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Old 05-13-2009, 03:05 PM   #1
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Dillon KOA
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M.O.C. #7445
Our Monty is home, finally!

The End, Finally!
Today, I’m closing our novel about the trials and tribulations of getting warranty service for our Montana, service that took nearly 10 months to complete. Once again, after I got very proactive into researching WHY it took so long to get a few relative minor fixes completed, I am convinced that we did fall through the cracks at the dealership, and that there was no intentional effort by Bish’s to brush us off or discourage us from pursuing the warranty-covered items. Because of the sinking economy, I imagine many RV dealers are suffering similar problems, especially when employees are laid off and job responsibilities are assigned to remaining employees who may not be aware of specific customer situations.

Although 99% of the work was finished when we picked up the RV last month, we had to take it back to have a defective window and the couch drawer rails replaced yesterday; we knew both items needed more work, but we wanted to bring the RV home so we could at least see it while waiting for those parts. Instead of coming back to Dillon yesterday evening, however, we had to spend the night in Idaho Falls because of a bad wind storm that arrived earlier in the day and which grew worse as the day progressed. Interstate 15 and Interstate 20 were closed after noon because of high wind and low visibility (blowing sand and dirt) and were expected to be closed until midnight. So, we left the Montana at Bish's, got a room, and spent the rest of the afternoon and evening enjoying the things Idaho Falls offers that Dillon does not: Barnes & Noble, excellent Chinese food, a mall, Target, Kohl’s, Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, Home Depot, the new trailer supply store . . . all of them always a treat for boondocks dwellers like us. (Hope my boss believes the wind storm situation; I've missed two days of school because of being snowed in at home this year, but being "wind-ed in" sounds a bit suspect.)

Looking back: In January of this year, after we got everyone at Bish’s up to speed on why our Montana had been there since July of 2007 and what work was to be done to it, Bish’s was on top of the problem immediately and did not rest until we hitched up to leave the dealership today. The employees couldn’t have been nicer—Cindy Reese, Service Department manager, Janet LePray (Service Department), Wayne Whitmill (service tech) . . . everyone there made sure all questions were answered and that the work was done to our satisfaction. Our original service order done when we left the Monty there in July had gotten lost, a problem that snowballed into the months of waiting and wondering why our rig was still sitting on Bish’s lot, waiting for service. Now, the problem has been taken care of to our satisfaction.

Would we buy again from Bish’s? Yes, we would. The dealership is extremely busy, which we think is a good sign. Customers we saw seemed happy and pleased with the work they’d had done and the service they’d received. We saw all kinds of rigs in the service bays or coming in for service or in the lot where rigs are parked when the work is complete. The employees still reflect the same upbeat, positive attitude that attracted us to Bish’s when we bought our rig. Miscommunication was the heart of the problem we experienced. No more—we are more than satisfied.

We’ll be at the 7 Feathers rally. See you there!
Carolyn & Wayne
 
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Old 05-13-2009, 04:14 PM   #2
H. John Kohl
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Glad it is home and know you are ready to use it. Enjoy and thanks for the update.
Cheers,
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Old 05-13-2009, 04:26 PM   #3
Art-n-Marge
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What a story. Good things come (back) to those who wait. I am also happy to hear you maintained a positive outlook and were very understanding of the situation.

Now... Happy camping,
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Old 05-13-2009, 05:45 PM   #4
8e3k0
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Yes for both sides that communication is a high priority. I really feel for the Techs when you know they received directions from a service writer that did not listen and describe what the customer's real problem was. When we did our PDI both the Tech and our Salesperson was back and forth with us to help out in every possible way to ensure any defects or workmanship was communicated. I would recommend them to anyone: interested and dedicated. Great to see that customers can get things worked out and will go back to buy or recommend others to buy there. In the end it makes a superior Dealership. Now you get to enjoy!! Ellis
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Old 05-13-2009, 05:57 PM   #5
rphoward
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So glad to hear you have your rig and will be at the 7 Feathers rally. We're looking forward to hearing your tale first-hand.
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Old 05-13-2009, 06:41 PM   #6
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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8e3k0, actually the service tech got nothing from the service writer. Apparently the work order went into the computer and from there went into the deepest, darkest reaches of the Black Hole, because no one ever saw the work order again. So, the tech never got a work order, Keystone never got an order for the parts that needed replacement, and we never got a call from the dealership saying our rig was being worked on or was ready. The order was written and apparently vanished, the unit was parked on the service lot, and that was the end of it. Out of sight, out of mind, and with no service or work order to jog anyone's memory, everyone assumed that rig was just being stored, not awaiting service. Once I started calling and calling and finally got someone to call back, the pieces fell into place; we had to start at square one, but at least that time the work order didn't go into the Black Hole!

