floor, main frame hump

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Status
Not open for further replies.
I'm a bit confused about the situation other than you are 100% disappointed. Is the trailer at the factory? What did the tech/service writer/customer rep say?
 
John Canfield said:
I'm a bit confused about the situation other than you are 100% disappointed. Is the trailer at the factory? What did the tech/service writer/customer rep say?
Click to expand...
Yes the camper is at the factory.  When it arrived, there is water stains in the front bedroom, and the major additional issue is that the doors located in the mid camper bathroom are jammed closed. That area is a unit with the toilet and shower with a walkway between it and the slide unit with the couch and storage closet.

They also say that there was water marks on the doors. But the hump in the floor had expanded further forward before it left, which caused the door in the entranceway to the bedroom to be misaligned and would not catch in its jam. So I don't know if the entire framework had twisted. I have no idea how this will be corrected.  One of the first issues that I noticed early on was the kitchen base cabinet had become disconnected from the floor strip securing the cabinet sides.

So how would you feel about a unit that its combined structure internally is not functioning after the equivalent of a trip across country and back to the east coast in all major highways. For me personally I baby my towing equipment. I have towed high end wooden boats, fully varnished and have always been mindful of looking ahead for potholes, dips and uneven pavement. I personally am not rough on anything behind me. So what has happened has not resulted from abusive road and off road habits.

You ask what that has to do with this? I am known in my own family by my kids and wife as driving like a little old lady looking thru the steering wheel as she makes her way to church at half the speed limit .

I ask them to replace the unit for the tiny cost that's involved by comparison to what is involved for something that will not be looked into deeper than maybe an additional cross member frame in the under carriage. This is their reported fix.  This will not address what appears to be some twisting that's taken place, not withstanding the supposed additional water that's gotten into the unit now on the 1400 mile trip back to the factory. And the interior is off white. So the stains are not easily hidden.  While this may seem to be no big deal to most, we purchased a new camper and the previous leaks has already created stains that is noticeable. And this will only get worse.
 
jackiemac said:
In my humble opinion they should be totally replacing it.
Click to expand...

I have been very polite and jumped thru the proper hoops and chain of command. I understand that warranty issues as a whole in particular and resolutions are normally slower. So I have been patient. But I get the same story. "We don't replace campers. Our service facility is set up to correct problems".  Well its not like replacing a frig or fixing a light fixture. 
 
Your Winnie appears to be a classic "lemon", with serious deficiencies.  Every RV maker produces some and the dealer & factory support system near always does a mediocre job of coping with it.  They may ultimately do the right thing and replace it, but there will likely be months of delay and denial. There doesn't seem to be any procedure or management process that can reach any conclusion beyond replacing some parts.  Nor any executive capable of recognizing that replacing a unit is worth the cost in buying customer goodwill.  And that's not unique to Winnebago.
 
I have zero control of the situation with it being states away. This is one of the reasons I actually attempted to deal with the problems locally. But my local dealer is no longer a dealer for multiple reasons. And  so I wait.
 
Boat Addict said:
I have been very polite and jumped thru the proper hoops and chain of command. I understand that warranty issues as a whole in particular and resolutions are normally slower. So I have been patient. But I get the same story. "We don't replace campers. Our service facility is set up to correct problems".  Well its not like replacing a frig or fixing a light fixture.
Click to expand...
It would probably be cheaper to replace the whole thing then just take the old parts out and reuse them if they can and scrap the rest!

Disappointing from a company like Winnebago too.
 
jackiemac said:
It would probably be cheaper to replace the whole thing then just take the old parts out and reuse them if they can and scrap the rest!

Disappointing from a company like Winnebago too.
Click to expand...

You would think so, especially since the multiple issues beginning with the slide, which I think showed the early beginnings of the floor issue has been going on for five months now. I even used the camper and wrestled with it a month into my ownership during the evacuation for the hurricane in Sept. 2019. But I did not think anything about it. But looking back now and with the evolving problems that began to show itself, to this novice in rv builds but with experiences in diagnosing boat related issues in production boats, I think the issues are all related.

There doesn't seem to be any procedure or management process that can reach any conclusion beyond replacing some parts.  Nor any executive capable of recognizing that replacing a unit is worth the cost in buying customer goodwill.  And that's not unique to Winnebago.
Click to expand...

I have not been able to get past the service writer that I originally contacted back the end of Oct. Whether the person is in any position to make that decision or if this issue has been conveyed in other areas, I do not know myself. The best I can do is type out my frustrations as I wait, wait and wait. ;) 8) ;)
 
Back2PA said:
Time for an attorney
Click to expand...

Ditto, what Back2PA says, but at $300 a hour, seem like the Lawyers really only want to sell time, and more time.  My kid has been thru some, plural divorces, so I hear 2nd hand stories about his Lawyer anyway.  Maybe you will get a good one.  I am sure they are out there. 

Not easy to keep a lid on your frustration at this point.  We can all empathize, but keeping it together and being cordial at this point, will be the best course of action, have it laid out on paper the faults and when they occurred, probably as easy as printing some of your previous emails and tightening the presentation. 

Day 1- Door Fell off. 

Day 2- Entire Floor Buckled.

Day 3 Purchased Dynamite.       

You may have to get funneled to the right person's desk for that guy to make the "replace it" decision. 

Right now you are not dealing with the top of the Winnebago Food chain, but then maybe you are?  You are lucky to have John C. helping you navigate thru the Winnebago waters.  He knows some folks there and that never hurts. 

Until they tell you to Foff and die.  You still got a shot, Brother.  Hopefully they do the right thing....

