Winnebago customer service/warranty

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by mojoracing

jerichorick, not sure where you got the info that fleetwood has big customer service problems. Take a stroll over to the fleetwood forum and read about the customer satisfaction. I haven't heard a bad thing in the last year. My new coach had a few problems as any coach will and I can honestly say that fleetwood has some of the best customer service I have ever experienced in any industry. My coach is also head and shoulders above any previous coach I have owned as far as build quality and this is my fourth (all different brands). I will buy another fleetwood. I urge you to take a peak at what people are saying.

My apologizes to Fleetwood and Fleetwood owners for spreading roomers. It was a Winnebago rep at the factory in Forest City that cited this to me when we were talking about the RV industry are the troubles befalling it. I did not try to substantiate his claims. I have not followed the Fleetwood forum. I am truly happy for you and your great coach experience. Maybe Winnebago Industries can learn from Fleetwood.

[CJBROWN]

Met up with my sis and b-in-law this weekend and asked him about his two Tours again. He said the first one ('11 40-footer) was fine, they just fell in love with the new 42 with two bathrooms and L-shaped sofa and that's the one they had so many problems with.

They lost $30g's on the new '10 Voyage - didn't like the ride of the gas coach, another $60g's on the first Tour, then another $90g's on the second Tour. They think they'll keep the Cornerstone - it's on the big Spartan chassis with the 600 hp ISX motor and allison 4000 trans. I have not driven it yet, drove the 40-footer and it drove really nicely. So much so I want a DP myself. I think I would be happy with a Journey/Meridian.

EDIT: BTW, back in mid-2000's when we bought, Fleetwood build quality wasn't near Winnebago unless you went Providence level. We had a 99 Southwind and it was okay but not as nicely done as the mid-level Winnebago product. On the plus side, Fleetwood had a raised center and put all the tanks down the middle leaving plenty of cargo space. Winnebago not so much - on the camp side of ours is propane, water, and pump/heater so there are just 2 bays left for storage and one is shallow. A larger unit would aleviate some of this issue. Apparently the basement air Winnebago dreamed up was kind of a dud.

[dsbike]

SO here I am with a 2013 Journey, we really liked the Tour, but the Journey was at the top of our price range. After reading this post & other posts about the Tour, I am very glad we purchased the Journey. This is not to say we haven't had any issues, but nothing like the Tour issues. Our biggest problem was the ac units cycling off & on continuously & this was actually a Coleman problem not Winnebago. However I think they both should know the issue & what it takes to repair it, there have been several people with this issue. Maybe the Journey is priced where they can use more quality & keep it in the price range it is more so than the Tour to keep it where it is. Or maybe we just got lucky or we had a midweek build. Who knows, but we are happy with our Journey.

[Jbmsr]

I love my 2013 Tour 42 QD. 12,500 miles. Camped 177 nights. Never been to a dealer for repair. Sorry I can't tell you much about Winnebago customer service or there Warrantee I haven't needed them.

Jesse

[jerichorick]

Both the Tour/Ellipse, Journey/Meridian lines have great floor plans and features. Those of us who have worked through the majority of the bugs are "HAPPY CAMPERS". But, as for the others with problems that just don't seem to want to go away, especially the quality control issues, I feel for them.

Though our coach is used we love it. To us, and those who visit our lovely little home, we are in a mansion on wheels. Being a guy, I love the way the generator system works. The inverter is great and the AGM batteries are as strong as a locomotive! Driving is very comfortable, though I must admit I am in the process of installing a Blue Ox TrueCenter steering stabilizer. We drove from central TX to AZ on I-10 fighting a heavy crosswinds. Though the coach did not pull real bad it still made days on the road tiring.

DW loves all of the storage, the residential frig and the overall look and feel of the interior. She has hobbies that need storage space so the basement is another delight for her, as for me too.

Well, time to enjoy a good cup of morning coffee with DW. I hope your Journy and Tour serve you well for many years to come.

Rick

[cochise1949]

Motor homes are very complex units today. The bigger they are and the more expensive they are, the more gadgets they have. Our 8 week old Adventurer demonstrated several issues on the "shakedown" cruise to Reno. It was a 500 mile trip. Stopped after 250 miles for first night in new rig. The Lippert jacks that had worked several times in our RV driveway, failed to deploy. Noticed water leaking onto the floor from under the residential fridge. Water leaking onto ground when plumbing under pressure from city or pump. Screens poorly fitted to windows in three places. HDMY 4x4 works intermittently. Everything related to the F53 chassis seems OK at this point.

Had to use old school leveling blocks (had to purchase at Walmart in Reno). Water on floor was only when slide was in and pump was on so not an emergency. Fit and finish issues...again no emergency. HDMI switcher...of course no emergency, we were able to watch the main TV on both sat receivers.

Point is...we timed the purchase so as to discover these types of problems before traveling to far afield. Unit is at the selling dealers service department now being diagnosed. Hope to hear today as to a time frame for corrections. Only issue that irked me was, when I called the Winnebago dealer in Reno (Sierra RV) to see if they could perform warranty service on the Lippert system, I was told that they would not do warranty repairs on units not sold by them. Hence, the leveling blocks so we didn't have to cut the trip short. I'm relearning not to "sweat the small stuff." Never had a rig that didn't have something "not right" all the time. Just like a S/B house.

