bstark
Ontario, Canada
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Here's my take on this one; This dealer acknowledged openly to the O/P that "he had a problem with Fun Time due to their continuously under-pricing him"! In my mind that underscores everything else this nutbar can say. He is willing to let a potential customer twist in the wind because he has a small fued going with another dealer? Cripes, for those of you who mentioned "you've obviously never been in business"; if you handled your customers in this manner you shouldn't have been in business either!
What has happened to the 'old days' of the word service meaning just that. you folks who suggest you would be miffed if you were waiting for your unit to be serviced and found someone who booked an appointment BEFORE you but with a unit from another dealer should get over yourselves and your self importance! When you take your Lexus in for service do you walk the service bays looking at the dealer's labels to see if you've got a possible gripe to air with the service manager, good grief get a life!
Sorry for the rant, but this stuff is simply contrary to the RV'ers creed in my mind. JUST MY HUMBLE OPINION!
Today is just the tomorrow you worried about yesterday!
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dbischops
Texas
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I can understand that a dealer would want to put his customers first, especially after initial sale to work out the bugs.
I also believe that you buy a trailer from a manufacturer that has authorized service centers; which tend to be the dealers. The manufacturer needs to stand behind it's product and they use their service centers for this; therefore it should not matter where the unit was bought.
I actually live very close to Funtime and have bought my trailers there and they always have a long wait (weeks) for service. There is a local rv service center that can perform warranty work on almost all components, except Keystone warranty. Appearantly Keystone won't make them an authorized repair center because Funtime is so close and are a large source of income.
So if a manufacturer designates certain locations as service centers then they should be able to serve ALL their customers.
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timandsusan
San Antonio, Texas
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I tried to get some extended warranty work done at Jack Sizemore last summer (2008)--I will NEVER go there agian for anything! They not only could not do the work--lied about having the parts--they did about $1500 damage that I have to arm twist them to fix on their dollar. So--in Amarillo with needing repairs--if you can make it home--do not stop at Jack Sizemore-- I know I never will again.
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2003f350
Coventry, RI 02816
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NewRV5ver wrote:
That depends on the manufacturer. If the manufacturer is Jayco, and you call Jayco and let them know you were refused for not buying it there, Jayco will contact the Dealer. If a Dealer sells Jayco's they are obligated by contract to work on any Jayco under warranty. My local dealer tried the you didn't buy it here line, and guess who ended up calling me to make the appointment after I complained?
Jayco followed up with a call and advised me not to accept any substandard work as some dealers don't like to work on units they didn't sell. Told them the date of the appointment and they called me back to make sure the work was done correctly afterwords. I also found out if a Jayco Dealer gets 5 complaints for refusal to repair warranty items in 1 year, Jayco reviews their contract and they are placed on probation. All manufacturers should do this, not just Jayco. The manufacturers can dictate, and all should.
Something to be said about Jayco product warranty! I needed my Eagle looked at but refused to return it to the dealer I purchased the RV from. I call Jayco and explained I wasn't happy with the dealer and was told I could take it to anybody of my choice. We have a RV repair center close by that doesn't sell RV's only repairs. I asked Jayco if I could take it there and was told as long as they call for authorization first they would be allowed to repair any warranty work. The work was performed properly with no hassles or paper work to fill out. Jayco is a great family company that stands behind their products.
This is from Jayco's website, it seems that you are still at the mercy of the dealership for servicing, if you didn't buy from them.
We just can't seem to win, no matter how hard we try.
Ed
WHY YOUR LOCAL JAYCO DEALER IS IMPORTANT TO YOU
With more than 300 dealers throughout North America and other parts of the world, we are pleased to assist you in locating your nearest dealer. Our mission is to provide the greatest degree of customer satisfaction possible and, to that end, we strongly encourage you to purchase Jayco products from your local dealership.
Jayco requires our selling dealers to deliver all products at the site of the sale. We do this because a full product orientation and walk through at the time of delivery is a good way for you to become familiar with all the features and benefits of your new Jayco. In addition, you will meet the service, parts and warranty staff members who will be assisting you in a professional, “hometown” atmosphere.
By purchasing from your local dealer, you will be able to establish a relationship with that dealer, which will provide you with a convenient location for sales, parts and service support. This will give you the ability to get questions resolved more effectively.
As part of our working relationship, all Jayco dealers have agreed to perform warranty work on Jayco products regardless of where the RV was purchased. Most dealers will do so; but many will give first priority to their own customers and other Jayco customers who are traveling.
If you live in Canada, there are regulations which must be met to bring an RV purchased outside Canada to your home. These requirements usually involve such issues as inspections, taxes, fees and certifications. Your local Canadian dealer is a professional at meeting these requirements.
