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Old 12-12-2014, 10:30 AM   #1
Muskyman5
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Angry Warranty Claim

Have had a leak in my bedroom slide for 2 months. Have contacted 5 dealers from Vancouver to Southern California and each one asked if we purchased it through them. When we said NO all claim they are too busy to deal with it. NOT HAPPY AT ALL!
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Old 12-12-2014, 10:57 AM   #2
Steve S
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So why not take it back to the dealer that you bought it from?
Also yr, model and more info would help
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Old 12-12-2014, 11:35 AM   #3
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Muskyman, this isn't your local Nissan dealer you're dealing with. (I'm probably not telling you anything new) When you buy a new car it will make NO difference what dealer you take it back to for service. The service writer will write you up, tell you to get a cup of coffee and in about however many hours you're ready to go. Maybe in a small town you might see the sales person again, but not in the rest of the world. With buying a 5v'er or a TT things are a little different. That dealer you called in Hunkerdown, Oregon is laughing right now about your call. They have no reason in the world to say they will work on your beast. You don't know them, you aren't ever going to buy from them and they also don't want to argue with Keystone over a water leak in your trailer. Best you make nice with your local dealer and hope he fits you in somewhere sometime. How's the musky fishing these days, by the way? I grew up 20 miles from the Musky capital of the world and never, but never even had one on. Lots of pike, however.
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Old 12-12-2014, 11:49 AM   #4
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For a warranty claim on the "Keystone" part of the RV, an authorized dealer will have to work on it. By Keystone part, I mean the structure.
All the other components can be repaired under warranty by any shop that is authorized by the component manufacturer, i.e.: Dometic, Suburban, etc.
Unfortunately a water leak will likely be a structure issue.
Are you physically located so far from your selling dealer that it is impossible to return to them?
I have posted this before, but I really believe that this should be addressed by legislation.
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Old 12-12-2014, 11:58 AM   #5
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If it's not a warranty issue, take it to a local independent dealer. They should be able to order any parts that a dealer can. "Too Busy" seems to be a common complaint with dealers. The little guy might love your business.

If it's warranty, check first, but the local shop may be able to submit your claim. I've never had to work with a Keystone dealer but they were very nice at the main offices when I need some information.

My 2007 Everest was serviced at a local shop. I bought it used (private party) and took it to them because the Keystone dealer in my area had 44 BBB complaints last year. Makes you wonder how many they had that didn't file with the BBB.

It took about 3 weeks and they did a complete written inspection, tested or tried everything in the RV, striped and re-caulked the roof, fixed a leaky slide, faulty converter and several minor items. They were able to get all the necessary parts from Keystone for the slide.

Actually, they saved me a couple bucks by buying parts local (kitchen faucet and plumbing fittings) instead of the high priced Keystone stuff.
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Old 12-12-2014, 12:53 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Muskyman5 View Post
Have had a leak in my bedroom slide for 2 months. Have contacted 5 dealers from Vancouver to Southern California and each one asked if we purchased it through them. When we said NO all claim they are too busy to deal with it. NOT HAPPY AT ALL!
Your frustration about having been "rejected" by Keystone dealers to do work on a unit that was not purchased from them is not an uncommon. This practice goes on all the time much to the chagrin of Keystone owners - especially those who bought a unit from a dealership that is several hundred or more miles away from their residence. Other than banging your head, there isn't much that you or anyone else can do about this practice. Keystone has, I believe, indicated that they are trying to change this but I haven't seen or heard any evidence that there has been any improvement.

Even if you can find a Keystone dealership who might take a look at the leaking problem, getting Keystone to authorize a repair on a leak will not be an easy task and could take a long, long time. Just check out Keystone's disclaimer in their warranty section about what is covered and what is not. Leaks and damage caused by them are a hard sell from the consumer's standpoint.

Rather than spend more time beating your head against a brick wall, I'd bite the bullet, find a reliable service center who will examine your unit and carry out any repairs necessary. It's probably not a good idea to have your unit sitting around and leaking for a long period of time. If it has been leaking for 2 months - that's too long!! The longer it leaks the more damage it will cause.

It may be a simple, inexpensive repair but one that certainly needs attending to sooner rather than later.

Let's hope that it is both easy and cheap!
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Old 12-12-2014, 01:06 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Muskyman5 View Post
Have had a leak in my bedroom slide for 2 months. Have contacted 5 dealers from Vancouver to Southern California and each one asked if we purchased it through them. When we said NO all claim they are too busy to deal with it. NOT HAPPY AT ALL!
One thing you might want to consider doing is to contact Keystone Customer Service, explain the situation and ask them for names/phone numbers of INDEPENDENT service centers in your area that are approved by Keystone to do repair service under warranty. They usually aren't associated with a dealership and make their profit from dealing with any (and all) RV's of any brand. If you and Keystone reach an agreement to get one of these independent's to look at your trailer, at least you'll be headed in the right direction. As Festus2 indicated, leaks are a "difficult sell" with Keystone and damage from a 2 month old leak may complicate any claim you might have had "months ago".

