Warranty work - Montana Owners Club

Troutn · 05-10-2018, 12:16 PM

I am taking my 5'er in for some routine, post purchase warranty work, and was taken off guard by a local dealer. First of all, I bought the RV in Indiana and I live in MO. I have a favorite dealer in my area, but figured I got a better, out of state discount than locally. My local dealer said that I would have to either front the cost of the repairs and then get reimbursed from Keystone or have Keystone pre-authorize the payment. Basically, I am given the run around from the local dealer since I did not buy from them. I did contact Keystone and had a favorable conversation with a customer service rep. She is following up with my dealer and also said that this was very unusual. Anyone else have this issue?

MARK A · 05-10-2018, 12:24 PM

I got the same BS at the local stealership here as well.

Mark

Troutn · 05-10-2018, 01:56 PM

Interesting use of words Mark-lol! Keystone was interested to hear about the shenanigans.

1retired06 · 05-10-2018, 03:14 PM

Norm on warranty work. Not unusual. Keystone tap dance. Dealers do not like to do warranty work on units they did not sell because they lose money. Keystone nickels and dimes them. They do warranty work on units they sell because they have to, and for dealership goodwill. Folks take care of their own customers first.

Troutn · 05-10-2018, 03:23 PM

Interesting that my Keystone rep was baffled by my inquiry as well. Perhaps she was newer? Conversely, my 2003 Montana, I had a local dealer that flat out would not work on anything (regardless of warranty) if they did not sell it originally.

topjustice · 05-10-2018, 05:06 PM

Keystone can authorize many dealers other than Montana dealers, so you might ask Keystone who else is authorized in your area and check with them. Sometimes non-Montana dealers like to take the work from their competition in hopes of getting a new service and parts customer for the future. Personally I am traveling to Indiana to pick up my 2019 next week (1,900 miles from home) to save over $16,000 from what my local dealer quoted as their best price. I can pay for a lot of warranty work out of my pocket for that savings if necessary.

Troutn · 05-11-2018, 06:08 AM

I did see 3 options for warranty work. Camping World is just 2 minutes from my rv storage, but they are horrible. I had told Keystone that as well. There is another option but I have some positive experiences with my selected repair facility. I totally agree about the discount for the out of state purchase. Major reason why I purchased close to Keystone. Good luck, topjustice, on your trek eastward to pick up your 2019 3791RD!

DadsHemi · 05-10-2018, 05:33 PM

These dealers have standing contracts with Keystone and it still like pulling teeth for warranty work even when you buy from the same dealer. I’ll just fix things my self unless it’s a major item.

topjustice · 05-10-2018, 07:14 PM

The final straw (other than the $16,000 savings I mentioned above) that sent me to Indiana for my Montana order was my one and only local dealer’s comment that ANY service work would be “on the back burner” if I didn’t buy from them. Their words. They ignored the fact that I purchased a brand new Alpine fiver from them 4years ago and visited their parts store regularly for supplies. Never again.

MARK A · 05-10-2018, 07:33 PM

What these dealers don’t understand is ANY approved shop can fix these things, and probably do a better job of it in less time. It escapes me how they get away with manipulating people into thinking they are the only repair choice. Personally I have our awning repaired the Cedar Creek dealer.

Mark

**scottz** · 05-11-2018, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Troutn

I did contact Keystone and had a favorable conversation with a customer service rep. She is following up with my dealer and also said that this was very unusual.

Keystone is blowing smoke at you. They are well aware of the situation and don't care. It is not unusual, it is the norm.

Everything said here is correct; it has been beat to death on all the forums. If they are not the selling dealer they do not get the holdback and it is not profitable for them to do warranty work. Some do not even want to do non-warranty work on rigs they don't sell. They apparently have enough business. I found a shop that said "we don't care where you bought it, bring it in if you need work". So keep looking.

Quote:

Originally Posted by topjustice

The final straw (other than the $16,000 savings I mentioned above) that sent me to Indiana for my Montana order was my one and only local dealer’s comment that ANY service work would be “on the back burner” if I didn’t buy from them.

Interesting attitude for a business. These dealers think they can force people to buy from them by using the service work threat. It is counter productive with me; I would never buy from a dealer (new rig, parts, or service) who makes this threat. The RV industry is hot now, they can get away with this; wait till things slow down.

