Warranty Question: who's on the hook for the initial labor?

[rangerbait]

Greetings,

I couldn't find a closer match for this question, so in the general forum it goes...

We purchased a new 2014 Heartland Trailrunner 31QBBH in April of this month from a dealership in Michigan; I am in California. It was a combination of a the excellent price and the fact that we couldn't find a trailer in the floor plan we wanted anywhere near home that led us to a remote, sight-unseen purchase. Even with the $4500 delivery expense, it was still an excellent deal.

I have had two minor issues so far, and since I am a couple thousand miles from the dealership, I have to take the rig to an independent RV shop to officially diagnose problems and interface with the individual manufacturers of the failed components.

The first issue involved the Norcold fridge not working on AC power, only gas. I performed some basic troubleshooting, and narrowed it down to the circuit card which controls the gas/electric operating mode. I took it to the shop, and $95 later, they concluded the same thing.

The owner of the shop contacted Norcold, and they are shipping a new part under warranty which costs about $100-120 retail.

The dealership in MI says that the company honoring the warranty also typically pays the labor cost of diagnosing the problem if it turns out to be a warranty-covered issue...the shop says that my $95 is just gone.

How is this supposed to work? Is the diagnostic labor just the cost of doing business?

Thanks in advance for your guidance on this topic.

[GMandJM]

rangerbait wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Per Norcold (Thetford Website)

Have a Warranty Claim?

To request warranty coverage:

Review the warranty statement to ensure the product has warranty coverage.

If your product is under warranty:

*Take the product to an authorized service center.
*The service facility will diagnose the problem and contact Thetford or Norcold to request replacement parts. Replacement parts are provided at no cost to the owner.
*The service center will repair the product. All labor charges will be billed directly to Thetford or Norcold.

OB, way to RTFM!! 😄

I really appreciate the reference.

More like ATFB...Ask the Funny Buscuit!

[JALLEN4]

The manufacturer of an RV, in this case Heartland, guarantees the unit, generally for one year, and it would be rare that the warranty would exclude diagnostics, parts or replacement labor. The warranty is their responsibility to administer and to fund.

The first source of warranty repairs would be authorized dealers for the brand. In addition, most units use components from vendors ( Norcold in this case) and these vendors cover warranty costs of the manufacturer based on some negotiated formula. Many of these vendors supply to a number of manufacturers and sell on the open market to consumers. Often their individual warranty exceeds that of the overall manufacturer's warranty.

These vendors often have a network of authorized warranty stations and dealers working under a contract. They can often be used in lieu of the RV manufacturers network of dealers. Regardless of the warranty source the manufacturer allows you to use, the terms of the original warranty are not changed.

These networks of warranty stations are for the most part independent businesses that often ignore their contractual obligations. At the end of the day, you should not be responsible for any diagnostic costs unless stipulated in your original manufacturer's warranty. Your source of relief should be back through either the original selling dealer or Heartland. Good luck but they do owe you compensation for your expense.

[rangerbait]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Per Norcold (Thetford Website)

Have a Warranty Claim?

To request warranty coverage:

Review the warranty statement to ensure the product has warranty coverage.

If your product is under warranty:

*Take the product to an authorized service center.
*The service facility will diagnose the problem and contact Thetford or Norcold to request replacement parts. Replacement parts are provided at no cost to the owner.
*The service center will repair the product. All labor charges will be billed directly to Thetford or Norcold.

OB, way to RTFM!! 😄

I really appreciate the reference.

[Old-Biscuit]

Per Norcold (Thetford Website)

Have a Warranty Claim?

To request warranty coverage:

Review the warranty statement to ensure the product has warranty coverage.

If your product is under warranty:

*Take the product to an authorized service center.
*The service facility will diagnose the problem and contact Thetford or Norcold to request replacement parts. Replacement parts are provided at no cost to the owner.
*The service center will repair the product. All labor charges will be billed directly to Thetford or Norcold.

