The wife and I got up early this morning to go pick up the RV. I have to admit I was pretty excited about getting it back into storage knowing it’s ready for us to take on our first trip of the season!
When we got there I got the keys and started the genny to charge up the batteries a bit and and then I went to look the rig over. I put the slide out and saw they cleaned the carpet with the slide out, this was good news and it looks good in that area.
They did not however clean the carpet around the driver and passenger seats and they didn’t clean the dog house. At this point I’m just glad they cleaned something so I don’t say anything, really, what could I say at this point?? I figure I’ll just do it over again anyway so they got it started and from what I see in the receipt they didn’t charge me for the cleaning,
To look at this in a more positive light I’m happy that the rig doesn’t show any white chalk stains from the rain, in fact I’m ecstatic about that!! Here is a video of the carpet and also a short tour of the inside of the rig.
I follow the wife to the storage place, park the rig and remove the privacy curtains and comforter so we can wash them and I let the genny run for a while while I take video of the carpet and rig. After I complete the video I shut everything down, do my usual systems check and walk around the rig before I shut off the batteries and leave.
When I get to the drivers side I check out the slide and slide topper and I notice something strange. The slide topper has come off of its mount, at least I think it did?!? Here is what it looked like when we got it back last year with the new topper. Take a close look at how the cover is the same over each mount.
Take a look at these pictures, you’ll notice the last one shows it’s the only one holding the mechanism in place. 
This one is also sitting on top.
Here you can see the topper is sitting inside of the mount, as it should.
We decide to drive back to the dealer and show this to them hoping it’s still under warranty because it looks like somebody forgot to screw the topper into the mounts.
I get back to the dealer and explain to the service manager what I found and he asks me to bring the rig up to the first service bay. I head back to the RV and open the door, as I get to the top step a gust of wind pulls the door open with me still holding onto the door. I fly off the top inside step backwards and touch none of the 5 steps going down.
I land on my back and shoulder and my head hits the ground. I lay there for a few seconds taking a mental check to see if everything is still functioning and go to get up. I stand up and everything still seems to work but as you can imagine this didn’t exactly help my mood any. I go back into the RV and drive it up to the service bay.
They bring out an RV mechanic who takes a look at it and says somebody forgot to mount the topper to the mounts. The topper was just sitting inside the slots with no set screws holding it in place.
I wasn’t angry with him, I just explained to him as calmly as I could that this is the third week I have driven an hour to pick the RV up only to have to leave it, again. This time however it’s because of an item that took them a few months to install last year and that wasn’t done properly either.
He said what you would expect him to say and was nice about it, he apologized and said they would take care of it. Which is all well and good but this time I’m going to write the dealership owner and let them know my dissatisfaction level. I talked with Ronda on the way home and asked if maybe we aren’t supposed to have an RV, maybe this one is haunted or possessed or something. I honestly don’t know what to think or even say anymore.
I didn’t even know if I should blog about it, I am sick to death of posting about a negative experience. I am depressed and angry, every time we go to pick up the RV and this is now 2 years running it either isn’t ready or the work is done wrong.
I’ll end this post with this, the emergency flashers work, the dealer removed the stickers and our third brake light works and they used the correct sealer instead of cheap clear silicone like the last time so this is good news. The service manager will keep me up to date and they’re going to repaint anything that got scratched and they will properly mount the slide topper. Hopefully it will be ready by next weekend.
Have a good night everybody…
14 comments:
I hope you are ok after that fall. It could have been a game changer. As far as the RV I just don't think there are very many competent service people in the industry. I hope that the rest of the year is smooth sailing and good times.
Bruce (& Val)
Sounds par for the course. Repairs are always a pain and so often done poorly.
hope you are okay after your fall..and hopefully the next time you pick up the RV it will be perfect!
Bruce & Val & Merikay - Agreed, that fall could have really been bad but thankfully it seems to be ok. I'm going to hurt like crazy tomorrow though I bet.
Regarding service people, it just seems that the work ethic is dead, plain and simple. Maybe they see a 13 year old RV and think who cares, I don't know because I can't wrap my brain around doing shoddy work.
I read blogs of people getting work done and being happy with that work and I'm jealous, we have never had that with the RV, NEVER.
I do know this, when we are ready to upgrade our RV, we probably won't be buying from anybody in this state....
I feel your frustration. I'm so sorry you've had such troubles.
Sue and Doug, Judy and Emma - Thanks, we're crossing our fingers and hoping for the best.
It gets difficult to blog about, we have actually gotten used to being dissapointed, how sad is that?
Your RV may be an older model at this time but a quick reminder to the dealership that you are dealing with that someday you plan on replacing it and their service record might have a bearing on where you buy it might help improve their work habits.
It's about time.
Rick and Kathy - I explained that to them last week. I told them it seems they are trying very hard to talk us into doing business some place else. The service manager agreed and stated it's very difficult to find good people to do the work.
I told him holding them to a standard would help and I have been through this myself at work so it's not an excuse. In the end, out here, there just isn't many options anymore, so many have gone out fo business.
With all your frustrations with the rig I am most glad that you didn't get hurt in the fall. Now that is scary. I hope they have the rig ready for you next week.
Wow! Glad you weren't injured in the fall. I applaud your restraint with the repair facility. I'm not sure I would have handled myself as well. I know for sure I wouldn't be returning. Good shops are hard to find, but there are some out there if you're willing to look long enough.
The rig is not haunted. You did NOT make a mistake by ever buying it. It's the blasted service center that's to blame!! I swear. I had to take mine back 3x's as well. There's still a couple of minor issues, but I've decided that it's not worth it anymore with them. They seem to overlook things! They don't pay attention & will mess other things up. I was really upset when my rig had scratches on it! The compounded it & they fortunately came off.
The three times I've had my rig in at two different companies, they've done damages to it. Sad. Pathetic actually. I know how you & Rhonda feel. Sucks. But I'm glad you are ok from the fall. Those darn winds. They constantly smack my entry door around when I open it too.
We have the same problem with our local RV Dealer! I also told them that I wouldn't be back for my next RV purchase, didn't seem to bother them because they are so huge with 5 other stores in the state.
If, and I mean if, I purchase another RV I believe I will travel to Florida and purchase it from LAZY DAYS. I've heard many many reports of their quality work.
I am so sorry to hear yet again you had to take the rig back.
But I sure am happy you are OK.
I went to an RV repair place when I first got my rig and discovered the leaking toilet and had a list of things to be done. While they did a great job on most items the toilet never got fixed. To make a long story short after 3 tries for the toilet and ripped awning I found another repair shop. They did a great job and the machanic explained everything he did and showed me the fixes to make sure I was happy.
I guess there aren't other places for you to go because by now I'm sure would have gone.
Good Luck
I'm so sorry that you are having trouble with the dealer. You did NOT make a mistake by buying the RV, it's the DEALER that is not doing right by you. Get on RV forums, Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, if you haven't already and get the word out about this crappy dealer! Some day you will be on the road and enjoying life the way it was meant to be enjoyed, in an RV :-)
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