Am I being a nuisance?

[Scarab0088]

Originally Posted by GaryKD

Call the factory yourself. Get the straight story. Somebody between the dealer and the manufacturer CEO should be able to tell you what is going on.

The OP is waiting on a WindSport 34J - right?
So, if you want to call...

General Sales Inquiries
(800) 860-5658


Customer Care
(877) 855-2867 Retail Customers
(877) 500-1020 Dealer

From: Contact Us | Thor Motor Coach #1 Brand of Motorhomes | Diesel Pushers,Class A,Class B,& Class C RV s

I contacted them through the "Sales Inquiries" fill-in message page and got a reply in less than 48 hours.

Best luck

[Libero]

Originally Posted by Giant Jeff

So I purchased a new coach at the Pomona RV Show in October through Mike Thompson RV. They told me it would have to come from the factory and take at least 30 a 45 days. There was some hope of a Christmas delivery. No RV Santa! Then it should be here by the first. Still no coach. Should I continue to call them like a little kid asking "Is it here yet?" Or do I just be patient and wait for them to call me?

I read the posts, however, it is not clear if there are any LD (liquidation damages) or termination clauses in your contract for late delivery or is there a firm delivery date committment at all. Wondered if you have any contractural leverage? Most often people will pay more attention to you if you provide your concern is writing and escalate as necesary. A well constructed tactful written communication has worked best for me and it usually makes reference to contractural committments or business practices. It gives your dealer ammunition to pass on the manufacturer also if the issue is manufacturer related.

Re contracts:

Most companies would put a "Force Majeure" clause in as protection but this would not cover them for being tardy or for misrepresentation etc. I have been involved in both sides of contractural negotiations, and most suppliers, (and indeed car and RV dealerships) have contracts written totally in their favor, but I have often handwritten in my own conditions and made certain any promise the vendor has told me I insist it be put into writing if it is significant to me. This includes contact termination conditions. Every contract should have termination clauses. After all if you give a substantial down payment and made other committments or plans based on a specified date there should be something offered to offset your disruption. I bet there is a clause that says you don't get the coach until they see the money.

Just a word to the wise from some old geezer who got on the wrong side of a bad contract once but had many years subsequent experience in this area and vowed not to repeat that mistake.

For any future contracts for those that do not read and understand every clause, my advice, read and understand it all and insert your own clauses for your protection before affixing your "John Henry". On major committments I often run the contract by my attorney because I do not assume to know all the legalese that might be contained therein.

A contract for the production and delivery of a MH for several hundred thousand $$ is not chump change for most of us so it deserves a bit more attention than smaller items.

As a parting comment, if your demands are reasonable, the seller will most often agree, but this must be made up front in most cases. It is your money.

Good luck and I hope my comments are helpfull.

[Giant Jeff]

Thanks to all for the feedback. After a day of persistence on the phone I now have a vin number. They also said the coach is three days out but it was late and they were unable to determine at that time if 3 days out included the weekend or not. So it could be here Monday or Wednesday but I still don't have a time and date for PDI and pick up. They never did promise it by a certain date so I can't get to upset. Just overly anxious to the point of frustration.

[ChallengerRN]

Originally Posted by Giant Jeff

Thanks to all for the feedback. After a day of persistence on the phone I now have a vin number. They also said the coach is three days out but it was late and they were unable to determine at that time if 3 days out included the weekend or not. So it could be here Monday or Wednesday but I still don't have a time and date for PDI and pick up. They never did promise it by a certain date so I can't get to upset. Just overly anxious to the point of frustration.

3 days out??? I hope it got out of Elkhart before the weekend. Elkhart could see up to a foot of snow on Sunday. Well below zero on Monday.

Russell

[Scarab0088]

Originally Posted by Giant Jeff

Thanks to all for the feedback. After a day of persistence on the phone I now have a vin number. They also said the coach is three days out but it was late and they were unable to determine at that time if 3 days out included the weekend or not. So it could be here Monday or Wednesday but I still don't have a time and date for PDI and pick up. They never did promise it by a certain date so I can't get to upset. Just overly anxious to the point of frustration.

