New Purchase Travel Trailer Lemon Law?

[jeck]

Hello, I am trying get some wisdom on what I should do moving forward with a new Travel Trailer I purchased September 2015.

I purchased a 2016 Aerolite 29 ft travel trailer.

Since first purchasing it. It has spent a total of 2 months at the dealer for warranty work.



List of repairs.

Converter replacement that was brought to attention during the walk through. The bearings for the fan were humming when it was turned on.

The LED porch lighting strip was hanging down and not glued to the surface it should have been. Again brought to attention during the walk through.

A hole in the canopy that allowed water to drip down during a rain storm. Discovered during the first camping trip of use three weeks after purchase.



MAJOR ISSUES

At the beginning of December I noticed a large 8x8 inch bulge in the vynil floor along the wall up front in the master bedroom about 7 feet from the very front of the trailer nose cone. I see a mushroom growing out of the crack where the wall meets the floor.

Let the dealer know about it January 5th, and they couldn't fit me in till February 24th. Upon further inspection by the dealer, they found the entire front left quarter of the subfloor has been infiltrated with water. Apparently the undercarriage seal foam was not done properly and was allowing water to get in the subfloor under the trailer. So I was told the entire floor will need replacing for roughly 1/3rd of the length of the trailer up front. They are even worried that the tv/cabinet island that divides the front master bedroom from the kitchen is sagging into the floor. Which when the service manager was pushing down on the vinyl an inch out from its base, you could feel a gap between the subfloor and they vinyl. I was told that I should just take the trailer home because it will be about a month before they get a response back from Dutchman if the warranty repair is approved or not. A month for a response???? Everyday, the floor and walls rot away even more. This is brand new trailer where the issue started happening 3 months after driving it off the lot. And we all know that water infiltration inside is the worst thing that could happen to any camper.


After picking up the trailer for this second warranty repair work yesterday, I come home, parked the trailer and turned on the AC system to start getting the humidity out to dry out the floor.......No cold air. I live here in South Florida. Cycled the system on and off a few more times, and nothing still. The fan and compressor turn on, but only blows warm.



So after purchase, the trailer has been at the dealer for warranty work for a month back in October. I dropped the trailer off the second time February 24th, and just picked it up March 25th. I will now be dropping the trailer back off 5 days from now again for an AC inspection, where a month later the repair/replacement will take place.

I keep getting told by the dealer for all these repairs that when they get the trailer in to look at what the issues are, it will take 3 or 4 weeks for warranty approval and repair.


1. Is this normal for a dealer to tell me about the length of time it takes to get an approval from a manufacturer?

2. Is this a time where a Florida Lemon Law could be applied based on all these repairs needed and things breaking on the trailer.

3. Really what are my options? I am a seasoned camper, but this is my first personal camper purchase.



Photos of the Water Damage and trailer attached.

[Mr_D]

Very few state's lemon laws cover anything but the chassis of a motorhome and then only for safety related issues.
From the FL Lemon Law site:

The Lemon Law Does NOT Cover:

Trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight;
Off-road vehicles;
Vehicles which are purchased for purposes of resale;
Motorcycles and mopeds;
The living facilities of recreation vehicles.

More info here: http://myfloridalegal.com/pages.nsf/...256CC9005D415E

[mojoracing]

You need to bypass the dealer and get hold of someone at the factory. show them the pics and tell them that the time frame they are talking about is unacceptable.

[Brian W]

Originally Posted by jeck

Hello, I am trying get some wisdom on what I should do moving forward with a new Travel Trailer I purchased September 2015.



I purchased a 2016 Aerolite 29 ft travel trailer.



Since first purchasing it. It has spent a total of 2 months at the dealer for warranty work.







List of repairs.



Converter replacement that was brought to attention during the walk through. The bearings for the fan were humming when it was turned on.



The LED porch lighting strip was hanging down and not glued to the surface it should have been. Again brought to attention during the walk through.



A hole in the canopy that allowed water to drip down during a rain storm. Discovered during the first camping trip of use three weeks after purchase.







MAJOR ISSUES



At the beginning of December I noticed a large 8x8 inch bulge in the vynil floor along the wall up front in the master bedroom about 7 feet from the very front of the trailer nose cone. I see a mushroom growing out of the crack where the wall meets the floor.



