Customer service lacking

[dixon20]

I am attaching all of my actual notes from discussions that I have had with Winnebago in regard to a new 2017 Winnebago Sightseer 33c. I believe that I stay within the forum rules with this because the consumer needs to be aware of this problem. I have reached out on numerous occasions for them to handle the situation in house but they have not been interested in contacting me personally or truly addressing the issues.

Sent to Winnebago 8/12/17

I purchased my Winnebago Sightseer RV on 3/2/17 from La Mesa RV in Port Saint Lucie Florida.
Address: 8650 NW LTC Parkway. Phone: 772-293-6732
I researched many models and companies before making my choice of this unit. I made my selection based on Winnebago's renewed efforts at quality and customer service. Things like one piece roofs, metal frame, and real leather furniture was what I was looking for and the Sightseer model was perfect for our needs. I wish this story could continue on with me telling you I feel as though this was a great decision but I cannot based on what has happened so far with this unit. Since I have purchased this unit, I have had to return it to La Mesa on several occasions to make repairs that should not be happening on a quality product. Items such as, driver and passenger side privacy sides frayed beyond use, driver side slide marking and making indention into the flooring, DVD remote not working at all, outside gutter leaking water right over exit door, exterior back panel coming loose completely and trim pieces bowing out, hydraulic leak on leveler, grab clasp for table extension broken, water leak under the sink, bottom of the overhead console sagging down, seal between the windshield and unit completely fading and crumbling (which appears to happen on all of your units as well as most have windshields that do not fit flush to units), artwork hung so crooked in unit that mounting had to be redone, and last but not least the shower pan had a crack and upon removing that found water damage behind the shower wall that has had to be completely ripped out and set up for repair. I have all paperwork to support my list. With this list being so lengthy, I have literally had my unit available for about 4 weeks of the almost 6 months that I have owned it. The last time I brought it in for repairs was at the end of May and it still remains at La Mesa waiting to be completed. And to really add to the problem, now they are waiting on parts to arrive that they were told would be in two weeks ago. These are the parts needed so they can put the bathroom back together that has been completely disassembled because of the water damage and cracked pan. I have missed the whole summer with my grandchildren that were visiting with us and hoping to go out camping in our RV. That did not happen as they returned today and my unit still sits waiting on repairs. In this case, I feel that Winnebago should offer some type of restitution for the fact that I have been making mortgage payments and storage payments for almost 6 months with almost no use of the unit. I am going on good faith that Winnebago will want to make this right for me in a timely manner and make me happy that I made the decision that I made.
Thank you and I look forward to your response on how you are going to handle this unfortunate situation
John Dixon





8/14/17
John,

We are sorry for any difficulties you have experienced with your Sightseer. It is the sincere desire of Winnebago, as well as our authorized dealers, to provide the best product possible to our customers.

I did contact La Mesa regarding your current repairs. They advised the coach has been there since 6/12, took about 2 weeks to get into the shop. Parts were ordered, one piece came in damaged. Additional parts were needed once they began tearing down. Those parts were ordered 7/26 and should ship this week. Unfortunately, parts availability is often dependent upon supplier and production constraints.

In the interest of customer satisfaction, we can offer you a 3 month goodwill policy which will extend the provisions of your basic warranty for this time out of service you have experienced. I will have this policy noted in your file, and it will expire June 2, 2018.

Kind Regards,
Angie


Angela Gerdes • Service Advisor • 800-537-1885
605 W Crystal Lake Rd • Forest City, IA 50436


