How bad a dealer's service dept can be

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   I posted this in my review of this dealer, but I wanted to re-post it here to highlight just how bad a service department can be.  Keep in mind this is their lead tech and service manager... 

I bought my pod from Stoltzfus in Adamstown, PA.  I can no longer recommend this dealer.  Twice now I have given them specific written instructions for a job and they have completely ignored it.  This is a bigger deal for me since it is a 3-hour round trip and both times I've discovered the problem while I was hooking up the camper in their lot.

Last year I detailed elsewhere here how I had them add 3rd brake lights just below the light bar.  Even though I told them in an email how I wanted the wires run down the edge channel and connected to the existing left and right turn/brake lights, they wired up both lights to the brakes.  Even if I hadn't told them how I wanted it wired up, why they would even consider doing this is beyond me.  Their techs should know the brakes only get 5-6-7 volts, so just how would the lights work right when they aren't getting 12 volts?  So I left the pod in their lot and ultimately they sent someone to deliver the pod to me so I didn't waste another Saturday running up there.

Last summer our fridge stopped working on day 2 of a 3 1/2 week trip.  It would mostly work on AC, and only very rarely on DC or LPG.  I finally made an appointment 6 weeks ago to drop the pod off over Memorial weekend, which gave them up to a month to fix it.  After just a week they said it was ready, and said over the phone they had to replace a fuse and it cooled down just fine on LPG.  Great!

I arrived on Saturday, paid the bill and hooked up.  I verified on the work order that they got my instructions right - very intermittent cooling on DC and LPG - and I saw the solution was "replaced main fuse".  So I tracked down the tech to find out where this fuse was.  If it blows while I'm on our next 4 week trip I want to be able to fix it, dealing with a cooler was a big pain last year.

He came out and pointed to the fuse I installed as a battery disconnect.  "Yeah, had to replace that fuse, after that the fridge came on just fine."  My jaw hit the floor and I knew immediately my fridge was still broken.  Yes, that fuse was removed, by me, when I dropped off the trailer.  Everyone knows you can't leave the battery connected.  "Oh no, you should never disconnect the battery from the camper for any reason."  Really?!?  So he insisted the draw from LPG detector and fridge wasn't a problem.

So then he asked me how I was sure the fridge didn't work.  I told him I used a wireless thermometer, and I could watch the temperature slowly rise to ambient once I switched to LPG mode going down the road.  At one point it hit 85.  I told him I had to throw out a gallon of milk, twice, because it was warm.  "Oh no, you can't use one of those thermometers, you gotta stick a probe in your food or a glass of water to measure the fridge temp".  Really?!?  "Yeah, those camper fridges work differently than... "  I cut him off, yes I know all about ammonia absorption fridges, but that doesn't change how they get the food cold - no different than your fridge at home, it cools the AIR, which cools the food.  A wireless thermometer will tell me just fine if the fridge is cold or not.  He argued it was not.  This is their lead tech talking, and the service manager was standing next to him backing him up.

I gave up, I told them I would bring it home and do my own tests.  Guess what?  30 hours on LPG mode and it was nice and toasty inside, including the ice-cold beer I stuck in there just to humor the tech's horrible logic, now a very warm beer (didn't open it, just felt it).  Amazingly after an overnight on DC mode the thermometer is reading 33 degrees but I don't trust that to hold at all.  Now it is on AC mode for a test all day.

So now I need to fight with Stoltzfus to get my money back for what they did to "fix" my fridge.  I sure hope the grease job they did on the axle is ok...