Best to contact Keystone, discuss your options and see where that takes you. As you've learned, dealerships that didn't sell you the RV are "not your friend" when you start requesting they do you a favor. For the most part, if you didn't "scratch their back" when you bought, they won't "scratch your back" when you need something from them either.

Good Luck,
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Old 01-12-2015, 06:12 PM   #8
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This makes me wonder what kind of service I would get if I were half way across the country and something happened where I needed warranty work just to get it back home.
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Old 01-12-2015, 07:54 PM   #9
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I Personaly hate to take anything to the dealer. I had two leaks in my tt went to closet rv store and purchase rubber roof self leveling caulk. ReSealed all vents on top. Just had a rain storm and no leaks.
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Old 01-12-2015, 09:16 PM   #10
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This is the "cry" of the RV industry. I will not go as far to paint all dealers with the same brush as I am sure there are some out there that do not do this. Having experiances the same thing myself not buying local it was very frustrating.

I have bought local since and have no issues with warranty, but did stay away from the dealers who told me no.
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Old 01-12-2015, 09:37 PM   #11
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I cannot for the life of me understand why folks join the forum, give little or no info on their trailer, cry foul, post about their problem and then never come back to see if anyone has a solution for them.
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Old 01-13-2015, 04:55 AM   #12
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I cannot for the life of me understand why folks join the forum, give little or no info on their trailer, cry foul, post about their problem and then never come back to see if anyone has a solution for them.
Well, I think they either just want to vent or they work for one of Keystone's competitors?
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Old 01-13-2015, 05:12 AM   #13
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I cannot for the life of me understand why folks join the forum, give little or no info on their trailer, cry foul, post about their problem and then never come back to see if anyone has a solution for them.
Or they didn't bookmark the page and forgot where they posted. Don't ask how I know that happens
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Old 03-02-2015, 08:05 PM   #14
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One question - How do you buy "local" when you are full-time and live all over the country?

Face it. As newbies, you are told by dealers that you can have your warranty work done at any authorized Keystone dealer. They tell you anything to sell you a unit.

Another thought - if you AREN'T full-time and DO buy from your local dealer, what about when you are on the road for your yearly vacation and have problems?
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Old 03-03-2015, 09:24 AM   #15
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I don't know about other dealerships but; we bought our current 2014 trailer at a CW in W TX. We took our first long trip to FL and along the way we lost a sliding door, had broken roller/hinges and busted woodwork. When we arrived at our final destination in FL I called the CW in Tallahassee and explained our situation. They said I could bring it in but it might be two weeks before parts would come in. I explained I was living in it and that I could repair the damage that occurred. They ordered the parts and got the warranty approved (after I provided explanations and pictures). They kept in contact with me every few days with updates and notified me immediately when the parts came in. Again, they were willing to take me in if I had wanted to do that so I have no problems thus far with either CW or Keystone.
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Old 03-03-2015, 10:10 AM   #16
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Just wanted to add some clarification on my earlier post. There are lots of complaints about having to leave your camper for long periods at the dealership and our dealings in FL illustrate why....and I do believe that issue belongs to Keystone. From the time we submitted our claim to Keystone from the Tallahassee CW it took them 9 days to approve the claim. After that it took 17 days for the parts to arrive at CW Tallahassee. To me that is an issue and it illustrates how a person taking a unit in for seemingly minor repairs ends up waiting a month to get it back. In this case it was 26 days just to get the repairs authorized and parts to the dealer. If they had been doing the work I suspect it would have been another two weeks on top of that. To me this illustrates the predicament that we as owners are in at times.
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Old 03-03-2015, 11:05 AM   #17
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Backing what sourdough is saying while responding to vmyoung61.

Complaints regarding people breaking down or major work needed while traveling does not seem to be an issue. Read plenty on here regarding those situations and most places will bend over backward for a stranded camper. Where the complaints come in is when someone buys many miles away and then contacts the local dealer to do the warranty work for it.

I am sure there is often a second part of the story not being told. The part where the dealer was shopped, spent time and then dickered with and would not budge. Was told we are buying it there if you do not come down in price and the two sides have a repour.

That is not always the case though, I did buy local, moved to not local, was told by the one of my now local rv dealer to pound sand. I did pound sand, have spent a 100k locally in this new town on RVs, that dealer has sold me a camp toaster, rv toilet paper, light bulb and a rynoflex sewer hose joiner. Each time it was while I was taking my new campers out for the first time, making sure it was parked square in his lot and the temp sticker still on them. Yeah that's right, I'm petty and I do it.
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Old 03-03-2015, 06:30 PM   #18
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Just wanted to add some clarification on my earlier post. There are lots of complaints about having to leave your camper for long periods at the dealership and our dealings in FL illustrate why....and I do believe that issue belongs to Keystone. From the time we submitted our claim to Keystone from the Tallahassee CW it took them 9 days to approve the claim. After that it took 17 days for the parts to arrive at CW Tallahassee. To me that is an issue and it illustrates how a person taking a unit in for seemingly minor repairs ends up waiting a month to get it back. In this case it was 26 days just to get the repairs authorized and parts to the dealer. If they had been doing the work I suspect it would have been another two weeks on top of that. To me this illustrates the predicament that we as owners are in at times.
This is spot on! Thanks for pointing this out
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Old 03-03-2015, 06:41 PM   #19
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Backing what sourdough is saying while responding to vmyoung61.

