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:
“It’s unfortunate,” said Good Sam roadside assistance
Brian F. didn’t get the reimbursement he needed and wrote, “Truck died along Hwy 160 in CO. Called Good Sam briefly then lost the call and couldn’t connect. It was getting late and the temperature was near freezing. A local stopped to help and drove back to his home to call for assistance. Ended up towing the truck and trailer about 60 miles. Good Sam declined reimbursement because we didn’t call them first. Didn’t matter we had no way to call, or had to rely on a third party. Made a dozen calls, and all I got was an ‘It’s unfortunate.’
“What’s unfortunate is I wasted my money on Good Sam. Previously broke a leaf spring in Vermont. Waited six hours for Good Sam to find a tow. Finally made exactly two calls on my own to find someone.”
In for service longer than used
Linda R. relates the uphill battle she has had with warranty repairs. “Well, it’s official. Our 2024 Georgetown 5 has been in service longer than it was available to use. We picked it up in July and were able to take it out in August. During that shakedown trip, the water heater wouldn’t fire on gas, the dinette had a piece fall off, the grey tank sensor wasn’t registering, the commode was reading full in the bathroom (which would not permit the toilet to flush) but not full at tank sensor panel, the windshield had water running down inside, the windshield washer wouldn’t work, and the closer on the door broke off.
“We took it back to the dealer, RCD RV in Delaware, Ohio, in September. It is now December and it still has not been repaired. RCD has been great but every repair is an uphill battle to get issues covered under warranty. Quality control was seriously lacking as we were informed that the hose for the windshield washer was too short to reach and the grey and black tank sensors were improperly installed. Not thrilled about the problems but will continue to use RCD RV in Delaware for rigs and repairs.”
Warranty ran out waiting for service
Deb G. writes about their issues with a new RV. “We bought a brand-new RV and we had 25 issues. We went to an RV park and the leveling jacks wouldn’t work. Our 1-year roadside assistance told us we weren’t stuck on the road and refused to help.
“After months of Zoomers RV in Wabash, IN, running us around, our warranty ran out. The check engine light came on, so we took it somewhere else and they said the transmission was going out. We took a 20k hit and traded it in for a different unit. They are made very cheap and the new one has some issues but nothing like the first one.
“We would not recommend Zoomers RV if they were the last place on earth. Their service department is the worst and they don’t have a clue about the RV. The guy that did our walkthrough doesn’t even camp and really didn’t know a lot and misinformed us about some of the features.”
Relates to the complaints posted in this column
Larry L. had lots of issues and now tries to repair the problems himself. He wrote, “I can certainly relate to the service department complaints that show up here regularly. I had lots of issues with the dealer I purchased from. I have since found a good service center based on a referral from a friend, and I also try to repair things as much as possible. Stuff has and will happen. Being prepared and realistic about it is key.”
Don’t buy new, and fix it yourself
Don M. has some sage advice and wrote, “Learn how to fix it yourself and don’t buy a new unit, especially if it was built during the pandemic. YouTube is my favorite place for tutorials and if I can fix it, so can you. We have a 2005 Minnie Winnie 31-foot on a Ford E450 chassis with 115,000 miles that we have owned since 2010, when it had 21,000 miles on it.”
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.
RELATED
Last week’s Service Centers and Repairs Report:
##RVT1191
Thank you, Nanci! Have a great week and safe travels! 🙂
I second, fix it yourself and learn to do things on your own! Get yourself basic hand tools, pex tooling with clamps, spare fittings, teflon, electrical tape and heat shrink, various sizes of wire nuts, get quality wire connectors(butt splices with heat shrink) used in aviation which is a much higher quality than the standard automotive garbage, DO NOT use those cheap wire taps ever! Also use quality, heat and UV resistant zip ties, personally I use the Ty-Rap brand that meet the before mentioned criteria with a metal pawl. But what do I know as an aircraft mechanic, full time RVer…
The comment, “The guy that did our walkthrough doesn’t camp, didn’t know a lot and misinformed us about the features.” … unfortunately, this is the norm. They are salesmen, rarely if ever rv’ers. I always start with questions I know the answers to, and proceed depending on how well they answer.