Let the dealer know about it January 5th, and they couldn't fit me in till February 24th. Upon further inspection by the dealer, they found the entire front left quarter of the subfloor has been infiltrated with water. Apparently the undercarriage seal foam was not done properly and was allowing water to get in the subfloor under the trailer. So I was told the entire floor will need replacing for roughly 1/3rd of the length of the trailer up front. They are even worried that the tv/cabinet island that divides the front master bedroom from the kitchen is sagging into the floor. Which when the service manager was pushing down on the vinyl an inch out from its base, you could feel a gap between the subfloor and they vinyl. I was told that I should just take the trailer home because it will be about a month before they get a response back from Dutchman if the warranty repair is approved or not. A month for a response???? Everyday, the floor and walls rot away even more. This is brand new trailer where the issue started happening 3 months after driving it off the lot. And we all know that water infiltration inside is the worst thing that could happen to any camper.





After picking up the trailer for this second warranty repair work yesterday, I come home, parked the trailer and turned on the AC system to start getting the humidity out to dry out the floor.......No cold air. I live here in South Florida. Cycled the system on and off a few more times, and nothing still. The fan and compressor turn on, but only blows warm.







So after purchase, the trailer has been at the dealer for warranty work for a month back in October. I dropped the trailer off the second time February 24th, and just picked it up March 25th. I will now be dropping the trailer back off 5 days from now again for an AC inspection, where a month later the repair/replacement will take place.



I keep getting told by the dealer for all these repairs that when they get the trailer in to look at what the issues are, it will take 3 or 4 weeks for warranty approval and repair.





1. Is this normal for a dealer to tell me about the length of time it takes to get an approval from a manufacturer?



2. Is this a time where a Florida Lemon Law could be applied based on all these repairs needed and things breaking on the trailer.



3. Really what are my options? I am a seasoned camper, but this is my first personal camper purchase.







Photos of the Water Damage and trailer attached.

So sorry for your troubles, but calling total BS on a A/C taking a month to replace or warranty authorization taking a month. I work at a dealership and can tell you the total time to replace a A/C is............2 HOURS. If it's within it's warranty period it's a quick swap out. It's a quick phone call to the manufacturer to get a verbal authorization. We do it all the time in the summer.

I work at a dealership in Mississippi and we stock around 50 A/C's at all times. We have started preparing for the summer and more A/C's are being delivered every day to where we will have over 100 in stock. Seems a dealership in South Florida would have plenty of them in stock, also.

[jeck]

Thank you for the responses. I contacted Dutchman and only was able to speak with the customer service individual. I asked twice to speak with a manager, and she wouldn't transfer me.

She did tell me the approval time for warranty work only take 48 hours. So that proves I am being lied to by the dealer to, I assume, give them time to fit other repairs and work in because of the busy season.

The dealership is La Mesa rv in Ft Myers FL. I read pages and pages of reviews on this website about how bad they were even before I purchased the trailer. So I guess I just wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, but this proves those reviews right.

I asked the Dutchman representative if they could send someone out to diagnose the AC system so I would still be able to go on the family vacation in two weeks. She said no.

So I will have to wait till my appointment on Thursday to get a diagnosis. She did say that she could try and approve sending the parts overnight for a quicker repair, but it was no guarantee.

I asked what could be done to make me happy based on all my issues with this trailer. She didn't deliver any customer service that would change my regret in purchasing this trailer. The same old, we have your money already, so just grim and bare it type service. I guess this is just the industry we have to deal with.

[Brian W]

Originally Posted by jeck

Thank you for the responses. I contacted Dutchman and only was able to speak with the customer service individual. I asked twice to speak with a manager, and she wouldn't transfer me.

She did tell me the approval time for warranty work only take 48 hours. So that proves I am being lied to by the dealer to, I assume, give them time to fit other repairs and work in because of the busy season.

The dealership is La Mesa rv in Ft Myers FL. I read pages and pages of reviews on this website about how bad they were even before I purchased the trailer. So I guess I just wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, but this proves those reviews right.

I asked the Dutchman representative if they could send someone out to diagnose the AC system so I would still be able to go on the family vacation in two weeks. She said no.

So I will have to wait till my appointment on Thursday to get a diagnosis. She did say that she could try and approve sending the parts overnight for a quicker repair, but it was no guarantee.

