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.

Sounds like a sales only dealership. On the plus side, they probably wouldn't do good work if you ever tried to use them, so it is good to know what they think about service/warranty work.But, Lance seems to have done exactly what was expected!

I can't imagine them refusing to work on your camper. Do they have any idea how many snowbirds go through SLC on the way south that may need warranty work or non-warranty work? Hope the repairs work out for you.

call me crazy, but they seemed to have " lost a potential customer."when you traveled 700 miles away to another dealer to buy something you could have bough locally..Not justifying their decision,but understand it...Bryan

Welcome to the world of RV warranties. You mentioned Bozeman Ford but unless I missed something you didn't mention the dealer in Utah.I had a warranty problem with my Monaco MH. Monaco rep sent me to a Salt Lake Ford dealer for repairs. They worked on it for over an hour and said they just didn't have the equipment to do the repairs. (suppected the fuel tank had to be removed) Monaco told me if there was any charge by the Ford dealer they would re-imburse me. The Ford dealer told me no charge and helped me find directions to Motorsportsland. We were treated very well and they repaired the problem within a few hours. Neither of those dealers even sold Monaco MHs. The reason many dealers don't want to handle the warranty issues is many RV manufacturers are really cheap. They don't want to pay for warranty repairs. They discount the warranty repairs. I can understand why dealers don't want to handle those repairs unless the RV was purchased from them. There are a few RV manufacturers that will step up to the plate and pay the going rate for warranty repairs. Since Monaco owners got beat up pretty bad in the past I think Navistarrv is trying to build up the name again by paying for the warranty repairs at the going repair rate. All 3 of my warranty issues have been handled at dealers that never sold Monaco MHs. They were glad to get the business. How long this great warranty service will last, I suspect, will be based on if Navistarrv sells their MH business. In the mean time I have 7 months left on my warranty.

troll3193 wrote:call me crazy, but they seemed to have " lost a potential customer."when you traveled 700 miles away to another dealer to buy something you could have bough locally..Not justifying their decision,but understand it...BryanA couple of years ago when I purchased a TT I could have purchased it locally. The local RV dealer does very good repairs and at a reasonable price. In fact they just installed vent covers on my new MH and were very reasonable. I am happy. However, if you buy a new RV from them you will pay dearly. They even advertise, no need to bargain we give you our best price and no high pressure. So the question is does someone buy from a local dealer and pay several thousands more, or play the odds? If no warranty repair take care of the bill yourself? My unpaid warranty service was about $500 on my Jayco 19RD. I figure I saved almost $10k on the TT. I did OK on the trade for my MH. Plus I learned a lesson about Jayco warranties. Notice, I ain't driving or towing a Jayco. I'm still playing the odds. I bought my Monaco in Laughlin, NV and live in NW WY. JMHO.

Warranty work refused | Good Sam Community

jimh406
Explorer III
May 16, 2013
Sounds like a sales only dealership. On the plus side, they probably wouldn't do good work if you ever tried to use them, so it is good to know what they think about service/warranty work.

But, Lance seems to have done exactly what was expected!
MTRhino
Explorer
May 16, 2013
I can't imagine them refusing to work on your camper. Do they have any idea how many snowbirds go through SLC on the way south that may need warranty work or non-warranty work? Hope the repairs work out for you.
troll3193
Explorer
May 16, 2013
call me crazy, but they seemed to have " lost a potential customer."

when you traveled 700 miles away to another dealer to buy something you could have bough locally..

Not justifying their decision,but understand it...

Bryan
WyoTraveler
Explorer
May 16, 2013
Welcome to the world of RV warranties. You mentioned Bozeman Ford but unless I missed something you didn't mention the dealer in Utah.

I had a warranty problem with my Monaco MH. Monaco rep sent me to a Salt Lake Ford dealer for repairs. They worked on it for over an hour and said they just didn't have the equipment to do the repairs. (suppected the fuel tank had to be removed) Monaco told me if there was any charge by the Ford dealer they would re-imburse me. The Ford dealer told me no charge and helped me find directions to Motorsportsland. We were treated very well and they repaired the problem within a few hours. Neither of those dealers even sold Monaco MHs.

The reason many dealers don't want to handle the warranty issues is many RV manufacturers are really cheap. They don't want to pay for warranty repairs. They discount the warranty repairs. I can understand why dealers don't want to handle those repairs unless the RV was purchased from them. There are a few RV manufacturers that will step up to the plate and pay the going rate for warranty repairs. Since Monaco owners got beat up pretty bad in the past I think Navistarrv is trying to build up the name again by paying for the warranty repairs at the going repair rate. All 3 of my warranty issues have been handled at dealers that never sold Monaco MHs. They were glad to get the business. How long this great warranty service will last, I suspect, will be based on if Navistarrv sells their MH business. In the mean time I have 7 months left on my warranty.
WyoTraveler
Explorer
May 16, 2013
troll3193 wrote:
call me crazy, but they seemed to have " lost a potential customer."

when you traveled 700 miles away to another dealer to buy something you could have bough locally..

Not justifying their decision,but understand it...

