what do I do ?

[lilaccamper]

I dont know exactly where this belongs but here goes. About a year ago we bought a brand new Palomino pop up camper. We have had nothing but trouble with it ever since. We feel the dealer sold us a bad camper. My question is who do I contact about this? I live in PA.  I have tried to speak to the owner of the dealership but he claims all the problems we have been having are normal and can happen anytime. We have had such things happen as the door doesnt fit properly the sinked leaked the very first time we used it the hot water heater sometimes takes 5 or 6 tries to light it. then our lastest problem was the lift system went out on it after storing it for the winter we only used the camper twice last summer we took it back to the dealer who has had the camper for almost 6 weeks now finally got it back today pop it up and found that the control panel was missing and there were live wires hanging from where the panel should be thank goodness hubby hadnt plug it in yet. so I take a picture go back to dealer and show it to him and all the guys in the garage no one will own up to taking that panel off. they wanted us to haul it back and I said no way you come and get it. I really dont think all these problems are normal. does anyone know what we can do? We are tired of paying for something that doesnt work  right. hope someone can help us out

Thaks                                    Debbi

[Recumbentman]

Hello lilaccamper
Welcome to PUT
I think you should read the following thread that was written by a PU member, this really explains thing. new to popups
you will find that a lot of your problems are really just little things that happen. some of the things like the water heater are just a fact of life. if you read the old postings you will see that a lot of people have these problems with just about any popup or any RV for that matter. the trick with the water heater is that you should first light your stove so the gas line gets purge of any air. then light the water heater. some people even cut a pvc pipe to fit above the pilot switch to hold it down until it lights. again read the past topics and you will find alot of answers to your problems.
If you don't............. just ask a few questions at a time.  

[wavery]

The problems that you have listed don't seem terribly serious or unusual (IMO) and I would think that most people that buy a new RV (of any kind) may experience. It's called, "Working the bugs out". I'm not saying that it is right or acceptable.......I'm just saying that it is a fact of life.

However, your latest problem is not at all acceptable. I don't blame you for being upset about it but you may be stuck working it out with the dealer. I wouldn't waste any time taking it back to them. When you pick it up next time, make sure that you open it up with the manager being right there. Examine the PU thoroughly and don't accept it if it is not right.

As for the door, make sure that your PU is level and your stabilizers are down. If you don't, you may have problems with the fit of the door. Next time that you pick up the PU, open it up, level it and put the stabilizers down. The door should fit easily and if it doesn't, something is wrong and they should fix it.

Good luck with it.

[lwbfl]

The problems that you have listed don't seem terribly serious or unusual (IMO) and I would think that most people that buy a new RV (of any kind) may experience. It's called, "Working the bugs out". I'm not saying that it is right or acceptable.......I'm just saying that it is a fact of life.

However, your latest problem is not at all acceptable. I don't blame you for being upset about it but you may be stuck working it out with the dealer. I wouldn't waste any time taking it back to them. When you pick it up next time, make sure that you open it up with the manager being right there. Examine the PU thoroughly and don't accept it if it is not right.

As for the door, make sure that your PU is level and your stabilizers are down. If you don't, you may have problems with the fit of the door. Next time that you pick up the PU, open it up, level it and put the stabilizers down. The door should fit easily and if it doesn't, something is wrong and they should fix it.

Good luck with it.

I beleive the dealer should have explained all those "problems" to you when you purchased the PUP.  The panel deal is unacceptable, they most certainly do have to replace and re-install it.  I'd insist on watching them do it too!

[DOUBBLEJ]

there are lemon laws in every state so check to see if you can do anything

[tlhdoc]

there are lemon laws in every state so check to see if you can do anything

Lemon laws usually apply to motor vehicles.
 
As for the problems with the PU.  If the door doesn't fit, the PU is probably not level.  The water heater often takes several attempts to light.  I don't even close the door on mine until it has heated the water the first time.  The sink leaking is just a matter of tightening the part.  Not unusual, but still a PITA for the owner.
 
Now the missing control panel is a whole different thing.  I don't blame you for telling the dealer to come and get the PU.  What dealer is it and where are  they located?  I hope you get your camper back and still have time to enjoy it this summer.

[batsignal2]

Not sure if this will help you feel better about your situation, but:

1. Last year I replaced all the fittings to my sink with new RV fittings because the sink was leaking at each junction.  I removed all the tubing prior to the winter (I do not have a hot water heater) instead of winterizing, etc.  Re-installed everything at the beginning of the year and everything was fine.  We had a couple weeks of very high temps and I think it expanded the tubing/plastic fittings and created leaks....again.  So, I replaced everything again but using a higher strength tubing and brass fittings.  We have been fine since.  We also started using a pressure fitting to lower the water pressure on the hose and tubing.

2. Last year, our door suddenly wasn't fitting properly even when level.  I spoke to the Starcraft tech and they sent me diagrams on how to adjust the height stop on the roof to alleviate that problem.  I was able to adjust it to allow the roof to go up higher.  It happens when the cables get older, etc.

