Lemons and Unresponsive Dealers

[rrusk9]

Folks,

How have you successfully dealt with lemons and/or unresponsive dealers? I purchased a Coachmen Remote 17R from General RV at last year's Tampa show (delivered from their Jacksonville store, for some reason). I have had all kinds of problems with the RV, and have been unable to use it for travel since early October. It has spent 12/6/24-12/24/24 and 1/10/25-current at their Fort Pierce service center. I have reached out to them 3 times over the last 2 weeks and have been unable to communicate with anybody in their service department or to determine the status or ETA of my trailer.

My RV is about to go out of warranty, having spent the last 4 months of its warranty period in unusable condition either waiting for a service appointment or sitting at the Fort Pierce service center. It has very noticeable water damage on the cabinetry in two places from plumbing problems. (Delivering dealer claimed to have fully tested the water system, but I found two very loose fittings near the pump and it was literally spraying water into the containing cabinet.) It dumps black water all over your hands when you remove the cover to attach the tank drain hose. (Delivering dealer claimed to have tested this.) Its roof is bubbling and coming loose. (Delivering dealer claimed to have inspected this and prevented me from inspecting it myself prior to delivery.) Its freshwater tank fell out of its bracket the first time I filled it (delivering dealer claimed to have tested this). The bathroom has smelled like black water since October, and my first attempt to use the built-in tank flusher resulted in water flooding the bathroom from under the walls/cabinets. The brakes pulsate and make my car bounce. And these are just the most major of its problems.

I am aware of the advice to get a professional inspection prior to taking delivery, but had believed the dealer when they told me that that not only would they inspect it and fix any problems before delivery, but (perhaps more importantly) that I would be able to inspect it myself prior to delivery. Both were untrue, in that the trailer was sitting in a deep puddle of water for my "inspection" and I was not permitted roof access or access behind the service access panels.

What are my options now? Do I need to bring in a lawyer just to get the service department to communicate with me? I've never seen such business practices!

[Dieselboy]

Sounds to me like you may need a lawyer. What a mess. So sorry you're going through all this.

[rrusk9]

By the way, I will update this thread as things evolve, including if/when they respond to my multiple requests for contact.

[Jay D.]

Originally Posted by rrusk9

By the way, I will update this thread as things evolve, including if/when they respond to my multiple requests for contact.

lawyer up!!!!!!


Jay D.

[Bobby F]

There are some things that you absolutely need to get done (in the way of establishing proof that you have notified them of problems) BEFORE the warranty expires.


Hire a lawyer soon enough that they have the chance to do this properly.

[terrylane]

Send a certified letter, with return receipt, stating very simply that you have unresolved issues that were not corrected to your satisfaction during the warranty period.

Make it short and sweet with no details. An easy first step, but it needs to be done before the warranty expires.

[High Road Travelers]

Originally Posted by terrylane

Send a certified letter, with return receipt, stating very simply that you have unresolved issues that were not corrected to your satisfaction during the warranty period.

Make it short and sweet with no details. An easy first step, but it needs to be done before the warranty expires.

I would let a lawyer send a certified letter as that would carry more weight and he would know how to word it to start any legal proceedings that may need starting.
So sorry you are having all these problems. I have heard nothing but horror stories regarding General RV in the last number of years.
Hope it all works out for you.

[NXR]

Follow the directions in the warranty document you agreed to follow when you bought the RV. It tells you exactly how to proceed and what information is needed and where to send it. And none of it is General RV.

And use certified mil return receipt requested.

See: https://forestriverinc.com/downloads...TER-7-1-23.pdf

Ray

[p220sigman]

I would absolutely consult a lawyer. Unfortunately, you may be out of luck as far as the lemon law is concerned. I don't think Florida's lemon law covers towable RVs, but a lawyer will know for sure.

[tnrver]

Originally Posted by Jay D.

lawyer up!!!!!!


Jay D.

^^^^^^^This^^^^^^

[zrock2010]

should have refused it when they would not let you inspect the roof when you took delivery that was the first warning sign their was a issue. I would be on their door step as well as contacting a head office.. Threaten them with social media they really move fast when you threaten to post pics and expose them on local social media as it will hurt them more than any lawyer will in the long run.

