Keystone Dealer Refused to Service My Rig

[richfaa]

It is true.The standard reply from the service center is..have you contacted your dealer or take it to your dealer.The service center is in Goshen, Ind and would never be able to take every unit in for repaires. Wne on the road and we have a problem we do always contact the service center/customer service and let then find us a dealer and do the footwork for us. The have always done that and it always worked. Keystone has far more influence with the dcealer than we do..Find out who your regional sales rep is and keep his number handy these sre the folks who deal directly with the dealerships and can help a lot.
The dealers are what they are. Keystone does pay them a fair price for warranty work I think they said 103.00 per hour???? If it is not warranty work the dealer can charge whatever they want and I can't understand why they would turn anyone down. We have two local dealers here one a Keystone dealer and the other not.They will both work on my camper at their normal rates.
Understand we travel a lot and most of the year our local buying dealer is hundreds of miles away. Are we talking about warranty work only????

[Gkerlin]

Well for me this experience has been a real eye-opener.

When I make my next RV purchase the first thing I will do prior to it will be to troll the various owners groups and find out which manufacturer holds it's dealers to some sort of standard.

Also - someone on this thread mentioned that auto dealers will do the same thing.... Well I can't speak for his experiences or what someone at one dealership might have told him but I - like most members of this forum I suspect - have been driving for a few years... I've owned lots of vehicles and always took them to a dealership for service. Never in all those decades have I ever been refused service or put at the end of a line.

When I travel around the country and its time for a service on my diesel I simply look up the nearest Ford dealer and sure enough - I'm welcomed with open arms and almost always can get an appointment that day or the next.

Quite the contrary - dealerships love to service vehicles. Regardless of where it was bought. It translates to higher revenue for them and greater profits!

Rather than crying over where we bought our units these dealers could be earning some service bucks.... go figure.

FYI - 24hrs and I still not have heard back from Montana about my complaint. They must not have stopped laughing yet.

[dieselguy]

I could guess why some dealers are seemingly not vying for service work ... they'll usually get the unit back for a "do over" which is lost money for the dealer. You'll find RV tecs are not held near to the standards of automotive techs nor are they paid near as well. Sure you can view their "master service tech" documents up on the service area wall ... but .... This is just my 18 year experience in the world of RVing ... several can relate ... a few can give kuddos to repairs well done.

[DonandJudy_12]

In all my years of camping and with all the dealers I've dealt with, I have observed that very few dealers stay with a particular brand for extended periods of time- The business remains for many years, but the product offered changes quite frequently- These business men have told me that various manufacturers recruit them to handle their line and then leave them hanging over warranty work- JMHO- Don

[DQDick]

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

We did NOt find any C.w to be the lowest bidder on either of our Montana's. We travel a lot and have not had a problem with a Keystone dealer repairing our unit. We always call Keystone customer service first and let them deal with the dealer.That seems to work.

X2 on this. We had several warranty repairs done on our unit, but none by the selling dealer. Always called Keystone first. One CW, one private dealer and one mobile tech. I guess we've just been lucky.

[Gkerlin]

Dick,

When you contacted Keystone each time what was your objective? To get names of nearby dealers? To get them to schedule an appointment for you? To get work pre approved? Better service? What did you ask Keystone to do for you?

I'm kind of fumbling thru the warranty world right now and wonder whats the best way to get things fixed.

When I first called Keystone - I explained the problem and that it was a warranty item and asked where could get it fixed. They gave me the names of some "authorized warranty repair" dealers. I then called some and... well you know the story.

When I called them back (Keystone) to tell them about the dealer refusing to fix my rig I asked about taking it to a local guy that I know is competent and they told me if I go to a local guy it will take longer because he has this whole documentation process that he'll have to go thru to get work pre approved and that if I go to a dealer they can get started right away.

Yet..... When I called the CW dealer that they suggested - he told me that he'll have to go thru this whole documentation and approval process before he can start the work and that could take a week or so.

Huh??

So - anyone who has a successful procedure that they follow to get things done and keep it moving I'd love to hear.

[hunts800]

I've watched this thread and am baffled. I've had warranty work done - happily - by both my dealer and other dealers while on the road far from home. In fact, while in Port Angeles, WA, had a problem with no Keystone dealers nearby - called Keystone - had repair done by mobile tech for which Keystone reimbursed me when I returned home.

I'm now on extended warranty - have yet to move through that process.

[Gkerlin]

Well Steve I'm baffled too but that's the way it is.

From the responses of many however it doesn't seem that my experience is so unusual. The fact that no one from Keystone or Montana has responded to me in over 48hrs now leads me to believe that they either don't see this an unusual problem, or they just don't care. On a suggestion from another MOC'er I even emailed Mike Mack the head of Montana sales and haven't heard back.

So tell me Steve - what process did you follow to get your warranty work done and how long did it take?

[steelpony5555]

I don't know but it seems like it is time to get a lawyer involved if for anything other then to write a nice threatening letter to Keystone to get them off their butts. You have a legal piece of paper there with a warranty spelled out that should be honored. If you have gone to the dealers in your area they refused service then it should be up to Keystone to rectify the problem. Their name is on the warranty paper and at the top of the totem pole. Sad it has to come down to this and is not very good customer service and many look at warranty help when buying new RV's. People that see this will shy away from Keystone products. Myself I refuse to buy brand new vehicles or RV's anymore, just look for lightly used and buy an extended warranty for them, seems to work out well so far.

[Gkerlin]

Well to be fair - it was only one dealer that refused. Yes that's one dealer too many but that's the facts.

