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Topic ClosedForest River not Responding - Event Date: 05 May 2014

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lbrhino View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Calendar Event: Forest River not Responding
    Posted: 05 May 2014 at 5:58pm
We purchased our lovely r-pod in 2012 and have enjoyed it tremendously.  Dealing with Forest River on the other hand has been a completely negative experience.  Has anyone out there had to seak third party intervention to get warranty work covered?  
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Budward View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 May 2014 at 7:12pm
Just bought our 2014 179 10 days ago-  
I'm about to find out about their warranty department!   First the television labeled as 12v is not a 12v model.
Today we were horrified to find major delamination and swelling of the kitchen counter- it appears there may have been water intrusion during transport or during the time on the dealer lot. 
It is severe enough the entire kitchen counter will have to be replaced.
The camper has not been in any rain or washed since we've owned it...
2014 179
Towed by a 2015 Ford Transit Diesel
Supervised by a German/Aussie mix and a Labradoodle!
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fwunder View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 May 2014 at 7:50pm
Hi Budward,

I am just curious. You seem very experienced with TTs. Much more so than me. 

When I purchased mine, I spent at least an hour going through every locker, operating every system, open and closing windows, etc. I wouldn't leave the lot with the problems you have described. And I would have noticed them.

Did you buy it mailorder? LOL

fred
2014 RPod 178 => MyMods and Buying Habits
2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6
Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks!
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Outbound View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 May 2014 at 8:06am
Originally posted by lbrhino

Has anyone out there had to seak third party intervention to get warranty work covered?  

In the five years I've owned my r-pod, I've experienced nothing but excellent service from Forest River.

But... question... why are you personally contacting Forest River for warranty work?  This type of thing should be done by your local dealer.  Typically, you bring your trailer to the dealership, the dealer fixes the issue and arranges for payment directly from the manufacturer.  You shouldn't have to be involved at all.
Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150
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kymooses View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 May 2014 at 10:20am
Originally posted by Outbound

Originally posted by lbrhino

Has anyone out there had to seak third party intervention to get warranty work covered?  

In the five years I've owned my r-pod, I've experienced nothing but excellent service from Forest River.

But... question... why are you personally contacting Forest River for warranty work?  This type of thing should be done by your local dealer.  Typically, you bring your trailer to the dealership, the dealer fixes the issue and arranges for payment directly from the manufacturer.  You shouldn't have to be involved at all.

Yup, agree with Outbound 100% there.  Warranty work should always be done through your dealer you bought it from.  The Forest River warranty department is set up to specifically work with the dealers that they sell to, not individual owners.  And while in the past they have at times gone to great lengths to help fix many issues they do have a responsibility in their department to handle dealer issues first.
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Budward View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 May 2014 at 1:37pm
Originally posted by fwunder

Hi Budward,

I am just curious. You seem very experienced with TTs. Much more so than me. 

When I purchased mine, I spent at least an hour going through every locker, operating every system, open and closing windows, etc. I wouldn't leave the lot with the problems you have described. And I would have noticed them.

Did you buy it mailorder? LOL

fred


No we did not have them disconnect AC power to see if the TV worked on DC-  it had a big ole sticker right on it that said 12V.  I did turn it on and it worked- didn't occur to me it was running on AC as it should not have been.  Of course I was ASSUMING the sticker on it was correct-  it was not- see my other thread about Jensen screwing up and labeling tv's as 12V that were not.

The counter issue was NOT present when we checked it out at the dealer
-  I now believe the dealer got the counter wet, perhaps when they washed it, maybe blowing water through the slide out seal.  It had to take days for the counter to swell as we didn't see it until a week after getting the camper.  And believe me the wife and I were in and out of it a lot setting it up for our first trip.   The camper has not been in the rain or washed since we've owned it.
So tell me HOW you would have noticed it since it wasn't present at the time of delivery???


2014 179
Towed by a 2015 Ford Transit Diesel
Supervised by a German/Aussie mix and a Labradoodle!
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Budward View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 May 2014 at 1:42pm
Originally posted by kymooses

Originally posted by Outbound

Originally posted by lbrhino

Has anyone out there had to seak third party intervention to get warranty work covered?  

In the five years I've owned my r-pod, I've experienced nothing but excellent service from Forest River.

But... question... why are you personally contacting Forest River for warranty work?  This type of thing should be done by your local dealer.  Typically, you bring your trailer to the dealership, the dealer fixes the issue and arranges for payment directly from the manufacturer.  You shouldn't have to be involved at all.

Yup, agree with Outbound 100% there.  Warranty work should always be done through your dealer you bought it from.  The Forest River warranty department is set up to specifically work with the dealers that they sell to, not individual owners.  And while in the past they have at times gone to great lengths to help fix many issues they do have a responsibility in their department to handle dealer issues first.


Some issues, in my case like the counter needing replacing I can do a better job of than the dealer, I'd bet money on that.  Ideally I'd like the replacement counter sent to ME if FR will do it.   The dealer will most likely balk at that as he won't make labor on it-  so I'm confident I'll end up talking to FR directly when he does.


My other issue with the tv has already been addressed by Jensen.   I'm sure the dealer and maybe even FR wouldn't have a clue about the tv being mislabeled as 12v.
2014 179
Towed by a 2015 Ford Transit Diesel
Supervised by a German/Aussie mix and a Labradoodle!
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furpod View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 May 2014 at 1:45pm
I ain't going to get into the yelling that seems to be going on..

But I agree.. if it's a warranty issue, it should be the dealer who you contact, not FR. just like if I had a warranty or recall issue on my truck, I don't call FORD, I call my local ford dealer... That is at least part of the whole dealer network idea, and exactly why FR highly recommends buying from your local dealer..
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lbrhino View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 May 2014 at 1:45pm
We are in Western Canada and purchased our rpod from a US dealer out East.
Unfortunately, the dealership we get our work done at won't deal with forest River directly because we didn't purchase our unit from them.

We had some initial work covered, but sine then it has been a nightmare.   We have left several voice mails and followed up with even more emails.

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wingnut2312 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 May 2014 at 3:09pm
I had an issue with them returning a call. No biggie, but it did take a while. The issue was simply that the vert blinds were not installed with the "lock down" parts. Camping world didn't have the proper sizes, so I called FR. I was told by FR that the dealer would have to order from FR, then ship to me. I asked why I couldn't just order and have them sent direct. FR said it's a paper work issue. Good enough for me!
Our dealer is in Muskeegon, MI, three hours away. I took the pod in once to another dealer for warranty work. Here's a quick recap...
It took a lot of wierd stares and dumb questions for them to start work. They didn't want to because we bought it somewhere else. Problem was, they don't advertise as an authorized pod dealer. Nor are they suggested by FR's sight. Again, took calling FR to locate these guys in the first place. Long story short, it can be a pain in the rear to get stuff done if you bought from somewhere outside your area.
2014 rpod 182G
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