[hamm2018]

Originally Posted by rrusk9

Folks,

How have you successfully dealt with lemons and/or unresponsive dealers? I purchased a Coachmen Remote 17R from General RV at last year's Tampa show (delivered from their Jacksonville store, for some reason). I have had all kinds of problems with the RV, and have been unable to use it for travel since early October. It has spent 12/6/24-12/24/24 and 1/10/25-current at their Fort Pierce service center. I have reached out to them 3 times over the last 2 weeks and have been unable to communicate with anybody in their service department or to determine the status or ETA of my trailer.

My RV is about to go out of warranty, having spent the last 4 months of its warranty period in unusable condition either waiting for a service appointment or sitting at the Fort Pierce service center. It has very noticeable water damage on the cabinetry in two places from plumbing problems. (Delivering dealer claimed to have fully tested the water system, but I found two very loose fittings near the pump and it was literally spraying water into the containing cabinet.) It dumps black water all over your hands when you remove the cover to attach the tank drain hose. (Delivering dealer claimed to have tested this.) Its roof is bubbling and coming loose. (Delivering dealer claimed to have inspected this and prevented me from inspecting it myself prior to delivery.) Its freshwater tank fell out of its bracket the first time I filled it (delivering dealer claimed to have tested this). The bathroom has smelled like black water since October, and my first attempt to use the built-in tank flusher resulted in water flooding the bathroom from under the walls/cabinets. The brakes pulsate and make my car bounce. And these are just the most major of its problems.

I am aware of the advice to get a professional inspection prior to taking delivery, but had believed the dealer when they told me that that not only would they inspect it and fix any problems before delivery, but (perhaps more importantly) that I would be able to inspect it myself prior to delivery. Both were untrue, in that the trailer was sitting in a deep puddle of water for my "inspection" and I was not permitted roof access or access behind the service access panels.

What are my options now? Do I need to bring in a lawyer just to get the service department to communicate with me? I've never seen such business practices!

First thing, contact the manufacturer with your vin number and see if any warranty claims have been filed by the dealer. Then follow up with a letter, from you, you get a lawyer involved you are done with negotiations.

List how long it has been in the shop; Forest River may extend the warranty period as a good will move. Manufacturers have been known to do this to help. List all the issues involved and ask for assistance in fixing the rig.

If done politely you could be surprised. Ask, if possible, it can be returned to the factory for the repairs or a shop up in Goshen area.
You may need to haul it up there and stay for the time period.

We use a shop in Goshen for our big repairs, our rig is over 7 years old.

[Mudfrog]

Originally Posted by zrock2010

should have refused it when they would not let you inspect the roof when you took delivery that was the first warning sign their was a issue. I would be on their door step as well as contacting a head office.. Threaten them with social media they really move fast when you threaten to post pics and expose them on local social media as it will hurt them more than any lawyer will in the long run.

Too late now of course but yep, a dealer not letting me do my own little inspection would be a no deal for me.

As things are, the OP needs to be that squeaky wheel needing the grease. Go back to the dealer and make some noise. I had to do this after we bought our first new motorhome over in Houston. My situation was a little different though, I discovered the issue within a day or two after driving it off the lot. I drove it back to the dealership and after the sales manager heard my concern, left me sitting alone in an office for over 30 minutes. I had had enough and finally opened the door to voice loudly, in front of other customers, what was going on. Needless to say, they reluctantly began treating me more like a customer. I ended up getting another of the same model with more options for the same price.

Rrusk, be that squeaky wheel! Both, at the dealership and the manufacturer. Document everything. You may end up needing a lawyer but imo, that would be a last resort.

As far as the issues, the roof and maybe the cabinetry would be of concern to me. The plumbing leaks should not be hard to repair. I agree it's not right that you should have to do these while under warranty but if you like the trailer otherwise, fixing these things yourself may be the better way to go.

There's a decent chance the manufacturer will reimburse for parts needed. A friend of mine had a few problems while under warranty. One of them was a couple of cabinet doors that weren't assembled properly. Thor sent him the needed doors and some other parts free of charge.

[glwinger]

Contact Consumer protection and a lawyer. Name both General RV and Coachman. File separate complaints.
Demand at least an warranty extension for the time is has been unusable.