Warranty work refused

[dubob]

Life’s little experiences can bring sadness or joy. I had one yesterday that ended on a happy note – at least I hope it did and will be in the future. It’s regarding the warranty service on my new (yes new) 2011 Lance 992.

I bought the unit from Bozeman Ford & RV in Montana. I was going to buy a 2 or 3 year old used unit, but when I found this unit at not much more than a used one, I bought it instead. I knew Lance had a dealer in Salt Lake City, UT about 40 miles from home, so I wasn’t worried about having a resource for the warranty service. Little did I know.

The first issue under warranty was the Jensen radio/CD player doesn’t want to work when it’s cold. I called the SLC dealership to see about getting a replacement. I explained where I bought the unit and why. Their service department told me I would have to take the issue back to Bozeman, MT because I didn’t buy it from them and they had no interest or desire to do warranty work on a unit that wasn’t purchased from them.

I called Bozeman RV and talked to the manager and explained the situation to him and how driving 700 miles (round trip) wasn’t going to happen. He had his Lance regional sales rep call me and he relayed my complaint directly to Lance. Lance called me yesterday and I explained the situation. The Lance rep was very accommodating. He is shipping me a new replacement radio which I will install. And if I need warranty service in the future, I’m to call Lance direct and they will intercede with the dealer for me to get the needed service.

The sad thing for this SLC dealership is the fact that I will not ever choose them for any kind of service or parts in the future (except warranty work) and they have lost a potential customer. I will also not recommend there business to anybody who asks me for advice about service work. I would think that the SLC dealership would want to establish a good relationship with any and all Lance product owners. But apparently that is not the case.

If your travels will take you through Utah with a new Lance product and you find yourself in need of some warranty work, I sincerely hope you will be treated better than I was.

[Lantley]

wnjj wrote:

Lantley wrote:
Dealers are willing to endure this for units they sold however for units they did not sell, that have local owners many dealers do not feel obliged to play the warranty game. It is a loosing proposition for them

Why does it make any difference if it's a unit they sold? They already have the money from that purchase.

Answer: They hope to get repeat business or referrals from the buyer in the future.


So why wouldn't they consider an owner who didn't happen to buy from them any less likely to buy from them next time, especially if they can make them happy with service in the meantime? Not to mention any of this "future" buyer's family & friends. It sounds like this dealer doesn't need the business.

I 'll break it down for you. I am an independent contractor. I am not going to do warranty work for a project I did not complete and hope I get paid.
In my business all contractors may buy our material from Home Depot however we are not affiliated.
The RV biz is the same,two dealers may sell Lance campers, however the dealers are not affiliated.
Now if it is a project that I completed, then I we see to it that that my customer is satisfied in hopes I get more work from said customer. If it is a project another contractor completed I hope that contractor keeps his customer satisfied but in the end it is really not my concern.
Now if someone comes to me willing to pay for me to correct an issue or problem that maybe the responsibility of another contractor I am for hire. But I'm not just going to warranty a project I had nothing to do with simply because the materials came from Home Depot!.
What most consumers simply don't understand is there is no dealer warranty network. Nada. None. Dealers have the right to accept and refuse any warranty work they want without fear of repercussion from the manufacture. Many dealers simply take responsibility for there own sales and refer all other warranty issues back to the selling dealer

[wnjj]

Lantley wrote:
Dealers are willing to endure this for units they sold however for units they did not sell, that have local owners many dealers do not feel obliged to play the warranty game. It is a loosing proposition for them

Why does it make any difference if it's a unit they sold? They already have the money from that purchase.

Answer: They hope to get repeat business or referrals from the buyer in the future.


So why wouldn't they consider an owner who didn't happen to buy from them any less likely to buy from them next time, especially if they can make them happy with service in the meantime? Not to mention any of this "future" buyer's family & friends. It sounds like this dealer doesn't need the business.

[The_Texan]

stevenal wrote:

Eric&Lisa wrote:

Lots of people were unhappy. However, they were NOT his customers!

And they never will be. Also their friends and family members. And nowadays this attitude will be posted on internet forums so the group of never-customers becomes that much larger.

Eric&Lisa wrote:

Of course, he never applied this policy to someone traveling from out-of-town with an at-need situation. Just local people who bought elsewhere and then came to him for the quality service under warranty.

Of course those who are not customers and are unlikely to ever become customers are cared for while the local potential customers are shown the door.

My feelings exactly. If I ever had a service manager tell me that, then it would be the last he EVER saw of me or any of my extended family. The main reason we bought the last 2 vehicles from the dealer we now deal with is because of their attitude in the service department with a vehicle bought elsewhere. It is also the reason we will not deal with Dennis Dillon GMC, because they had a nasty attitude because we did not buy our GMC from them. The service department didn't even to check and see why we bought elsewhere, just a snide comment about where it was purchased.

[stevenal]

Eric&Lisa wrote:

Lots of people were unhappy. However, they were NOT his customers!

And they never will be. Also their friends and family members. And nowadays this attitude will be posted on internet forums so the group of never-customers becomes that much larger.

