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Old 08-03-2007, 01:14 PM   #1
Kojak
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Warranty issues.

OK, I've been around the RV biz for 11 years now, prior I was in the Car biz for 17 years. This industry is traversing the same lines the American car industry has. In 1982, customer service was a necessity rather than a part of your buying/ownership experience. CSI (Customer Service Index) was unheard of. If the internet was as prevalent then as it is today these forums would read the same. The car industry finally came around to understanding they would lose their customers to foreign manufacturers if they didn't get a handle on quality and service.

NOW...as for the RV biz.... My opinion only.... not the dealership I work for or the manufacturer or anyone else...MY OPINION... :
This INDUSTRY..not Keystone... is at least 5 years from being able to manufacture a unit with the quality and standards needed to make the buyers have a semi happy ownership experience.

Some things to remember for the consumer:
1. These are basically temporary housing on wheels.... appliances, metal, wood, etc.... are not basically meant to be bounced around down a highway. If our state and federal highways were all 100%... a number of problems wouldn't arise... a perfect world we do NOT live in!
2. The manufacturers buy their parts from OTHER manufacturers, (eg: Dometic, Norcold, Coleman, Lippert, RCA, etc..etc..) the warranties are from each manufacturer and are facilitated by the dealer and the coach manufacturer.
3. Unfortunately, because MOST manufacturers haven't understood the concept of "genericizing" <~probably not even a word...but it will make my point. In 2002, I had a manufacturer that built 14 models of trailers, of those 14, there were 14 seperate decal packages, 52 seperate window sizes, nearly 30 different cabinets, and numerous other ridiculous amounts of NONuniform parts that could have been incorporated by using maybe 5 or 6 different windows, and making the parts more generic, like why not make a decal kit that could be used on all Travel Trailers, just design it with the backing paper so you could cut it off at the length of your trailer and BOOM..repair easy.... <~this would be too simple... I know. One manufacturer FINALLY scratched their heads and did just this last year. Their parts problems cut in half, because they had less of a chance to make mistakes by sending wrong part.
4. Another unfortunate problem is the manufacturers look for bargains, just like us consumers do, and buy maybe a mill run or end run of a carpet that maybe is being discontinued, GREAT deal..except when someone in management isn't smart enough to hold back enough for warranty repair. Then when they DO run out..they have to replace the entire carpet in the coach...WOW...did they really save any money? NOPE
5. Understand that most dealers, IF they had the proper parts, could triple the output of trailers leaving the service facility. The fact that I saw comments stating that Keystone tells customers that parts ship in 2 days.... (cough) BS!. pardon my french. If that were the case, I would have at least 25 more units busting bugs rather than collecting dust on our lot waiting on parts.

NOW for solutions:
1. Manufacturers need to have a more efficient way of parts inventory, and the people working to pull these parts and ship them need to be more astute and be SURE what they are shipping is correct. Our service/parts personnel even take pictures and send to the parts departments, we still have at least 30% of parts ordered coming in WRONG! We fade the heat, but the manufacturers blame the dealer.
2. The manufacturers need to do what the car industry does, be able to plug in a customers VIN number and it tell them WHAT parts are actually on this coach, that way it SHOULD ? be nearly impossible to ship the wrong part.
3. Have a more clear relationship with the vendors they use to get these parts from. Dealerships are at the mercy of the individual manufacturers of the parts... I hear, more than once, how the supplier can't get the parts to us/them any quicker.
4. The manufacturers need to have a computer system, similar to car industry, where the individual dealers can actually access the parts database and order the parts electronically, rather than sending emails. What happens now is the dealer ascertains the problem, orders the parts, and from what I have found, no less than 3 seperate people handle either the paper or the actual part coming to the dealer, yet 3 seperate chances of having something WRONG! If they dealer ordered the part electronically, and the part number is correct, then someone with a 3rd grade education that can read a box that has the part number on it.... could pull it and send it.

The ultimate problem is the INDUSTRY as a whole, these problems are prevalent in nearly every manufacturer ..NOT JUST KEYSTONE...
If the Japanese ever decided to get in the biz... and we have "toyota" or "nissan" RVs... it would force their American counterparts to actually do some of the things mentioned above.