[CJBROWN]

Originally Posted by cochise1949

>snip
Only issue that irked me was, when I called the Winnebago dealer in Reno (Sierra RV) to see if they could perform warranty service on the Lippert system, I was told that they would not do warranty repairs on units not sold by them.

This I have a problem with. Whether the customer pays or the factory pays, it's work. Why would a servicing dealer turn down work? IMO this is just a crappy attitude and a great reason to avoid them at all costs. They deserve to go out of business.

Imagine this happened with your new car?

[s1njin]

Same thing w/ Jayco. I called a dealer close to me to see if they would service a Jayco motorhome I was thinking of purchasing (not from them). If they didn't sell it, they wouldn't look at you until it was fall/winter (slow).

[edgray]

Originally Posted by CJBROWN

This I have a problem with. Whether the customer pays or the factory pays, it's work. Why would a servicing dealer turn down work?

You and I generally pay the dealer his posted hourly rate, usually >$100.00/ hr these days , for the total hours the dealer claims they spent working on your rig. I believe that most coach builder TELLS the dealer how many hours they are "allowed" per repair item, and it isn't clear to me if they even pay the dealer's published hourly rate, but I understand that is mandated in some states. I believe that is why a dealer will shun warranty work, if he's got enough non-warranty work to stay busy.

[Hikerdogs]

Originally Posted by edgray

You and I generally pay the dealer his posted hourly rate, usually >$100.00/ hr these days , for the total hours the dealer claims they spent working on your rig. I believe that most coach builder TELLS the dealer how many hours they are "allowed" per repair item, and it isn't clear to me if they even pay the dealer's published hourly rate, but I understand that is mandated in some states. I believe that is why a dealer will shun warranty work, if he's got enough non-warranty work to stay busy.

Many moons ago manufacturers paid the dealers about 60% of the hourly rate they charged the non-warranty customer. Consumers groups got up in arms that the factory was paying a lower hourly rate than the retail customer. Eventually most states passed laws that required the manufacturers to pay the same hourly rate as the retail customer. The factories countered by now only paying about 60% of the time paid by the retail customers.

The manufacturers claim a factory trained technician should be able to complete the tasks in the time allowed by the factory flat rate. Since factory flat rates only apply to new or nearly new coaches they claim the technician doesn't have to deal with years of accumulated wear, rust, and corrosion.

While I doubt the dealers loose money on warranty work I also doubt they make money. They can't stay in business breaking even so they charge a more substantial rate to retail customers. They certainly could perform all work at warranty rates, but then how long would they stay in business?

Most dealers look at warranty as a necessary evil. They either shun as much of it as they can or keep the percentage down to the point they still have enough time and resources available for the retail customers that pay the bills and keep the lights on.

[CJBROWN]

All their rates are too high. It's just work. Not everybody gets to earn $140 an hour.

When you go to work, do you go there to work or to figure out how you can do less and charge more?

Maybe it's just the podunk RV biz...
I'm just not buyin' it.

If a dealer doesn't want to 'work' them screw him - I'll take ALL my business elsewhere.

[jerichorick]

Insurance companies play into this too. All of the repair industry, automotive, trucking, RV, boaters... are all being hit with big buck hourly rates. $140/hr is becoming common. Where is this money going? Often the tech working on your roof reseal is getting minimum wage but you are required to pay the shop $140/hr plus premium bucks for the sealants. This is just one example of too high a charge for a manual labor, not much thinking, job being done. It costs the repair shop no more to park your rig under a canopy to do this job. Are we renting real estate? And, consider how many times it takes to finally get a repair accomplished correctly. Is W. C. Fields setting the prices? "A sucker is bore every day."

I have no problem paying for quality service. Most of us are paying. No quality offered.

I try to do all of the work I can on my coach. I just corrected a seam seal that I can tell was done by someone who didn't have a clue. This came with the coach. We bought it last May. I wouldn't be surprised if a service center did the work, even the dealer I bought it from. Poor at best.

But, this thread is about warranty work and I got off the subject. Winnebago has a good reputation but it will take work on their part to keep it. The factory service center was great when we last visited it and they stood by their work. I hope that the factory goes back to building the quality in that used to be. Warranty issues will be reduced once again.

And that is my 2 cents.

Rick

[John Hilley]

I do almost all my own work. It is amazing how long it takes to do the job right. Simple things like mounting something on a wall usually take close to an hour by the time you make sure you aren't compromising something.

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by John Hilley

I do almost all my own work. It is amazing how long it takes to do the job right. Simple things like mounting something on a wall usually take close to an hour by the time you make sure you aren't compromising something.

In all fairness to you, John, you don't do this for a living. Both of my sons work on cars professionally. Because of their many experiences with many brands, models and years they each have a unique insight into how to fix a problem correctly and quickly. What may take you an hour may be a 1/2 hour job for the experienced with the right tools and integrity. For us DIY guys time is not a great issue. For the professional it is. The more flat rate jobs accomplished in a day the greater the pay.

