Fantastic Fan buyers beware

[TripleEEE]

Originally Posted by drwwicks

I'm curious what you would have measured if there was no indication that "depth" could be an issue. Only measurements given by Dometic is fits the 14.5 x 14.5 opening. I did that.

I would have pulled the garnish out and measured it before I placed the order. Not all roof/ceilings are a universal size.If this is your first RV you might not have known that. Hope you get the correct one.

[chunker]

It's not my first RV, I have had several from popups to motorhomes and in between. I did contact Fantastic Fan customer service and I was very calm and nice until she said I had to spend more money on a product that was represented as complete. I went to etrailer and ordered the parts from them and they will be here Friday.

I like the fact that I have a decent roof thickness but it never occurred to me that the garnish would be too short especially since the information wasn't obvious on the Fantastic Fan site. I'll go back and look and see if I can find those FAQ for reference to garnish size.

Am I pissed, yes. Will it let me ruin the rest of my day, no. But others do need to be warned to check and research thoroughly.

I didn't use the pan head screws in the counter sunk holes. I used them beside the "bad' holes to secure the flange. For the 2 fans I used 2 tubes of self leveling sealant but that also sealed the edges of an eternabond repair and touched up a few suspect spots on the roof. Countersinking screws in that application doesn't make sense since you are heaping the sealant over each screw head and it's not a beauty contest up there. I was surprised at the noise difference between the 12 speed and 3 speed. Granted I was standing closer to the 3 speed since it's in a normal bath ceiling height, and the 12 speed up about 8' ceiling above me. They are nice fans and I expect years of good service. An interesting note about FF CS. 2 years ago I had a FF in the motorhome that would not lift the cover, gear motor transmission stripped. Called CS, they asked model number and sent a replacement gear box. It's in a 07 motorhome, I'm the 3rd owner and they replaced at no cost. That's why I am surprised they didn't offer to replace the garnish for me.

Live and learn and I thank the responders for their patience with me in this.

[phays]

I think the OP has a valid complaint. Atwood should be indicating that different garnish depths need to be specified when buying a fan. Hiding the fact in the FAQ's section doesn't help much. Even putting installation instructions online would help the potential purchaser.

[Sweetbriar]

I'm a bit on the side of the OP with this one. The depth of the assembly should be provided by the seller or OEM. The measurement is just as important as length, width, volts and such.

But I'm not completely with the OP since on Amazon for both fans a customer did ask the question and someone did provide the depth measurement.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...k_ql_qh_dp_hza

For the 7350 model the question as also asked but it's question 23 or so of 59.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...k_ql_qh_dp_hza

[chunker]

Originally Posted by Sweetbriar

I'm a bit on the side of the OP with this one. The depth of the assembly should be provided by the seller or OEM. The measurement is just as important as length, width, volts and such.

But I'm not completely with the OP since on Amazon for both fans a customer did ask the question and someone did provide the depth measurement.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...k_ql_qh_dp_hza

For the 7350 model the question as also asked but it's question 23 or so of 59.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...k_ql_qh_dp_hza

Thanks guess I didn't read enough.

[Mr_D]

Dometic bought out Fantastic Vent a few years ago so the no longer have the same philosophy about customer service.

[BFlinn181]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

Dometic bought out Fantastic Vent a few years ago so the no longer have the same philosophy about customer service.

I was going to say the same thing, but when I went to the Fan-tastic Vent webpage they tell their history but make no mention of Dometic now in control. I thought they were now under Dometic and their free repair and great customer support had changed. I think it's like Progressive Industries EMS, I know it was sold by the original founder and their warranty had been dramatically weakened.

[chunker]

Try calling Fantastic Fan customer service line they publish and you end up in a 20++ question convoluted, press this/press that, button that is not customer friendly. And yes the menu leads you through various dealer/retailer/?? options of Dometic.

At any rate I hope the product is better than their new CS.

[DukeofDburg]

Originally Posted by cruzbill

I have added 3 Fantastic Fans on two RVs; Each needed a 'deep garnish'. Fantastic sent them out for free, each time. Fantastic customer service.

Same here. I had the knob strip on one of mine. I contacted them and they sent me the whole arm/knob assembly, no questions asked