Bryan

A couple of years ago when I purchased a TT I could have purchased it locally. The local RV dealer does very good repairs and at a reasonable price. In fact they just installed vent covers on my new MH and were very reasonable. I am happy. However, if you buy a new RV from them you will pay dearly. They even advertise, no need to bargain we give you our best price and no high pressure.

So the question is does someone buy from a local dealer and pay several thousands more, or play the odds? If no warranty repair take care of the bill yourself? My unpaid warranty service was about $500 on my Jayco 19RD. I figure I saved almost $10k on the TT. I did OK on the trade for my MH. Plus I learned a lesson about Jayco warranties. Notice, I ain't driving or towing a Jayco. I'm still playing the odds. I bought my Monaco in Laughlin, NV and live in NW WY. JMHO.
WVbassmistress
Explorer
May 16, 2013
We have experienced the same issue with a Ranger Boat dealer in our area. Frankly, they quite nastily refused to do warranty and non-warranty service work on a boat bought elsewhere. Not a problem, we take the boat back to Frankfort, KY and have GREAT experiences with the dealer there. I can (almost) appreciate the local dealer being frustrated that another dealer sold us the boat because they gave us a better deal, but instead of building a relationship with someone that is a loyal Ranger owner, and having a chance to sell us the next one, they pissed my husband off and he never passes an opportunity to share that with others.
BTW...if you are anywhere near and need a boat of any kind...Days Boat Sales in Frankfort, KY. Last time we were there, I was discussing truck campers and the owner jumped on-line and offered to find me one!! Tell you what, when I am ready for the next one, I just might let him do so.
dubob
Explorer
May 16, 2013
troll3193 wrote:
call me crazy, but they seemed to have " lost a potential customer."

when you traveled 700 miles away to another dealer to buy something you could have bough locally..

Not justifying their decision,but understand it...

Bryan
As I said above, the unit I bought in Bozeman was a NEW 2011. I bought it at 25% off retail which was very near what I was willing to spend for a used one. The SLC dealer had neither a used one nor a 2-year old NEW one on their lot for the 6 months I checked before making the buy and $40,000 plus for a 2013/14 model was definitely NOT in my budget. The SLC dealer lost NO business by my buying in Montana but DID loose any potential for future sales on products, parts, or service.
The_Texan
Explorer
May 16, 2013
WyoTraveler wrote:
How long this great warranty service will last, I suspect, will be based on if Navistarrv sells their MH business. In the mean time I have 7 months left on my warranty.

You didn't have to wait very long......Navistar RV sold
Lantley
Nomad
May 16, 2013
The local dealer is not truly the bad guy. The entire RV dealer network is really at the root of the issue. The OP stated he went to his local Lance dealer for help with a warranty repair. Truth is the dealers are not truly affiliated and are really independent operators. The idea that there is a dealer network is a charade that the RV industry really does not want to discuss.
Your local dealer does not want the job because there is a good chance they will not be compensated by Lance. They are willing to take the risk on payment with a unit they sold, however with a unit they did not sell they don't want the headache.
Notice Lance did not resolve the issue via the local dealer because they have no authority or agreement with the dealer to regulate/enforce the warranty repairs.
Frankly I would not take on non paying work either, I understand there is good will but there is also overhead and bills to be paid.
In the end the local guy gets the black eye, however the issue really lies with Lance and the entire RV industry's lack of a true automotive industry style warranty and compensation network.
Fortunately Lance did resolve your issue. Ultimately Lance is responsible for your warranty not the dealer.
Before you write off you local guy, you need to understand there is not a dealer network for warranty service.
This issue comes up frequently your case is not the first and will not be the last.
While non selling dealer warranty service is not a deal breaker when buying a unit it is a real issue that should be considered when not buying locally
mark1228
Explorer
May 16, 2013
Lantley wrote:
The local dealer is not truly the bad guy. The entire RV dealer network is really the route of the issue. The OP stated he went to his local Lance dealer for help with a warranty repair. Truth is the dealers are not truly affiliated and are really independent operators. The idea that there is a dealer network is a charade that the RV industry really does not want to discuss.
Your local dealer does not want the job because there is a good chance they will not be compensated by Lance. They are willing to take the risk on payment with a unit they sold , however with a unit they did not sell they don't want the headache.
Notice Lance did not resolve the issue via the local dealer because they have no authority or agreement with the dealer to regulate/enforce the warranty repairs.
Frankly I would not take on non paying work either, I understand there is good will but there is also overhead and bills to be paid.
In the end the local guy gets the black eye, however the issue really lies with Lance and the entire RV industry's lack of a true automotive industry style warranty and compensation network.
Fortunately Lance did resolve your issue. Ultimately Lance is responsible for your warranty not the dealer.
Before you write off you local guy, you need to understand there is not a dealer network for warranty service.
This issue comes up frequently your case is not the first and will not be the last.
While non selling dealer warranty service is not a deal breaker when buying a unit it is a real issue that should be considered when not buying locally

This is exactly right. Think about it, if warranty paid well, why would any dealer refuse it? The dealer gets the black eye for a problem that stems from the manufacturer and they are the one that is responsible for your warranty.

The other thing I really laugh about on these types of subjects is that the local dealer now has "lost your business". Really? Seems to me they lost it when you went out of town to make your purchase and since you did it once a logical conclusion is that you will do it again next time.