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techntrek Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062	Topic: How bad a dealer's service dept can be Posted: 09 Jun 2014 at 11:19am
	I posted this in my review of this dealer, but I wanted to re-post it here to highlight just how bad a service department can be. Keep in mind this is their lead tech and service manager... I bought my pod from Stoltzfus in Adamstown, PA. I can no longer recommend this dealer. Twice now I have given them specific written instructions for a job and they have completely ignored it. This is a bigger deal for me since it is a 3-hour round trip and both times I've discovered the problem while I was hooking up the camper in their lot. Last year I detailed elsewhere here how I had them add 3rd brake lights just below the light bar. Even though I told them in an email how I wanted the wires run down the edge channel and connected to the existing left and right turn/brake lights, they wired up both lights to the brakes. Even if I hadn't told them how I wanted it wired up, why they would even consider doing this is beyond me. Their techs should know the brakes only get 5-6-7 volts, so just how would the lights work right when they aren't getting 12 volts? So I left the pod in their lot and ultimately they sent someone to deliver the pod to me so I didn't waste another Saturday running up there. Last summer our fridge stopped working on day 2 of a 3 1/2 week trip. It would mostly work on AC, and only very rarely on DC or LPG. I finally made an appointment 6 weeks ago to drop the pod off over Memorial weekend, which gave them up to a month to fix it. After just a week they said it was ready, and said over the phone they had to replace a fuse and it cooled down just fine on LPG. Great! I arrived on Saturday, paid the bill and hooked up. I verified on the work order that they got my instructions right - very intermittent cooling on DC and LPG - and I saw the solution was "replaced main fuse". So I tracked down the tech to find out where this fuse was. If it blows while I'm on our next 4 week trip I want to be able to fix it, dealing with a cooler was a big pain last year. He came out and pointed to the fuse I installed as a battery disconnect. "Yeah, had to replace that fuse, after that the fridge came on just fine." My jaw hit the floor and I knew immediately my fridge was still broken. Yes, that fuse was removed, by me, when I dropped off the trailer. Everyone knows you can't leave the battery connected. "Oh no, you should never disconnect the battery from the camper for any reason." Really?!? So he insisted the draw from LPG detector and fridge wasn't a problem. So then he asked me how I was sure the fridge didn't work. I told him I used a wireless thermometer, and I could watch the temperature slowly rise to ambient once I switched to LPG mode going down the road. At one point it hit 85. I told him I had to throw out a gallon of milk, twice, because it was warm. "Oh no, you can't use one of those thermometers, you gotta stick a probe in your food or a glass of water to measure the fridge temp". Really?!? "Yeah, those camper fridges work differently than... " I cut him off, yes I know all about ammonia absorption fridges, but that doesn't change how they get the food cold - no different than your fridge at home, it cools the AIR, which cools the food. A wireless thermometer will tell me just fine if the fridge is cold or not. He argued it was not. This is their lead tech talking, and the service manager was standing next to him backing him up. I gave up, I told them I would bring it home and do my own tests. Guess what? 30 hours on LPG mode and it was nice and toasty inside, including the ice-cold beer I stuck in there just to humor the tech's horrible logic, now a very warm beer (didn't open it, just felt it). Amazingly after an overnight on DC mode the thermometer is reading 33 degrees but I don't trust that to hold at all. Now it is on AC mode for a test all day. So now I need to fight with Stoltzfus to get my money back for what they did to "fix" my fridge. I sure hope the grease job they did on the axle is ok...
	Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual

jan demarinis Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 22 Apr 2014 Location: Northern CA Online Status: Offline Posts: 54	Posted: 09 Jun 2014 at 11:22am
	sounds horrible. sorry you had to go through this.

fwunder Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 04 Oct 2013 Location: New Jersey Online Status: Offline Posts: 1676	Posted: 09 Jun 2014 at 11:37am
	I'm really sorry to hear that, Doug. We bought our 178 from Stoltzfus last year and had a pleasant experience. Thanks for the heads up for any warranty/repair work I might need. They are a bit of a drive for us also. Have you considered another FR dealer. I see http://www.bayrvcenter.com/ isn't too far from you. Do you have any experience with them? 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!

techntrek Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062	Posted: 09 Jun 2014 at 11:42am
	Thanks for the link, it is on my to-do list to find a dealer today that may, hopefully, be able to look at this before we leave. I will call them now. There was a different dealer at that location 5 years ago but we didn't buy from them, I believe because they wouldn't come close to a good deal.
	Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual

