Bad Dometic AC

[Biobug]

In January of this year I bought a new Dometic Brisk Air 2 air conditioner to replace an old but still working one on our motorhome. I started it up and no cold air. I pulled the cover and the compressor was hot but not running. I bought it from RVtech on Ebay.I communicated with them and they said once it is installed their warranty is void. I have to deal with Dometic.I called them and I needed to take it to a service dealer so I contacted on in Lake Havasu and they figured the compressor was locked up. They said it is very common in new units. They could not work on it for a couple of weeks so we came home to Oregon. I contacted several mobile repair guys and they would not do it. We are living in the motorhome so driving it to a repair service dealer becomes an issue. I tried to make an appointment with Camping World and sure they could get to it in a month. I emailed Dometic again and because of Covid 19 (?) Response could be 72 hours I drove to a service repair shop (65 miles away) and because of Covid19 they would not talk to me . Their sign said fill out a service sheet and they would contact me. The box with service sheets was empty of course! I called a commercial refrigeration friend and paid him 50 bucks to check the unit and yes, the compressor is locked up. He can't replace the compressor because he had no way to reclaim the gas. Back to service dealers, I found one that would replace it in a couple weeks but we would have to pay the $ 1000.00 bucks and fight with Dometic to get reimbursed for the replacement. They have had problems in the past. So here we are! In July with temps up to 95 degrees with 3 box fans and no ac after buying a new Dometic AC unit nobody will fix or replace without costing us more than the new unit cost in the first place!
CONGRATULATIONS DOMETIC! Great customer service! It is over 72 hours now with no response.

[philh]

How do you know it was "brand new"?

[GDS-3950BH]

okhmbldr wrote:
You need to be going after RVtech on Ebay for a replacement. "Once installed, no warranty"...what a crock. Get Ebay involved, they have standards for their sellers. RVtech should make it good, and they can go after Dometic.

The seller has clear terms listed, one is no returns after 30 days, buyer pays shipping back. Do you expect them to test every item they sell to confirm its not DOA from the manufacturer? Dometic used to be top notch, 10 years ago, now not so much. IMO garbage.

The Ebay features related to buyers are a joke, the same as Amazons if you buy from a 3rd party seller there.

Another thing a person needs to look at is if the seller is an authorized seller. There are a lot of sellers on Ebay who buy surplus from the RV manufacturers. In a lot of cases the manufacturer of the item will not honor their warranty in that situation. I was burnt that way before on a water heater, my own fault though for not doing the research.

[dougrainer]

JEEEZ. If I had a working AC and replaced it to be proactive and the new one failed from the start, I WOULD REINSTALL THE OLD ONE. Now, We have a Covid-19 BS going on in the USA and ALL companies are in a lock down mode. THAT makes doing your own purchases and installs harder to get warranty results happen in a good time frame. Dometic has NO control over their thousands of Service centers. They are independantly owned and because of Covid-19 they have their own rules they may have to follow. Dometic has a specific Check out sheet that must be filled out by a Warranty center to get a replacement. For those that state RVP(Coleman) SAME PROCEDURE. Doug

[okhmbldr]

You need to be going after RVtech on Ebay for a replacement. "Once installed, no warranty"...what a crock. Get Ebay involved, they have standards for their sellers. RVtech should make it good, and they can go after Dometic.

[Busdriver]

This is why you buy Coleman

[GDS-3950BH]

dpgllg wrote:


And before any comments why did'nt I contact Grand Design I did. Thier response was not thier problem contact Dometic. The biggest reason I purchased a Grand Design was all the reviews on how wonderful the customer service was. Since Winnebago purchased them the customer service is horrible. I have a long list of issues and the response is always the same contact the manufactor of the item. Dometic Lippert Norcold etc.

If automobile warranty work was the same most people would be furious with this approach. Grand Design uses this because it takes them off the hook for any warranty work and saves them a pile of money.



Dave

You're not alone. I have seen and experienced the change in Grand Design also. Knowing their roots (founders were Keystone bigwigs) I sort of always anticipated it. The sellout to Winny sealed the deal. As far as Dometic they have sucked for a long time, and Lippert? ROFLMAO. I won't even start on those clowns.

[dpgllg]

I purchased a new Grand Design Reflection 5th wheel and the Dometic AC went 23 days after the Dometic warranty. Dometic said they would honor the warranty but I had to take it to an approved Dometic shop. That's where the fun starts.

I tried multiple places and one of two things. They couldn't work on it for 6 months or longer OR I had to pay up front because Dometic is horrible in making warranty payments to the RV shop. The majority was they would not do warranty work for Dometic. When I asked Dometic if they would reimburse me the answer was NO. I had the shop that I normally use tell me he would not touch it under warranty. He has several thousand dollars owed to him from Dometic and no payment in sight. This is a small one man RV repair shop and that much money is a big deal to him. So you either wait and not use the RV for an entire season or pay up yourself and move on.

I also bought one off eBay and my brother and a friend replaced it for me. Been working fine.

I think the complaint here is how terrible Dometic customer service is. Both to the consumer and repair shops. They have put rules in place that forces you to pay for the repairs yourself and they end up not paying for anything.

And before any comments why did'nt I contact Grand Design I did. Thier response was not thier problem contact Dometic. The biggest reason I purchased a Grand Design was all the reviews on how wonderful the customer service was. Since Winnebago purchased them the customer service is horrible. I have a long list of issues and the response is always the same contact the manufactor of the item. Dometic Lippert Norcold etc.

If automobile warranty work was the same most people would be furious with this approach. Grand Design uses this because it takes them off the hook for any warranty work and saves them a pile of money.

Grand Design as well as all makers of RV's need to hold these suppliers accountable for the products installed in RV's but they won't because that would cost more money to put better materials in the RV's. The RV makers set low standards and there fore we get poor quality items.

Alright I'll climb down from my soapbox now Rant over.

Dave

[wa8yxm]

If you bought it from the installer then the installer has to warrant it.
If you bought it from someone else. Well.
You might wish to seek professional LEGAL assistance.

[Biobug]

I am upset that Dometic makes it so difficult to get a brand new unit fixed or replaced. How is that avoiding reality! Yes I bought it off Ebay so I did not have to drive 150 miles to Phoenix for one.I installed it myself to save $. Nobody around our Arizona place could do it for at least a month.

[bob213]

You bought it on ebay from a place that voids your warranty as soon as it is installed and you are upset with Dometic?