Hard lessons from the dealer - Montana Owners Club

Montana_3730 · 10-22-2005, 01:22 AM

I must share this experience. We bought our Montana at Scott Motorcoach in Lakewood NJ. I would advise all considering a purchase there to reconsider. My wife and I have learned from that dealer that salesman are not to be trusted and will say "anything" to complete the sale. We bought our Montana new, and during the walkthrough we found many items that needed to be repaired. A few of the larger items that needed repair follows:
-Corian countertop was chipped, salesman said it would be replaced
-the arm of the sofa was ripped, the cushion under the fabric covering the arm was bulging out and was completely disfigured. Salesman said sofa would be replaced. Said the warranty adjuster looked at it and ok'd the replacement. New one would be ordered.
-emergency exit window frame was bent, lock mechanism was broken, window was not closing properly and rubbing frame. Salesman again said it would be replaced.
He "wrote up" the things that needed to be fixed and we proceeded to close the deal. We trusted him. The way he wrote up the repairs left too much wiggle room and that is where the problems began.
Countertop was replaced, but wall paper surrounding it was damaged, they tried to hide it by using a thick bead of white caulk which only made matters worse. The counter is brown and the wall paper is brown. Imagine the stark contrast! Ugghh.
Sofa seam was sewn back up, nothing done with the bulging mishapen arm. Looks terrible. I asked why it wasn't replaced as stated. The repair person laughed. Said "read the order it says repair/and or replace. We repaired it. They will tell you anything to get you to sign. "
The locking clip on the emergency exit window was the only thing repaired, still rubs, frame still bent. Repairman said that is all he is authorized to do. Again, "read the repair order you signed"
No new window.
After 1 hr of heated discussion, we left. Never to return. I will fix the problems myself or hire it out privately. Luckily I can afford to do so. Just not worth the aggravation.
A suggestion to all who are considering purchasing a new RV. If there is ANYTHING substantially damaged in the unit you are considering buying, don't. Look to another unit or have it replaced BEFORE you sign ANYTHING or take posession of the unit.They will make promises they have no intention of keeping. Maybe other salesman and dealerships are different, maybe they are not. Don't risk it. Salesman want the sale, they want the commision,they are not TRUTHFULL.
You will not be happy if a major item in your NEW unit is replaced and it turns out the technician making the repair is incompetent. What recourse will you have?
We love our Montana. We were not as carefull as we should have been in choosing dealerships. A very important step, a very hard lesson learned.

Clark and Dawn

Glenn and Lorraine · 10-22-2005, 02:25 AM

Sorry for your problems and I do know what you are going through as we also had a bad experience with our dealer. Your comment "Look to another unit or have it replaced BEFORE you sign ANYTHING or take possession of the unit." The part of that needs the most emphasis is "BEFORE you sign ANYTHING". A salesman friend of mine once told me "the most mistrusted occupation is a lawyer with commissioned salesmen bringing up a close second." Actually he was referring to car salesmen but an RV salesman is cut from the same cloth.
I would suggest that you now contact Keystone Customer Service at (574) 535-2100 and explain the situation to them.

melnjoy · 10-22-2005, 03:23 AM

Glenn is right. I would bet that Keystone will send you to another service center.
Mel

richfaa · 10-22-2005, 04:23 AM

That is indeed a "lesson learned" but NOT a unusual experience.You are correct a lot of salesmen will say ANYTHING to sell the unit..Camper/ auto/truck..We will not sign the check till AFTER all defects are repaired.We let the dealership know that upfront.We leave the dealership with the PDI and tell them to call us when all the items on the PDI checked off then we go there and do it over again..We have the check with us/ or the loan forms and tell them we will sign when satisfied....If the dealer will not agree with this..go to another dealer..it works...Never, never , never sign off on anything till you are completely satisfied... particularly with a RV when we can be KNOW there will most likely be workmanship issues. Take your issues to Keystone and the local BBB, and if your local TV station has a "action line" consider that.Nothing like a little PR on local TV to get the dealers attention.

ols1932 · 10-22-2005, 04:33 AM

This is the reason that I've dealt with only one dealer, Ketelsens RV, Hiawatha, IA for over 30 years. I've never had a problem with them. I've purchased six RVs from them over this period of time and will go back to them the next time I'm in the market, no matter where I am at the time.