Eric&Lisa wrote:

Of course, he never applied this policy to someone traveling from out-of-town with an at-need situation. Just local people who bought elsewhere and then came to him for the quality service under warranty.

Of course those who are not customers and are unlikely to ever become customers are cared for while the local potential customers are shown the door.

[TugCE]

Back in 2003 I purchased a Chevy 1500. My local Dealership gave me their "Best" Price and I just could not make the numbers work so I decided to stick with the Ford Explorer Sport that I had at the time.

A couple of days after I made my decision to keep the Ford a Dealership that I had try to contact on the Internet called. We worked the deal out over the phone. They beat my local Dealership by over $2,500. After I got the truck I stopped at the local Dealership and talked to the Salesman, Who is now a good friend. I told them why I bought it where I did and showed them the paper work. I did not do this to rub it in but when they asked why I did not come back to them to see if they could match the price, I said well you said that you had given me your BEST price and I was not going to play that game.

When I am purchasing something I am not going to play the "Well So and So will sell it for this what about you. I will purchase from whoever gives me "My" Best price as I have a pretty good idea of the right price before I even walk into the Dealership.

For what it's worth I had all of my service done on my Truck at the local Dealership and they always treated me great. This is the reason that I have since purchased 4 new vehicles from them.

As for RV Dealerships, when I purchased my trailers I never had a problem getting work done and for that matter most of the time they were glad to get the work to keep their people working. I a Dealership turns down work either they have a very busy shop or are very stupid.

To the OP, from what you described it sounds like it was a easy fix and their was not a lot of money to be made in the repair. I have to wonder what they would have said if it had been a major repair that would have brought in a good amount of money, warrantied or not?

[troll3193]

jimh425 wrote:

troll3193 wrote:
not sure I understand your reply, just trying to say, I would and have perhaps paid more for a vehicle to buy it at a dealer that I have a good service relationship with..

Just joking around because you happen to drive a very, very reliable truck/engine combination that generally don't break down.

ah, I get it, but unfortunately not all my vehicles are Dodge trucks with Cummin's engines 🙂

[jimh406]

troll3193 wrote:
not sure I understand your reply, just trying to say, I would and have perhaps paid more for a vehicle to buy it at a dealer that I have a good service relationship with..

Just joking around because you happen to drive a very, very reliable truck/engine combination that generally don't break down.

[troll3193]

jimh425 wrote:

troll3193 wrote:
I do

Counting on the Cummins to break down? Interesting. You must have a really, really long warranty. 🙂

not sure I understand your reply, just trying to say, I would and have perhaps paid more for a vehicle to buy it at a dealer that I have a good service relationship with..

goes beyond vehicles as well..

Bryan

[jimh406]

troll3193 wrote:
I do

Counting on the Cummins to break down? Interesting. You must have a really, really long warranty. 🙂

[troll3193]

jimh425 wrote:


Your uncle lost the plot. That's not the way people buy cars.

I do

[Capt__Caper]

I don't have any experience running a auto or rv service center but I am a business man that sells service and a product. I know if a person isn't polite to me and has an attitude of sorts I'll drop him fast even if I have to lose money. I'm the best at what I do and I have others who appreciate me that will fill the gaps. My dad who was in the same business used to say he or she is "one of those" meaning a royal pain in the butt,trouble,mean,etc.

[jimh406]

Eric&Lisa wrote:
My uncle refused any warranty work for vehicles purchased from the local auto row dealerships. He explained if you wanted a longstanding service relationship with the dealership, then you should have considered that when you made your purchase.

Lots of people were unhappy.

Your uncle lost the plot. That's not the way people buy cars.

[Eric_Lisa]

My uncle used to be a Service Director for a car dealership that was was well known for their service quality. This was an old dealership and not one of the places on 'auto row' a few miles away.

My uncle refused any warranty work for vehicles purchased from the local auto row dealerships. He explained if you wanted a longstanding service relationship with the dealership, then you should have considered that when you made your purchase.

Lots of people were unhappy. However, they were NOT his customers! They had never spent a dime with his dealership, so he had no real care if they took their business elsewhere. They would prattle on about being a 'potential customer' and he would remind them when they had the opportunity to be an 'actual customer' they went to someone else.

Of course, he never applied this policy to someone traveling from out-of-town with an at-need situation. Just local people who bought elsewhere and then came to him for the quality service under warranty.

Yes, it is a financial thing. The manufacturer pays a pittance for warranty repairs, expecting the dealership to shoulder some of the expense out of the profit from the original sale.

[jimh406]

dubob wrote:
I’m certain we don’t agree about me being an unreasonable person, or an all or nothing kind of guy.

Nah, you are sounding pretty reasonable. You were just going a little off into the weeds for a while. 😉

[dubob]

jimh425 wrote:
dubob, curiously, we seem to agree in spite of you pushing back against all of my comments. It might be time to take a deep breath.

One of my rules for living is, and has been for quite some time, I try very hard to not get upset over things I have no control over. Anything you say about me or my comments would fall into the category of my not having any control over it. So I’m not upset and I’m pretty sure I don’t need to take a deep breath. But thanks for your concern over my well being. I’m certain we don’t agree about me being an unreasonable person, or an all or nothing kind of guy.