8/20/17
Hi Angie, I do appreciate that you responded in a timely manner. However, I feel as though you did not capture the whole email. I don’t feel as though the clock started ticking once they finally had a chance to work on my unit but when I dropped it off on their scheduled time. The other part missing that you did not mention is all of the other time that I have had to have my unit in for repairs that should not have been a part of a well built unit. That total of time equated to about 5 month of time that I have not been able to use my new coach. And I didn’t even mention that I have also had to have a mirror replaced and paint repaired when they back another unit into mine while it was once again there for more repairs. I have already purchased a 5 year bumper to bumper warranty when I purchased my new unit and that did not come cheap. Adding a 3 year basic doesn’t really help me out. I am asking one more time that Winnebago step up and provide either a refund for the 5 year warranty that was purchased or some type of refund for the fact that I have been making the mortgage payments and storage payments and have not had use of my RV.
I would think that the Service District Manager of the Motorized Division Jeff Stickfort would have some input on this situation. He was brought into Winnebago to improve the image. I look forward to hearing back

John Dixon

8/21/17
John,

Each Winnebago dealer is an independent merchant responsible for their own sales and service. We have very little control over their service departments and how they do their scheduling. I would agree that the clock started ticking on the day you dropped the coach off for the appointment, I was not given a reason for the two week delay.

Jeff Stickfort is the Service District Manager for the Midwest.

Our warranty obligation is to repair any defects in manufacturing or workmanship, and we will honor that obligation. We are not in a position to cover any costs associated with the 5 year policy you purchased.

Kind Regards,
Angie

8/21/17
Angie, Apparently my emails are not communicating in a manner that make you understand my concerns. In both of your replies so far you have given me answers that do not even come close to addressing true concerns and problems. In my first email I gave you a very detailed list of all the problems that we have had caused by workmanship that was way below average and all of the time that we have not been able to enjoy are large investment. In your response all you focused on was that they started working on it June 12 after it set on their yard for 2 weeks. That was not even near what my main concerns were. I thought that once you saw the long list of repairs that have had to be done because of very poor manufacturing work, how much time I have not had my RV, and the fact that parts have not been showing up that you would see that as a major concern and that Winnebago would want to address those concerns properly. I understand as to when they get it in to work on it is not your control. Which was the only thing that you could tell me in your second response. When I actually thought you would see a concern of the fact that we still do not have our RV and that the part was lost in transport and as of today has still not arrived for LaMesa to make the repair. If all I would have had to deal with was the 2 week wait at LaMesa, then we would not be having this discussion. They cannot fix what you don’t get them.
With all of that said, I would like to move in a different direction and be contacted by the Service District Manager of Motorized Division of the south whoever that is now. We have made a substantial investment in events that are starting in one week and if the RV is not ready, it will not be a good situation. I am not going away until I feel as though this event has been properly addressed and handled and that is not something that you have succeeded in.
I look forward to hearing from the District Manager. He may call me at 772-708-9264. It would probably be good for him to at least look at the emails so that he was aware of the situation

Thanks
John Dixon

8/22/17
John,

I sincerely apologize if you do not believe your concerns are being addressed. We are sorry for the difficulties you have faced with your Sightseer, that is not the ownership experience we are promoting. Please be assured that the feedback you have provided will be shared with the appropriate personnel and can only help us to grow and improve. We do appreciate you as a valued customer, and I again apologize for the issues you have had. We know it is frustrating when you cannot fully realize the value or positive experiences you hoped from your investment.

Our Service District Managers deal directly with our dealers. If there is an issue with La Mesa and not satisfactorily getting your repairs completed, we can certainly bring him in the loop. At this time they are waiting on the last part which is currently enroute.

Again, my regrets that my prior correspondence did not meet your expectations. Please let me know if there is any further assistance I can provide.

Kind Regards,
Angie

8/22/17yui
It is unfortunate that a District Manager would not have any contact with the actual people that are purchasing the RV’s and would leave you out there to address this when I know that you have no authority to offer anything else other then some kind of base line help (And I really don’t mean that with any disrespect) Especially when there is a situation such as this. I really have no issues with La Mesa based on the fact that most times they have been waiting on parts to repair our RV. Not just this time but in all of the prior times we have had it there. This scenario has driven me far past frustration at this point.. As of today, the part is still not here and I am leaving town on Friday. Once again without my unit because it will not be ready AGAIN. We have missed the entire summer season and time with out grandkids who only visit during the summer. Now we are in danger of failing to meet our future obligations because the RV is still not ready. I feel sure that if you were in the same position that you would be far from frustrated and would want to talk to someone higher up the chain. At this point I have tried all that I know how to do to get this handled to my satisfaction. I do recommend that if the District Managers do not talk to the people then there has to be someone at a higher level that can speak with me so that we can move this in the right direction without the need for public recognition for Winnebago.

