Do all warranty items work like this?

[EricGT]

Our Artis water pump has been leaking since we bought our motorhome last Tuesday. So I call CW and they state I can bring the ACE right in and they will look at it and get back to me. Great!

So this morning I decide to do one better and remove it and take it in. I've only had AliCE for a week and already I'm a bit possessive about her. i.e. strangers driving/walking around and getting everything greasy/dirty

Problem is, they say they need it in the RV so they can take pics of it leaking. What? I said to to hook a line to it or have it pressure tested. Nada

I said I will take it back, reinstall it, and return with the RV. I need this taken care of pronto because we have a trip Friday. Nope...3-4 week turn around. Are you freggin kidding me?

So long story short, I buy a new Shur-Flo pump and will take care of the warranty issue myself. If they send me a new pump or a repair kit I will then have a new, spare pump.

However, what if this would have been a $1000 part and not $100? I guess if it is a chassis issue Ford should have a pretty decent turn around time. But 3-4 weeks for a new water pump?

I honestly thought they would rebuild it or have me grab a comparable pump off the shelf.

[1mainiac]

Some do some don't depends on the manufacture more than the dealer in most cases. In bigger dealerships every job is passed around so the service writer signs you in the porter parks your unit or takes it to the tech. The tech verifies the problem and if parts are needed or not. He fills out a parts request which goes to the service writer, The service writer if warranty will turn it over to the warranty person who will call and start the warranty claim. If the manufacture wants extra testing done or has a work around the tell the warranty person who tells the service writer who schedules it back in and has the tech do what ever was requested even if it is dumb LOL. If this fixes it down the road you go if not it goes back up thru the service writer to the warranty person again who updates the claim and tries to get the parts ordered. Often they then send the parts request to the parts dept who orders the part.

On our lot we have over a dozen new units waiting on parts because we rob them to fix sold units. Why because we try our best to get you back on the road even if that means we have to steal parts from our inventory. Even with that there are many parts we can't steal or use in house parts for so we are stuck waiting on the coach manufacture to send us the part. Oh and very often after dotting every t and crossing every i they send us the wrong parts. Last week I needed a keypad for a keyless entry we were told we had to replace the complete assembly as the parts were not packaged separately so in comes the parts fast turnaround great however the parts are the door handle with no keypad because guess what the keyless entry is a separate part after all LOL.

[Arch Hoagland]

I had a similar problem on a new Thor trailer I had just purchased new. It had a defective axle assembly and I discovered the problem when towing it home the day I bought it.

Called the dealer and they said three weeks before they could look at it.

I called Thor and they said take it somewhere else and they'd pay for it. I found a repair place who fixed it right away.

So I suggest you call Thor.

[SKP Kirk]

I must disagree with the first reply. I am only an owner but have owned RVs since 1972 and a lot of different brands. The #1 factor is the dealership you are going to. It is true that different manufacturers support their dealers better or worse, but ultimately the dealer is who the buyer works with and if it is as he says, and they take parts from a new but unsold RV to fix one for the customer, they are an unusual dealership and one that is well above the average. I have known only one dealership who made a frequent practice of this, while far too many are like your experience with Camping World. Once the RV is sold they worry first about selling the next one and fix yours as fits their schedule.

[1mainiac]

We want our customers to leave knowing they got treated well and we will do what ever we can to solve their problems. We have multiple locations and a large inventory the goal is to be the best and sell the best. We have a grand opening for our new store starting this weekend if you're in west MI stop in and check us out we are growing and this store is motor homes only. The main store broke ground last week on another expansion that will give us more space by Nov when it is finished as right now we share garage space with our detail department.

[djbmsu]

I am amazed that CW retains the customers that they do. I have owned RV's since 1984 and for every 1, CW good experience, I have heard 50 bad. Amazing ! To tell a New customer that they will have to wait 3 to 4 weeks to have their NEW RV repaired is a disgrace. This was a 30 minute repair even if the mechanic was blind and they blew the customer off.

