Brand new - "AS IS" ??

[BillB800si]

Here's a new twist on buying a brand new RV. Yesterday I picked up our new 2014 Cougar H.C. 321RES and when signing the paperwork I'm handed a sheet entitled, "Service Call Agreement". In the body of this letter I'm required to sign is says,
" It is important for you to be aware of the Manufacturer's warranty policy regarding your recreational vehicle/unit since General RV sold it to you "AS IS" and since General RV does not issue any warranties whatsoever, express or implied, and because all warranties received by you are solely issued by the manufacturer of your recreational vehicle/unit"..
Now this is from the largest family owned RV Dealer in the U.S. (offices in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Utah and Florida)

So when purchasing from General RV be aware of your rights or lack thereof.

Happy trails,
Bill B. (Michigan)

[Vulcaneer]

As opposed to buying a used trailer...where the dealer may offer a 30 day warranty. Sometimes dealers do offer warranty's. They want you to know that in this case the manufacturer has sole responsibility for warranty service payments.

[JJBIRISH]

beemerphile1 wrote:
If you buy a new car, the dealer doesn't warrantee it, the manufacturer does. Same thing.

Not even close…

It is not smart or wise for anyone but the seller, it is just plain ludicrous for the buyer….

COMPLETELY UNLIKE AN AUTO WARRANTY where any dealer is contractually responsible to honor the warranty…

The RV mfg.’s warranty doesn’t need to be honored by a non-selling dealer of the same brand…

And here the wholesaler says I am not responsible for the warranty either, and does not also state he will do the work warrantied by the mfg.… meaning the only reliable source for the warranty work is the mfg….

While it may or may not happen that way, that would be what your contract is…

[bsinmich]

Having bought my last 2 MHs from General RV. I do have faith in them. Mine were both used but when I a minor problem on my as/is MH it was taken care of quickly at no charge both times. My first one was from Wixom and we lived in Mt. Clemens, MI. The salesman had a fellow pick us up in a van so we could ride home together in our new to us MH. It was a 40 mile trip each way so we appreciated that.

[ldm468]

For those who have too much time on their hands, take a look at this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donoghue_v_Stevenson for a discussion on the responsibilities of manufacturer, vendor and purchaser.:)

[vic46]

Double post

[rexlion]

It's a smart move on their part. In the '80s I had a small business that sold parts to farmers. Sold a chain to one farmer, and when he had trouble with it I took a sample section and sent it to the mfr for analysis. The prospector's pack animal -- I mean farmer -- did not wait for them to replace it, he sued me! Wish I had used a disclaimer back then. Now I know better.

[robatthelake]

IMHO it is about time that Retailers have started this practice.

In years past there was the "Goods satisfactory or Your Money Back" slogans/policy that worked fine for High profit, high volume Retailers who had negotiated minimal or zero shipping costs with the manufacturer of the goods in question.

Those Days have long gone , along with most of the retailers that promulgated the custom.

These Days the cost of shipping alone is horrendous and the products produced are made as cheaply as possible and sold at such low margins that the Stix and Bricks Retailers (Dealers) simply cannot afford to be generous any longer!

The fact that some people have taken the "Customer is always right" BS to the extreme has also contributed to the situation!

I think We all need to consider Warranties and Service in a different light these days .

[Javi1]

Sounds like they are gun shy and want to provide legal documentation releasing themselves from any implied or legislated responsibility to the buyer in regard to the serviceability, cosmetics, or functionality of any part of the RV....

Probably been sued at least once by some customer that wasn't satisfied with the outcome of a warranty issue from the manufacturer and the customer took it out on the dealer...

Doesn't mean they won't warranty any work they perform, just that they won't be held legally responsible for the workmanship of others...

[vic46]

Plan and simple statement/disclosure that there is no dealership goodwill warranty. The warranty is solely a manufacturers warranty.
Gets the kids off the street as it were if there are issues with the unit. If a buyer isn't happy and NOT prepared to accept the disclosure then down the road is the option!

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

beemerphile1 wrote:
If you buy a new car, the dealer doesn't warrantee it, the manufacturer does. Same thing.

True - but some car dealerships offer extra "goodies" (like free oil changes for a year, something like that) that are NOT part of a manufacturer's warranty. So I'm sure that's what the OP's disclaimer was saying - that they don't do anything beyond what the Mfr offers (and that would be "normal"). And yes, in Michigan, we have to spell out clearly what warranties apply to each vehicle.

[et2]

It's the dealer covering their rear-end due to issues beyond there control. Like a mfg going out of business while your warranty is still active. This happened with our Cameo. Purchased it and 4 months later Carraige closed up. Two year warranty was useless. Someone might try to hold the dealer accountable.

[beemerphile1]

If you buy a new car, the dealer doesn't warrantee it, the manufacturer does. Same thing.

[tatest]

It is not a new twist, but neither is it universal or necessarily a separate document.

In most states it is sufficient to put the reseller's "hold harmless" clause in the sales contract. There is likely some litigation history, or statute, in Michigan that forces a dealer to put a separate piece of paper in front of you.

[Dave_H_M]

NolalSafari wrote:
The dealer is being very upfront that the unit is warranted by the manufacture and not by the seller. Standard practice, the dealer is having you sign the paper work in the spirt of full discloser. Didn't state that the wouldn't do warranty work just that the warranty is provide by (Approved and payed for)third parties which is the case on most units. I don't see a problem.

BTW you weren't required to sign the agreement, in fact you weren't required to buy the trailer you could of moved on to another dealer.

I agree. I bought from General and am happier with a pig in slop with them - even on the small amount of warranty work.