Camper Bob Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 26 Sep 2011 Location: Portland Oregon Online Status: Offline Posts: 913	Posted: 09 Jun 2014 at 12:38pm
	In my opinion finding an honest dealer really depends on the luck of the draw. I took my Pod back to my delivering dealer to re-cement the rear spoiler with the led lights, which had started to come loose from the back of the trailer. This had been pointed out to me when I took my trailer to Camping World to repack the bearings. The tech called it to my attention. I contacted FR and was told even though it was past the one year warranty they would cover it completely. But I had to take it back to the delivering dealer. Took it to my dealer, and I assume they contacted FR for the warranty work. When I picked up the trailer, I will admit they did a terrific job, however they wanted an additional $100. I told them under no circumstances would they get an additional dime from me. They handed me the keys and I took my trailer home, never to return for any work from them. Although I have been critical of Camping World and their overpricing of products, I have had two excellent experiences with their service dept. They are not the cheapest to deal with but their work was terrific. To add one last point, I had them repack my wheel bearings last year for $140. after my delivering dealer and another local Rpod dealer quoted me twice the price. Just my experiences. Safe Travels.
	Camper Bob and Camper Sue Gracie the Wonder Dog (12 LB. Mini Dachshund) 2013 Rpod 171HRE(ORPod) 2016 Lance 1685 2015 Nissan Pathfinder

Seanl Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 19 Sep 2011 Location: Fredericton NB Online Status: Offline Posts: 633	Posted: 09 Jun 2014 at 2:30pm
	The dealer I take my trailer to is fine for mechanical work but they do not know how to fix any of the other systems like the fridge. I had a problem with my Air Con when I first got it and they brought in an AC specialist to check it out and fix it. I hate it when people pretend to know something when they don't have a clue. Refrigeration is special not everyone can fix it.
	Sean, 2011 Rpod RP-173,2009 Jeep Liberty Rocky Mountain Edition

rpodcamper.com Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group - pHp Joined: 26 Nov 2009 Location: Reading, Pa Online Status: Offline Posts: 3990	Posted: 10 Jun 2014 at 12:36am
	Sorry to hear the issue you had with them again. Let me know if you need me to run down there as I'm very close to them. I have bought from them and had warranty work done but for all my other service I do my self or have my auto mechanic do (inspections, brakes, bearings)

techntrek Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062	Posted: 10 Jun 2014 at 7:06am
	My local mechanic did my bearings last year so they'll definitely get the work again next year. It is something I can do but spring is my ultra-busy time between mulching, splitting wood, getting ready for trips, kid's performances, etc. I now have an appointment for the 23rd with a local service-only dealer which is only 15 minutes from my work, so I can easily drop it off and pick it up. They used to sell RVs but stopped during the recession. I'm hoping their service dept must be good since it is all they have left keeping them open. Plus they don't have any brand loyalty and less "must have bought your RV from us" loyalty since its been a few years. Cutting it close since they'll only have about a week before I need it back to pack, but better to give them a shot than doing nothing at all.
	Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual

techntrek Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062	Posted: 13 Jun 2014 at 4:33pm
	Update, they have agreed to refund the "diagnosis" fee. It is only $67 of the total, but it is something.
	Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual

Budward Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 21 Apr 2014 Location: SC/NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 438	Posted: 15 Jun 2014 at 6:13pm
	Unfortunately I'm afraid your poor service experience is typical, not just in the RV world but in the automotive world as well. When we bought our 2011 Toyota FJ Cruiser it came with "free" 2 year maintenance. So first trip in for oil change and tire rotation. Got it home to find they only rotated the 4 tires on the ground- even though Toyota specifically says to rotate all 5 as the spare is a full size with the same aluminum wheel. So I go to change the oil 5000 miles later (only 10,000 mile changes included in the free plan) and find they cross threaded two of the bolts holding the skid plate on, which must be removed to access the oil filter. Scroll ahead and back to the dealer for the next "free" oil change and tire rotation. My wife took it in and told the service writer we wanted all 5 tires rotated as that is what the owner's manual says. The guy balked but agreed. Got it back home and they again rotated only 4 tires but this time they included the spare and never moved the left rear, figuring they'd fool us I suspect. But- We had marked them to check if they did it. Oh and the cross threaded skid plate bolts- one was now completely missing- empty hole in its place.. So I get a survey later asking how they did and would we please recommend them to others- I let them have it with both barrels. No response- yet they still email me almost every week telling me how great they are and would we please come in for service- yeah right. I have fixed a ton of stuff on my RVs (and cars) over the years that should have been warranty- but I cry less if I just do it myself.
	2014 179 Towed by a 2015 Ford Transit Diesel Supervised by a German/Aussie mix and a Labradoodle!