Man claims Keystone RV is defective and SUES

[Pickelhead]

Man claims Keystone RV is defective, has not been repaired | Louisiana Record

[twogypsies]

Not enough information to comment for or against. We don't know the whole story.

[wnytaxman]

I have to agree with Twogypsies. There really is not enough information to determine if this is real or just some attorney trying to make a buck with a frivolous lawsuit. Having been the victim of one of those lawsuits I am always skeptical when I see something like this.

I understand that many who purchase RV's have been disappointed in the quality they have received, but most dealers and manufacturers seem to stand up and repair what needs to be repaired. It can be a real situation or it could be one of those people who just can't be pleased no matter what.

[Mich F]

His only problem is a bad air conditioner, which is not made by Keystone ? He wants them to buy it back ? - funny stuff.

[Gordon Dewald]

Maybe he purchased it, used it for a job and now wants to return it because he no longer needs or wants it.

Janet worked for a large department store that is no longer in business. She tells stories of ladies who purchased a Christmas gown and tried to return it the next week. Even though the dresses had sweat marks, smelled of perfume, etc they claimed it was un-used and wanted a refund. Store policy was to take the return.

[cb1000rider]

There is some information here:
..."because the defendants allegedly failed to repair the vehicle so as to bring it into conformity with the warranties and failed and refused to repair or repurchase the defective vehicle."

Basically it was brought back for at least one repair attempt and not repaired successfully. We don't know if there were more attempts or not.

I can tell you - in my dealings with Keystone and it's associated dealer, they had more than 5 repair attempts for single items. 3 attempts for multiple items. Keystone would not escalate the repair or offer an alternative repair facility until an attorney got involved.

The attorney wouldn't touch it until I had at least 3 repair attempts and at least 180 days total repair time. Once I hit those boundaries, they took the "case" for me on contingency.

Results of turning it over to an attorney:
1) It was returned to the factory for on-site repairs
2) Slide opening was widened/squared, slide functions, seals replaced 3 times.
3) 2nd "new roof" was installed to replace the poor repair job that the dealer did (Keystone would not authorize new roof decking). They got to do that job twice.
4) Rear bed was finally adjusted to take safety pins

I think we spent 240-ish days in repair on a "new" RV. Lost our license plate and batteries somehow on the way back... Added a year warranty to the slides.

Keystone's warranty system SUCKS, IMHO. They make the dealer responsible for too many factory defect and way underpay the dealer (compared to market rates) to make the repairs - which pushes new owners to the back of the repair line. They don't offer alternatives when a dealer fails to make a repair or shows poor competency.

Just my experience.

[Dutch Star Don]

Actually, if it's the typical we love you until we get your money and then you can wait for repairs when we have time, this could be an excellent win for RV owners. Maybe a step in making dealers responsive to repairs in a timely manner.

[ThePowells]

This was dismissed on March 7. They have reached some sort of settlement.

[Oldman5145]

I can not speak for Keystone, I have never owned one. I can tell you about Thor and Forest River. They try hard to please the customer. My Flagstaff V-Lite 30WRLTS side wall cracked in a corner of one of the 3 slide openings in the first year we owned it. Forest River agreed they needed to repair it. We asked if they could wait until winter to take it back and they agreed. They fixed the TT and made a change in the axle placement to correct the problem. Five years later well out of warranty it developed a crack in the same place. My dealer contacted Forest River and they took it bck and repaired it again. What more could I ask for?
Last year we purchased a new Thor Hurricane 34J MH and they have contacted me and been very helpful with any warranty issue. I have had. They even tried to help with my Onan warranty problem. Cummins/Onan is a piece of work, but that is a completely different issue. They never build anything bad! WE put bad fuel in them and that is not a warranty item.

[Wundertaker]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

Actually, if it's the typical we love you until we get your money and then you can wait for repairs when we have time, this could be an excellent win for RV owners. Maybe a step in making dealers responsive to repairs in a timely manner.

OR.....make Manufacturers put out a better damn product out in the FIRST PLACE!!!

[Wundertaker]

Originally Posted by cb1000rider

There is some information here:
..."because the defendants allegedly failed to repair the vehicle so as to bring it into conformity with the warranties and failed and refused to repair or repurchase the defective vehicle."

Basically it was brought back for at least one repair attempt and not repaired successfully. We don't know if there were more attempts or not.

I can tell you - in my dealings with Keystone and it's associated dealer, they had more than 5 repair attempts for single items. 3 attempts for multiple items. Keystone would not escalate the repair or offer an alternative repair facility until an attorney got involved.

The attorney wouldn't touch it until I had at least 3 repair attempts and at least 180 days total repair time. Once I hit those boundaries, they took the "case" for me on contingency.

Results of turning it over to an attorney:
1) It was returned to the factory for on-site repairs
2) Slide opening was widened/squared, slide functions, seals replaced 3 times.
3) 2nd "new roof" was installed to replace the poor repair job that the dealer did (Keystone would not authorize new roof decking). They got to do that job twice.
4) Rear bed was finally adjusted to take safety pins

I think we spent 240-ish days in repair on a "new" RV. Lost our license plate and batteries somehow on the way back... Added a year warranty to the slides.

Keystone's warranty system SUCKS, IMHO. They make the dealer responsible for too many factory defect and way underpay the dealer (compared to market rates) to make the repairs - which pushes new owners to the back of the repair line. They don't offer alternatives when a dealer fails to make a repair or shows poor competency.

Just my experience.

HENCE...is exactly why I buy vehicles and rvs that are 1-4 years old! I let others have all that fun, take the big financial hit, and allow me to have a generally well operating vehicle with $$$ to spare! By the way...I only buy from private sellers...way more honest than dealers. 40 years of doing it this way and not a bad experience yet.

[JohnBoyToo]

Oldman, glad they took care of you, but I, and a few others I know, did not have the same result with Thor and one of their sub-companies.

So we learned there were 2 avenues in our state:
1) Lemon Law: in short, if it is 3 documented attempts at a major repair or 1 attempt at a dangerous item and not repaired. The number of days out of service also play into it differently in different states.
2) The second is merchantability, i.e. the goods must reasonably conform to an ordinary buyer's expectations, i.e., they are what they say they are and do what is implied that it is 'usable' as intended - if you can't USE the item as is implied, then you have recourse.

[Hit_the_Rhod]

Originally Posted by ThePowells

This was dismissed on March 7. They have reached some sort of settlement.

The guy initiating the lawsuit probably had to file suit in order for the manufacturer to finally take him seriously. Sad . . . . but often very true unfortunately.

[fpresto]

OR.....make Manufacturers put out a better damn product out in the FIRST PLACE!!!

Why would they? We keep buying them as they are now. Until the customer is willing to pay more for quality instead of lowest price nothing will change.