Camper damage due to being serviced at that dealer

[Trchristy1392]

I am not sure if you can help me my family and I are not new to camping we have had a pull behind and then eventually graduated to a 5th wheel. We are good Sam Members etc.... This past fall we dropped our camper off to be serviced. Long story short I was called and told that there had been a accident with the camper and basically it was hit. The storage department behind the 5th wheel has a huge hole in it. The force of the impact caused a crack about 5 inches long from where the propain take is held up the wall the propane tank door wont close and the levers was damaged. The dealer ship says they will fix it and do what will be needed to fix it. They are keeping the camper though the winter. We went to go get some stuff out of it today and the cabinets in the kitchen and the bunk room is not closing so that tells me it did something more than in the nose of the camper. I am concerned to keep this camper as how do I know it will be sound for my family. I don't know what my rights are and what is reasonable to ask for. I would rather just have a new camper but is that realistic just traid it in? I don't want to get the added cost of being upside down since my camper is only about 3 years old. Any help or guidance would be appreciated.

[wilber1]

How long have you had it? We don't keep heat on our rig in the winter and when we take it out of storage to head south in January, some of the cabinet doors have swollen to a point they don't close properly. A week or so in warmer drier weather and they all work properly again.

[covered_wagon]

I would say that the frame is bent and it's difficult to trust dealerships from what I've seen in my 68 years. Why didn't they mention they will fix the cabinets? I think because they don't want you to know the real extent of the damage. Sorry that's my thoughts is all.

[Bird_Freak]

Call your insurance company NOW! The dealer will fix it good enough to get by but not the way it should be. With doors not closing you have more than cosmetic damage. Get your adjuster out there before they can hide or cover any damage.
I have dealt with this kind of stuff for years and this is why you have insurance.

[ksg5000]

If someone hit my rig I would likely call my insurance company - and that goes double if it was RV shop that told me they damaged my rig and would keep it the entire winter to fix it.

[NRALIFR]

If you’ve ever seen how most dealerships move 5th wheels around on their lot, I’d be wondering if they dropped it rather than hit it.

Either way though, could the problem with the cabinets and bunk room doors not closing just be due to the fact that all the levelers aren’t down?

:):)

[wa8yxm]

Most dealers make you sign a "Hold harmless" as part of the service contract but the advice to agree to nothing, sign nothing and basically do not even TALK to the dealer without professional legal advice (An attorney) is good.

As for your insurance company.. That too would be a good idea but in this case in most if not all states your insurance should not apply... but they do have good attorneys who may be able to assist. It was in the custody of the dealer at the time.

Finally IF it is decided to fix, and not replace.. DO have an independent inspection done by a competent inspector. and if possible get the dealer to pay for it.

[Grit_dog]

You're in VT, so presumably serviced in the fall meant winterizing months ago.
And now the dealer is going to keep it through the winter??
So like 6 months to blow out the water lines and fix whatever they crunched?
They're playing you for a sucker.
If you don't have the fortitude to demand being made whole, in a timely manner, then let your insurance co deal with it.
Actually, make sure your insurance co deals with it, as they have a better chance at getting it fixed right. And they will have no problem going after the dealer or their insurance to get their money back.

Good luck with the outcome.

[blofgren]

I think one of your biggest concerns right now should be to ensure that the damaged portions of your unit are protected from water intrusion until the repairs can be made. Having the unit inside or at least under cover will prevent bigger issues down the road. JMHO.

[DrewE]

If I trusted the dealer some, I'd at least talk to them and see what they were thinking of doing to make it good--give them a chance to make things right. If I didn't trust the dealer, I don't know why I'd be bringing my RV there in the first place. That's possibly just me; it may not be the soundest advice in general.

Realistically, if you're upside-down in your financing, you may well just be out of luck. The same would be true in most cases no matter where the accident happened. Similarly, if you should have the misfortune of totaling someone else's camper or other vehicle, you (via your insurance company) are only on the hook for the value of the vehicle, not for however little or much they may owe on it.

If the dealer is in New Hampshire, the laws might be a little different than in Vermont, but a local attorney and/or your insurance agent ought to know those details.

[Tyler0215]

Call your insurance agent. Get a mobile RV tech to inspect your RV. Then you will know what has been damaged. If the dealer won't let him on his lot go get your rig and take it to him. Take lots of pictures before you hook up. The dealer is only going to do the minimum to repair your rig. You won't get a new one.

[Lwiddis]

See an attorney in Vermont. Say nothing, write nothing to the dealership, their adjuster or attorney. In my state the max recovery will be the value of your RV on the day you dropped it off, not a new RV. Vermont may be different.