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Post Info TOPIC: Having warranty problems with the Dealer or Manufacturer?
Bruce and Bev


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Having warranty problems with the Dealer or Manufacturer?
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Hi All.  As some of you will remember we were one of the unfortunates to buy a new "lemon" Supreme van.

We found the Dealers Service Manager very difficult to deal with from our 1st issue a week after collecting the van - she always argued, tried to fob me off or book the van in for many weeks or even months ahead for works that they could easily carry out.

We then went direct to Supreme who were in the main, very helpful and responsive.

BUT on every occasion I have contacted the part manufacturer or importer/supplier directly (water heater, fridge) their service was incredible.  Even though my 'van is now out of the 12 mnth warranty (but still well within its implied warranty), I phoned up Swift who supplied the 240v/gas water heater as the unit was producing black sooty unburnt gas.

I told the guy at Swift it was 14 mnths old.  He didn't care and explained it was likely to be a particular problem, but that he would that afternoon package up all the parts that operate the water heater (including parts not related to the smoke).  He said if one part was going to be replaced, then all of them should be to give me effectively a new heater.  I can then take it into any 'van repairer and they will do the work and bill Swift.

Had the same response from Dometic.  We have a 186 lt fridge/freezer and the rubber seal on the fridge door was twisted when we bought it.  The Dealer tried unsuccessfully to straighten it out and then said they would have to talk with Supreme.

I phoned up Dometic, they asked me to text through a photo of the model and S/N of the door sticker. The following day the door was delivered to me by courier.  All I did then was take it into my local van repairer who fitted it while I waited (a 5 min job) and his bill went to Dometic.

So if youre having grief with your Dealer or the manufacturer, perhaps try the part supplier (if that's what the problem is) and it may save you the drama of making a formal complaint to your Cosumer Affairs Dept or ACCC 

 

 



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goldcoaster


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Have to agree with you on this , they all try and delay it as long as they can.

This has been eating at me , what would you do ? My manufacturer through the dealer is going to fix my latest problem in good faith as long as I sign a non disclosure statement , but the dealer can't do it for 2 months , they are too busy. How good is that , must be others !

I am absolutely filthy with them , had so many problems over a 14 mth period , after the first couple of times I used to book it in advance just in case something went wrong and it did , in there favour most things were fixed over a long period and numerous trips to them . I still have a couple of small problems they need to fix when I finally get into see them.

Their is no way we could have gone away for any period of time , every time we done a short trip in it , something failed and we came home.

Something I didn't expect when you buy new , but when I talk to people out there who have bought new Motorhomes most are having the same grief in one way or another and some are too embarrassed to talk about it.

Dealers want it off there lot , take your money knowing that it will be back for warranty issues but they don't care.

Hopefully all the bugs will be out of it after this next visit and we will be able to take off early next year.

Would I buy new again , no. By the way this is our 3rd Motorhome but the first new one.

Probably just lost my fix once this gets out but I am over them.
Mick

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goldcoaster


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Hope I didn't steal your post but just wanted to comment on Manufacturers and Dealers. All the homework in the world can't prepare you for a Lemon.

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NeilandRaine


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This may be of interest. Suggest you speak with your states department of fair trading
www.abc.net.au/news/2011-06-07/broken-but-out-of-warranty-you-still-have-rights/2749924

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Bruce and Bev


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Mick. Despite having no working relationship with my Dealer (to put it politely), I do get along very well with the salesman who sold me the van.

He told me after the sale and we started having problems that he often felt guilty about selling RVs as so many are poorly constructed, but it puts food on his families table and despite looking, cant find another job that pays as well. He, in fact, arranged a lot of the warranty repairs by the Dealer which was done on a weekend when the owners and Service Manager wasn't working, but there were service staff there.

I raised the issue of the long lead times to get repairs done and he said it was deliberate to discourage people from getting their warranty work done leaving their service staff the time to get new RVs prepped for sale and making any repairs to trade in's

Like you, I wouldn't buy a new 'van again. For $70K I expected a lot better. If I buy another, it will be 2-3 years old and there is a really good caravan repairer in Perth who specializes in pre-purchase inspections

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banjo


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I can add an accolade for Swift too !

Great company to deal with, bit like Weber as well. They honor their products and stand by them well beyond the normal warranty supplied by the dismal caravan makers.

We had a problem with our Swift cooker, operator error, my wife left the griller on way too long thinking she had switched it off !

The plastic knobs melted where they touched the hot facia, so I called swift and offered to buy some of the newer re designed knobs, they sent me a new set by return post free !

And the cooker is just over 4 years old !

Try that with whatever make of van you buy where they duck and dive to get out of any warranty claims they can, where they pass the buck between manufacturer and dealer, hoping you will give up and go away.

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brian
goldcoaster


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Hi Banjo,
Swift is one of the manufacturers that our friends have had trouble with , waiting on parts to come out from England on a brand new $140k motorhome. Like I said it's a lucky dip if you get one without problems. I'm not saying they won't fix it , its how many times you have to take it back after driving out the gate. I'm sure plenty of people have good stories to tell about there dealer and manufacturer but wait till you get one that causes untold problems and see how you and them handle it then.
mick

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rayaroundoz


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I'm still in the planning stages and am yet to settle on caravan or motorhome but one thing I have decided is that whatever I get it wont be brand new.

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the rocket


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We bought a supreme secondhand and love it. Some buyers have a tough time of it.



-- Edited by the rocket on Wednesday 15th of June 2016 07:55:59 PM

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Hey Jim


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Hi Bruce & Bev,

Ah well then Bruce, sounds like we are going to be talking all night and day.

You show me yours, and I show you ours. I think we will win, if there's some of it left to show you both that is.biggrinbiggrinbiggrinbiggrinbiggrin

Jim



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Bruce and Bev


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Its way off the topic of my post, but Supreme was a family owned business and up till about 10 years ago was run by the Dad. Speaking to some of the "old" workers still with them, he only employed craftsman and trades. But the old man has gone now and most of the staff are labourers.

It seems to be the market trend. I read lots of bad stories about Jayco but we bought a new one about 12 years ago and never had a single problem with it in the 4 years we had it

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