Poor customer service at La Mesa RV and no help from Winnebago

[azkunk]

I just want to vent about my experience with La Mesa RV in West Phoenix. We purchased a 2015 Winnebago Brave in the beginning of May. An internet price brought us in and we decided to by the Calypso Blue 27B. They of course no longer had that coach but said they were able to find one a couple of hundred miles away for the same price. So we signed the papers and waited. While we waited, I went a little crazy and bought a bunch of new stuff to match the blue decor. We got word that the coach arrived and tried to schedule a Saturday pick up. Much to our disappointment we learned that the service department is not open on the weekend. This is a problem for us because both my husband and I work full time and do not have a lot of flexibility during the week. But we took some time off delivery and continued to be disappointed. When we got there for our scheduled appointment (1pm no later, hence the time off of work), our service manager was 20 minutes late. We were wandering around and when our sales guy saw us he asked how we liked the coach. We were apparently standing right in front of it but did not know because it was red, not blue. The salesman neglected to tell us that the unit he found at the same price was red. Not a big deal other than the fact that I bought, washed and threw away receipts for a lot of stuff. Oh, and the coach was dirty inside, not detailed at all.

We took it out that day for a short weekend trip and found a few issues that needed to be addressed. We tried to to schedule service for a Monday and requested to drop it off on the weekend. Despite the dealership being open all weekend, they will not allow customers drop off for scheduled service. I am so frustrated with this dealer and they hold the exclusive warranty work contract with Winnebago. We contacted Winnebago to see if we could get permission to switch service to another dealership that has better customer service but they did not see an issue with this.

If you are in the SW and looking to buy from LaMesa, reconsider buying from a dealership with more flexibility.

[RVLola]

We have had good experiences with La Mesa in Mesa for our new Winnebago. But the place where we store the coach is supposed to be getting an in house mechanic soon who does warranty service. I don't remember the name but it's on I-10 and Wild Horse Pass.

[azkunk]

Originally Posted by RVLola

We have had good experiences with La Mesa in Mesa for our new Winnebago. But the place where we store the coach is supposed to be getting an in house mechanic soon who does warranty service. I don't remember the name but it's on I-10 and Wild Horse Pass.

We are in the west valley. The place where we store has an in-house mechanic and they are the ones that told us to get permission from Winnebago to do the warranty work but Winnebago told us that the only place to get warranty work is LaMesa.

Not only can you not drop off on a weekend for scheduled Monday work. You have to drop off at a time in which they can receive it and the end of the work day is not an option. It seems like 1:00 is the latest time that they'll accept it.

[raineman]

Originally Posted by RVLola

We have had good experiences with La Mesa in Mesa for our new Winnebago. But the place where we store the coach is supposed to be getting an in house mechanic soon who does warranty service. I don't remember the name but it's on I-10 and Wild Horse Pass.

I am at the same place. It is called RV Super Storage. They sent an email last month announcing the company / mechanic and said more info to come. So far I have not seen any follow up from them. Have you?

As far as LA Mesa RV. I started my search for a new RV there in Mesa and was instantly turned off by the high pressure sales team. Very unprofessional to say the least. Like you, they asked me to fill out paperwork (credit check) for an unseen unit. When I told them to get the unit there and I will look and if I like we could go from there they shut down and were not interested in trying to sell me an RV anymore.

Bought elsewhere. I ended up at Little Dealer. Much better experience. Not perfect, but better. The service department there has been decent so far. But like everything else these days, you, the customer, have to really stay on top of it. I am hoping the new service company at RV Super Storage is a good one. Sure would make life a but easier.

Good luck.

[Gary RVRoamer]

I don't under stand the comment about "exclusive warranty work contract". You should be able to get Winnebago warranty work at any Winnebago dealer. May not be as convenient location-wise, but you aren't stuck with the dealer you bought from.

[Rusty years]

It's a jungle out there.

[powderman]

Originally Posted by raineman

As far as LA Mesa RV. I started my search for a new RV there in Mesa and was instantly turned off by the high pressure sales team. Very unprofessional to say the least. Like you, they asked me to fill out paperwork (credit check) for an unseen unit. When I told them to get the unit there and I will look and if I like we could go from there they shut down and were not interested in trying to sell me an RV anymore.

You did the right thing. I have seen other posts where people have stated that they want credit checks, and in some cases a monetary commitment before even seeing a unit. There is NO WAY that I would ever even consider such a scenario. Show me a unit, give me a price, and then we can start negotiating.

[RVLola]

Hey Raineman - I have not heard anymore about the new mechanic but DH gets those emails. I'll have him ask when he takes the coach back in after LaMesa is done with it.

As far as LaMesa goes, our 4th salesman was the right fit. And by that time I was already informed enough about what I wanted that he simply could not play games with me.

I'm glad that you are having good luck with LDLP. We had an awful time with them on our last Forest River product. We only kept it 8 months before trading up and their problems with working on the coach helped to jump ship sooner. What kind of RV do you have? I'm pretty sure we were their first Class A sale.

[azSkier]

I store my coach at RV Super Storage as well. I talked with management about the new service company and they told me it was Desert Autoplex, which is a Newmar, Forest River, Coachmen dealer.


Desert Autoplex | Pre-owned Dealer | Phoenix and Mesa Arizona

[azkunk]

Originally Posted by raineman

I am at the same place. It is called RV Super Storage. They sent an email last month announcing the company / mechanic and said more info to come. So far I have not seen any follow up from them. Have you?

As far as LA Mesa RV. I started my search for a new RV there in Mesa and was instantly turned off by the high pressure sales team. Very unprofessional to say the least. Like you, they asked me to fill out paperwork (credit check) for an unseen unit. When I told them to get the unit there and I will look and if I like we could go from there they shut down and were not interested in trying to sell me an RV anymore.

Bought elsewhere. I ended up at Little Dealer. Much better experience. Not perfect, but better. The service department there has been decent so far. But like everything else these days, you, the customer, have to really stay on top of it. I am hoping the new service company at RV Super Storage is a good one. Sure would make life a but easier.

Good luck.

We bought our first TT at Little Dealer and had a decent experience. Used them for warranty work and never had a problem. The West Phoenix LaMesa is very close to home and we had a good sales experience until it came to delivery. Camping World is also close but LaMesa inventory was better.

[azkunk]

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

I don't under stand the comment about "exclusive warranty work contract". You should be able to get Winnebago warranty work at any Winnebago dealer. May not be as convenient location-wise, but you aren't stuck with the dealer you bought from.

We called Winnebago and we were told that we can only take it to LaMesa for the warranty work. Can't even take it to Camping World.

[azkunk]

Originally Posted by powderman

You did the right thing. I have seen other posts where people have stated that they want credit checks, and in some cases a monetary commitment before even seeing a unit. There is NO WAY that I would ever even consider such a scenario. Show me a unit, give me a price, and then we can start negotiating.

We saw the 2016 Brave on the lot before we even talked about a credit check. They told us they found a new 2015 in Flagstaff just neglected to tell me that it was red, not blue. We were actually happy with the sales process ... we got a really good price. It really the service department that I am unhappy with.

[Arch Hoagland]

Originally Posted by azkunk

We called Winnebago and we were told that we can only take it to LaMesa for the warranty work. Can't even take it to Camping World.

So you go on a trip to New York and it breaks down...what do you do...tow it back to LaMesa RV in Arizona?

[Dutch Star Don]

I have to ask....you said an internet price brought you in. Does that mean there was a dealer who was closer, but more expensive or that they just had a general internet offer on that model coach.