[GaryWT]

Many times it does take weeks to fix things and many times it is waiting for approvals that the part is covered. The last thing I had fixed there was plenty of time. I sent pictures, they ordered the part and the part was placed in a trailer being delivered. Once it arrived I brought the trailer in and waited while they fixed it.

[1mainiac]

I have worked at 2 major dealerships that had camping world stores on property. They were our best customer LOL. They would not pay for trained tech's so they hired fresh kids for 12 bucks a hour and turned them loose on your coach. When the store in Clarksville, IN opened they had a huge awning sale and I never saw so many awnings ruined in a single week LOL. I think they knocked around 6 or more new awnings off coaches driving them out of the building after install our body shop was on full alert and busy fixing their mistakes. They had a pile of inverters sitting out back I asked the store manager what they did and he said they took bids on the scrap I offered a 100 bucks and he accepted so I loaded them in my truck 21 used inverters for 100 bucks got home and started testing them every one worked fine. One of my co workers and I bought their take off awnings and split them for 200 bucks I think we had close to 60 complete awnings in the pile.

Part of why guys will work there is they also get a commission on the parts they sell. So they hang a lot of parts needed or not. I nearly doubled my income the first year they were open selling the stuff they threw away on E Bay. Generators inverters awnings satellite systems you name it they tossed it in the scrap pile. and every week or 2 we would bid on the scrap pile. That was over 10 years ago so some things may of changed but when I discussed working for them last winter the wages were the same offer low hourly with a percentage of parts sales.

[1mainiac]

Originally Posted by GaryWT

Many times it does take weeks to fix things and many times it is waiting for approvals that the part is covered. The last thing I had fixed there was plenty of time. I sent pictures, they ordered the part and the part was placed in a trailer being delivered. Once it arrived I brought the trailer in and waited while they fixed it.

This is dead on advice help us out write out a very clear explanation and leave it with the coach. Be able to duplicate the problem we are expected to make the owner money so we have to move fast if you say it won't work and I turn it on and it works what next. We can't spend the day trying to make it fail. If it is intermittent say so try and give us a idea of when and how it fails. I tell customers all the time get a roll of blue painters tape and mark any defects with tape so we know exactly what your looking at. I had a customer last year that wanted some scratches fixed I touched up over a dozen of them and none of the ones I fixed were the one bothering him LOL. I did not see it because I was not sitting in his recliner watching TV.

Be realistic we as tech's do everything we can to get it done right the first time. We however don't do home remedies or a lot of work arounds we can't take the liability nor can we waste time to have it not work so for me I expect to do the job right the first time. For you that may not be the cheapest option I can't change that. We do as much as we can but now and then I have to tell my service writer no I won't do something that I know won't work even if that is what the customer thinks he wants.

Be as detailed about what you expect as you can be it really helps if we know what you expect to see when you arrive that goes for all the services techs preform for you from walk thru s to repairs.

[NorthernDriv]

Wait til it off warranty, then you will have fun. 2 months for a toilet. Went to a small family run place, much better turn around times.

[mojoracing]

I work in the automotive industry and have worked in the TV industry. Very Common. My new coach had the gen go out right away. I absolutely had to have it running right away as my wife was alone using it and it was 100 + outside. Of course the dealer wouldn't replace what I knew was a bad fuel pump so I ordered one online and had it overnighted. I called fleetwood (or oman, I forget) and they said no problem, send us the receipt and the old part and we will send you a check. I had them send me an additional pump as I wanted a backup instead of the money. The dealer won't do it as they have no idea what training I have. What if throwing parts at it didn't fix it and now the company won't pay them for the first part? They are out the money for the part and labor. Customers need to be realistic. In my case it worked out

[mwwade]

I can bet their is not one customer of any type RV. That has not had some kind of problem with their unit, and the dealership.