Crooks or Normal RV Dealer?

[tedward1555]

At this point I'm not going to name names... but somewhere in Central Texas, I was directed to a Fleetwood dealer for service via the Fleetwood web site. I called in early March and was given 3/22 as the date. Took it in with my list of needed repairs.
Today I pick it up and:
1) Can't start the Onan 8000, They charged me $128 to tell me they couldn't find out how to make it start and I would have to take it to another Onan serice center... and IT"S UNDER WARRANTY
2) Charged me $64 dollars to put rubber bumpers on the bolts behind the front "hood" to stop a really annoying rattle. See Pic
3) Tecma Power Flush toilet doesnt' flush... They charged me $25 for "snaking the line" and said it was fixed. Maybe they did snake the line but the toilet still doesn't flush..
4) Charged me $64 dollars to tell me that the outdoor kitchen was "off it's slide" and they are still waiting on "Fleetwood to call back with a price for new tracks"... huh? See pic... I knew it was off it's slide... I told them that.
I'm glad to have my rig back and I'll never go there again, but is this just normal business as usual in this industry? or did I choose a really lousy dealer?
I feel like the wind was knocked out of me.
Ed

[GENECOP]

Ted, the way you explained it that dealer is a thief, please share the name so other members can be sparred that experiance, G PS, i would contact Fleetwood ASAP, and tell them about your experiance.

[Baby Bear]

A thief like this must be identified!

[Avalondanes]

Crooks !!!

Richard

[RocketDork]

Shame on them for doing a sub-standard job.

Shame on you for not checking their work, accepting work that had been done poorly, paying for the poor work without demanding they perform the work correctly.

[NLOVNIT]

#1 Write the shop manager or dealership manager describing your experience & request a refund for charges they made for work not done or not done to your satisfaction. Documentation in writing is the key
#2 CC a copy of that letter to Fleetwood
#3 If you paid the bill with a CC, dispute the charges
#4 Enlist the aid of the Hot Line at Motorhome Magazine
#5 Yes, please let us know the name of that dealership

There is no excuse for the service (or lack thereof) you received. That dealership is a blotch on the reputation of Fleetwood & they need to be taken to task for their lousy repair work.

Lori-

[Gary RVRoamer]

I wouldn't quite call them a thief - they simply billed you for every minute spent on your rig and didn't accomplish much of anything. Their labor rate is probably around $100/hour, which is becoming quite common at larger RV dealers in metro areas. If they had actually fixed something in that time, it would merely be expensive labor. Since they achieved nothing at all, it is rip-off.

The standard of work sure is shoddy, though. Unfortunately, that quality of diagnosis and repair (or lack thereof) is altogether too common at RV dealers. The techs are often poorly trained and ignorant of basic troubleshooting procedures. Nor do they seem to check to see if their "repair" actually fixed the problem. They know how to operate the billing clock well enough, though. That attitude usually comes down from the service manager - he is more concerned about billable time than quality of service.

Make the formal complaint to the management, but don't expect much satisfaction.

[Doug Sage]

I agree that many dealers do not know how to repair their products. The one that I bought my motorhome from had to call the manufacturer for advice every single time that I took it in! Needless to say, I haven't gone there after the warranty expired. A good resource is: RV Service Review . Check here before using a service center and then post a review here describing your good or bad service. It will help others in the future.

[tedward1555]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I didn't post the name of the dealer yet because i am contacting the manager today and giving him a chance to make this right. If I don't get the outcome I'm looking for then I will post the name. I have already scheduled an appointment to take the rig into an Onan dealer here in Austin today. Bye the time this is over, Fleetwood, Onan, Dometic and all appropriate parties will know about it. Whether or not they care is another thing.
Quite honestly I drove 65 miles to pick up the rig yesterday and did not give as much attention to the bill/outcome as I should have because I needed to get back on the freeway and beat traffic back to Austin for a business apt. I learned a huge lesson there. I've never had an experience like this... never had a car dealer rip me off, and I have never treated one of my customers this way so honestly I just didn't expect it. The blinders are off. Now I guess I know what my dad was talking about before I bought the rv (he has owned 2)... 1) everytime you park it something is wrong with it, and 2) no one knows how to fix it.

[LindaH]

Originally Posted by tedward1555

they are still waiting on "Fleetwood to call back with a price for new tracks

I thought Fleetwood had gone out of business...?

[gresults]

I think you are finding out what I have come to relize, Dealers and Repair shops are losing sight of the big picture customer service and reasonable charges so you don't get people like me who now just does most of the repair and maintenance myself.

I normally take my motorhomes to a local RV repair center and in the beginning it was great good service and was able to do most repairs under factory warranty with no issues, so figure I could use them for other things, learned the hard way on that one also.

I had my unit in for a awning issue so figured while there would see if they would like to make few bucks putting on my two Koni shocks 4 bolts.. was quoted 114.00, did it myself in 15-20 mins, but if they would have said 50.00 I would have let them do it.

I think what we all need to do is start posting on here little workshops to come together to work thru some of the minor issues on our rigs, I know some people are more mechanically inclined than others, most of the work I was having done on my past motorhomes was more that I just didn't have time to do it myself.

Getting ready to do the oil change on my generator as soon as I figure out how to rerun the drain plug tube.

[tedward1555]

Originally Posted by gresults

I think you are finding out what I have come to relize, Dealers and Repair shops are losing sight of the big picture customer service and reasonable charges so you don't get people like me who now just does most of the repair and maintenance myself.

I normally take my motorhomes to a local RV repair center and in the beginning it was great good service and was able to do most repairs under factory warranty with no issues, so figure I could use them for other things, learned the hard way on that one also.

I had my unit in for a awning issue so figured while there would see if they would like to make few bucks putting on my two Koni shocks 4 bolts.. was quoted 114.00, did it myself in 15-20 mins, but if they would have said 50.00 I would have let them do it.

I think what we all need to do is start posting on here little workshops to come together to work thru some of the minor issues on our rigs, I know some people are more mechanically inclined than others, most of the work I was having done on my past motorhomes was more that I just didn't have time to do it myself.

Getting ready to do the oil change on my generator as soon as I figure out how to rerun the drain plug tube.

Couldn't agree more with DIY, and i'm learning just how capable I am at this... with the help of this great forum I have done much of the work myself..
I agree it would also be a great idea if more people posted synopsis of projects they do themselves so we can all learn from it... Some do and it's great help.
I also don't see what is to gain in a forum like this when someone says things like "shame on you"... I'm not here looking for a mother.... just friendly help from folks who have been in my shoes before and worked through it, and I want to be that helpful person myself as much as I can.

[sknight]

It's crooked period especially if there's a warranty involved.

But it's not terribly unusual, least it matches my dealership warranty experience. I had more than one discussion with the general manager of the dealership which is now closed down.

[Clay L]

Originally Posted by LindaH

I thought Fleetwood had gone out of business...?

They did go into bankruptcy but were bought and are back in business. To the credit of the new owners (American Industrial Partners Capital Fund) they are accepting the warranty obligations.
You can see the story here Bankruptcy Court Approves Fleetwood Sale - Newsroom - Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick