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Topic ClosedHilltop RV - Escanaba & Ishpeming MI

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alohapad View Drop Down
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Joined: 09 Feb 2020
Location: Canton MI
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Hilltop RV - Escanaba & Ishpeming MI
    Posted: 10 Sep 2021 at 2:52pm
 Censored  is the best thing I can say about "Lack Of" service at Hilltop RV. Twice after purchase I drove it from home (Canton Twp. MI) to Escanaba for service, 460 miles. Spent the nite driving it up to get the A/C checked (F16 @ full throttle), fridge, and kitchen sink drain NOT connected. Fixed the sink, mounted the TP holder, fridge "working?", but A/C still Charley Foxtrox.

Twice.

Forest River dealers downstate and FR customer disservice fone # treated me like a COVID-STD cocktail. Finally a friend that's a master mechanic & long time RV'er offered to take a look. After pulling off the A/C shroud cover, Chuck started cussing a blue streak, "Those mo...!!, and a longshoreman's dictionary of insults. I thought the A/C was scorched beyond repair, wombats nested up there, the worst. He stated he grabbed the A/C blower fan motor to check if loose, and came off in his hand! I asked in his toolbox of tricks maybe he had the bolts to fix it?. Chuck replied "Nope, don't need any. The bolts to lock it down are up here in the A/C mount tray!" The Hilltop rat bastards never even LOOKED AT IT!. Hilltop was bought out by Camping World. They should hire used car sales or carnival hawkers. More honest that this crew of clowns. Nah, use car sales people have more integrity.
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jato View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Sep 2021 at 5:55pm
Wow, I am so sorry to hear this.  We purchased our 177 from Hilltop RV back in January 2011.  Service then was outstanding, the sales staff and mechanic spent over 2 hours doing a 'go thru' to tell us all about how everything functioned, even going over a couple important things twice just to make sure we knew how to winterize and things like that.  We had no debris when opening up storage compartments, they must have cleaned everything up from the FR factory, inotherwords, the trailer was impeccable in appearance and functionality.  We never had to bring it back for service and am glad of that as it is a 4 hour drive for us to get there.

Seeing that you mention CW purchased the place I am sick, but it is typical that you got the service you got.  CW is not my friend. (edited)  Next week we will be in the area camping and I think I will call to see if any of the old regulars are still working there.  Thanks for the tip, sorry you got treated the way you did as well as the awful way they didn't do anything to fix your trailer. 
God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."
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alohapad View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Sep 2021 at 7:33am
Didn't relay all of it - Got to the dealership @ 9:30, 1/2 hour b4 the appt. Still made us wait to sign the doc's. Then told us the hitch I had special ordered 2 wks B4 had not arrived, they had a Blue Ox & would give it to us for the same price. At 11:30 told us the hitch was SUPPOSED to be on the Ishpeming truck was not. Truck finally got there at 2PM, then at 3 they came to get us - everything is done. After all of this I ask my son to make sure the brake lights work - they had the turn signals REVERSED! They were going to send us out with THAT?!?? A lot changed from 2011 to 2020. Glad YOU had great service. All I did to piss them off was paid in full for the trailer. And then wait for 7 hours due to their incompetency, and risk our lives to their crass attention to detail.
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jato View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Sep 2021 at 7:46am
Glad you have a friend that has the knowledge to fix things the right way.  Are there any FR dealers in your area that could service your new R-Pod?

BTW congratulations on your new toy.  What model did you get?  Hopefully, after this rocky start you will begin to travel on smoother roads.  That being said, there are a lot of seasoned and experienced folk on this forum who know way more than me who will be willing to lend their expertise to any questions you may have.  Call this your '24/7' online owners manual.  I have benefited greatly over the years from this forum.  Now go camp and make some great memories with that new R-Pod.
God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Sep 2021 at 3:26pm
JATO, your politics are showing, we don't all share the same views so we don't do that here. Politics doesn't have anything to do with corporate business practices anyway, there are plenty of both good and bad companies on both sides of the political fence.

Please edit that part. Thx.
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Leo B View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Sep 2021 at 3:54pm
Jato,

I find nothing offensive in your posts.
Leo & Melissa Bachand
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2021 Vista Cruiser 19 csk
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Sep 2021 at 4:21pm
I'm not at all offended either. Disagreement does not equal offensiveness.


But the forum rules about politics and religion are good ones and there to avoid having the discussion devolve into debate on those topics and not about travel trailers. There are plenty of other venues for that kind of thing.
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Sep 2021 at 5:58pm
Sorry OG,  I would have stated the same regardless of who owns the business.  It is very upsetting to me when a business has a great track record, especially in the RV business, gets bought out by an outside party/business, and then falls apart with poor/substandard/shoddy service that puts the customer in harms way due to their ineptness!  Obviously that is what happened here and having had such a good relationship with this business in the past it is hard to accept that they have done a 180.  Done.  Rant over.  Edited my previous post.  Still friends offgrid.

Thanks Leo,  time to go fishing!
God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Sep 2021 at 6:18pm
Totally, still friends and I do respect your opinions Jato.

I agree with you, many times when a successful locally owned and operated business is bought out by a large corporation the quality of it's customer service drops like a stone. The cultural differences can be too great to overcome, especially the focus on quarterly profit/stock price by the big company vs the focus on serving the community and repeat customers by the little guy. Have no idea if that happened here or not though.

BTW, my mom's side of the family is from Ishpeming. Small world.
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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alohapad View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Sep 2021 at 6:43am
Thanks!! Got a 2021 RPOD-178, so if my 2 adult sons want to travel with the Old Fart, there would be plenty of room for us. Tow it with a re-geared '17 Jeep Wrangler Chief, and looking forward to FINALLY getting out for excursions. Grew up with a Puma pop-up. Going to near Alpena, where my late wife's memorial tree was planted, then maybe VA and NC before getting it winterized. Have yet to find a "local" FP dealer that doesn't treat you like a disease - the ONE straight-up good guy in Canton that had a heart closed his biz after over 40 yrs.
Hope & pray all is well to you & all of the Forum - maybe see ya's Down The Road. Be well...
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