How do I move a complaint up the Winnebago chain of command

I purchased (ordered) a 2017 Winnebago Vista 29VE on Jan 30, 2016, of the many standard features was a handheld remote for the pioneer in dash entertainment system. The brochure indicated the remote was standard, the dealer said the remote was standard, even the window sticker that ultimately came with the vehicle shows it comes with the handheld remote.

I took possession of the unit on Saturday April 22nd and while the dealer showed me a bag which contained several parts that came with the unit including several handheld remotes (four in all 3 for TV's and 1 for DVD player) I did not go through everything there. Over the weekend I noticed that the remote for the Pioneer in dash unit was not in with the other parts. I call the dealer on Monday April 24th and after checking to be sure it was not mislaid, he called their Winne Dealer rep and was ultimately told it no longer comes with a remote standard but does as an option. I called Winnebago Customer Support and long story short they are able to confirm that there is a remote that is available for the in-dash Pioneer I have but are not able to determine if it is standard or an option. When I asked to speak with the service rep's supervisor he told me he would speak with him. After several minutes he came back and said he would have to do more checking because his boss (name unknown to me) thought it WAS standard. That was Friday April 29th. I heard nothing on Monday and when I called today was told by another service rep (Mitchell) that he would have their original person I was dealing with (Steve) call me back when he returned from lunch.

All of the above for the following question, does anyone know the correct procedure to escalate my complaint? I have hope it may not be necessary but how do I get around someone saying for example, you need to go through your dealer? My dealer simply says that his Winnebago rep says it is no longer standard. I have not been told how much the remote would cost but say it is $100, is seem that when one spends over $100,000 for a unit which says it IS standard, there should not be much of a question over something so simple. I appreciate if anyone can help.

Let me also say that the reason a remote is an issue for me is that I have two children who bring friends along and climbing over everyone to change a radio station or CD track is a real pain!

Let me see what I can find out.

Thanks John!

John...Winnebago (Steve) left me a message saying the remote for the radio in my unit is an option and get this...he says that it says that in the Pioneer owner's manual!!! My point seems simple, Winnebago says in every piece of literature I have and the deal confirmed that my unit is suppose to come with a handheld remote....regardless that Pioneer says it is sold separately in THEIR owners manual.

My Winnebago unit Id number is 10E40W294274 in case you need it....thanks again for your help!

John.....update, after much persistence "Steve" the customer service person said he talked with his on duty boss "Troy" who relented and authorized him to send me a remote.....we'll see if it arrives in a week as promised.

Troy is the second level manager over the salaried Owner Relations guys and factory service. I'm a bit surprised this turned into such a big deal.  Of course you do realize that Winnie and probably every other manufacturer has a statement to the effect that specifications can change without notice. Even so all this over a five buck remote?  Glad they came through for you.

Yeah, I am a little surprised too. Usually on a new rig the manufacturer will do about anything to satisfy the customer.  Maybe the accountants are starting to get involved more........

John....I understand the disclaimer but there was nothing anywhere that claimed the change and no one, not even the dealer was aware until I asked why it was missing. There needs to be some level of accountability on the part of the manufacturer or otherwise why even have the window sheets if they don't hold any validity. Plus, like you said the handheld remote turned out to be $39 on eBay (I checked after they gave me the part number), Finally, and possibly the MOST disappointing part, was the run around that "Steve" gave me by at one point telling me that he could not give me the name or number of his boss as he would not want to be "bothered" with calls from customers. A very disappointing experience to say the least. Somethings are out of the manufacturers control, but customer service is certainly not one of them :-(

Winnebago is trying to figure out the remote situation,  some new territory here for the particular product. You have your remote so time to move on.

Once I actually receive the remote I would agree.

rider 1520

rider 1520  sorry hit the wrong key  we had problems in the past but Winnebago did address all of them.my experience was to go through the switchboard and ask for customer relations manager                                                 

Tugboat....thanks, good to know!

And now for the rest of the story (remember I said "...of course you do realize that Winnie and probably every other manufacturer has a statement to the effect that specifications can change without notice"):

As we had assumed this was a running line change, online brochures and dealer info was changed days after this unit was built and a different radio implemented that comes with a remote. It?s very tough to try and keep up with all the changes especially with electronics. At the time this unit was built it did not come with a remote, current production model does come with a remote. I guess that?s why we include the disclaimers in the brochures.

Surely Rider had literature on his unit before he bought it and he says that literature states the remote is standard.

How could this be if the literature stating the remote is standard was only printed after his unit was built? Sounds to me that his problem got escalated up a couple of tiers of management, where they are real creative in story telling.

John...not to beat a dead horse but ALL of the material I have includes a handheld remote and this was back in January when I ordered the unit. Additionally, if they are going to make a change then they should include an effective date that they get out to the dealers so they can provide customers with the most accurate information (even for running line changes)....OR if there is a complaint filed by a customer then settle it in favor of the customer. It is not the customer's fault if he believes he is buying one thing and then is delivered something else, and I am sorry but some pitiful small print disclaimer doesn't grant absolution when one is spending so much money.

Finally, and the biggest issue for me, is don't provide piss poor customer service. By that I mean, if a customer is not satisfied with the way his complaint is being handled there should be an escalation process that can be implemented. Telling a customer that he cannot speak to a supervisor, cannot give out the supervisor's number because he can't have people calling him all the time, or not providing the customer with some other method of mediation is horrible....period!

I like Winnebago and realize that this situation may be a fluke for them, but don't make it seem like the misunderstanding is on the part of the customer, the company has a responsibility to "do the right thing" and remember it takes time to build a reputation based on trust and customer commitment and only a few instances of things like this to bring it all crashing down.....especially with today's social media tendencies.

In closing let me repeat that I like Winnebago, and their products (this is my third purchase) and I have dealt with their customer service department before and each time received outstanding support (even when I did not always get the answer I desired) but this situation frustrated me, exactly because was a textbook way of how NOT to handle a situation. Now like you said earlier, let's move on

Depending on which Pioneer came with the coach, they have a steering wheel remote available as well, and I think if I accidentally shoot my Magnadyne, THAT will be the one I get since I have no use for a handheld remote. Crutchfield is pretty knowledgeable on what works with what.

Thanks Jeff....my main issue is once we are at camp and the kids begin to "spraw", in order for me to make any changes I have to climb over people so the handheld remote works great!

rider1520 said:

Thanks Jeff....my main issue is once we are at camp and the kids begin to "spraw", in order for me to make any changes I have to climb over people so the handheld remote works great!

Click to expand...

Easy solution to your problem here.

Nice one John.....are you sure you are not a plant by Winnebago here...LOL. Kids though, like "stuff", just seem to grow to fill whatever space there is and before you know it you are towing a big #$% trailer behind that big #$% motorhome.....I do like that motorhome though....does it come with a remote? LOL, just kidding, I got my remote today in the mail