Your satisfaction is our ultimate priority. The relationship you establish with your local Jayco dealer, both in determining which product to purchase and in having it cared for, is a key component in your enjoyment of your new Jayco. There simply is no substitute for a good relationship with your local Jayco dealer.
Contact Us | Owners' Club
©2007 Jayco, Inc. Sitemap | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer
* This post was
edited 06/03/09 04:19pm by 2003f350 *
Ed & Shirley.
Truck, 03 F-350, 7.3 PSD, 4x2 Supercab, Lariat, Long bed, Toreador Red and Arizona Beige., Rhino liner, Reese 16k hitch, Prodigy Brake Controller, Custom-Flow Tailgate, C-Betr Mirrors.
Camper-02 Thor Citation 5th. wheel, model 295P
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v10superduty
NW Ontario,Canada
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This topic comes up about once a month and usually does not go this long so since is still active I will throw a little more fuel on the fire-- 
IMHO this problem is the absolute fault of the manufacturers. They set up some dealers with NO service training, no suitable shop area, no parts stocked, nothing in place to look after a customer in the very unlikely issue of a DEFECT in his new RV!! 
For the dealers who do offer good service/warranty--the Manufacturer in most cases pays less than the retail labour rate, pays less time than the job usually takes, pays weeks or months after the repair is done & billed, pays little to no handling cost on parts used, and thats on the jobs billed to the manufacturer. The dealer may have to do claims to a dozen other different companys who supplied parts to the RV. Its a paperwork nightmare. Uses up a lot of time beside the tech which never gets reimbursed.
BY comparison--
Most auto companys pay retail or higher labor rates, pay fair time on most jobs, pay a fair parts handling allowance, pay within 24 hours (well they used to) And before you even start selling vehicles they ensure you have proper tools, training, manuals, etc. they cover every component listed as warranty, no billing Dana for the axle repairs or Bosch for the alternator repair!
In Canada the outboard motor companys (BRP-Evinrude & Mercury Marine anyway) operate like the auto companys plus they pay EXTRA on labour if you do warranty service on a motor you didn't sell!
The (most- not all) RV companies are operating in the DARK ages as far as grooming happy customers.
Can some now understand why some RV dealers who offer service are not too excited to do warranty work on those customers who priced them and decided to buy elsewhere.
I am not a business owner, never was, but have been involved with all the products I have just talked about and do speak from experience of selling, running service & parts dept, and management and I can tell you it is really easier being the CUSTOMER!! 
2000 F250 V10 dragin a 2005 Titanium 29E34RL
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RonS@Lrv
Oklahoma City
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v10superduty wrote:This topic comes up about once a month and usually does not go this long so since is still active I will throw a little more fuel on the fire--
IMHO this problem is the absolute fault of the manufacturers. They set up some dealers with NO service training, no suitable shop area, no parts stocked, nothing in place to look after a customer in the very unlikely issue of a DEFECT in his new RV!!
For the dealers who do offer good service/warranty--the Manufacturer in most cases pays less than the retail labour rate, pays less time than the job usually takes, pays weeks or months after the repair is done & billed, pays little to no handling cost on parts used, and thats on the jobs billed to the manufacturer. The dealer may have to do claims to a dozen other different companys who supplied parts to the RV. Its a paperwork nightmare. Uses up a lot of time beside the tech which never gets reimbursed.
BY comparison--
Most auto companys pay retail or higher labor rates, pay fair time on most jobs, pay a fair parts handling allowance, pay within 24 hours (well they used to) And before you even start selling vehicles they ensure you have proper tools, training, manuals, etc. they cover every component listed as warranty, no billing Dana for the axle repairs or Bosch for the alternator repair!
In Canada the outboard motor companys (BRP-Evinrude & Mercury Marine anyway) operate like the auto companys plus they pay EXTRA on labour if you do warranty service on a motor you didn't sell!
The (most- not all) RV companies are operating in the DARK ages as far as grooming happy customers.
Can some now understand why some RV dealers who offer service are not too excited to do warranty work on those customers who priced them and decided to buy elsewhere.
I am not a business owner, never was, but have been involved with all the products I have just talked about and do speak from experience of selling, running service & parts dept, and management and I can tell you it is really easier being the CUSTOMER!!
v10superduty makes a very good point. Manufacturers only pay about 80% of the going retail labor rate to do warranty work, and the Dealer uses a lot of time and has extra personnel on staff to file these claims to the manufacturers. Therefore dealers want to do warranty work for customers they sell, but would have no reason to solicit it unless their service department had no other work to do. Of course others have made a good point that a vindictive dealer is just "cutting off his nose to spite his face"! A smart dealer will agree to do as much work as he can with the facilities he has to maximize profits and future customers. But - They are not in the service business(normally) for their primary income - they are in trailer sales for that, and service is necessary to accommodate those customers.
