In this column, we summarize some of your emails and comments regarding RV service centers and repairs (we asked you to submit your stories here). We’ll tell you all: the best, the good, the bad and the ugly. At the end of this article, you’ll find a place to submit your own comments. I encourage you to do so.
Keep in mind, we typically only present one side of the story in most of these. Also, any remarks about service centers and mobile techs mentioned are the opinions of our readers and not necessarily RVtravel.com.
Here’s what you had to say:
Great service when you buy, not so much after
Jim D. had his whole fresh water tank fall out! He wrote, “I was leaving to return to Florida with my new Salem Hemisphere 26, filling my holding tank with a hose, sitting on a picnic table and waiting for it to fill up. The whole tank just fell out onto the ground in front of me, along with the panel on the underside of the unit. Luckily, my neighbor at the camp had the tools to help me close things up and put the empty tank inside. He was an ex-pastor from Maryland—what a blessing. I had to stay in a hotel that night. Forest River helped with that.
“My local RV shop said the tank was not even secured with anything! This shows that RVs are really S**T! Forest River, I would like to buy a smaller Artic Fox but don’t want to buy more troubles. I bought it from Avalon RV in Medina, Ohio. Also, the salesman wouldn’t even return my calls the day after I bought it, which shows they are great when they are selling, but, after you drive away, you are dead to them. Mice get into the unit even though there is an ENCLOSED underbelly. This industry really sucks.” [Related: Detached freshwater tanks mean a Forest River recall]
Charged $2 for telling him they don’t work on his Mercedes RV!
James B. learned firsthand what issues others have had with Camping World. He wrote, “About a year ago, I ran over a tire retread and destroyed a rear mudflap on my Class B. I took the RV to Camping World, where I purchased it pre-owned, for the repair and to do repairs that they owed me from the time of purchase. The service department told me that they couldn’t do the repair and that it had to be replaced at a Mercedes-Benz dealer. When I checked my invoice, there was a $2 diagnostic charge for telling me that they couldn’t do the repair. When I questioned the charge for looking down, without touching it, and determining it was a Mercedes repair, the service manager removed the $2 charge. I bought the part at Mercedes and replaced it myself. I had heard horror stories about Camping World, but I got to see it firsthand.”
Mid America RV dealer honest and fair
Kimberly G. tells us of their helpful dealership. “We have taken our 2020 Forest River Surveyor Legend 19RBLE to the Mid America RV dealership [Carthage, MO] and service center for service and have bought different accessories there since we bought it. The friendly and knowledgeable sales and service staff have always been helpful and informative to us. They have always informed us of the anticipated service and parts orders we have needed. They have always dealt with our needs in an honest and fair manner. I cannot say enough good things about them.”
Office staff super friendly and tech was a straight shooter
Will B. got into a shop right away and after a night in a hotel, they had the slide fixed. He writes, “On the topic of good shops… we recently had our bedroom wardrobe slide begin to malfunction, not retracting completely and grinding. On our way to Casper, Wyoming, we contacted Sonny’s RV to see if they could take a look, and maybe schedule us during our month-long stay. It would mean packing up our 44′ fifth wheel after having set up in the campground and heading to the shop for an indeterminate amount of time, but … it’s a slide and had to be fixed.
“We pulled in at 10 a.m. and a tech immediately took a look and they brought us immediately into the shop. Unfortunately, a new motor wasn’t the cause, and I opted to keep it (they offered to put the old one back in, but it had other issues), and required more investigation. We checked into a hotel for the night, and they had us good to go by noon the next day. It wasn’t cheap, a pretty high labor rate, but we didn’t have to go in and out of a campground and they got the job done. The office staff was super friendly, and the tech was a straight shooter.”
Super-duper engine/chassis tech in Chattanooga and exceptional towing service in Nashville
Neal D. tells us about two exceptional services. He wrote, “First, just learned that our super-duper engine/chassis tech Les Glenn is now at Lee-Smith, 2600 8th Avenue, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37407, (423) 622-4161. Lee-Smith is a diesel shop and does truck sales. They are the local authorized Spartan RV Chassis service center, too.
“Second, if anyone’s motorhome needs towing in the Nashville, Tennessee metro area, call or lobby for Dad’s Towing Service in Madison/Hendersonville, Tennessee. Our dash A/C compressor froze and was intermittently moving and throwing sparks, causing us to smell something burning and immediately pull off the road and shut down. Coach-Net/Spartan RV Chassis roadside assistance dispatched Dad’s to tow us because the coach could not be driven safely. The driver was extremely careful, wrapping everything that might rub against the RV with rags and taping them in place. He removed the generator exhaust to avoid damaging it while towing.