I asked what could be done to make me happy based on all my issues with this trailer. She didn't deliver any customer service that would change my regret in purchasing this trailer. The same old, we have your money already, so just grim and bare it type service. I guess this is just the industry we have to deal with.

Jeck,

I am absolutely fuming mad right now reading how you were treated. As someone who works in the industry at a dealership and tries to do the right thing for our customers, it absolutely infuriates me when I read these types of things.

I am so sorry you are having to go through this, and hope you get it resolved to your satisfaction. Don't be afraid to step on toes to get satisfaction. My recommendation would be to demand to speak to someone higher up. From what you have posted you have been more than patient with them. Time for them to reciprocate.

[Brian W]

Jeck,

Don't know if you have tried this. Call 866-425-4369, and ask for Steven Holmes. He is the Owner Relations Manager.

Brian

[BandSA]

Jeck,

just listing something that wife and I saw on you tube the other week, don't remember just who put it out, but it was a lawyer here in MI. It was titled do no buy a new rv. Strictly because there is no lemon law here in MI and most likely in other states too.

I do hope that you do get things worked out.

Thinking about what you had growing in there, about month ago we went to Shipsawana (sp?). on the west side of 31 in IN, there were fields and fields of RVs out there. Made us think of the video that we saw from that lawyer.

Sorry, I do not know of any way to check for these things before you buy something like this, except to get someone like me to walk in the TT or 5er or MH, before you buy. Why me? I'm allergic to mold and I can tell you if I smell mildew real quick. Wife knows this and she can't smell it, but I sure do.

Just my $.02

[JohnBoyToo]

It depends on what state your are in whether or not there is a 'lemon law' as such, but there is most certainly a 'expectation of merchantability' in all states.

i.e. you have the general expectation of being able to use something you buy in the manner it is expected to operate. And it almost doesn't matter what it is if it stays in the shop for too long a period over the first year of ownership...

document everything, dates, who, reason, calls, emails... nowdays the first time I have an issue with something new, I email the list, and keep documenting - hopefully I won't have to use it, but email was a perfect tool for my lemon flavored 5'er that was in the shop 150+ days the first 175 days of ownership

but as Dalton in Roadhouse said, be nice, until it's time to not be nice !

Be nice

[jeck]

Thank you all for your responses.

Wanted to give an update.

Just called the dealership today for an update......but before that, today was going on 31 days my trailer has remained at the dealership without them calling me or emailing me an update on what is going on with it.


Talked with my service rep at the dealer who said he has gotten my trailer inside the service bay and they are submitting photos back and forth with Dutchman on what repairs need to be done. He told me that he wanted to be honest with me....He thinks the entire floor needs to be replaced in the trailer. Not something I want to hear...

He told me that I need to call Dutchman and "Rattle" their cage to get things moving quicker and to make sure the total repairs he is submitting get approved so 100% of the damage is repaired, not just what Dutchman wants to spend to make it look ok.

He even used the words of demanding a new unit from Dutchman. He said it's never been done before, but I'm almost at that point of how much stuff has needed to be replaced especially the floor damage and how much the center TV island/Cabinet is sinking into the center of the floor.

I just called Dutchman after I spoke with the dealership rep and left a message with the gentleman that picked up the phone asking if Steven Holmes would give me a call back tomorrow.



So as a total of 7 months that I've owned my very first camper purchase. It has been at the dealership for 3 of those months for repair work.

New Inverter Installed
New Canopy Replaced
New LED porch light strip replaced
The AC Unit is currently not functioning
And the water damage to the flooring from someone at the factory not properly applying the under coating sealant is Catastrophic at this point.

My main concern now is what type of mold is now growing in the unit and in the fabric as a result of the AC not working to remove the humidity inside. I would hook the trailer up to power when I store it at my home, and would turn the thermostat on 89 so at least the AC unit would run for at least an hour a day to remove the humidity. I used to be in the Air Conditioning industry here in Florida, so I know what damage humidity and moisture can do when left inside a home.

Even if it is repaired, I get back a 40% rebuilt camper with which I'll be dealing with respiratory issues from every time I want to use it.


What do you think I should do/say to "Rattle" Dutchman's cage? Would it be worth it to contact an attorney? There are no lemon laws, but would they be able to help with the "Expectation of Merchantability?"

