Quote:
Originally Posted by HarleyOutlaw
I'm a new owner, 2016 Outlaw Class A 37RB. Purchased from MotorHome Specialists in Texas. Flew down and picked it up. On our trip back towards Maryland we realized the dash heater was not working, only blowing cold air at our feet. No real big deal as the furnace was working and kept everything toasty.
We were in a rush to beat the blizzard and didn't try to get it fixed until we were close to our destination. I called Leos's Vacation Land in Gambrills Maryland since I know they are a Thor dealer. The young lady in the service department told me that since I did not purchase from them they would not do any service work. Not even warranty issues. As you can guess I'm not pleased with them and will never set foot on their property.
I'm told that dealers are independent and Thor has no control over their policies. I disagree. If a dealer is selling Thor RVs, they are representing Thor. If they refuse to help an owner Thor should no longer supply RVs to them. To me it's that simple.
Now don't get me wrong. I love this RV and found another dealer that will take care of my issue. Our RV is in storeage for the next month or so, so it's fine if I have to wait a bit.
I'm just a bit upset and worried that at some point I'll run into another lousy dealer like Leo's and be stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Anyone else have a similar experience? Am I overreacting?
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Boy, did I learn this lesson the hard way. I purchased my RV from Prosser's in Wisconsin. I negotiated an unbeatable price on the phone with them. My local dealer (Leo's RV in Gambrills) couldn't come within $3k of that price, but when I told him I was buying elsewhere, the salesman warned me, "Your gonna regret that decision."
What he knew and I didn't, was that dealers around the country had formed a sort of alliance to deter people from bargain hunting. It's an attempt to protect their business model, which is seriously threatened by internet commerce. They will only service an RV that was sold either by them, or one of their "partners" around the country. It becomes a powerful part of their selling proposition and a way to force consumers' hands into paying inflated prices.
A person can argue that the automobile industry is different, and that it shouldn't be this way. You might even believe that the dealers' strategy will backfire eventually. I personally agree. But nothing will change the fact that this is a universal truth about the RV industry, and Thor has decided it's beyond their control.
The good news is that this is only a major issue during the warranty period. It's much easier to find a "non-dealer" repair shop to service your RV after that. I've even found service centers that don't sell RV's, so you know they'd be willing to work on your RV regardless of where it was purchased.
To sum up, the salesman at Leo's RV was wrong. I don't regret my decision to pursue the lowest purchase price. I regret that Thor doesn't exercise their tremendous influence to stop this practice.
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