Alabama, Colorado, Ohio, Utah - Dealer Experience - Service

jkjenn

How do you find dealers willing to work on your T@b when you are on the road? 

I am just now getting around to dealing with the fridge issues in my T@b. My original dealer's service department was awful - they wanted to replace my fridge under warrenty, when it worked perfectly fine, the guy in service just did not know how to light it (seriously) so there was no way I was driving the 3+ hours to get there.  I then called General RV in North Canton, OH. They wouldn't even deal with me because I did not purchase from them. Suffice it to say if I buy another new RV, it won't be from them. He was very patronizing and didn't seem to care that he was offensive in his tone.

Then I called Hadocey RV in Columbus, who seem to get rave reviews from everyone. They couldn't have been nicer and were more than happy to schedule an appointment for me. If I buy an RV, again, while I am still living in Pittsburgh, I will very likely drive to Columbus and purchase from Hadocey.

I also had to do an "emergency" stop at an RV dealer in Montrose, CO because I thought I had a propane leak - I didn't, it was more or less just loose, thankfully. I had called a couple of places that were less than friendly and then got Humphrey RV. They sounded as concerned about my issue as I was, saw me immediately when I arrived, did not charge me, and had me back on the road after showing me how to check for a leak in the future, myself. I had a similar pleasant experience at the Golden, CO Camping World when I had a bad ground in my T@b that was causing my lights not to work.

Verna

Jennifer, I relied on the great reviews on this forum for Tom's Camperland last winter when I had a a small problem. Great service, good at explaining to me what was going on and I will sing their praises while out here in the Southwest. 

jkjenn

Verna said:

Jennifer, I relied on the great reviews on this forum for Tom's Camperland last winter when I had a a small problem. Great service, good at explaining to me what was going on and I will sing their praises while out here in the Southwest. 

Thanks, Verna. I made sure I wrote a great review on Yelp for Humphrey. It's so weird that these dealers don't get that word of mouth and online reviews matter, these days. I called HAdocey, primarily because of the great things folks on here and on the FB groups have said.

Photomom

I don't get it. Have they never heard of social media or online reviews? Do they have so much business they just don't care?

Nomad

It's a problem. 
Luckily I've only had two things I've needed help with - brakes and fridge.
Brakes - Couldn't find anyone in western AZ - Called around in Yuma, Quartzite, Parker, Lake Havasu City, Bullhead City (all up the Colorado) - Finally found a place in Las Vegas.
Fridge - Used the Norcold dealer/service finder but it is out of date and several places listed no longer service Norcold. Took three different service guys spread out over 800 miles to finally get it working. First guy replaced the thermocouple, that didn't do it so he was at a loss. Second guy determined it was the circuit board and got it working BUT, didn't tighten one of the bolts tight enough so it quit working two weeks later and 500 miles away. Third guy found the loose connector another week later and another 300 miles away.
Found many service centers that were booked 2-3 weeks out. Great if you're snowbird sitting in one place for months - not good if you're traveling. Also found that most don't carry parts, they order as needed so you'd be sitting for however long that would take. With the fridge it was faster/cheaper for me to order the thermocouple from Amazon (overnight) than the service guy getting it from the distribution center (3-days). For the circuit board I paid an extra $150 for expediated delivery (3-days vs 10).
For some general things (like a propane leak) you could probably find a local specialist (furnace guy) I would think. Definetly helps to be handy.

jkjenn

PXLated said:

It's a problem. 
Luckily I've only had two things I've needed help with - brakes and fridge.
Brakes - Couldn't find anyone in western AZ - Called around in Yuma, Quartzite, Parker, Lake Havasu City, Bullhead City (all up the Colorado) - Finally found a place in Las Vegas.
Fridge - Used the Norcold dealer/service finder but it is out of date and several places listed no longer service Norcold. Took three different service guys spread out over 800 miles to finally get it working. First guy replaced the thermocouple, that didn't do it so he was at a loss. Second guy determined it was the circuit board and got it working BUT, didn't tighten one of the bolts tight enough so it quit working two weeks later and 500 miles away. Third guy found the loose connector another week later and another 300 miles away.
Found many service centers that were booked 2-3 weeks out. Great if you're snowbird sitting in one place for months - not good if you're traveling. Also found that most don't carry parts, they order as needed so you'd be sitting for however long that would take. With the fridge it was faster/cheaper for me to order the thermocouple from Amazon (overnight) than the service guy getting it from the distribution center (3-days). For the circuit board I paid an extra $150 for expediated delivery (3-days vs 10).
For some general things (like a propane leak) you could probably find a local specialist (furnace guy) I would think. Definetly helps to be handy.