Ron Smith
Oklahoma City, Ok.
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Mallo
Varies
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RonS@Lrv wrote:v10superduty wrote:
v10superduty makes a very good point. Manufacturers only pay about 80% of the going retail labor rate to do warranty work, and the Dealer uses a lot of time and has extra personnel on staff to file these claims to the manufacturers. Therefore dealers want to do warranty work for customers they sell, but would have no reason to solicit it unless their service department had no other work to do. Of course others have made a good point that a vindictive dealer is just "cutting off his nose to spite his face"! A smart dealer will agree to do as much work as he can with the facilities he has to maximize profits and future customers. But - They are not in the service business(normally) for their primary income - they are in trailer sales for that, and service is necessary to accommodate those customers.
And that is their choice just like it is my choice to find someone else to do my work. Interestingly though there are RV dealers out there who have lost financing (DeWalt in PA) for example that are trying to keep open on Service and Parts. There are companies out there that all they do is Service and Parts and some of them have been flat out busy all through this down turn.
Millers RV down in Baton Rogue had a dead lot as far as their sales lot. Their service lot was packed when we had our rig in there. All bays going and adds in the paper for another paint guy.
It's all a choice I would think a good RV dealer would want all the customers he could get after all 80% of something is better then 100% of nothing but as has been pointed out I'm not in business.
Mallo
Eloise - 2000 F350 7.3 DRW XL, Reading Flatbed, King Ranch Leather, AIS, MBRP 4" Ex
The Chinese Princess - 2007 Hitchhiker II LS 32.5 LKSBG
Your Kung Fu is weak!
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Lantley
Ellicott City, Maryland
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My local dealer was quick to inform me he would not perform any warranty work on my TT when it was new. I never needed any warranty work and my warranty has long expired. Since then we have developed a luke warm relationship. I have ordered parts through them and they have completed some quick repairs for me while I waited. They were very gracious and bent over backwards to allow me to pull up on short notice and they worked on my rig right away.
In hindsight and as a business owner I do have a better understanding of my local dealers policy and dilemma.
I will shop around for my next rig and travel as far as necessary to obtain a better deal. I will give the local dealers a chance to meet my best deal.
If the local dealer can't or won't match a price, I will take the savings and worry about warranty when the time comes.
As rons@l posted above the root of this issue lies with the manufactures. Their warranty claims and payment policies force dealers to be loyal to customers that purchased from them. All others can be a guaranteed losing proposition.
* This post was
edited 06/05/09 04:58am by Lantley *
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RonS@Lrv
Oklahoma City
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If I understand this correctly, the original problem wasn't actually the service issue, but the pricing of the trailer. This is just a shot in the dark, but maybe "marketing" is a factor. In my experience, IF there is a huge difference in pricing from one dealer to another, it can be due to expenses incurred, such as freight, or it can be actual differences in the product offered. Some dealers order trailers in with every option that makes sense, some bare bones. The reason for the stripped down model would usually be for advertising, but you do have to have it available for sale. Of course, the average purchaser may not realize what is not there. We tend to see what IS there, but not miss what we don't see. If the product is the same, then the only difference should be extra expenses. How can any dealer expect to make $9000 more than his competitor for the exact same product? Be sure to investigate what you are actually buying. Maybe the bare bones model is what you actually want. Can your local dealer order it that way for the same or close price?
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mike77leprechaun
Ishpeming, MI
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Sandy & Shirley wrote:I'm not a dealer and have no connection to any kind of sales, but if I were a dealer, I'd take care of MY customers before I took care of someone else's. Even if I did take you in for service, and I promised to have you repaired on a certain date, if one of MY customers came in with a problem, you would wait. It would not be my job to take care of the customers of another dealership that (just guessing here) has dedicated his business to selling cheap and not supporting HIS customers with proper service.
That said, if you had just moved in from out of state, I'd take care of you, or if you were passing through, same thing, but if you were in my sales area and did not buy from me, you are at the bottom of my list. My LOYAL customers come first!
my thoughts exactly. I got pushed out of the service by (literally) once because a competing dealer's rig was having trouble and the owners were leaving on a vacation the next day. after a heated argument with the owner My rig was repaired first and they still lost the repeat business. I had an appointment and they were working on it then wanted to have me leave it there so they could "get the other people on the road" as if my time wasn't valuable, what a joke.
2011 Salem 29qbds Towed with a 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500.
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