Complaint about a dealer

Dennis, you are correct in your points and it is great tht you are seeing things from the dealer's side as well.

Thing is, there should have been someone responsible for the issues and it should have been clear to the service writer that these were warranty repairs so that the customer would not get the bill OR would get the bill that stated NO CHARGES, just to outline the fact that all the items on the list were addressed.

IMO the comment at the end about charging to chase down non-issues was uncalled for and only instilled a bit of animosity in to the mix.

Executive wrote:
I can understand some of the frustration but not all..

stugpanzer wrote:
In retrospect in reading my own post and having time to do some reflection during my writing sessions, I think my frustration is multi-parted in that:

1) we traded a perfectly working coach.
But, an OLDER coach. There's a REASON why YOU traded.
Generally that reason is to get something nicer or better suited for the owner's needs than what they already have. Not necessarily just because the previous unit is older.

2) we had many issues that we did not expect with this new (to us) coach.
It's a REPO..NOT a NEW coach. Expect issues with any coach. Your expectations were too high.
I disagree. The dealer sold a used working coach regardless if it was a repo or not it still needed to be working properly and needed to be clean.

Sure, there should be expected that things will be worn or bulbs might be burned out but the systems should all work and whoever cleaned it should have opened and closed the blinds and cleaned them as well.

3) The way we were treated for the work that was done, that I feel should have been taken care of before we even received the coach was unprofessional and not called for.
Cleanliness varies. What's clean to others may not be clean to you.
True, but at least they could have cleaned the blinds. That should have been part of basic cleaning.

4) It seems at every turn, something is going wrong with this coach giving us the feeling of owning a lemon. I know they require maintenance but we didn't experience this many issues with our Damon.
Bad Kharma..the more you resent the Fleetwood, the more 'issues' will bother you. Time to accept the new (to you) coach.
Yes. Must accept the rig but also must accept it as properly working which at this point it is not. That fact, coupled with all the other little things and the dealer's attitude is what has the OP thinking about now owning a lemon.

While that is not necessarily true, the dealer's attitude (IMO) has led to those feelings.

5) My anger towards my RV Dealer is directly related to two things
a) their promise to deliver a 'like new' coach was not fulfilled
'Like new' to you differs from what 'like new' is to the dealer. and
b) after telling me to log the issues and that they would take care of them (which they did) but then to turn around and bill me for it, then rescind the bill only after complaining about getting the bill in the first place and then give me a lecture via email on what is and is not covered in a warranty and what my expectations of the warranty is.
Sounds like "assuming" took place on both sides.

Assuming? Yes, the buyer assumed the dealer would correct all the issues as found and make it right. The buyer assumed there would be no charge as many of those issues were found within the first few hours and maybe should have been found during the inspection process.

We all know how that goes. Both parties are anxious to get the rig off the lot. The buyer is anxious to go play with their new toy and the dealer is anxious to get the ink dry on the contract so they can turn the inventory over and get that thing out of there!

As for the dealer assuming something... do you actually believe the dealer assumed the brand new buyer would be pleased to pay for all the little and big things that they found right away after the dealer told them to write it all up and bring it back?

You bought the coach used, (don't know if you got a 'killer' deal) and expected a 'like new' coach. Like new is not 'perfect'.
No, it should not have been perfect but it should have been clean and all the systems should have been properly working. There should have been signs of normal wear and tear but the dealer should have gone through it and fixed everything that was broken. Since the dealer offered the warranty then the dealer should have addressed the issues in the first list under the warranty AND as part of the initial inspection process. The bill should never have been charged to the buyer and the buyer should not have had to wage a complaint.

You turned in a list to the dealer asking them to fix those items. Probably irritated the tech by asking them to fix a burned out lightbulb, but they fixed your list and billed you for the repairs.
If the tech is irritated by replacing a burned out light bulb on a unit for a REPEAT customer then maybe the tech needs a new job somewhere else.

Remember, different individuals doing different things within the company. (Lack of communication between billing clerk, service mgr and owner) Sounds like owner cleared that up but wasn't going to continue giving you a blank check for future repairs.
Could have gone about it in a more tactful manner, rather than issuing a bill and then chastising the buyer after they complained about the bill.

The warranty you received specifies what needs to be done in the event of a failure. You didn't follow protocol. They, most likely have some of the parts you need in their facility. Maybe from a previous fix.
So are they using left over parts that they toss in a bin somewhere in the shop and dig from when they need it.

Brake systems are important and should be repaired properly.

I agree that the buyer should have taken it back to the dealer but int he same respect, given this dealer's history at this point I am not sure I would be able to trust they would perform the repair properly

IMHO, you've got to give them the opportunity to fix your issue. The only other solution is to write them off and move on. You'll get nothing from any government agency. The dealer will show they acted in good faith by completing your previous repairs and eating the cost of those repairs. If you want the dealer to fix your issue under their warranty, you'll have to take it back to them. Otherwise it's on your nickel......Dennis

True. The dealer must be given an opportunity to fix things otherwise the dealer will prevail in a complaint.

That is why it is imperative that the buyer accurately document everything and find out from the brake manufacturer the PROPER repair procedure for the brake system and then ensure it is done properly.