We are GLAD to have it back.

Carolyn
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Old 06-18-2009, 06:29 AM   #7
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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Boy, were we fooled. Our story The End, Finally isn't over, as we initially thought, not by a long shot. Keystone is still NOT the problem. I'm not going to bother posting a list (yes, a list) of things we discovered that hadn't been fixed until we headed to the 7 Feathers MOC rally 3 weeks ago. But trust me, it's a long list. Some of the repairs that looked OK turned out to be cobbled-together "looks good on the surface" things that quickly fell apart once we actually had the rig in motion and use. I can't tell you how upset we are now. In fact, after being more than patient for months and months and months, we are actually mad and not hiding it.

Anyway, here's my advice for anyone waiting on repairs that seem to be taking forever for no real reason: 1. Be polite but firm. 2. Keep a log of every call you make to the dealer or to Keystone, and record the date, time, and name/department of the person to whom you speak. 3. Don't do as I did and wait and wait and wait for bad old Keystone to get on the ball because I bet Keystone won't even be aware of the problem. Give the dealer time to get things done, but don't let weeks drag by with no action. We waited months for the dealer to get parts because the factory "had layoffs" or the "suppliers weren't shipping," only to learn after calling Keystone myself that the parts HAD been never been ordered by my dealer or that they had been shipped in a timely manner to my dealer. I'm working directly with Keystone again; it seems to be the only way, in our situation, to get the truth and get things done. Yes, we are mad. We've been duped . . . again.

Oh, yes, we love our Montana and would not hesitate to buy another one in the future. The repairs we needed were minor, but they were things the dealer should have done (such as replace our TV, which was under warranty but did not work). The dealer you work with is the key to getting things done, or not, as you are learning.

Smile--MOC is here to help with suggestions, and Keystone will stand by its products. Again, we LOVE our Montana 5th-wheeler.


Carolyn
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Old 06-18-2009, 07:20 AM   #8
ole dude
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Grrrrrrrr--- Texas style.
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Old 06-18-2009, 11:08 AM   #9
helmick
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Wayne & Carolyn
On Jan. 19, 2009 I posted on your (WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY TO KEYSTONE) page that after a long problem with our
dealer Keystone picked up our Montana and took it To their Pendleton, Oregon plant. One week later everything was
fixed, even thing we did not catch ourself. We worked out a deal to pick it up at the plant and stayed at a local
park for three days to test everything out. All the guys form the factory could not have been nicer. We now love our Montana.
If you have that much trouble with your dealer you should ask Keystone about the Pendleton Factory
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Old 06-18-2009, 11:40 AM   #10
Mrs. CountryGuy
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Carolyn,

VERY VERY sorry to hear this. (Been there, done that, I feel your pain.)

This is not much help, but, sending
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Old 06-18-2009, 02:57 PM   #11
rving2us
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Great message, Carolyn. Ours began on March 23rd only ours was our TV, a Dodge. It started as a check up and AC repair then everything began to happen. it was like the mechanic could not spell Dodge, the mis-cues were incredable and then Chrysler went bankrupt and the parts departments across the country dried up. When we did find parts they were hundreds of miles away. Picked up our TV last night hoping everything is finally OK. We are leaving for the west coast on the 26th of June and have very little time to check things out we will let you know if we make it or not. Honk if you go buy a 3000RK from Ohio on the berm off of 90 in the weeks ahead. LOL.
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