Warranty no Joke anymore - Page 2 - Montana Owners Club

HamRad · 03-19-2008, 07:41 AM

Ken,

This issue has come up many times. We have learned that Keystone does not have much (if any) actual control of the dealers. The dealers can choose who they will service. Keystone cannot dictate to them who gets service and who doesn't. In that respect I think it is different than an auto dealer.

We have seen a large range of dealer responses. Some dealers will service everyone. Some will service folks who have purchased from them first and everyone else on a secondary level. Some dealers will service major warranty items from any owner but will not service "cosmetic" warranty issues..... only the seller dealer seems willing to do that.

It seems that we are simply at the mercy of whatever service policy individual dealers devise. Thankfully, for the most part, dealers will work on your rig wherever you are. Keystone will eventually stop working with dealers that don't work well with them to service their customers but it seems to take a long time for that process to work.

If you can get your unit to the Goshen area the service center there has an outstanding record of fixing anything and everything! But for many of us that is a very long trip.

Dennis

brenkco · 03-19-2008, 08:33 AM

Thanks Dennis,
That validates what I have heard and really makes the point I have read about the local dealers! Goshen is a about 2400 miles from us!!!!!!

waldo238 · 03-19-2008, 09:57 AM

Not to take away from your'e problem with your'e black tank, but my "vaccume breaker valve" for the black tank flush is leaking. I tried to get warranty service from my local Montana dealer here in Richmond, VA "Southern RV" and they wanted to charge me $150.00 for warranty work because I did not buy my unit from them. I complained to Keystone about this and they said they had no control over what a dealer does with warranty work. Granted I would have got my money back according to Southern RV provided Keystone paid the claim in full, but why should I have to pay a Keystone Montana dealer money out of my pocket to get warranty work?? Well long story short I called the dealer I bought it from "Dixie RV" in Hampton roads, VA and they are going to send me a new valve and I will send mine back.

Mrs. CountryGuy · 03-19-2008, 02:25 PM

Gotta say, as HamRad said, this has been discussed before.

I think the entire set up is stinky, and I ain't talking blacktank leaks.

This dealer thing/Keystone thing is horrid, it really is a dealer thing, as it seems ALL dealers no matter WHAT they sell pull this horsey doo doo.

Said it before, will say it till it changes, THESE THINGS HAVE WHEELS PEOPLE!! WE DON'T STAY CLOSE TO OUR SELLING DEALER 24/7/365. They act as if we are not allowed to travel more than 100 miles from home.

My reaction: BLECH to it all!

Handy with your hands, Handy with your money = rv ownership.

First year of ownership is so painful. OUCHIE!

Dealers, ya, they give ya a deal alright, and I ain't gonna say what kind, but, from the tone of my post, I'll just bet you can figure it out.

Dealers make or break your RVing experience. EH???

And, that is why so many of us just fix it ourselves IF we can, cause we don't want the angst. Is that right, NOPE, is it fact, YEP!

exav8tr · 03-19-2008, 03:24 PM

Carol, your last line says it all for me. At some point, WE have to take charge of our OWN situation and not be burdened by a bunch of greedy dealers. I took my unit in twice to authorized dealers for a shower leak and ended up fixing it myself. AND I ain't even a plumber.....

sailer · 03-19-2008, 03:40 PM

Ex navy have you tried to call tri-am in ocala, fl 1-800-848-7426 they are montana dealers as we bought from them as we also were from wis but now in fl , but they are great

dsprik · 03-19-2008, 07:50 PM

Carol, your WHOLE statement says it all. You just have to find a good dealership - we have one for our summer work, but nothing yet (nothing needed yet) down here in Central FL.

Dave, I thought that Rich had just about everything that could go wrong go wrong with his 3400 last year out in AZ. However, you're closing the gap in a hurry. Just don't have a fire like he did...

adelmoll · 03-20-2008, 02:19 AM

I agree with John... Tri-Am in Ocala has been just great... We did not buy our unit from them but they were willing to take us in and do warranty work on our Tana... We also have friends with an Excel that are having warranty work done there even though they did not buy their Excel from them.. It is further South than Jacksonville but not all that much further. Of course, they would probably have to order the black tank too.
Helen