Congrats on the call...getting the VIN should at least prevent a switcher-oo at the dealer.
If I understand how the delivery system works...with only a few exceptions...a ferry driver takes the rig from the factory and actually drives it to the dealership. They are commercial drivers (bound by commercial rest requirements) and are insured or bonded. The driver can be a neat and tidy person or not...hence, I believe the comment above about -maybe you don't want to see the rig before dealer prep-.

I would keep this in mind during the PDI.

Best luck

[rjf7g]

When I ordered my Gulf Stream, trailer, my dealer kept me informed of its status. I had questions about options not listed on his build sheet and he called his factory rep multiple times on my behalf before the order was placed. Finally, we had the order good to go and I got an email from my dealer when it had been accepted by the factory. I got another email when it on the line and another when it went for inspection. I got another email when it left the factory, one when it arrived at the dealer, and finally a call when the dealer was ready for me to come do my PDI. Each email managed my expectations about how long the next step might take. It was awesome communications. I never once felt compelled to call Gulf Stream myself to follow up on my dealer.

[mojoracing]

Her we go with the lying cheating stealing dealer stuff again. They said "AT LEAST 30 - 45 DAYS. Not to mention the weather and snow in indiana. 18" of lake effect snow might have something to do with it. Its a couple days out and we're investigating cancelation clauses?

[Scarab0088]

Originally Posted by mojoracing

Her we go with the lying cheating stealing dealer stuff again. They said "AT LEAST 30 - 45 DAYS. Not to mention the weather and snow in indiana. 18" of lake effect snow might have something to do with it. Its a couple days out and we're investigating cancelation clauses?

All the points above are very true. And, I was kinda shocked by the severity of points in post #16 too...I didn't think the OP was near considering contract cancellation.

But, knowledge is power.

And, I read that 2 pre-purchase owners reported here on iRV2 (buying each from Newmar and Thor) that the unit they had ordered was "cancelled"...these happened during the last year.

Both ultimately got the RV of their dreams...but at first they both experienced similar waits reported by the OP.

Dealers have a bad reputation and in some situations it is well earned.

Safe travels to all

[plasma800]

Just to add my .02

I'm a big proponent of "in your face". The first time my wife heard me say "I'm gonna go down there, and get in their face" she thought I was about to load up some brass knuckles or something, and I got a lecture about it.

But soon she discovered what I REALLy meant by "in their face", and what it boils down to, is being the nicest "pest" in the world.

You stop in at the dealership, you sit on the sales guy, and talk about football, wives, beer, knives, hunting, what the heck ever! You slip in a couple of "well let's call the factory together"'s , "hey can i meet the manager of this fine place, I'd like to buy him a cup of coffee" (have starbucks gift card on hand), ask a TON of stupid questions, like what's that switch for? How I do i do this, and that, and this, and that... all the while the other sales guys are taking all of the leads from the floor.

Stop by the next day too, just "passin" by...

After a couple of days of that, they will pester the crud out of the manufacturer just to get you out of their hair! But they will have NOTHING bad to say about you. Also, ask for some freebies...

As far as I am concerned, they ARE accountable for what they tell people, and someone should occasionally hold their feet to a warm plate. But the first time you get "nasty" with em, they will do everything in their power to make life worse for you.

[Libero]

Originally Posted by Scarab0088

All the points above are very true. And, I was kinda shocked by the severity of points in post #16 too...I didn't think the OP was near considering contract cancellation.

But, knowledge is power.

And, I read that 2 pre-purchase owners reported here on iRV2 (buying each from Newmar and Thor) that the unit they had ordered was "cancelled"...these happened during the last year.

Both ultimately got the RV of their dreams...but at first they both experienced similar waits reported by the OP.

Dealers have a bad reputation and in some situations it is well earned.

Safe travels to all

You must have misread post 16. I merely suggested to the OP that a written request usually works better than a verbal one and indeed a written request gives the dealer ammunition that could hasten a response from the manufacturer.