3. We do not have a water heater on this pop-up on purpose.  Our last pop-up had one and it gave us fits with starting also.  We felt it was not important for us to have one so we went without it.

So, we feel your pain on everything you listed.  You are not alone.  Our first leak on the sink came 3 months after purchasing it.

However, I do agree with everyone else about the repair work issue.  That was inappropriate to say the least.

[Petra]

Agree with the others. Don't let the minor stuff spoil things for you. The dealer sounds like a lemon though.
The only serious problem I have had with my Niagara was when the crank mechanism broke inside and I couldn't lower it (glad I wasn't on one of our normal deep woods trips). We were getting ready to leave for one though so I called my dealer and the manager drove right over (about 10mi RT), assessed the situation, went back to get parts then came back to repair it in our driveway. I think your dealer should definitely come out and make the repair but it may not be worth the fight.

[griffsdad]

There are a few things you can do.
 
1. Contact an attorney that specializes in lemon law in your area. Give him/her a call and see if you have a case. Ask first if the consultation is free or if there is a charge. In California, most lemon law attorneys would give you a consultation for free and if you have a case, then they would take your case on a contingent fee basis - i.e. they don't get paid until there is a settlement. Usually they will take 1/3 of the settlement if the case does not go to trial.
 
2. See an attorney that specializes in consumer law - see above.
 
3. Take the employer to small claims court. In California you pay a small filing fee for the complaint and then you must have the complaint served on the dealership so that they have notice of your small claims action. In California - no lawyers allowed in small claims. I don't know about your part of the country. Caveat - you lose in small claims in California as a plaintiff, there is NO RIGHT TO APPEAL. If you win in small claims in California - the defendant CAN APPEAL.

[tlhdoc]

1. Contact an attorney that specializes in lemon law in your area.

In PA Lemon Laws only apply to motor vehicles.  A PU would not be covered under that law.

[ptbrauch]

I'm kind of disappointed to hear that so many people are willing to just accept problems like these.  These types of things don't have to be acceptable.  If the problem is with the manufacturing, then the manufacturer needs to hear about it.  Word also needs to get out to the public on forums such as this.  If word gets out and people start speaking up--especially with their dollars, improvements will be made.  

How many people would buy a car or a house, especially one brand new, that came with as many problems as it seems people are willing to accept when it comes to campers?  Some of these campers cost just as much as a car or even a house.  

I would make sure the dealership owner and the manufacturer are aware of your problems--each and every one of them.  If people accept shabby workmanship, people are going to get shabby workmanship.

I speak from experience on this.  I work for a small company which has become the industry leader, competing against the likes of Con Agra and other multinational companies, by providing high quality and good customer service.  Our customers (very large, national restaurant chains) would take their dollars from us if we were unable to maintain high levels of quality.  That's how we got their dollars in the first place--by being better than the other guy.

[griffsdad]

In PA Lemon Laws only apply to motor vehicles. A PU would not be covered under that law.

Go to options 2 and 3. In every sales contract there is an implied warranty that the product that you purchased should meet the consumer's expectations - i.e. the merchant is guaranteeing that the goods are reasonably fit for the general purpose for which they are sold. Good Luck.

[tlhdoc]

I'm kind of disappointed to hear that so many people are willing to just accept problems like these. These types of things don't have to be acceptable. If the problem is with the manufacturing, then the manufacturer needs to hear about it. Word also needs to get out to the public on forums such as this. If word gets out and people start speaking up--especially with their dollars, improvements will be made.
 
How many people would buy a car or a house, especially one brand new, that came with as many problems as it seems people are willing to accept when it comes to campers? Some of these campers cost just as much as a car or even a house.
 
I would make sure the dealership owner and the manufacturer are aware of your problems--each and every one of them. If people accept shabby workmanship, people are going to get shabby workmanship.
 
I speak from experience on this. I work for a small company which has become the industry leader, competing against the likes of Con Agra and other multinational companies, by providing high quality and good customer service. Our customers (very large, national restaurant chains) would take their dollars from us if we were unable to maintain high levels of quality. That's how we got their dollars in the first place--by being better than the other guy.

I agree with you!!!  That is why I am against doing warranty repairs yourself.  Make the dealer do them and the manufacturer pay for the warranty work.

[wavery]

If you can't trust this dealer to make simple repairs properly, I sure wouldn't let them come and tow the PU to the dealership. They don't sound like they are a real responsible group of people. I would bite the bullet and tow it myself. Then, I'd ask them for a tank of gas .

[lilaccamper]

Well we got the camper back the same night and it is fixed with a new control panel. I just hope everything stays working now. I agree with you about 'working the bugs out of it" but hubby gets upset too quickly. At least the dealer made good on it and honered the warrenty on as well but I will be reluctant to buy anything from them again. thanks for all the advice.



                                                              Debbi