Complaints regarding people breaking down or major work needed while traveling does not seem to be an issue. Read plenty on here regarding those situations and most places will bend over backward for a stranded camper. Where the complaints come in is when someone buys many miles away and then contacts the local dealer to do the warranty work for it.

I am sure there is often a second part of the story not being told. The part where the dealer was shopped, spent time and then dickered with and would not budge. Was told we are buying it there if you do not come down in price and the two sides have a repour.

That is not always the case though, I did buy local, moved to not local, was told by the one of my now local rv dealer to pound sand. I did pound sand, have spent a 100k locally in this new town on RVs, that dealer has sold me a camp toaster, rv toilet paper, light bulb and a rynoflex sewer hose joiner. Each time it was while I was taking my new campers out for the first time, making sure it was parked square in his lot and the temp sticker still on them. Yeah that's right, I'm petty and I do it.
X96 I understand where you are coming from as a consumer but there is another side to this. I am a dealer GM/owner and have been for 15 years. My store is one of the "bad" stores because we only do warranty work on units we sell. First, there is a big difference between a "traveler" vs someone that lives local and bought out of the area. Generally speaking, the traveler coming through is normally on vacation and only has 1 or maybe two issues that are normally pretty easy to take care of. They are very thankful if you can help them. Again, generally speaking the local owner that bought somewhere else brings a unit in with a list of items. Quite often some of these items are not covered by warranty as they should have been taken care of on the pdi. Other times it's a stain in the carpet or a scratch in cabinet door. Again, these are not covered by the warranty. I have had many customers leave our store very angry with US because items like these are not covered. Then there are things that are not really wrong, but the customer just does not know how to operate it because they had it shipped in and never went through an orientation. Again, Keystone is not going to cover any of this. Add all of this to the FACT that warranty is a money loser anyway and you can start to understand why some of us decide not to do it. So after years of dealing with these kinds of issues and still having unhappy customers, we made the decision to not do it any longer and while I know that also makes some customers unhappy, we have never been sorry for doing it. I know some folks don't like it but dealers are a for profit business and if warranty made us money, we would all do it.

On edit, I would also add that Keystone/Dutchmen customer service/warranty support is one of the best if not the best in the towable side of the RV industry. Even at that, its not a profit center for us
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Old 03-03-2015, 07:02 PM   #20
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I understand the pain of the dealers, but I do have to toss out here that any dealer who sells an expensive extended warranty, that covers bupkis...

And I mean it... if they even OFFER them, and then complains that warranty isn't a profit maker... doesn't get too many tears from me. Keystone warranty may be a money loser but how many people get suckered into the extended warranties at most dealerships?

Frankly that one move right there, lowered my view of my otherwise "good rated" dealer, by orders of magnitude.

Just stop selling them and explain that you don't because they sucketh mightily.

First 5er, so we made the standard mistake, before doing enough research on them, and have one, and so far, with paying the dealer over 10% of the new cost of the unit for roof repairs NOT covered by Keystone ... and therefore also NOT covered by the extended warranty...

The general feeling is that the dealer has reached into my wallet deeply, twice, for what they should have reached into it once for.

I'm fine with it. Live and learn.

In the grand scheme of things a different vehicle extended warranty saved me from over $13K in repairs to an automobile, so I'm still ahead of the extended warranty game.

Karma. I was due for some payback on that one. Ha.

But dealers who sell them, and then smile and say "none of that is covered", knowing the most common repairs are not covered (come on, I know your service department computer system tracks this, I'm slow but not stupid haha), should just knock it off. Really. Nothing good between customer and dealer can ever come of that. It's an almost guaranteed no-win for the customer and win for the dealer in the vast majority of common repair cases, I bet.

Selling the typical RV extended warranty, is just total crap for customer service, and every dealer with a service department tracking system knows it. Private dealers should leave it for other dealers to do to customers and just stop offering them in the finance office.

It's about as customer friendly as selling junk bonds. Haha.

Every time I open up that nice thick book of trailer paperwork and maintenance stuff all pretty and embossed with the dealer's name and address, guess what two things are on the left and the right? Left is a file folder with the receipts for all the stuff not covered, and right is the glossy pretty sales pitch the dealer handed me for the great-deal extended warranty. Guess who I'll associate with no wanting to do business again with by looking in that book every time I put a new receipt for even standard maintenance in it?

Worst marketing ever. "Here's what we didn't do for you."

Just sayin'...
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