[jnharley]

Our piece of s--t microwave/convection oven has been replaced twice under warranty. The first replacement was at our 5th wheel manufacturer's service center and we only had to tell them what the problem was and they took care of everything including the labor to install a new unit. The next time we contacted the microwave manufacturer and worked everything out with them in advance. A local mobile tech and authorized microwave rep brought the new one and installed it no charge to us. I would always start with the manufacturer of the broken part first. Hopefully you will not have to pay a diagnostic fee again under warranty. By the way, # 3 microwave is again on the fritz and we are replacing it on our dime with a residential model that hopefully performs better and lasts longer.

[rangerbait]

GaryWT wrote:
I'm not sure what taken for a raise means either.

You said that the $95 would be reimbursable but that you are out the $95 in the same line so not sure what is what.

The part is being sent, who is paying for the labor to install? On the same request I would think the $95 could be included especially if the place you are working with is an authorized dealer.

Good luck.

I meant that when I inquired about the warranty work that the dealership from whom I purchased the trailer said that the mfg. of the failed component would typically reimburse the diagnostic labor; the shop performing the labor said I had to foot the bill.

leeper wrote:
New Cardinal with A/C breaking down. First went to Camping World. They said an inspection would have to be done first with me paying the non refundable fee. It was plain to see what was wrong with the A/C without an inspection. The A/C needed to be replaced. I went to another RV repair shop whom was certified by the A/C manufacture. No charge for inspection and contacting the company. CW said I would have to take care of the paper work for warranty work refund. Last time I went to CW for repairs.

Sounds like policies vary from shop to shop...I will be shopping around henceforth, assuming I have the luxury of time.

GMandJM wrote:
"I didn't take you to raise" is one of those old-timer sayings. It means "I'm not footing the bills for you".

I like it...and while I'm not looking to be "taken to raise", I'm also not thrilled about paying $$ to fix a brand new appliance.

[GMandJM]

"I didn't take you to raise" is one of those old-timer sayings. It means "I'm not footing the bills for you".

[GaryWT]

I'm not sure what taken for a raise means either.

You said that the $95 would be reimbursable but that you are out the $95 in the same line so not sure what is what.

The part is being sent, who is paying for the labor to install? On the same request I would think the $95 could be included especially if the place you are working with is an authorized dealer.

Good luck.

[GMandJM]

But if the repair place called and got the board replaced under warranty, they could consider that pre-authorization. In theory, anyway. Albeit longshot.

[Cloud_Dancer]

IMO the repairs gotta be pre-authorized. The factory will want their own assurance that the shop is ligit. If I were them, that's what I would want.

[Dtank]

bgum wrote:
Old Biscuit got it right. In this case I am afraid you will pay the diagnostic fees out of pocket.

Ahhh - sure can't hurt to *try* to get Norcold to pay..:W

.

[bgum]

Old Biscuit got it right. In this case I am afraid you will pay the diagnostic fees out of pocket.

[rangerbait]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Normal procedure is to contact MFG. FIRST to get approval/authorization prior to any repairs (diagnostics/repairs/replacements)

Then MFG. can direct you to an authorized repair facility for cost free warranty service.
Mobile repair may be authorized if conditions warrant but YOU pay for service call

Most repair shops waive diagnostic fees when repairs are done at their shop.

Good tip...I will go that route in the future.

[rangerbait]

GMandJM wrote:
With our ViewFinder we had problems with the a/c and stove. In each instance we called the component's maker and talked with their warranty people. They were able to tell us who and where their authorized services places were in our current area.

There were dealerships, repair shops and even a couple mobile RV services on the list. We just called down the list until we found ones that could get our stuff fixed the soonest.

We paid for the service call/appointment and were later reimbursed by the company since we had the repairs pre-authorized. The repair place was paid by the component maker (and to be honest I'm not sure how that end of it worked).

With the MH we take it to the manufacturer in Red Bay or to Freightliner if it's a chassis or engine issue.

I don't recall ever going back to the original dealership for repairs on either RV, now that you mention it.

Great feedback...it makes sense to me that it would work that way, but I also wouldn't be surprised if I had to pay for every diagnosis. A "cost of doing business" situation.