Dealer experiences and Warranty work

[az951]

I can rant on this subject quite a bit.  Here's my story.  I decided I wanted to but a new pop up because our old one was just that,  old.  So my girlfriend and I started going to all the outdoor shows in the area, looking around for the style and options we wanted.  So we figured everything out that we wanted after looking at about 100 pamphlets and countless floor plans.  So we took a drive down to our local Palomino dealer, I'll call him dealer 1, and explained to him what we wanted.  he said "you don't want a popup,  you want a travel trailer."  so after going on for about 15 minutes of why I didn't want a popup, He told us of a new trailer that was coming out.  He didn't have any in stock but he said he was getting them in a few days.  So I took the benefit of a doubt and waited for them to come in.  We went down there a week later,  the same salesman had no idea who we were,  and said "why are you looking at a trailer if you want a popup?"  So we looked at the trailer,  very flimsy only slept 2  and you had to put the table down.  Not at all what we were looking for.  So I went online and did some research and found the one we wanted on there.  It was located up in albany ny,  which is about 4 hours away from me, but they had another dealer thats about an hour and a half from me,  I'll call them dealer 2.  So long story short,  we drove up to albany to see it.  we decided that it was exactly what we wanted,  but since it was a left over,  the dealer up in albany robbed some parts out of it.  So it was shipped to dealer 2 so they can put it into service and replace the parts that were missing.  Well a week later,  dealer 2 calls me up and tells me that some of the parts that were missing are not standard items and that I would have to pay for them,  so after proving to him that they were standard parts,  he agreed that I would have to pay nothing.  So then,  about a week after that,  dealer 2 calls me once again to tell me that the parts are now on back order and will be 3-4 weeks before they get them.  By this time I was starting to get fustrated and just told him to call me when its done.   So a month and a half later,  we go down to pick up our new camper.  It was so nice,  Had the "new camper smell" to it.  we were very pleased by it.   So after using it a few times I realized I didn't like the awning setup.  So down to dealer 1 I go,  I figured the parts department would be different from the sales department, well,  I was wrong.  I had to deal with the same guy from sales in parts.  So when I told him what I wanted and what kind of camper it was,  he asked me what I paid for it at dealer 2.  So I told him and he goes " I could have sold you a 2008 model with more options for $800 more" I just kind of dropped it and told him I was happy with what I had.  I asked him about his service department and if they worked on anyones camper, he said yes.  so I then asked him if he also does warranty work.  He said "we're a dealer,  we have to".  I got my parts and was satisfied knowing I had a close dealer willing to work with me.

    Now we will fast forward to our last trip in the middle of October.  Over the summer I noticed a small hairline crack beginning where the glass bent on the end of the roof,  it wasn't very big, I figured I would take it to the dealer at the end of camping season.  Well it wasn't bad till our last camping trip in october to Worlds End State Park.  Temps dipped into the teens and it was pretty chilly.  So we packed up and left on sunday, we get home and the crack in the roof that was really small and a hairline was now about 4 inches long and starting to open up. So that tuesday I got on the phone with Palomino and explained it to them.  They had me email them pictures of the crack and the roof.  They said it was a defect and that they will replace the roof under warranty,  Just go to your local dealer and have them contact the factory rep.  So I was thrilled, knowing that its approved and I have a willing dealer to work with me.  Well,   come to find out,  dealer 1 is no longer willing to work with me,  they said if I had bought it there they would do it,  but since I bought it elsewhere,  I will have to pay $435 to have them replace the roof.  So now I'm mad,  dealer 1 asks me why I didn't by the popup there to begin with,  so I told them the story on what the salesman said to me.  The lady goes to me  "you'll have that sometimes but it's still going to be $435 because we have to have it shipped in special and we have to discard the old roof".  Well long story short I have an appointment dec. 20 with dealer 2 to get the roof replaced.  I rather spend the money in gas and drive and hour and a half than deal with dealer 1,  My buisness is done with them.  Sorry about the long rant but I needed to get that off my chest.

     Anyone else have any experiences like this?

[Used 2B PopUPTimes]

I hear about dealer 1's too often. All RV dealers get paid by the mfr for warranty work but for some reason too many RV dealers have their heads in the sand when it comes to customer serivce.  They're very territorial and get offended when people drive hours away for a better deal or better service. With limited sales opportunities the RV dealers should welcome anybody who comes through the door. You may buy a pop up today, a travel trailer next year and a diesel pusher when that promotion at work comes through but not from a dealer who treats people with no respect. And the word spreads fast.

There are a number of excellent rv dealers who practice good customer service and hopefully they'll survive this resession. Unfortunately, I hear about more dealer 1's and hope they don't make it.

[He Ruide]

I agree 100 percent with Dave's comments.  In my case I keep going to the dealer who I bought my PUPs from for service and warranty work even though he is almost 100 miles away.

I learned to value my dealer when I was on a two week camping trip in Utah.  My dealer was willing to send parts to me at the camp ground via over night mail... while I was getting the cold shoulder from two local dealers.

Ruide

[GeneF]

I won't comment on the four local dealers that I have dealt with over the years because it has been on both sides of the fence, good and bad.


I will say that I have had three fairly minor emergencies while on the road and hundreds of miles from home, all three dealerships didn't ask where I purchased the trailer, they just took the trailer in and fixed it within a reasonable time while I waited.

[Popupper]

Dave - how about a forum for dealer reviews? It could help our fellow pop uppers from making a mistake.

[CajunCamper]

I must admit, the salesman that sold me my brand new 1997 Coleman Santa Fe back in 97 spoiled me. He never tried to talk me into buying anything different, he educated me on the pop ups he had and that was it. He let us make up our own minds and when we settled on the Santa Fe, he seemed to be as exited about it as we were. Come to find out, my salesman lived about a 1/4 of a mile away from me and after about a month of owning our Santa Fe, we seemed to have difficulty sliding the king size bunk end in and out. I called him and told him  about it and without question he said, "let me put you on hold for a second so I can talk to the service manager and set a time for you to get your Santa Fe in" well after about 30 seconds he said "we have an opening tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. and then said, "if it's okay with you, I'll just swing by your house in the morning, hook your Santa Fe up to my truck and bring it in to work with me. I'll have the problem taken care of and then bring it back to you when it's fixed." Well I said sure that sounds great. And he did just that.

Over the years I've been into that dealership many times for one thing or another and he always stops what he's doing when he sees me and walks over to shake my hand and say hello.

He has a big wall in his office where he puts up photographs that his customers send him from all the different places they've visited in their pop ups, TT's and so on. He bugged me for a long time to get me to send him a photo and I finally did.

Oh by the way his name is Rhett and he was always in the top 5 in the nation when it came to selling Coleman popups.

He knows how to take care of his customers and that's why he always does so well.

CajunCamper

[Dray]

I was lucky when I bought my pu.  I found a dealer who sold ONLY POPUPS!  Yeah really!  I was like a kid in a candy store.  Anyways, they were extremely helpful, knowledgeable, friendly and willing to do some warranty work a year later quickly and hassle free.

[Used 2B PopUPTimes]

I think most FFT / Coleman dealers are different and their pop up salespeople are factory trained.