Forum Discussion

cjelliott81's avatar
cjelliott81
Explorer
Apr 05, 2016

Keystone Customer Service Fail

BUYER BEWARE! - KEYSTONE WILL NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCTS.


An improperly installed (upside down) cargo door has caused thousands of dollars in water damage to my camper and despite a diagnosis from two different authorized Keystone dealerships that that the door is improperly installed, Keystone refuses to take responsibility.


The door is installed such that the weep holes that would typically allow rain water to simply drain out of the door are located on top of the door rather than the bottom (see photos). This allows the door to fill with water during rain showers until it completely fills the door and weeps between the door panels and the black frame that binds each side of the door together ( not to be confused with the door frame that the door seals against when closed).


Per Keystone customer service, "... they stated they do not believe a manufacturing defect. It would be deemed no assistance from Keystone RV. They deemed that the weep holes would not allow water into compartment." This is despite the fact that it has been diagnosed as an improperly installed door by two of their service centers, video of the water running down the door obviously from the door seams and not from the frame, and photos of corrosion on the interior of the door from the water seepage.



Photos: https://goo.gl/photos/5Aa9mdqgHAdAF52GA

Video of leak: https://youtu.be/PpWkQt6AMlU
  • old_guy's avatar
    old_guy
    Explorer
    Apr 06, 2016
    construction wise, I would take a keystone over a forest river any day. worked on both of them
  • cjelliott81's avatar
    cjelliott81
    Explorer
    Apr 06, 2016
    It is a 2013 Sprinter, pardon my vagueness but if this does end up in court, I don't need some lawyer skirting responsibly based on a technicality.

    It was purchased from CW on 15 July 2014 @ 8 months old. It has since been returned to CW 4 times (the first two weeks after purchase) and another local dealer once in an attempt to repair the leak. It has only recently been discovered that the door is in fact upside down so I have been working with Keystone, my local dealer and CW for a resolution. Keystone sent there response today insisting that "they do not believe a manufacturing defect. It would be deemed no assistance from Keystone RV. They deemed that the weep holes would not allow water into compartment." Despite the fact that there is both photo and video proof to the contrary.

    If this were a premature failure of some system within the camper, I could swallow the warranty answer a bit more easily, however this is purely a workmanship / quality control issue that I think I have taken all reasonable steps to mitigate and have just unfortunately been failed by both CW and Keystone for nearly 2 years.
  • beemerphile1's avatar
    beemerphile1
    Explorer
    Apr 06, 2016
    Unfortunately even if it was installed wrong, the onus is on the purchaser to mitigate damages. If it was let go for a long period until severe damage was done the manufacturer would be in the clear except for correcting the original problem.

    There is also an independent Keystone forum.
  • DutchmenSport's avatar
    DutchmenSport
    Explorer
    Apr 06, 2016
    I've never had problems with Keystone. They've been very good to me, with 2 campers.

    Don't know about your post on Facebook, but I do know, a negative and belligerent attitude will only shut down the entire process.

    You never did answer the question? Did you purchase the camper new or used? That would give us better insight to Keystone's response.
  • cjelliott81's avatar
    cjelliott81
    Explorer
    Apr 06, 2016
    Keystone has deleted my post from their Facebook page without any contact, that speaks volumes to me as to how they intend to handle this.
  • tshirtman's avatar
    tshirtman
    Explorer
    Apr 06, 2016
    Send a letter and pics to Trailer Life and have them help intervene.
    They have a RV Resolutions section every month in their magazine.
    Best of luck.
  • tshirtman's avatar
    tshirtman
    Explorer
    Apr 06, 2016
    In-laws just traded in their Keystone for a Forest river . They love it
    Just had an AMAZING positive experience with Jayco:)
  • RavensFan24's avatar
    RavensFan24
    Explorer
    Apr 06, 2016
    How old is the trailer? Did you buy it new? If it's outside of warranty, I could see them potentially using that as a reason to avoid it. I thought I had an issue with my electric awning, which I was able to fix, but when I called Keystone they offered to take care of it for me even though it was outside of the 1 year. IF you bought it used, I can see why they wouldn't cover it simply because the old owner could've done a myriad of things to cause leakage issues.

    May be try calling the BBB and having them apply pressure? A phone call from a lawyer can also help push things along. I would just keep calling and pressuring them until I Got someone high up enough to give the OK or at least know that if I did have a lawyer call, they wouldn't be talking to some random rep.

    Good luck! Water damage is the worst...

About Travel Trailer Group

44,026 PostsLatest Activity: Mar 01, 2025