is indeed broken", like I said in the first place. Two more weeks without a peep. What's my status? No authorization from warranty provider Mr Greening. Have you actually called them? Uhhhh, no I have not. Give me my camper. That fiasco was eventually brought to a resolution, but I'll never set foot there again for service. I found a local repair center and they have been top notch.

 

[TandT]

I have been at dealerships where the service people are doing their best to resolve my repair problems.
Every couple of hours the sales mgr. comes over and says, we just sold another unit, need it specd out right away. All repair comes to a halt until the "new money" unit is taken care of.
I would not be able to rate even the BEST dealer service dept I have been to, any better than "just okay".

For this reason, I agree with Bill.
"Repair only" shops have proven themselves to be more efficient for me, because repair is their only bread and butter.
I will only use them in the future, if I have a choice.

Trace

 

[danemayer]

You know the old saying about honey catching more flies than vinegar. I don't know about honey at RV dealers, but I've found that the service coordinators and techs do like beer. Just sayin'...