Dealer response to Caliber availability and USA vs Ontario purchase!
Hi Fellow Heartland supporters!
Just a quick response that I hope clears up any misunderstandings.
We (Campkin's RV) were a Caliber Dealer (the old style) we had two for sale over the winter at clearance pricing. They sold quickly.
I was approached and asked if we could sell one as a factory order. As Heartland was under a complete re-structuring of brands, reps and management and we as a dealer were not sure we were a) wanting to stock the 'new' Northtrail Caliber series and b) were even able to as we had not been awarded the product.
After talking to the Northtrail brand manager I decided we were not going to be a Northtrail Dealer (Caliber has become a 'series' of Northtrail not a stand alone brand that we had previously handled)
This all took place during show season when both reps and dealers are very, very busy. No excuse but it did take a few weeks for me to make the decision.
In regards to importing RV's from the U.S.A. to Ontario (each province has its own rules I don't know how it works elsewhere except for in Ontario) for the record I totally support free enterprise and welcome competition from anywhere.
If an RV is NOT
CSA - Canadian Standards Association or
certified by one of several inspection companies like QAI that are approved by CSA to do so (ie QAI):
In Ontario, besides the federal obligation to get a DOT sticker (Cnd tire is the most popular place to get it, for now) you MUST get an inspection from the Electrical Safety Authority (a branch of Ont Hydro). This is an issue of safety as the Ontario Codes are completely different in several area and may need modifications.
Even if your vehicle is CSA - you must get your propane system inspected and tagged by a licenced technician (licenced by TSSA - Technical Standards and Safety Authority).
If we were to work on a coach that is not CSA/QAI
and we did not make sure it was up to code first, then we could be held liable if any thing was to go wrong with the coach, even if we had nothing to do with the issue. We are told by ESA and TSSA that as a licenced facility we are to tell the consumer AND tell the governing body if the customer refuses to bring their coach up to code.
This is not communicated very well by USA Dealers, Manufacturers and even by Registrar of Imported Vehicles (RVIV - a federal body), Ontario Dealers, Insurers and members of the RV Industry. Having said that, ignorance is not a good defense.
When a customer asks us about buying an RV in the USA we do feel obligated to tell them the truth. Even if they don't want to hear it. Don't shoot the messenger. In many cases the retailer is put in a position to 'police' the industry. In many cases, like I said above, the person you ask may not have the correct answer and this starts a process if mis-information.
Again, don't shoot the messenger, we are just doing what we are told as a licenced facility.
We do say yes to customers who need warranty work done for brands that we sell. We are obligated, we have no choice, to tell the customer what has to be done before we can work on the coach. It must be inspected, modified if necessary, and tagged.
We do have many costs that are a part of doing warranty work that is not covered by any of our Manufacturers. We do absorb these costs as part of doing business for any customers who have bought from us. We cannot absorb these costs when a customer has bought elsewhere and wants us to do their warranty work. We do have a full time warranty administrator who deals with the main manufacturer (Heartland) but she also has to deal directly with dozens of component suppliers and must get approvals, send pictures, and then we are paid based on a flat rate, not what time was actually taken. Things like brokerage, diagnoses and shop supplies are often not covered under warranty.
We are a full service RV dealer. We staff our service department for a very busy summer season based on our customers who have bought from us since 1973 needing our services at the busiest time of year. We have upwards of 50,000 customers in our database. It is very difficult when during this busy time, to staff for the unknown customers who live locally and need our support for warranty work.
Still we do say yes to customers wanting warranty service even if they bought elsewhere but there are other costs that we must collect for and we make every customer aware of before any work, or billing, is done.
I am going to attach several links for the forum readers to refer to, please let me know your thoughts.
As a 38 year veteran of the RV Industry and have volunteered many times working side by side with Manufacturers, Dealers and Associates of our Industry. I would say we are all still learning and if we have an open mind we will not look for fault or blame but answers and support.
Sincerly,
Brad Campkin
Owner, Sales Manager:
Campkin's RV Centre
Myrtle Stn. Ont.,
Canada
L0B 1A0
sales@campkins.com
1-888-743-9378
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/pubs/recreational-vehicles/part7.shtml
http://www.esasafe.com/B2B/epa_001.php?s=17
http://www.riv.ca/ImportingAVehicle.aspx