Exnavydiver · 03-20-2008, 07:05 AM

Just got back from CW and they dropped the belly, checked the #s on the tank and that it was a right hand dump, made a list of plumbing fittings and put the claim into Keystone and we are back on our site by 1 pm. Not too shabby, although I am dragging my butt. 0600 comes early for me and I didn't get to sleep last night till 3am so am functioning on 3 hours instead of 7 to 9 hours of sleep. Hopefully things should arrive by the end of next week. The Tech said this happens occasionally even with the best rigs. Funny thing, last night as we were getting ready to go out for dinner I was trying to open the drawer under the couch and nudged the coffee table out of the way and it folded up like a cheap pair of pants, the legs and whole side broke off and folded underneath. The table is now sitting in the fire pit waiting for tonights fire. Didn't like it anyway... Dave and betsy

Kimmrg · 03-20-2008, 08:43 AM

Oh Dave, so sorry for all your troubles! We have an awesome dealer in Panama City, RV Connections if you needed to go that far. We call them first for the scoop on fixes, then start looking for someone to do it where we are. They know us over the phone by now. We just replaced the gray tank, and were able to get someone to do it right here in the park all we had to do was buy the parts from a local dealer.
Best of luck and know we are thinking of you, after they gray broke we are waiting for that black tank to go.......

richfaa · 03-20-2008, 11:48 AM

Xnavydiver ..if this is any consolation at all...The first year of ownership can be..well..trying. There were times during our first year when I would have liked to pull this thing to the city dump and leave it with the rest of the trash. This Attitude was compound by the fact that everything that broke fried, burnt, cracked was a result of poor workmanship and cost effective vendor items.However.. Keystone bent over backwards to help . One month before the first year was up we spent 4 days at the service center were they corrected every problem and some we did not know we had. Since then we have been trouble free execpt for a cracked black tank (poor design and installation) so there is a high probability that if you survive the first year..you will be good..

Exnavydiver · 03-20-2008, 12:59 PM

LOL, that's a comforting thought. Actually I was at CW in Pooler. Ga. today to get the black tank looked at. They finally concurred with me and the digital photos and their own eyes that the black tank was cracked and was leaking. They did a complete inventory of needed plumbing parts and the right tank. It will all be ordered ASAP. After returning to the campsite I was taking a nap and around 3pm I got an unsolicited phone call from Keystone's head of warranty service and asked point blank "What can we do to make this right and get you back on the road?" Needles to say I was a bit flabbergasted. So I guess as of tomorrow the new black tank is going to be expedited in shipping and we might even get the Microwave/ convection replaced. I won't stick around here long enough to do all of the warranty stuff however. The rest will have to wait till we get back to Wisconsin. We still want to make to Key West before the summer season hits. Talk is cheap though, I will wait for astonishment till the tank gets here before the end of next week... Dave and Betsy

DHenry · 03-20-2008, 01:23 PM

All I can say is I am sorry to hear of your problems, but when I was going through mine Keystone was right there for me. They are #1 in my book for customer satisfaction.

richfaa · 03-21-2008, 04:55 AM

I know some folks have reported a bad experience with Keystone. We had our share of really bad problems.. How much worse can it get than to enveloped in smoke in the middle if the desert in Quarts site with absolutely no one around.One phone call to Keystone and within a hour they had set up a repair facility and we were on our way the next afternoon.Evey time I had a problem..large or small during my first year Keystone folks were right there with excellent and speedy service and we were most always 2000 miles away from Goshen. The service center..well you have had to have the experience to understand what these guys do..unbeleivable.

old turbo · 03-22-2008, 04:11 AM

Dave, I would go to the Keystone factory in Goshen, IN and let them fix everthing. You can make a little detour on your way back to WI. The rv is only seven months old and all these problems, let Keystone do all the fix ups. Like Rich did with his, they may find other problems with your rig that a dealer will not see.

Exnavydiver · 03-22-2008, 04:17 AM

Have thought of that and am still considering it but still have to get the black tank fixed. Can't be dribbling poo from here to Goshen..

Exnavydiver · 03-24-2008, 02:56 PM

We got a call from CW today and they said the tank will be in Wed. and we should come in Thursday for the install. Not sure if the micro/convection is coming too but I was driving when Betsy took the call.. Too cool that was fast. Dave and Betsy

Mrs. CountryGuy · 03-24-2008, 04:25 PM

Dave,

We hear the sound of a voice edged with relief. Congrats.

Exnavydiver · 03-25-2008, 02:26 PM

Matt from Keystone called today to tell me that the tank was shipped yesterday. We will call CW tomorrow afternoon to check if it was delivered... Dave and Betsy

Exnavydiver · 03-26-2008, 01:26 PM

Got a call from CW today, the black tank is in and they want us in there tomorrow morning so they can Git-r-done.

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