william_davey
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Re: Carefree Electric Awning Failure
My intent for posting was to suggest that Carefree products are not very reliable/durable and the customer service could be better. I asked for partial (good faith) reimbursement, not the entire cost. I did not see the damage as it was happening because the switch for the awning is inside a cabinet so the front arms are not visible when retracting the awning. I was watching the rear arms which were not damaged. Both sets of arms were replaced because we were told by a Carefree dealer and a Carefree tech rep (by phone) that my style of awning arms were no longer available. I did not intend to get into a p***ing contest about this, but I will share my experience.501Views0likes0CommentsCarefree Electric Awning Failure
I have a 14 month old 5th wheel trailer with a Carefree Travel'r power awning installed. Below is my correspondence with Carefree and their response. Judge for yourself. CUSTOMER INQUIRY: 52 days after the 1 year warranty expired, my awning arms became bent severely because the gas strut froze in the fully extended position. The awning arms stuck about 4 feet out so I could not travel to a servicing center. I had a mobile RV tech replace the awning arms with adjustable pitch arms (both ends) because the tech was informed that the fixed pitch arms were no longer available. I am requesting some good faith reimbursement for the cost of the new arms ($948.00) since the awning was less than 2 months beyond the warranty and because it's failure left me stranded for a week in a RV park until the arms could be replaced. receipts and photos available. CAREFREE RESPONSE: Dear Mr. Davey, Good afternoon and thank you for your email. It is unfortunately this has occurred, but you are outside your Carefree warranty period. I have attached a copy of the Retail Warranty Procedure/Policy for you to review. I did notice that the part number listed below, OV2553-MP is the Fixed Steep Pitch Travel'R arms which are still available It is the Fixed Flat Pitch version that was discontinued. We are unable to offer any reimbursement. Kim McEachern Customer Care Representative Carefree of Colorado 2145 W 6th Ave Broomfield, CO 80020 MY RESPONSE TO CAREFREE Kimberly, I knew I was outside the warranty period, as stated in my email. FYI, my 5th wheel trailer has 3 Carefree Slide toppers - 2 of which began to fail after only 8-9 months of ownership. Then my Carefree power awning failed exactly 52 days beyond the first year of ownership. By the way, the LED light strip installed in this awning began to fail almost immediately upon purchase of the trailer and now only about one-quarter of the LED's work. To say I'm disappointed with the durability and quality of Carefree products is putting it mildly. I did NOT ask for my entire out of pocket expenses ($1,250 ); and I did NOT ask for reimbursement for the added expense for the delay in my trip. As far as the availability of the correct replacement arms, please consider that this occurred when I was on a trip 1500 miles from home. The repair tech dealt with Arrow RV in Clearwater Florida and ordered parts based on their recommendation and a conversation with "Tony" who answered the Carefree tech support phone. Your company obviously has no regard for customer satisfaction or repeat business. I will never own or recommend a Carefree product again, and I will tell my story on as many RV owners forums as possible (iRV2; RV.net; KZ Family forum; KZ Owners Group and Escapees.net). I will also contact the KZ factory and explain the poor performance of your products and recommend that they change suppliers. Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version Name: Awning arms bent.jpg Views: 0 Size: 234.7 KB ID: 50614 __________________ Central New York; 2013 KZ Stoneridge Sportster (TH) 2012 Ram 3500 Big Horn, Dually, Max-tow; 2002 Harley Heritage Classic8.4KViews0likes18CommentsRe: Pulling a 5th wheel from Ottawa to Fort Myers
We just made our second trip from central NY (near Syracuse)to Ft. Myers Beach. I recommend staying on I-81 as long as possible, thus avoiding I-95 and the traffic congestion surrounding Washington DC, Baltimore MD and Richmond VA. Stay on I-81 past Roanoke VA, then take I-77 to Columbia SC, then I-26 towards Charleston SC until it intersects I-95. From just across the FL/GA border, I take the exit for Yule and SR A1A which leads to US 301. US 301 to Gainsville where I get on I-75 for the last of the journey to Ft. Myers. If you don't want to deal with the SR-301 two lane roads, you could stay on I-95 to I-4 to Tampa to I-75, but the SR-301 is about 100 miles shorter. You'll have a hard time finding open campgrounds until you reach southern PA. South of there should not be a problem. On my first trip, I made reservations for each night at campgrounds along my route. Found that weather, traffic, potty stops, etc can really affect how far you travel each day. Now we just go until about 1 hour we want to stop and use the RV GPS to find campgrounds 60-100 miles ahead on our route.512Views0likes0CommentsRe: Too Low To Tow
You should NOT just roll the axles over to get the spring mounts on top. The axles almost always have an arch in the center so the axle will flatten under load and maintain proper wheel alignment (camber). If you just roll the axles, the arch will be downward, the wheels will be tilted inward at the top and it will get worse when you load the trailer.348Views0likes0CommentsRe: Useless waste of money
Had a frustrating GS Roadside Assistance experience yesterday. Called GS for help with a broken awning that was stuck half way out - the front support arms are all bent out of shape. I'm in a park so it's not a crisis. While waiting for GS to get back to me, also called the local RV repair guy recommended by the park. The local guy showed up while I was on my third call from GS repeating the same info as the first call (where are you, can you drive it, etc.) Also found that GS would cover the $95 service call fee, but not the 2 hour minimum charge ($190). The local guy charged $75 to show up, was gone in an hour ($75) and I saved $40. He ordered parts before he left and will be back in 3 days to install them.0Views0likes0CommentsRe: The Gas-Diesel Fuel Price Differential
Central NY service station owner explained diesel prices to me this way. The US and Canada use Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) while most of the rest of the world does not. Low demand = special runs at the refinery. It gets worse - in colder climates, kerosene must be added to diesel to prevent gelling of the diesel. Now you need ULSK (Ultra Low Sulfur Kerosene) to add to the ULSD - how much demand to you suppose there is for that???253Views0likes0CommentsRe: Whats Your Real Weights? Truck and Trailer. The Real Deal
2012 Ram 3500 CC DRW Big Horn with Max Tow F axle 4800 (rated 5500) R axle 6640 (rated 9350) Truck total 11,240 (rated 12,300) full fuel, tools, hitch, tools ready for 3 month snowbird trip. 2013 KZ Stoneridge Sportster 41CKS toy hauler: Pin wt 2570 ; axle wt 13,260 trailer total 15,830 tanks empty, propane full, Harley Heritage in garage, clothes, food, supplies ready for 3 month snowbird trip. Trailer GVWR 19,000.393Views0likes0Comments
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