[John Hilley]

Originally Posted by jerichorick

In all fairness to you, John, you don't do this for a living. Both of my sons work on cars professionally. Because of their many experiences with many brands, models and years they each have a unique insight into how to fix a problem correctly and quickly. What may take you an hour may be a 1/2 hour job for the experienced with the right tools and integrity. For us DIY guys time is not a great issue. For the professional it is. The more flat rate jobs accomplished in a day the greater the pay.

You missed my point. I actually am skilled with 50+ years of experience and all the best tools. By the time you make the measurements and verify that you are not drilling into something, you have spent about 1/2 hour. Last thing I did was hand a magazine rack that required four anchors and an aesthetically pleasing placement. It took 45 minutes. I think it cost $11.95. 45 minutes of labor at $120/hr would be $90. When you hear about some of the punch lists you can see why it would take so long and cost so much.

[waylntat2]

Also Had leak in our 2013 40U Journey . turned out to be the drain tube block up .. with sawdust looking stuff .. and needed to be better connected to drainage hose .. fixed and no more water..

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by John Hilley

You missed my point. I actually am skilled with 50+ years of experience and all the best tools. By the time you make the measurements and verify that you are not drilling into something, you have spent about 1/2 hour. Last thing I did was hand a magazine rack that required four anchors and an aesthetically pleasing placement. It took 45 minutes. I think it cost $11.95. 45 minutes of labor at $120/hr would be $90. When you hear about some of the punch lists you can see why it would take so long and cost so much.

Not entirely, John. If you have been doing this for 50+ years you must be slowing down. I know I am. The job you are using as an example is just one of those I am referring to that does not belong in the RV specialty rating system. You did not require any special equipment. Simply time. You did not need a special lift or even the need to get into a hard to reach place. Your shelf labor is worth about $20 by the local handyman. Because this shelf is in a RV the labor rate is $120+. A handyman coming to a stick house to do a few hours of labor won't get in the door at the charge rate.

You are clever, John, and I respect this truth. Your time spent fixing your own stuff has probably paid for a coach over the years. I applaud you. I hope you can continue being a DIY for many more years.

Rick

[GW1115]

so our warranty issues with Winnebago continue............our Jensen TV remote is not working, been reported since maybe week 2 of ownership. I email asking about the remainder of parts we are waiting for, because after all its only been 4 months....if they drag their feet any longer our 12 month warrenty will be up.....anyway I get a response from the factory saying the TV is warranted by ASA electronics and I have to go thru them, not really a big deal because I bet they are quicker and easier to deal with than Winnebago but I got to thinking, if I buy a ford truck and the brakes squeak I dont have to go to the company who made the brake pads............

[ChileRick]

Originally Posted by GW1115

so our warranty issues with Winnebago continue............our Jensen TV remote is not working, been reported since maybe week 2 of ownership. I email asking about the remainder of parts we are waiting for, because after all its only been 4 months....if they drag their feet any longer our 12 month warrenty will be up.....anyway I get a response from the factory saying the TV is warranted by ASA electronics and I have to go thru them, not really a big deal because I bet they are quicker and easier to deal with than Winnebago but I got to thinking, if I buy a ford truck and the brakes squeak I dont have to go to the company who made the brake pads............

We had our TV go out after just 2months. We were told by the dealer to go to the manufacturer. The manufacturer wouldn't do anything because it was sold inside an RV and therefore we had to go through our factory warranty. We went back to the dealer, dealer contacted Winnebago and we had a replacement TV in about 8 months.

Good luck.

[Hikerdogs]

Originally Posted by ChileRick

We had our TV go out after just 2months. We were told by the dealer to go to the manufacturer. The manufacturer wouldn't do anything because it was sold inside an RV and therefore we had to go through our factory warranty. We went back to the dealer, dealer contacted Winnebago and we had a replacement TV in about 8 months.

Good luck.

It sounds like your dealer shouldn't be in business if that's the way they treat customers. We've had 2 Winnebago products and the longest we've ever waited was 2 weeks for the dealer to contact the factory, place an order, and get the parts. That was for a defective LP tank that had to be special ordered when the coach was 3 years old. We could have had it even faster if we wanted to pay an additional charge for shipping. As it was, Winnebago and the tank manufacturer covered everything except refilling the new tank.

The dealer we bought our last motorhome from even contacted the factory to let them know we would be coming to Forest City to have some work done. The dealer knew up front they weren't equipped to handle one of our problems so they assisted us in getting a timely appointment at the factory.

I can see waiting a couple weeks for getting in a replacement part, since the dealers usually make a weekly order. Depending on the day they send it in you could miss one order and have to wait for the order the following week. Somethings seriously wrong if the dealer takes 8 months to get a replacement part. I would be on the phone to Winnebago Customer Service within a couple weeks to explain the situation and ask for assistance. The factory can track dealer orders to see when they were placed, when they were filled, if there were any back ordered parts, and when the orders were shipped.

Our experience has been that if you send both the dealer and the factory customer service a list of issues that need to be addressed they are more than happy to be of assistance in a timely manner.