Troutn · 05-11-2018, 11:01 AM

I have another dealership that flat out will not do any kind of work-unless you bought from them.

Slufoot733 · 05-10-2018, 07:34 PM

Sadly RV dealers are famous for this. Unlike auto dealers where the warranty work is usually welcomed, RV dealers pull this stuff all the time. My last dealer really pulled some shady deals on me and I even bought the trailer there. I had a major issue with the hydraulic slides and he just would never look at it. Every excuse in the book and then some. Keystone stood tall and handled the problem while we were at the National Rally in Goshen.
Just the facts of life in the RV world.

**Carl n Susan** · 05-10-2018, 09:12 PM

Dealers receive an allotment for warranty work when they sell a trailer. That helps mitigate the pain of dealing with a new rig and it's likely problems. That usually is why they are reluctant to service rigs purchased elsewhere. Some refuse service, others put you in the back of the line, and a minority don't care. Part of that cheaper price in Indiana is the hold back for warranty work (which they know they will never use), freight, and volume of sales..

**AZ Traveler** · 05-10-2018, 09:52 PM

I have not had any problem with two seperate dealers that I did not buy from - both gave me great service on warranty work.

Texan · 05-11-2018, 01:12 AM

You have to be a first. If the rv industry was regulated like the auto industry then you wouldn't have these problems. Those dealers that don't want to treat 'ALL' customers the same deserve to go bankrupt. Keystone needs to step up to the plate and make it a requirement that if you are going to be an authorized dealer then an requirement is to treat everyone the same. I've never understood why you have to jump thru hoops to get your rv repaired. I went by my ram dealer yesterday and asked if they had an waterpump for my truck as there was an recall. I had never seen the guy before and he said he would check with the parts dept. He was told yes so he said to bring it in the next day at 9am and they would replace and flush and refill the system. I'm sure when he checked the computer he found out i bought it there but it didn't matter to him. Now that's service that the rv industry needs to learn. Now my blood pressure is up and hope i can sleep. GOODNIGHT.

richfaa · 05-11-2018, 07:29 AM

It is a $$$$$ issue warranty is paid at a lower rate set by the manufacturer .The dealer would be happy to work on the RV at their rates. We have not had a problem with warranty work done by a dealer we did not purchase from. We also live withing 250 miles of Goshen/ Elkhart,ind and take the RV there for any major repair. The service center does out source repair work to shops in the area and we call the service center to recommend a facility the is best equipped to deal with our issue. We are longtimers and on the road a lot. When on the road and need help we again call the service center for help and that has worked out over the years.

**AZ Traveler** · 05-11-2018, 09:07 AM

Remember that most dealers work on all brands of rigs. Most RVs use components from the same suppliers. You do not need to take yours to a place that sells Montana as long as they sell some other Keystone brand. Keystone can advise you of other authorized service centers for warranty work in your area.

The auto industry also pays dealers less for warranty work.

AZ has a lot of RV dealers and a lot of snowbirds hanging out every winter - most dealers work to keep customers happy.

Loneoak · 05-11-2018, 11:24 AM

We had this problem with our previous (SOB) trailer. We had bought it in the U.S. and most local dealers refused to do warranty work on it. We eventually found one.

We purchased our Monty last year at a dealership 7 hours away because we got a good price on it, and they gave us a good price on our trade. We found a Montana dealership 45 minutes away from home that is providing great warranty service for us. Their price for a trailer like ours last year was $10,000 more than what we paid.

This problem (not doing warranty work on a unit they did not sell) is rampant. You just have to keep looking for a dealership that will work on it.

coachgrowl · 05-11-2018, 07:46 PM

The dealership we purchased from said they do not do work on rigs not purchased from them. We took it in recently and they were fantastic! Building a new repair facility and said they will not do any repairs warranty or not on rigs not purchased from them. We have 4 months warranty left on rig and have already kicked in Good Sam. Took the truck in purchased in California to a dealership in Indiana for routine maintenance and window repair. Soooo much better than California. We are going East again in June and will use the Bloomington Indiana dealer for maintenance again.

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