FIC Door locks - Poor product, Poor service

[BobsYourUncle]

I am about as frustrated as I care to be with my piece of junk FIC door lock I bought last fall to replace the one in my TT with.

I was camping in BC's Okanogan Valley and got tired of the issues with my door lock.
So I bought the entire door handle/lock assembly from a local RV dealer in Osoyoos BC.

Well the new FIC unit has been a problem since day 1. Sticky keys, hard to lock - unlock, just problem problem problem.

Finally, late last fall, about 2 months after I bought this FIC junk, the top lock cylinder refused to turn. I fiddled and fooled with it for about 15 minutes to get my door open and the whole cylinder fell right out of the handle, attached to the key. I got the key out of it and shoved the cylinder back into the hole and somehow it is still there, but I cannot use it.

I am locking only with the deadbolt and it is very problematic. I have to fool and fiddle to get it to work. And I can turn the key 90 degrees and pull it out. Piece of junk.

I heard about the recall as posted here on the forum so I went to their website and filled out their warranty service form and sent it in. It has been close to 3 months now and I have not heard a thing from them. No reply, no replacement, no nothing from them. And they do not have any way of contacting them by email aside from their form. And a phone number to call.

Guess I have to go buy another new door handle with lock assembly. And when I do it will NOT be an FIC unit.

FIC is junk - stay away from these people. Poor product, Poor service.

Then I was googling for more information and I found a site that will sell you a ring of keys for 56 bucks. This ring contains a key to fit every one of FIC's locks! :E

So all a thief has to do is order this set of keys, and they have access to every RV on the road that has FIC locks.

How secure is that?

[westend]

FIC = Further Into China :B

Good to hear Bob got the gears turning. If I owned one of their locksets, I'd be all over them about the deal. I wonder how many folks have been locked in/out of their rig because of their sub-standard product.

Also, how much manpower is required to add a line of text to a webpage,"Due to the volume of recalled locksets, we are serving customers on a first submit/first mailed basis. Please allow ___ weeks for delivery"?

[aluminum_flyer]

The same exact answers, almost word for word, I got still with no results. I submitted in early Feb (when their letter was mailed out Jan 31). I submitted immediately upon receipt. Are they actually doing anything? Seems very very slow, if on Jan 31 the letter was mailed and I submitted my info early Feb and still no locks. Not sure with this one. Someone dropped the ball and it shattered when it hit the floor.

[fj12ryder]

Glad to see that you came back with the results of your call, and that it was positive. It's always nice to know that some companies aren't as bad as you feared they were. 🙂

[BobsYourUncle]

I just got off the phone with FIC.

Gal there was extremely helpful and cooperative.:)

I explained the situation and she checked the records and yes indeed they have my info on file.

She further explained to me that due to the extremely high volume of the recall complaints, they are now only servicing February submitted claims! Wow, that's a lot of claims to be that far behind. So they are running 3 months behind in getting these recalls sent out.

She further told me that she would pull my information, and would personally have it processed immediately and that I should see my replacement lock cylinders in 7 to 10 days, the holdup being customs and the postal system.
She also asked me to confirm the mailing address of where I am now to make sure I get the product in a timely fashion.

So, this phone call has made me eat my words in my OP and say that I am now very impressed with the customer service. The gal on the phone was courteous and efficient in the way she handled this, and gets 2 thumbs up from me!

So if any of you have the same issue and you are waiting for your locks, just know they are 3 months behind in servicing the recall.

Perhaps it may be helpful if they would post that on their site.

Well, lets see how long it takes to get my locks now.
I will post back here when I get them.

[aluminum_flyer]

I got news to aid the OP. I think that FIC does not care about non-US people at all. I submitted my info 4 times to them via website/phone about their recalled locks. No confirmation, emails, communications, replacements, etc. from them since February when I got the (Jan 31) letter. I had to get Transport Canada involved with the delinquency of the recall operation. Now, KZ-RV had called me this morning... they said they would send me one out of their pocket. How nice of them to do that to keep the customer happy. If I buy another TT it will be a KZ trailer!

[Thunder_Mountai]

We were in AZ last winter with friends who had a lockout situation on there new fiver. I remembered the FIC recall and checked the number on their key. Bingo! FIC replaced the lock and even paid for the locksmith. Took several months to get the check, but they got paid.

[BobsYourUncle]

Gene&Ginny wrote:
Was yours one of the recalled ones?

LINK

Mine wasn't on the list, but the website said something about there may be others involved too.
Mine exhibited the symptoms described. I filled out the form and submitted it and haven't heard a thing since.

If they are not going to warranty the thing, they could at least have the decency to let me know. Meanwhile, my door lock is working very poorly, just like FIC's customer service!!

(jab jab):B

[azjeffh]

BobsYourUncle wrote:
Well, since all of you have had good service, I guess I chalk it up to
"Bobs Luck" :B:B

This thing really has been a piece of.... work.

Nah, Bob and Jeff's luck.

Bought a new FIC handle last November and installed it. Seemed to work ok but the keys were a bit tough to get in.

Come December and the night before we were heading off on a 10 night trip, one of the keys got stuck in the deadbolt, wouldn't unlock the door and wouldn't come out. Ending up yanking/wiggling it for better than 5 minutes before it came out. After the fact, put a different key in and it worked fine, put the suspect key in and it worked fine :?

Saw the recall and checked my keys. Yes, they were on the recall list. Submitted on online claim and waited over a month, nothing. Resubmitted it and let them know this was my second attempt. Received new locks a couple weeks later.

Have the new locks and once again am struggling to get the keys in at times. Just bought some graphite, we'll see if it helps.

Yes, poor quality IMO.

Good luck.

[Gene_Ginny]

Was yours one of the recalled ones?

LINK

[BobsYourUncle]

Well, since all of you have had good service, I guess I chalk it up to
"Bobs Luck" :B:B

This thing really has been a piece of.... work.

[Cuffs054]

FIC, could not have nicer to me on the phone and the parts I ordered came in two days. They get a big thumbs up from me.

[fj12ryder]

Bumpyroad wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
My FIC keys/locks work fine, and when I sent in the recalled units I received my keys in a very timely manner and they also work fine. No complaints from me.

I got my replacement keys including the "master" before I sent in my old ones. how did you remove the cylinders without the master?
bumpy

Yeah, I got the new ones before I sent back the old ones. My fingers type faster than my mind thinks. 🙂

[rexlion]

Do you suppose that they might have lost your info accidentally? Give them a phone call and tell them you have been waiting for 3 months; they'll probably put a rush on one for you. Although, your issues sound like they go beyond the recall; you may be a candidate for a whole new unit under warranty. Really, give them a phone call, it can't hurt (and you can vent, too).

[Bumpyroad]

fj12ryder wrote:
My FIC keys/locks work fine, and when I sent in the recalled units I received my keys in a very timely manner and they also work fine. No complaints from me.

I got my replacement keys including the "master" before I sent in my old ones. how did you remove the cylinders without the master?
bumpy