I will take on a lot of stuff myself, but the fridge seems like a real pain. They did recommend I drop it off and leave it in case they needed to order parts. I sort of get that they might need to order parts...there are so many different fridges out there and they can't keep stocked for everything. For regular maintenance on bearings, I stop in at the local utlity trailer place. Unfortunately, the Norcold authorized service center in my area has really  bad service reviews.

Photomom said:

I don't get it. Have they never heard of social media or online reviews? Do they have so much business they just don't care?

That is exactly what I thought, too. 

There is a guy who spent a lot of timing studying RV fridges and he is now training repair people. If Hadocey had not taken me, I would have considered driving the 5 hrs to KY to see him. It shouldn't be this hard.

Nomad

In some areas, the service people are mostly mobile - Many don't have a shop you can actually go to. With the fridge, that represented two out of the three I dealt with.

T@Balong

Even though I did not purchase my trailer from them, I have taken my T@B to General RV in Wayland, Michigan for two fridge warranty fixes (vent fan and propane line) and was very satisfied both times.  I think competent extra-mile service with a smile is either part of a dealer's culture or it isn't.

Nomad

T@Balong - Those two warranty repairs are generally very, very simple. Not sure they say good or bad or competent. But service with a smile is always welcome :-)

Ramrod

Dealer service is a big problem in the RV industry. Any experience with Camping World?

jkjenn

Ramrod said:

Dealer service is a big problem in the RV industry. Any experience with Camping World?

It definitely varies by location. I had a wonderful experience at the on in Golden, CO.

DurangoTaB

Scott H promised we could get a local RV dealer to do Alde service after our T@B dealer closed...nada in over a year.  Our nearest dealer is 200 miles away. It's an odd business for sure.

Nomad

The Alde is such a unique item, betting there are very few that know anything about them.

Sharon_is_SAM

Jenn, your assessment of the North Canton General RV was spot on.  We wanted to order from a dealership as close to us as possible in case we needed warranty / repair work.  But, after a few visits, emails not returned, hand off to different salesmem, misinformation, etc. we decided that the 2 1/2 hour drive to Haydocy was worth the piece of mind.  Very well run operation.  OK, so we drive past the factory, no big deal.  I think we need a permanent thread here on the forum where Tab owners can share their experiences with RV dealerships / repair shops.  It would be helpful if listed state by state.  Administrators?

Verna

Just put your comments in this post--it will work just fine as a reference.  

ericnliz

Well, SAM, there 'ya go. Magic wand & all!

Sharon_is_SAM

Thanks Verna.  Dealer Experience should be searchable.

Nomad

SAM - I tried to set up threads on favorite campgrounds and another for boondocking in a format that was easily searchable and then hounded people to participate - finally gave up. So, good luck.

Sharon_is_SAM

Similar problem with where I work re communication when you have a changing base of participants- people coming and going all the time.  The regulars need to remember to post and the new followers of the forum need to search for the thread.  My personal solution is an email file that is alphabetized by state for a given topic.  So for example, whenever someone has a favorable report on a campground or place to visit, I copy and paste and send an email to myself with the subject listed as a state.  Cumbersome, but it works!
  
Rest assured PXLated, I have bookmarked your boondocking sites!  Keep it up!

jkjenn

boo said:

jkjenn, wasn`t it you that had a problem with the side exterior wall of your camper rippling?. How did that turn out?.

Yes, I have been in touch with PV and will bring it to the factory, soon (after the fridge repair.)  I put it off until late winter because I am too busy in the fall.

jkjenn

SAM said:

Similar problem with where I work re communication when you have a changing base of participants- people coming and going all the time.  The regulars need to remember to post and the new followers of the forum need to search for the thread.  My personal solution is an email file that is alphabetized by state for a given topic.  So for example, whenever someone has a favorable report on a campground or place to visit, I copy and paste and send an email to myself with the subject listed as a state.  Cumbersome, but it works!
  
Rest assured PXLated, I have bookmarked your boondocking sites!  Keep it up!

Try an online notebook like Onenote or Evernote. It's pretty easy and makes organization a snap.