John Dixon



9/15/17
Hello Angie, Just to give an update on the status of my RV unit. I did finally receive it back on September 06. That was a total of 3 months to complete repairs and again most of that time was waiting on parts to arrive. Lets not forget that even some parts were lost in shipping. Most repairs were completed but here are still ongoing and new problems with the unit. I would list them but in previous email that didn’t seem to matter. I will be taking the unit back in as soon as I can to continue the saga of working on my RV. I have now had my unit available for a total of about 5 weeks of the 6.5 months that I have owned it.
With that said, I saw that our communication had ended and obviously no one was going to contact me live so that they could understand better and fix these types of problems to prevent them in the future. I am now just asking that the offer of 3 months extended basic warranty be sent to me in official writing. It would appear as though I will need it.

John Dixon

[floridaguy]

Dixon20, if you're still a member of this forum, did you ever get your coach repaired and get some quality time using it?

Year one can be a difficult time for the owner of a new RV. Once you get passed it, many of use get to enjoy our rigs. Hope you did too.

[Mile_High]

Beartoo wrote:
I now know what company not to by anything from. One day I would like to get a class A DP From. Winnebago was one on my list and there is no way I would buy one now. Good Luck

Really? From a forum chatter? That would pretty much rule out any RV ever made.

[Beartoo]

I now know what company not to by anything from. One day I would like to get a class A DP From. Winnebago was one on my list and there is no way I would buy one now. Good Luck

[Tntman]

Here is the outcome of my case, Fleetwood got their MH back, I got my money back. The attorney was paid by Fleetwood and Ford. The only cost to me was a filing fee of something like thirty-five dollars. I spent eight hours in a deposition which was not fun with two opposing attorneys throwing questions at me. There was no class action, it was me against Fleetwood and Ford. There are rules about repairs after a MM law suit is filed, they cannot attempt repairs.

[Ralph_Cramden]

Tntman wrote:
I had a Similar situation with Fleetwood in 2000. I found an attorney who took the case on contingency. He filed a Magnuson-Moss consumer protection case. This is a federal statute that says "a coffee pot should make coffee". If it doesn't, manufacturer must buy it back. Part of M-M states the item cannot be out for service more than 30 working days. Lemon laws in most states cover only the chassis, so you have to use M-M. Good luck and don't wait to long and have records to back you up.
This post may be removed for obvious reasons, it has been removed before as if someone is protecting the manufacturers.

That's all fine but the end has to outweigh the means, and the means to get ahead under that act are out of reach for most unless it's a class action, and then you get squat.
Even if you can find someone to take it on they're going to take a sizeable percentage of any gain. It's not like a civil injury or wrongful death action. Cases where the consumer came out ahead are few and far between. The RV Industry is well aware of it.


Texas is the only state I'm aware of that has a lemon law covering towable RVs. From what I have read about it it's full of loopholes and hoops that must be jumped through. If you look carefully you'll also find it's reflected in the retail pricing as they (manufacturer / dealers) understand the potential liabilty. Its one of the main reasons the mid west self proclaimed "wholesale" RV dealers sell a lot of RVs to Texans. Stop in at RVW in Ohio at anytime, and you'll see Texas plates and a lot of them. And then the RV is not applicable to the Lemon Law as it was bought out of state, but that just proves its not worth anything and most buyers don't want to foot the bill for it regardless. There is no free lunch. Caveat Emptor is the best course of action when buying.