OK, i'm off my pedestal

Waiting patiently for the onslaught of hate mail ! HA!
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Old 10-01-2007, 08:24 PM   #2
Shoulda Bought a Jayco
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Join Date: Oct 2007
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My biggest problem is the problems that have plagued my trailer from day one. The big problems that after 3 attempts for the dealer to repair the same defect are still worse than ever. The shotty work that has been done, is the problem. The problem has not been getting the wrong parts
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Old 08-19-2008, 06:09 PM   #3
the rambler
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I agree completly with you that the manufactuering of RV's could improve, and not cost more because of savings after the sale. What will it take to get their attention and put out better products. I have sent emails to Keystone advising of the problems with the local dealer, Fun Time RV of the Dallas, Fort Worth area. Keystone informed me that parts are usually sent in 2 business days???? I think we have a twofold problem, Manufacture and dealer service.
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Old 10-19-2008, 08:45 PM   #4
Genessa
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What do you suggest to do when they say your seals are loose and fix them. Never had a leak on the pull out before and today I walked into my trailer and water has saturated my floor and walls! My walls are splitting! Now I have a 30k trailer that is 2 yrs old and its in the process of rotting! Since they messed with my seals are they going to fix my rotten floor and walls now! My walls are destroyed!
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Old 11-26-2008, 09:52 PM   #5
roger
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Posts: 21
Get a lawyer

Don't let time go by,let these people know you are not going to mess with this, if you don't you've just shot down your chances of getting it fixed at their costs. Would you live in a house and have water running into it everytime it rains?
Do you want to go on a vacation to relax, breath in mold when you go to bed all nite long only to wake up and feel like you've been breathing thru an old gym sock all nite?
If you don't do anything about the leak and only except that this is how it is, and just thru away thousands of dollars please just send the money to me next time.
One last thing if you still camp with this water/mold if you don't smoke,you should take it up because it would be safer than breathing mold at lease it has a filter.
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Old 01-28-2009, 02:37 PM   #6
roger
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Posts: 21
Warranty issues

I just want to let everybody know where I bought my JUNK that leaks. I bought it at WALNUT RIDGE RV in Indiana. I called them about the problems and I was p***ed on to Keystone real fast. The problem I'm having is that they sold it to me and thats as far as it goes. I'd have the same backing from the seller if I bought it from 7-11 and nobody spoke english. Took my money and is now hiding behind the crappy warranty offered from the manufacturer.
Thanks WALNUT RIDGE RV for standing behind your customer. I'm still trying to pull my pants back up after the deal you gave me.
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Old 02-01-2009, 05:00 PM   #7
grizzlygiant
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Location: Coeur d'Alene, N. Idaho
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I shudder when I remember that I almost bought a Keystone!
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GARY & EDIE MILLER
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Old 02-15-2009, 10:21 AM   #8
whippetldy1
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Scary stuff I am reading!

Kojack, you are 100% right! I wish I would have known about this forum before buying? The unit looks so nice!!!! But am sorry that I cancelled out on an Airstream that a man was going to sell us??? I could write a book about my brand new winnie that caught on fire as I was driving it!! Filled with kids and show dogs!! It sat in Ga for over a yr before my uncle got brave enough to drive it to FL! My attorneys did not get too far either...it was a design defect! Look at your older motorhomes where you fill up with gas and right directly below is the exhaust...mine over heated igniting 90 gals of gas!! We are very lucky...however a very expensive show dog never ever showed the way she did before the fire!!! I am very thankful we all survived... now just purchased this keystone and the seller said she did not know why the tank levels give false readings? Then noticed one of the screen doors won't stay shut? There are some exposed screws where they did the cabinets! Am praying that the little gash on the edge of the roof is not harboring Black Mold? The bath looks like it needs caulking ....did not notice any signs of any leaks?? But hopefully we can fix these glitches without too many probs or much $$$$????? I know a man in the Airstream forums said take an ice pick with you to check the flooring (under carpet?) for soft spots? I hope that we did not buy another LEMON!!! My daughter has no children yet and from the stuff I saw about the Katrina victims and their children is just terrrible...to think that our govt., could do this to people....I am hoping that since this Outback is 2004 that maybe it won't have Formayldahyde probs??? I do know that they just recently started selling these FEMA nightmares again here in FL and that most all of the Manufacturers were making them too many to name!! Keeping fingers crossed that we all have better luck!
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