Poor Factory Service Center Experience

[bjensen]

Hello,
I have another bad experience with Winnebago's factory service center work in Forest City, IA.
This time it is the Luxury Air Bed for my Ellipse 42QD. The bed was replaced in the fall of 2018. During our current trip, one side of the bed started losing air at a rapid pace after setting up this past week.
Upon inspection under the bed, I found the connector to the pump cracked where it connects to the hose for that side of the bed. When the bed was replaced, whoever did the work, crossed the hoses near where they connect to the pump, bending the hoses and stressing the connection. Further, the hose that was leaking was routed over top of the slide mechanism and zip tied in a manner such that when the slide would get to the fully retracted position, the hose would get stretched, increasing the stress on the pump connection. Finally, the other hose was routed so that it would catch on the slide mechanism stressing it's pump connection and the connection that failed (because the hoses were crossed at the pump).

I was able to do a repair to the cracked connector using (a lot of) epoxy and electrical tape. It no longer leaks. I also spent a whopping one to two minutes to re-run the hoses so they are not crossed, not bent at the pump connection, and will not catch or drag on stuff as the slide is moved in or out. It took about fifty cycles of bringing the room in/out before the connection failed due to this incorrect (say, negligent) installation.

I also contacted Winnebago service center, sending photos, explaining the above and requesting either a new mattress/hose assembly or a new connector, stating I was willing to install either myself.

You can guess the response. Past their 90 day warranty period. They will not help. I asked it be moved up their chain of command. The response, "already did that, past our 90 day warranty. We will not help".

I could go on but won't except to say this isn't the first time the Service Center has made improper or incomplete repairs which by their nature or circumstances (like going into winter storage within days of picking up the coach) where the poor work was not discovered within their shop warranty period and Winnebago would not stand by their work.

Today I, and probably every WIT club member got an email saying now is a good time to come to the factory to get work done. I recommend against having anything done there unless you will be giving the repaired system a thorough and prolonged workout within the next 90 days. Else, you might end up like me.

Dissatisfied Customer,
Barry Jensen

[bjensen]

A quick follow up on Winnie's bad bed install. I ordered a replacement connector from the bed OEM. $14 with shipping. For $14, Winnebago is willing to have a very dissatisfied customer who has spent many many thousands of dollars on Winnie products and factory service.

Pretty short term thinking IMO. Or maybe it is just a case of "we got you by the short hairs buddy...". In either case, a sad state of affairs. My next motorhome will not be a Winnebago product. It might not be any better, but it won't be a Winnebago.

[imnprsd]

I will agree there is a "corporate culture" going on at Winnebago that is akin to an assembly line. That means profitability trumps customer service.

So, I think you are making this insignificant $14 repair a issue personal matter. So I'm wonder, at what point will you take personal responsibility for your coach?

Specifically, IMO, just because you spend a lot of money for a high quality product, that does not mean you are ENTITLED to "free service" or "free parts."

That said, you/we as consumers have to pick your battles and this, IMO, is not one of them. Why? ...You have no moral high ground! ...And just because it's a $14 part that does not give you more credibility.

Now, having said that, I too feel Winnebago in Forest City rushes repairs and sometime sacrifices quality. I have written their management myself after receiving 2 repairs where I needed to return so the job can be done right.

The first time was when they did a shotty job repairing my slideout pantry; and the second time was when they did not verify my Dish was working right after I spent $36,000 on a new roof. ...And one more; the 7 pin tow connector wires came out after a repair in 2,000 miles.

The interesting thing I found is that owner line-up to have their coach repaired at Winnebago. It's like everyone looks forward to their "factory experience" and when their trip does not meet their expectations it naturally leads to hard-feelings.

Winnebago, Forest City does offer services found no where else, but IMO, if you don't have to "return to MECA" you probably will be better off and should build a relationship (by spending money) with your local RV mechanic.

[Podivin]

I think the real moral of this story is 'trust but verify'.
Sure they fixed it, it works great - it wouldn't hurt to LOOK and see what they did. You might notice something like a hose under stress when the slide is extended, which can easily be corrected by rerouting the hose, thereby preventing a problem in the future. We've all heard too many stories about poor workmanship on new RV and during repairs, to blindly have faith in the work that was done. Ultimately it's on us to take care of our RV, sometimes that means getting our hands dirty and/or checking up on others to make sure the work that they did is OK.

[creativepart]

I went to factory service in April 2018. They performed 7 repairs for me. 5 they got better than I expected, one they messed up another part while doing their repairs and the 7th they didn’t repair the issue even though they changed out parts in an attempt to complete the repair.

Yet, I am happy overall with the experience and would not hesitate to return for something serious.

Dealer repairs in my experience are most likely to be all wrong or nonexistent and with a considerable wait, at that.

[deckape]

Always check the work you paid for ,NO, matter who does it, or where it was done.