Windshield Adventure - Happy Ending I Think
When we bought our 2017 ACE 30.1 from CW last year, we ended up buying their windshield coating package (Crystal Fusion). It was overpriced, but we did eventually get our money's worth - it just took lots of patience - like 3 month's worth.
We picked up a rock on the I-25 between Ft Collins and Denver this spring. It hit in the lower left well down into the black portion of the windshield. The chip quickly turned into a crack about a foot long. Now starts the story
Contacted Crystal Fusion's warranty administrator, a company called SafeGard. First call was answered by a person who clearly didn't know much. I gave her all the data, and she gave me some confusing information and said I'd hear back from them in 2-3 days. A week later no call. Second person actually knew something, and it soon became clear that the first person didn't do anything, including filing the claim. So the story got a second telling and I was told that I'd hear from a replacement shop. First step was inspection to verify that the windshield wasn't repairable. You will get a call from a local installer for an inspection.
A week later I got contacted by SafeLite (different than SafeGard) and arranged the inspection. A guy came out and looked at it for 10 seconds and agreed that it needed replacing. 3-4 days later I get a very cryptic phone message from SafeLite. Call back and get someone who clearly didn't understand. After a couple of go arounds, finally got to the info that they indeed had authorization, but that the work order was "awaiting parts" which was reasonable considering that they don't stock RV windshields.
Wait, wait, wait..... After 4 weeks I call back wanting to know what was going on. Lots of searching going on on the other end. Long story, but apparently they didn't know what to do with the work order and hadn't actually ordered anything. Sorry, we will straighten this out and get back to you
Wait, wait, wait.... After I week I called them back and got into the same loop. But.... I finally got to a local customer service rep that had an interest in chasing down the problem. I finally have a single point of contact. Next day she called back asking me for more information about the windshield and where they could get one (???!!! - aren't they in the windshield replacement business?). I gave her Thor's supplier and also Guardian Glass. Thank you, we think we've got it now. Sorry we haven't done many RV's.
Wait, wait, wait.... Call her back in a week because I hadn't heard. Good news! We found where to get it and its on order. As soon as we get it in we will call for installation.
Wait, wait, wait.... We leave on a two week trip to Yellowstone/Tetons (thankfully the crack had not gotten any bigger). No cell service except an occasional connection to a tower somewhere. While driving through Yellowstone a message pops up - "We have your windshield" Yay!!!. Find cell service at Canyon Village
and call her back and set up a installation for after we get back. That happened last week and we finally got our new windshield - at no cost to us ($1600 to Crystal Fusion though). A mere 12 weeks after this mess started.
Now for quest No.2 - get CW to reapply the Crystal Fusion. It turns out that Crystal Fusion will pay for a reapplication and continue the warranty, provided you have it reapplied within 3 days. SafeGard did indicate that the 3 days was flexible though. I told them that with CW, there needed to be lots of flexibility.
So start calling CW. Service department has no idea and ends up transferring me to a guy (or at least his phone mail) in Finance (!!! What has finance got to do with warranty replacement??). OK, leave a phone message. Wait two days - leave another phone message. Wait a day and leave another phone message. Next day finally get a call back - but I don't have cell service and I just get a phone message. Yes we can do it, don't know why service doesn't know about it. You can call me back or call service. I call back and get his phone mail and leave a message - can we do it next Thursday??
Wait two more days - no call back. Call the finance guy and leave another message. Decide to call service again in the mean time. They aren't any smarter and offer me an appointment for the last week in October (I think that's a bit more than 3 days.) So I call the guy's voice mail back and say that service isn't being of any help and they are just as dumb as they were the first time I talked to them.
Finally got a call back and we actually talk. Thursday is good and we need 2 hours. Turns out that Service doesn't do that kind of work - its their detail department that preps new sales for delivery. You would think that Service might know that, but I'm expecting competence.
We take the coach up yesterday and end up waiting awhile. We never do see the finance guy, but one of his sale support techs eventually comes out and gets our keys and tells me that it actually takes 20 minutes, but to allow an hour. Down the street for a cup of coffee and come back an hour and 15 minutes later. Coach is actually parked at a service bay, but it takes another 15 minutes before the tech shows up with our keys. We get them to sign off on Crystal Fusion's reapplication form (which seemed to be something new to them) and send a copy to CF. All done!! I hope.
We did pay way too much for the original application (dealer pack) but we are actually are now quite a bit of money ahead as we paid nothing, other than time and about 100 miles on the coach, to get the windshield replaced. Plus I still have another 4 years of coverage.
For awhile I though I'd get into warranty hell, but it turned out good in the end and everyone eventually met their obligations. It just took way, way too long. Fortunately the windshield crack never got large enough to affect vision. I would have lost most of the summer if it had. At least if there is a next time, I know a lot more about navigating the process and can train the people I talk to.
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