All the other stuff was general information about contracts and if you think those points are severe perhaps you have not been to court or to an arbitrator to resolve a contractural dispute. It can get ugly and "he said/she said" hearsay really does not get one very far. Having things nailed down in writing just works better, that was the message.

Perhaps another read on that might be worthwhile. At least this was the intent of the post from someone who has a lot of experience in contractural matters. But it is always good to approach any negotiation from a position of strength. Well that was the intended message anyway.

I think the OP is OK now given the end is near and his verbal communication seemed to have worked.

So indeed to the OP, good luck with the new rig and I hope all is well.

[Scarab0088]

Originally Posted by Libero

You must have misread post 16. I merely suggested to the OP that a written request usually works better than a verbal one and indeed a written request gives the dealer ammunition that could hasten a response from the manufacturer.

All the other stuff was general information about contracts and if you think those points are severe perhaps you have not been to court or to an arbitrator to resolve a contractural dispute. It can get ugly and "he said/she said" hearsay really does not get one very far. Having things nailed down in writing just works better, that was the message.

Perhaps another read on that might be worthwhile. At least this was the intent of the post from someone who has a lot of experience in contractural matters. But it is always good to approach any negotiation from a position of strength. Well that was the intended message anyway.

I think the OP is OK now given the end is near and his verbal communication seemed to have worked.

So indeed to the OP, good luck with the new rig and I hope all is well.

I agree with you too...hopefully the OP is in good shape. And yes, read the very good info in post #16...like I said - knowledge is power

My intent was to address post #21 that seemed to communicate that doom and gloom stories about dealers are counter productive. I think the opposite. Forewarned is forearmed.

Safe travels

[Libero]

Scarab008 thanks -we are on the same track.

[Kro1957]

They told me it would have to come from the factory and take at least 30 a 45 days

That is not the same as a written guarantee of delivery. Many factors come into play when dealing with manufacturers and suppliers.

1. Factor in that when you order a product, you make specifications what you want and how certain materials, colors and so on are used.

2. Holidays and other previous orders in the assembly process. Manufacturers tend to not "over hire" labor so they can keep busy based on projected industry trends. Right now, there have been a upswing in construction yet still caution on hiring for many reasons.

3. When you order a build here in the US, Manufacturers use multiple suppliers for products and a lot of them are overseas. Even some of those suppliers get their supplies from other suppliers. There are really many factors that come into play.
The DW has worked with these issues as a Customer Care Manager for over 20 years. Her entire day is investigating issues like this. With that said, her response was that someone on the dealership side should have been doing a better job finding out what the story was and keeping you informed instead of you doing the investigating yourself.

[RABBITFISH]

Originally Posted by plasma800

Just to add my .02

I'm a big proponent of "in your face". The first time my wife heard me say "I'm gonna go down there, and get in their face" she thought I was about to load up some brass knuckles or something, and I got a lecture about it.

But soon she discovered what I REALLy meant by "in their face", and what it boils down to, is being the nicest "pest" in the world.

You stop in at the dealership, you sit on the sales guy, and talk about football, wives, beer, knives, hunting, what the heck ever! You slip in a couple of "well let's call the factory together"'s , "hey can i meet the manager of this fine place, I'd like to buy him a cup of coffee" (have starbucks gift card on hand), ask a TON of stupid questions, like what's that switch for? How I do i do this, and that, and this, and that... all the while the other sales guys are taking all of the leads from the floor.

Stop by the next day too, just "passin" by...

After a couple of days of that, they will pester the crud out of the manufacturer just to get you out of their hair! But they will have NOTHING bad to say about you. Also, ask for some freebies...

As far as I am concerned, they ARE accountable for what they tell people, and someone should occasionally hold their feet to a warm plate. But the first time you get "nasty" with em, they will do everything in their power to make life worse for you.

That is just great! I am going to print this and use it as a guide for all of my friends. With your permission of course! I just love it!!!