Thank you

[jeck]

LOL I just received a call from one of the Authorized Representative from Dutchman. She asked me right away, "Is your trailer currently with La Mesa RV?" I'm thinking to myself, she should know it is if the dealer is submitting photos to her for warranty work approval!!


I told her I only want to speak to Steven Holmes. She said, "Well he is the General Manager of owner relations, and I can't guarantee he will call you back." I said, "So he doesn't speak to customers? Have him give me call tomorrow as I do not wish to speak with anyone else regarding my trailer." I hung up. This is a joke. I need a lawyer!

[barmcd]

Originally Posted by jeck

LOL I just received a call from one of the Authorized Representative from Dutchman. She asked me right away, "Is your trailer currently with La Mesa RV?" I'm thinking to myself, she should know it is if the dealer is submitting photos to her for warranty work approval!!


I told her I only want to speak to Steven Holmes. She said, "Well he is the General Manager of owner relations, and I can't guarantee he will call you back." I said, "So he doesn't speak to customers? Have him give me call tomorrow as I do not wish to speak with anyone else regarding my trailer." I hung up. This is a joke. I need a lawyer!

You do. Maybe a first step is to contact your state's attorney general's office.

[Brian W]

If your dealership thinks you should get a replacement unit, why are THEY not pushing for it? We did it for one of our customers. It's not easy, but it can and has been done. Dutchman is a Thor company, and Thor has replaced units before, so I am not sure why your dealership is telling you it's never been done before. There's a member here on the Thor section that had his class A replaced with not only a new unit, but a more expensive one at that.

I personally would not settle for a "new" floor. The floor is the first thing that goes on the frame, meaning the unit is built literally from the floor up. How can they replace the entire floor on an already built unit? Are they going to remove everything and then rebuild the unit? There's a lot of stuff sitting on, or mounted to that floor. My guess is they are going to cut out what they can, and replace only those sections.

Good luck, and don't back down.


Sent from my iPad using iRV2 - RV Forum

[jeck]

I'd like to keep updating this saga as it unfolds to help any others going through a similar situation. It won't be so quick as this update, because it is so fresh on my mind.

The best thing we as consumers can do is guide others from past experiences.

This is day 2 of La Mesa Rv not calling me back after we spoke after I explicitly asked for a call back the next day to see what Dutchman says about the photos my Service Rep was submitting. So I assume there was not photos submitted hence, no call back.

Also, going on day 2 of Steven Holmes not calling me back after leaving a message with someone specifically asking him for a callback.

At this point we have sent an email to a general representative at Keystone as an initial contact,(Sherry Clayton), and JCastro@lamesarv.com who we were told is the owner of the La Mesa Dealerships in the US.



Below is the contents of that initial email sent.

__________________________________________________ ______________

Out of the 1st 7 months we've owned it, it has been in the shop 3 months.

La Mesa service department people have recommended we ask for a replacement unit since the necessary repairs as so challenging and radical.
We've owned campers most of our life and have done some research on this kind of water damage in campers, the mold possibilities to our family and grandchildren are frightening as water makes it to the walks and etc, etc...you understand our health concerns to say nothing of the lack of trust we would have in the rebuilt unit.

Additionally, they state you (the factory) are unwilling to relent your position to their requested future work possibly necessary to take this unit back to factory standards once they open up the floor and walls.

Quite frankly, we are surprised that a company with a reputation such as you would have such a serious factory defect like we have. I guess it happens and more Han we thought.

Again, we are not interested in this 2016 camper being "rebuilt" even if these were all approved.
You take the unit, make the repairs and do whatever you wish. We will not take possession back.

2016 Aerolite Travel Trailer

Converter Replaced
Awning Replaced
Window shade pulled out of wall during first weekend trip
LED Porch Light Strip Replaced
AC unit no longer works
Front half of the trailer floor is rotting and the TV cabinet is sinking into the floor as result.

__________________________________________________ ____________

In all reality. At this point I don't want to take possession back of this trailer. I as the consumer purchased it from La Mesa. If they are suggesting I ask for a replacement, I think THEY should be the ones fighting for another unit. I will set up a meeting with the dealership here and quite frankly....Ask for my money back from THEM. They are the Representatives of Dutchman, selling their products, let them deal with this true "Lemon" of a unit.

I will be contacting Florida's Attorney General, and or begin searching for a type of lawyer who would handle such a case like this. I have no idea what type of lawyer I need to look for.

Thank you all for your time and advice.