PXLated said:

SAM - I tried to set up threads on favorite campgrounds and another for boondocking in a format that was easily searchable and then hounded people to participate - finally gave up. So, good luck.

I know for me, I am already writing up reviews on another site and following their format and it's too time consuming to do it for 2 different places.

Nomad

Jenn - It's that folks are writing up mini reviews and posting them all over the forum so it's not really more work (or very little) just doing it a certain way and posting (or copy/pasting) into a master thread. That certain way is simply ... ST - City/Town - Campground Name ... That makes it easily searchable by three criteria. The rest of the info/pics are gravy.

Sharon_is_SAM

Thanks Jenn.  I will make that a summer project!

sabel

Had an interesting discussion at the Billings Sportsmen's Expo last Friday. Our Billings dealer had a large display with Little Guy there.  The salesmen seemed completely uninterested when I told them Bretz Billings wasn't even listed as a T@B dealer. When I nicely started discussing all of the issues we had with their service they simply walked away.

jkjenn

sabel said:

Had an interesting discussion at the Billings Sportsmen's Expo last Friday. Our Billings dealer had a large display with Little Guy there.  The salesmen seemed completely uninterested when I told them Bretz Billings wasn't even listed as a T@B dealer. When I nicely started discussing all of the issues we had with their service they simply walked away.

@Sabel - make sure you write a Yelp review. You might spare another RV owner the headache. It's also good to know, here, since it has to be one of the, if not the closest dealer to Yellowstone. If traveling, T@b dealers aren't always the best one to go to for repair. In both of my repair instances, I did not get help from a T@b dealer.

Nomad

If you're in the Vegas area and need service, forget the T@B dealer. While very nice and friendly, they were clueless.

fiddlefoot

As far as Hadocy goes, I drove from Virginia to Columbus because Bruce was so knowledgeable and easy to get along with.  He answered all my questions and, when I picked up the Tab, gave me his cell number with instructions to call anytime with a question.  Of course he spend hours going over how everything works, but a person can only absorb so much at a time.  I've called him a few time and he always answers and has the answer.  I'll go back, if we ever trade, not likely.

Allie

PXLated said:

If you're in the Vegas area and need service, forget the T@B dealer. While very nice and friendly, they were clueless.

That is where I bought mine from.  They said they checked everything out and it was good to go.  When I hooked up, they spotted my lights for me.  When I got to the camp ground someone told me my brake lights and turn signals were not working properly.   I was using water from the fresh water tank.  The pump was cracked and water leaked all over the kitchen area in the back and into the inside floor of the trailer.  Also, The very first time I plugged into an electric pole, the plug at the trailer went pop, sizzle.  A short from a wire not being tightened down to the plug inside the trailer was shorting out.  All of this happened my first trip out after picking up the trailer.  It should have been noticed by the dealer if they did what they said they did.  PV picked up the cost for all the repairs.  I can see why LG wanted to split from PV.  For what they paid in repairs the first year of ownership wiped out all of their profits, then some.  A good dealer would have checked those things, and fixed the issues before customer pick up.  Instead, I am very disappointed in the dealer service and the quality of the T@B.  If you are ever in the St. George, UT area and need repairs, Jim's RV Repairs on Sunset Blvd. is the best place in town.  They know what they are doing, and do it right the first time.

jkjenn

I noticed a dealer in Hurricane, too, last summer.

Torzanne

Purchasing our new T@B last October was sure a learning experience for us. We had no idea RV dealerships had a reputation for poor customer service and never thought to check on Yelp beforehand. I've never been so frustrated with a business! Long story short, we knew a few things were broken on the brand new T@B and were told they would be fixed before we took ownership. The dealership had over 3 weeks to make the repairs and after driving 2 hours to the dealership to pick it up, nothing had been fixed! Then they lied to us and said is was the fault of Little Guy because LG didn't have computers and were not good at responding to phone calls or mailing replacement parts (I called and emailed LG the next day and they were extremely responsive to both-they do have computers- and confirmed the dealership never requested the parts). We left the T@B at the dealership and it took daily phone calls for 3 more weeks before they would make repairs. I eventually had LG mail me the parts (arrived in 3 days) and I showed up at the dealership with them. This dealership is in Sacramento, CA. 

Torzanne

Oh, and did I mention we paid a service fee to have the T@B ready for pick-up and a walk thru? It took them 4 months to send us a refund for it.