The closest dealer I wouldn't even call. I've seen their shop and I wont let them work on a flashlight. They were one of these used cars, used boats, used trailer lots... oh and yeah - we sell some new ones too.

The next closest dealer (90 minutes away) was the one that refused.

That left me with either a 2.25 or 2.5hr ride each way for the next two. I scheduled at the one further away but who sells Montanas.

I'm really interested in the folks who have "happily" gotten quick service. I'd like to know how exactly they got it. This is my second new 5'vr but my first warranty problem.

[hunts800]

Gregg - just called keystone dealers recommended by Keystone after calling their 800 number - told them problem and they arranged for me to bring the rig in that day or the next. In all cases, they fixed problem(s) while we waited. The Port Angeles problem was brokered by my selling dealer after I returned home, and they got Keystone to reimburse me - but no arguments from either the dealer or Keystone. I have had good luck getting through to a human being at Keystone's 800 number on several occasions.

[richfaa]

In the cases we were on the road and needed help we called Customer service, explained our problem told them we needed a nearby dealer and could they find us one and help us get a appointment.In every case that worked. In one case, quartzsite, it was not even a Montana dealer and they wrote them a blank check for the repairs which were completed in 24 hours. Perhaps it depends on the customer service rep you sperak to some are far more experienced than others.

[Gkerlin]

Just wanted to make an to my original post.

I never did hear back from Keystone regarding my complaint about a dealer refusing to honor the Keystone Warranty, so obviously they really don't care about that issue.

I have to tell ya... I think that is just flat out wrong.

I made an appointment at CW/Hawleys in Raleigh and dropped the rig off a week ago. At the time I was told they would look at it in "about 3 days"

So I gave them a week before I called to check the status. Now I'm told they wont even look at it till the "29th or so". Maybe we'll get this done before we are supposed to leave for Q.

[DQDick]

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

In the cases we were on the road and needed help we called Customer service, explained our problem told them we needed a nearby dealer and could they find us one and help us get a appointment.In every case that worked. In one case, quartzsite, it was not even a Montana dealer and they wrote them a blank check for the repairs which were completed in 24 hours. Perhaps it depends on the customer service rep you sperak to some are far more experienced than others.

That's been my experience also, including them having a local RV repair guy fix a problem. I always let Keystone set up the appointment.

[Gkerlin]

When I called Customer service when I first discovered the problem I asked about having a local repair guy fix the problems. They said that a Keystone Dealer could do it a lot faster since they (Keystone) work directly with the dealers and suggested that I take it there.

They gave me 3 phone numbers to call so I did what they suggested. My bad I guess. Lesson 1: Don't do what Customer Service Suggests.

The fact that they did not even respond to my email about being refused service by a Keystone dealer however still stands.

I'm not some malcontent. I usually don't even complain about things... I just deal with it. It seems however that my experience is not all that uncommon so if any people are lurking out there and considering purchasing a Montana they should at least be aware.

If I ever get my rig back and I need warranty work that I can't fix myself I will call them and tell them I want them to make my service appointment and see if that works better.

[Tom S.]

I have never heard of anyone who took their trailer to the factory for repair being disappointed. However, in Keystone's defense, they aren't set up to handle every service issue, that is what the dealers should be taking care of. As for the email, had they responded, you most likely wouldn't have liked that either. The reason is simple. An email can be used as a document in court. That is why most companies who do respond to emails, do so in generic terms, such as "Take it to your nearest dealer, have a nice day.".

[Gkerlin]

quote:Originally posted by Tom S.

I have never heard of anyone who took their trailer to the factory for repair being disappointed. However, in Keystone's defense, they aren't set up to handle every service issue, that is what the dealers should be taking care of. As for the email, had they responded, you most likely wouldn't have liked that either. The reason is simple. An email can be used as a document in court. That is why most companies who do respond to emails, do so in generic terms, such as "Take it to your nearest dealer, have a nice day.".

I didn't ask the factory to fix it... I asked a dealer. Not sure if that's what you meant.

As for not liking their response... A truthful response is better than none at all. I'd much rather have gotten a "we are sorry but..." Give me a little love for the money I've spent.

We're not talking about a fatal accident here where they need to be careful about what they say. Come on.

I gave them my phone number as well. I asked them to contact me to discuss the matter. They could have called if they were worried about liability.

I first called to report that the dealer (who's number they had provided me) wouldn't service my rig and the lady on the phone was shocked. Said she never heard of this before.

That's why I decided to write them and post it here. After posting it here I find out its quite common. Sorry but every time I think about it I get a little P.O'd.

I guess as long as so many people think this is ok however they will continue to behave the same.

For my part - I've always believed in standing up and being counted.... so here I am.

[Tom S.]

Greg, I worked for a company far larger than Keystone, and I can tell you first hand, they were more than happy to talk to folks, but trying to get them to put anything in writing was like pulling teeth. And it all stemmed from liability of the written word. I can remember them sending what few letters they did write to their lawyers for final approval, which made for letters that you could read three times and still not know what they were saying. What made it comical, was I received one of those letters myself, before I rose in the ranks. Later on, although I didn't agree with the process, I at least knew why.

If you have attended (or do attend) the fall rally, you see the same thing with a slightly different slant. We had reps from both Keystone and Tredit there when everyone was having trouble with Mission tires. Although they both said they had heard of some problems, neither would admit before a crowd of irate owners that they were aware the Mission tires were bad.

[Ozz]

Sorry this is happening to you, good luck with it being resolved soon.

[Gkerlin]

Thanks Ozz.

I've decided that if I need to make some noise then so be it. I hate to do so but if I have to I can make myself a pain in the butt.

Have you made it to Tonapah?