I got (not RV story)... Ryland homes to replace the entire Front facade and arch when the brick and stone separated near my front door or the house.....NOT covered under 10 year structural warranty.  Brick and stone are "Cosmetics."  My reply to that was I could by a mobile home and it would not fall apart in 5 years.  Luckily I had never RVd or heard your story prior to dealing with Ryland.  I would have been out of pocket alot of cash I am sure.  I used my people skills which are very limited, as are yours,  ;) but it worked out. 

Present you story with Tight Facts, Timelines, short and sweet....unlike my ramblings..  ;D

Beat them Up, with Facts, figuratively speaking and leave the frustration out of it.  Be Relentless!  These are the people that are going to possibly fix it for you.

If you burned bridges...call them back up and see if you can start over.  We all lose it..... sometimes.  We are all flawed, to some degree.

Good Luck, Brother.

John 
 
Have a look at this site....

https://www.bbb.org/us/ia/forest-city/profile/motor-homes/winnebago-industries-inc-0664-4000123/complaints

Aslso Page 3 on this document gives names of people in charge, perhaps try to get to one of them succinctly detailing your complaint and citing some of their "blurb" on how their organisation is supposed to provide great products etc.  Some of these folks don't want lots of detail just get their attention with a list of the issues.

https://winnebago.gcs-web.com/static-files/4294b2a1-5fe8-403d-b9bc-eac11ac84240

I would definitely not be prepared to take away a defective product under any circumstances.

I would also check out any Facebook/Twitter/Instagram pages and make a bit of noise on those, again politely!  It is amazing the clout these social media site complaints hold.

Good luck.
 
All good suggestions,,,, Everything has been documented with pictures supporting the major issues. This took place from the last week of Oct. and provided in all correspondence to the factory.  Hopefully within a week or at tops two there will be a decision one way or the other.  Of course there is little to no traveling now. So I am like most old pharts, hunkered down and waiting things out  and playing improvised  Jenga blocks with my extra rolls of toilet paper.  ;D  ;D :p

By the way John, I am still on talking terms with the dealer and met with them over the weekend. They were more than happy to sell me another camper of another brand and said that with a smile and a  :-*
 
They got you by the short hairs. Play Nice, BA.  Remember what Mom said.  You catch more flies with Honey or something like that.  ;D

John
 
X-Roughneck said:
They got you by the short hairs. Play Nice, BA.  Remember what Mom said.  You catch more flies with Honey or something like that.  ;D

John
Click to expand...
You can rest assured that I operate in that manner and have been, including as part of my last response of expressing my concern and empathy with the factory just in the past two days.
Snippit
I know that the country and the world?s events are all crazy right now, but hope that this will soon pass for us all. I know the recreational industry  is the first thing that seems to be hit in down turns. I know you guys have weathered a lot in the past, as with the boating industry that I was in for a long time.
Click to expand...
But I do not think that asking for something that I can tow across country and use the components without it deciding to take a different shape in particular, especially in the first year in return for my hard earned funds is asking a lot.


I am a firm believer in trickle down economics, where people with available funds spread parts of their bounty with others. This is exactly what the RV industry has survived on right along side of the pleasure boat industry. In turn there are tens of thousands of jobs at state in the area of parts that goes into every single one of the camping units we all own. 

In turn when we all use them, parks, the oil businesses, rv repair guys, the tire manufacturers and yes even storage lots reap the rewards of trickle down economics and at the pleasure of people willing to depart with their available expendable incomes.  I have witnessed down turns first hand and watched my fellow builders and repair guys take a hit when recessions hit.

We are all human and therefore I have made every attempt to be patient, lay out my concerns with actual facts without ill will.  I have really tried hard in the last month. I know everyone is dealing with other unrelated issues from their job that's working at the factory too. I respect people that work hourly days . But in turn I really do want some quality for my hard earned money in return. Don't just blow me off. This was the case for way too long before I finally got the camper headed to the factory this year.
But at the end of the day the camper ended up at the factory and they actually found more problems than it left with, which has me right now at my wits ends. 
 
Boat Addict said:
By the way John, I am still on talking terms with the dealer and met with them over the weekend. They were more than happy to sell me another camper of another brand and said that with a smile and a  :-*
Click to expand...

Naww...the Dealer is just the guy in the middle to jack up your price $. 

At this point I would just get his name spelled correctly in your report to the Winnebago folks and briefly describe what they did without using 4 letter words or going into a Ted K., Manifesto. 

Only Joking.

:-X

JD
 
X-Roughneck said:
Naww...the Dealer is just the guy in the middle to jack up your price $. 

At this point I would just get his name spelled correctly in your report to the Winnebago folks and briefly describe what they did without using 4 letter words or going into a Ted K., Manifesto. 

Only Joking.

:-X

JD
Click to expand...

Oh the dealer is a really nice guy. He told me that when he sold the camper to me that he was loosing thousands on it, but felt like I  would really get a lot of enjoyment with it. So he allowed me take it off of his lot, even throwing in a full tank of propane and a two year old battery without charging me for it. And he did not charge me for charging it either, which is normally a 99 dollar charge.
 
Thank you. Right now its not a big deal not having any camper. And we are just waiting things out and hopefully will get some update in a week anyway. But like everyone else we are hoping that we can travel this late spring and summer. For us we are aging out and this year was probably going to be our last available chance to travels with evolving health issues that is causing us to become immobile .  You know doctors have become our best friends lately. ;) I am considering taking them lunch a couple of times a week to keep them on my good side too and keep the ticker in sync too. ;D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 657 (members: 26, guests: 631)

Forum statistics

Threads
132,185
Posts
1,391,599
Members
137,889
Latest member
fth
Back
Top Bottom