[Tntman]

I had a Similar situation with Fleetwood in 2000. I found an attorney who took the case on contingency. He filed a Magnuson-Moss consumer protection case. This is a federal statute that says "a coffee pot should make coffee". If it doesn't, manufacturer must buy it back. Part of M-M states the item cannot be out for service more than 30 working days. Lemon laws in most states cover only the chassis, so you have to use M-M. Good luck and don't wait to long and have records to back you up.
This post may be removed for obvious reasons, it has been removed before as if someone is protecting the manufacturers.

[imgoin4it]

I can feel for you. My experience with a new winnebago in 2001 was somewhat do similiar as yous only mine went on for 5 years until I got rid of iy. For 5 years I started and completed every trip I took at the dealer. The dealer was responsive , but sometimes had to wait for parts that took forever to arrivr. The dealer supported me to winnebago and winnebago picked my coach up in NM, took it back to the factory and returned it to me. Winnebago was still authorizing one year type warranty work at the 5 yesr point. I kept track of the mileage didicated to warranty. It was 8000 miles. I talked to every same model I found in RV parks, maybe 100, and no,one had problems like I did. I think sometimes they just produce a lemon.I solved my problem when I got a Newmar product. I feel for you, good luck.

[ScottG]

Couldn't read all that.
I'll just wait for the movie, which is to be titled "Brevity and you".
🙂

[Ralph_Cramden]

dougrainer wrote:

Ralph Cramden wrote:

dixon20 wrote:
parts availability is often dependent upon supplier and production constraints.

Allow me to translate......While we do have sufficient numbers of the parts in question to maintain production, under no circumstances will we send your dealer those and jeopardize production. You can wait, we already have your money.

You think that is a BAD decision? To STOP a million dollar a day production to ship a production part? Get real. Yes, they may not have the part in Stock. In some cases that part is NOT a common failed part and they order as needed. While it may not seem right, stopping millions of dollars in production is NOT going to happen. Has nothing to do with an attitude of we have your money and you can pound sand. Doug

It is a BAD decision not having a supply on hand of common parts for warranty service. Especially if you have the experience of waiting without the use of your rig for weeks at a time. It's well known the industry could give a **** less about past or repeat customers. Take a new truck in to Ford and see how long it takes for a coin in repair. If they don't have the part 99% of the time they'll have it the next day.

[dougrainer]

Ralph Cramden wrote:

dixon20 wrote:
parts availability is often dependent upon supplier and production constraints.

Allow me to translate......While we do have sufficient numbers of the parts in question to maintain production, under no circumstances will we send your dealer those and jeopardize production. You can wait, we already have your money.

You think that is a BAD decision? To STOP a million dollar a day production to ship a production part? Get real. Yes, they may not have the part in Stock. In some cases that part is NOT a common failed part and they order as needed. While it may not seem right, stopping millions of dollars in production is NOT going to happen. Has nothing to do with an attitude of we have your money and you can pound sand. Doug

[1968mooney]

Ralph Cramden wrote:

dixon20 wrote:
parts availability is often dependent upon supplier and production constraints.

Allow me to translate......While we do have sufficient numbers of the parts in question to maintain production, under no circumstances will we send your dealer those and jeopardize production. You can wait, we already have your money.

Be sure to have the Attorney add Ralph Cramden to your demand letter. Save this post as he tells you up front "you can wait, we already have your money". Fine attitude for a Company to take.

[Ralph_Cramden]

dixon20 wrote:
parts availability is often dependent upon supplier and production constraints.

Allow me to translate......While we do have sufficient numbers of the parts in question to maintain production, under no circumstances will we send your dealer those and jeopardize production. You can wait, we already have your money.

[dougrainer]

Lemon Laws vary, but most have a section on how long OUT OF SERVICE your Vehicle experianced, not just the repairs or how many times you had to have the same item repaired. That is why it may be a good idea to pay $500 or so for a Lawyer to generate a demand letter. THAT shows you mean business, because you actually paid a Lawyer. Doug

[guidry]

Just based on what your emails state, you probably don’t qualify for a lemon law but you can check. A lawyer will definitely cost you and drag things out because despite their commercials, they are only out for your money; not your best interest. But, a letter from one might just get things moving faster.