DHenry · 10-22-2005, 04:40 AM

WOW, this story sure makes me appreciate our dealer (Cousin Gary's in Redding, CA) that we purchased from. They did everything that they said they would do without any of the hassel that you others have gone through. I would recommend them to anyone and would go back to purchase another unit when the time comes even though they are 200 miles from where we live.

bob n pam · 10-22-2005, 06:55 AM

Clark and Dawn, you have my complete sympathy. We had a similar experience with Beaudry RV in Tucson; i.e., the salesmen will tell you anything, only in our case it was the finance guy. We came in "fat, dumb and happy" from the road and had forgotten about all the scroundrels in the world. Won't happen again.

FredG · 10-22-2005, 07:58 AM

Clark and Dawn,

I'm sorry to hear about your problems. But, with any large price item, I would not take delivery and sign off on the purchase until everything is right. If the dealer won't get it fixed to close the deal, then I'd look for another dealer.

I agree with Glenn, call Montana customer service and let them know what you have run into. They need to know about problem dealers and they also have a good reputation for making things right. Just don't be aggresive towards them. From other posts on this forum, it seems like the people who have a nice approach with the factory service get a better and faster response then those who are angry or aggresive.

Also, call customer service, don't email them. Email responses have not been Montana's strong suit.

Fred

Montana_4791 · 10-22-2005, 07:19 PM

Sorry to read of all your problems with the dealer. I was very happy to see that Ketelsen's in Iowa treats others so well. We have purchased 5 different units of one kind or another from them and Gary alway calls you by name whether or not it has been 5 years since you were in. We purchased our Montana from them and will never regret it. When I called after leaving Iowa and going to Texas, and ordered the glass plate in the microwave that broke in transit, also a curtain tie, they shipped them to me immediately with a Merry Christmas note, no charge. They have a very honest staff, and the service is incredible!!! They also have another location in the Denver area. NOT ALL DEALERS ARE BAD!!!!!

Montana_3696 · 10-23-2005, 11:59 AM

Clark and Dawn... after 30 years of service I retired from working within NC's prison system and began working in RV Sales with the dealership from whom three years earlier I had purchased our camper ... stories like yours are all too common and as has already been noted it is just as wise for folks to research the dealership with whom they deal, as it is the camper which they choose to purchase ... I'd strongly recommend folks not sign (finish the deal) until their camper is as it should be ... unfortunately this is advise most folks don't follow but fortunately, in the end, most dealerships do complete the work as they should ... as has been recommended above I do suggest you take your concerns directly to the manufactor

Jim

jsmitfl · 10-23-2005, 12:48 PM

Anytime you are sent to school to be shown or taught to put the screws to people you can't be trusted. A sales person is in this league, and I always assume anything they tell me a lie.I'm sorry if I affended anyone here but thats just how I look at it. Clark and Dawn do the same as I do. Get what you get and fix the rest yourself.

SAndreasen · 10-23-2005, 01:57 PM

I'm sorry to hear such sad sales tales. Says a lot for our "buyer be ware" society. I agree with fulltimer1997 that "Not all dealers are bad." We've bougth three RV from RV Centeral in Sheldon, IA and they have been absolutly wonderful on all three purchases. We love our Mountaineer(order from the factory throught them). Will still do business with them until proven otherwise.

sreigle · 10-24-2005, 03:52 PM

Well, one of the problems with this is that just about every warranty repair form I have ever seen says "repair or replace." That's pretty much boilerplate language for that document.

However, my opinion is that this dealer's use of that statement to justify his repair is not acceptable. To me a warranty repair is required to get the item back to its intended original condition. If that can be done by repair, fine. If not, then replace. It sounds like that is not the result you got.

I most definitely would get on the phone to Keystone Customer Service and calmly and politely (that seems to work best) explain the situation to them. Firmness is fine if needed but most of the time they seem to want to help.

the number is (574) 535-2100 and ask for customer service. Please let us know how this turns out.

rickfox · 10-24-2005, 04:24 PM

Good Evening All,

I hope I'm not beginning to have buyers remorse before I even get to take a look at the new 3400RL we have just ordered. I am now $1,000 lighter as just yesterday we put down the deposit and signed the agreement to have a unit built.

I hope I don't run into the problems mentioned above. The dealer we have ordered from is FunTime RV in Cleburne, TX. Does anyone have any comments - good or bad - about the dealer?

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