So you think it is just RVs?

[chasfm11]

I've read a lot of the posts about problems with RV warranty and regular service. I understand the frustration and impact, both financial and time, that is required because of delays, poor quality and just downright bad service. The problem isn't limited to RVs, however. Here are just two recent examples that I can point to:
1. Our son had a heater replaced by a home buyer warranty company last winter. When A/C season rolled around, a fuse on the heater's control board started blowing. 3 different A/C companies including multiple calls by two of them, a service call by an electrican and 4 weeks later, it still wasn't fixed. I had to find the wiring error that the installation company made myself. Our son probably had 20 hours on the phone plus arrangements for someone to be home every time a service call was made. They accused him of poor maintenance in not keeping the evaporator coil cleaned (on a house that he just bought).
2. The electric company replaced a pole and disconnected the TV cable on that pole in the process. When they reconnected the cable, all of the "down stream" users lost Internet access and started having major problems with their TV channels. The cable company sent a technican out 5 days later but he couldn't work on the problem without a bucket truck. He promised to send one that afternoon. It's been 4 more days and no bucket truck. Today, I helped a neighbor call the cable company again. The next service call (treated as though the first one didn't exist) won't occur until next Monday and they are not sending a bucket truck even then. If the tech that they send decides a bucket truck is needed, he'll have to call for one (sound familiar?) and that call would have to be fit into their schedule. This afternoon, I helped that neighbor call the local phone company for installation of fiber optic Internet service (and maybe TV, too) and that will occur next Tuesday. When I talked to the cable company about the probably of their customer's switching because the cable techs wouldn't work on the problem, the cable representative wasn't the least bit apologetic. I asked to speak to a supervisor and they refused to let me. I'm glad I have DirectTV and already have my fiber optic Internect connection installed. It's been working a year with no outages.

Problems like this make me understand that service problems are a lot more common than just being related to RVs.

[chasfm11]

I've read a lot of the posts about problems with RV warranty and regular service. I understand the frustration and impact, both financial and time, that is required because of delays, poor quality and just downright bad service. The problem isn't limited to RVs, however. Here are just two recent examples that I can point to:
1. Our son had a heater replaced by a home buyer warranty company last winter. When A/C season rolled around, a fuse on the heater's control board started blowing. 3 different A/C companies including multiple calls by two of them, a service call by an electrican and 4 weeks later, it still wasn't fixed. I had to find the wiring error that the installation company made myself. Our son probably had 20 hours on the phone plus arrangements for someone to be home every time a service call was made. They accused him of poor maintenance in not keeping the evaporator coil cleaned (on a house that he just bought).
2. The electric company replaced a pole and disconnected the TV cable on that pole in the process. When they reconnected the cable, all of the "down stream" users lost Internet access and started having major problems with their TV channels. The cable company sent a technican out 5 days later but he couldn't work on the problem without a bucket truck. He promised to send one that afternoon. It's been 4 more days and no bucket truck. Today, I helped a neighbor call the cable company again. The next service call (treated as though the first one didn't exist) won't occur until next Monday and they are not sending a bucket truck even then. If the tech that they send decides a bucket truck is needed, he'll have to call for one (sound familiar?) and that call would have to be fit into their schedule. This afternoon, I helped that neighbor call the local phone company for installation of fiber optic Internet service (and maybe TV, too) and that will occur next Tuesday. When I talked to the cable company about the probably of their customer's switching because the cable techs wouldn't work on the problem, the cable representative wasn't the least bit apologetic. I asked to speak to a supervisor and they refused to let me. I'm glad I have DirectTV and already have my fiber optic Internect connection installed. It's been working a year with no outages.

Problems like this make me understand that service problems are a lot more common than just being related to RVs.

[mamaloya]

I have one for ya'. My best friend had an '04 Toyota Matrix. She began having problems with it not even a year later. She took it to the dealer many times and they said it was fixed. Continued to stutter on her. She took it to another dealer to trade it in before it got worse and they told her it was engine slugde and they didn't want it. (It was only a year old.) She did some research and found at that Toyota has had a major problem with their small 4 cyl engines for some time now. She took it to the dealer and they said that the toyotas were no longer having engine slugde problems. They finally looked at her car and said that it was due to improper maintenance on her part. Claimed that she had not been changing the oil. She got it changed faithfully per their specs. They said she had to have every single receipt or the warranty was voided. It took her about 3 wks, but she finally found went to each business that had changed her oil and got receipts for each and every oil change. They were done on time. She brought them in. Toyota said that these oil changes were not done to their specs and that only oil changes done by Toyota would validate the warranty because that is the only way they can guarantee they were done right. She was still fighting with them and had to stop driving her car it got so bad. She was paying for a rental. Then, Hurricane Katrina hit. She could not take her 1.5yo car because it would not have made it. She found a ride for herself, her son, and her 80yo mother. Unfortunately, her carport was above the street flooding. I told her to send her brother (who stayed behind) to push it into the flooded street. (I was half joking.) She said no, she wanted Toyota to fix it. Well, 2 months after Katrina, she is back at Toyota crying and pitching a fit. They finally said, "OK, we will make a 'good will' repair, but we are not responsible. The problem is not a Toyota issue. It was due to improper maintenance." She let them do it, and then immediately traded it in for a Chevy.

I am HORRIBLE about oil changes and drive a 10yo van. I also had a small 4 cyl car years ago that I maybe changed the oil 2x a year and never had a prob. I still can't believe Toyota gave her such a hard time. She even contacted all of the higher ups and such. It cost her a fortune in renting a car and she almost could not evacuate for Katrina.

Shame on Toyota!