First exprience with RA -- not the best ... but
Recent trip to Houston area found me with a slide out broken in the extended position.
Sunday Evening --- Begin loading
(1) Coachmen manuals are generic and were worthless.
(2) First call to RA, dispatched assistance (90-100 min)
(3) begin online search to find info
(4) 2 hours waiting - call to RA - our truck broke down .. OK how about first as in early thing in the morning. agreed
(5) finally found info on the correct Coachmen components
(7) UTUBE from slide out shows recovery information
(8) 8:30 next morning .. RA says truck on the way
(9) 9:30 truck calls and wants to know if I still need help, Assuring the driver I did, he ask "when would be a good time to come?" MY response "LAST NIGHT"
(10) Help arrives at 10am
(11) mechanic has not a single idea how the Coachmen slide out works
(12) Show him the UTUBE clips
(13) Mechanic figures out motor is bad. no parts available
(14) execute manual recover shown on UTUBE
(15) mechanics leaves, I pay 159.00 to give him a training session.
(16) get unit home and in for repair.
A couple of thoughts:
(1) RV companies need to include unit specific manuals. Exactly matching the unit.
(2) GS needs to work with services providers to ensure a solid knowledge base of configurations. (YES tall order)
(3) GS dispatch has unit info and collects situation information. That needs to be given to responder. Giving more opportunity to get prompt and fast service.
(4) GS dispatch needs to learn to speak slowly and clearly as the call is more than likely from a cell phone and audio is not the best.
BOTTOM LINE:
Got Home in one piece, not the best return trip, but we survived. I suppose that a normal call on a more common mechanical issue would have been handled with better results.
I have added some parts to the emergency kit to make sure I can recover and continue on a trip. I also now have proper manual set.
Hope to not need RA, but know it is going to happen. Learned valuable lesson.
Not the best, but not a failure (unless you talk to my wife).
Happy RVing
Sunday Evening --- Begin loading
(1) Coachmen manuals are generic and were worthless.
(2) First call to RA, dispatched assistance (90-100 min)
(3) begin online search to find info
(4) 2 hours waiting - call to RA - our truck broke down .. OK how about first as in early thing in the morning. agreed
(5) finally found info on the correct Coachmen components
(7) UTUBE from slide out shows recovery information
(8) 8:30 next morning .. RA says truck on the way
(9) 9:30 truck calls and wants to know if I still need help, Assuring the driver I did, he ask "when would be a good time to come?" MY response "LAST NIGHT"
(10) Help arrives at 10am
(11) mechanic has not a single idea how the Coachmen slide out works
(12) Show him the UTUBE clips
(13) Mechanic figures out motor is bad. no parts available
(14) execute manual recover shown on UTUBE
(15) mechanics leaves, I pay 159.00 to give him a training session.
(16) get unit home and in for repair.
A couple of thoughts:
(1) RV companies need to include unit specific manuals. Exactly matching the unit.
(2) GS needs to work with services providers to ensure a solid knowledge base of configurations. (YES tall order)
(3) GS dispatch has unit info and collects situation information. That needs to be given to responder. Giving more opportunity to get prompt and fast service.
(4) GS dispatch needs to learn to speak slowly and clearly as the call is more than likely from a cell phone and audio is not the best.
BOTTOM LINE:
Got Home in one piece, not the best return trip, but we survived. I suppose that a normal call on a more common mechanical issue would have been handled with better results.
I have added some parts to the emergency kit to make sure I can recover and continue on a trip. I also now have proper manual set.
Hope to not need RA, but know it is going to happen. Learned valuable lesson.
Not the best, but not a failure (unless you talk to my wife).
Happy RVing