“Lastly, he removed the decorative duster/mudguard from the back to keep it from dragging. Once the RV reached Lee-Smith in Chattanooga (no one closer agreed to repair it), the driver reinstalled the tailpipe and duster/mudguard. I was shocked by how superior to other tow services Dad’s is. The huge bonus is that Les now works at Lee-Smith, so we get him to fix the RV!”
Good folks, bad folks, and sometimes just luck of the draw
Judith P. tells us about her very poor sales experience and six-week ownership of a Denali RV. She wrote, “We have been full-time RVers for 12 1/2 years, first in a Forest River Signature Ultra Lite for five years, then a Denali for six weeks, and a Grand Design Reflection for seven years.
“The dealership for the Forest River was so-so and is no longer in business, but Forest River replaced the floor and both sidewalls after the warranty ran out due to a Lippert frame problem.
“Both General RV, Tampa, FL, and Denali were beyond poor. General RV had the wrong tongue jack on during the walk-through. By the time we got papers signed and went out to move our things from our old unit to the new one, nearly everyone was gone. Immediately after our ride to our new unit to move our things over left, we found they had neglected to put a jack on (in fact, they never replaced the one from the walk-through), hadn’t given us the license plate or the keys for the unit, and they weren’t answering the phone. After managing to find someone to help, those issues were eventually handled (it took another trip into the ‘service’ department and a second tech). It was 7 p.m. before we finally left the dealership after arriving at 10 a.m.
“That was just the beginning of our problems: The floor of the kitchen slide broke lengthwise the second time it was opened, we had numerous soft spots in the floor and multiple water leaks, to name but a few things. When we called to get them fixed, we were told it would be several weeks before they had an appointment (this was in January 2017, about two weeks after purchase). A week later we got a call from the finance office and said we needed to sign corrected papers, they had completed the first set wrong.
“Southaven RV & Marine helped us get rid of the Denali without totally breaking the bank and into our Grand Design Reflection, which, over the course of seven years, has only recently started to need some repairs. While it was in warranty, we had Southaven do the maintenance work on it and, overall, they did a good job in a timely fashion. We made an appointment several months in advance, and the work was typically satisfactorily completed in one or two days.
“All that being said, the bottom line is that it all depends on due diligence, luck of the draw, and management of the business. We’ve learned to check with volunteers and neighbors in our parks when we have a problem, as well as checking NRVTA Technician Locator. There are good folks and bad, and no dealership seems to be immune.”
Editor’s note
Note from RVtravel.com: If hiring a mobile tech, a small or mega service center, make sure that they are experienced in the issue and have insurance in case something goes wrong. Also, check their warranty policy on the work they perform. Check reviews too and read between the lines—if the review sounds way too good to be true it might be. Compare with several reviews and not just the ones on their website.
Questions for you about RV service
We’ll continue to share stories of your RV service experiences. We want to know:
- Have you had good luck with great service or not so much?
- Did you get good service from knowledgeable technicians?
- Are you waiting to get into a service center or have a mobile tech come out?
- What has been the average time to get an appointment?
- Has your RV been in a service center for a while?
- Are you able to get any mobile techs to come out?
- Are the service centers able to get parts?
- When you do get the repairs done, is the price reasonable?
Please fill out the form below and tell us what your experiences have been like. It can be a horror story, an opinion about what’s going on, a positive experience, or anything else related to the topic. We want to know the great, the good, the bad, and the ugly!
Check back next week for more on RV service centers. See you then.
Last week’s Service Centers and Repairs Report:
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Thank you, Nanci! 🙂 Have a great weekend and safe travels! 🙂
In the RVing world, every time you change RVs you make yourself susceptible to all kinds of potential grief. Buying new or used, if you foresee upgrading in the next few years you may want to reconsider. When buying mine I had every intention of trading our 2015 off in 7 years. However, in that time span the industry went downhill and horror stories now abound. When the time came to upgrade I reconsidered and chose not to take on the potential opportunity for grief. Regardless of the 10 year rule, we have elected to stick with our known quantity that continues to reliably serve our needs. I suspect we are not alone.
On my 3rd TT in 25 years. To sum it up: An RV is the biggest pos you will spend the most amount of money on.
As a contractor, the first thing I do is make mods to inferior fixtures, and repairs to deficient work. I do all the work because our local RV service centers are substandard
I think boat owners would argue with you. 😀