HWH Poor Service

[LR]

My RV Repair Shop has been very frustrated with getting responses from HWH Corp. Such as calling and having to wait long periods of time for call backs, extremely long delivery times, and then, when delivered, getting The wrong part.

Does anyone have any information as to why this previously high rated company on service is now doing so poorly?

[RickO]

I don't have an explanation, but I do know that when I just had my slide bearings replaced a couple of months ago, the shop I use had trouble getting timely callbacks from them and said they had been seeing more of this recently.

It's too bad too because they've built such a stellar reputation over the years.

Rick

[amanda_h]

Same here. We had very good response from them when we had a leaking hydraulic solenoid a little over four years ago. They responded quickly over the phone and shipped parts in short order.

Back in March, we had a problem with the rear slide and ended up calling a mobile service to do the diagnostics. They told us that they'd have to replace the hoses and some other parts. They were frustrated because they couldn't get the right part from HWH and kept getting the run around from them. They also told us that they were going to use heavy-duty hoses with connectors that are rated at a much higher PSI than those that HWH uses. They didn't understand why HWH uses such light-duty hoses for this application.

It is a shame as HWH was given so many accolades amongst RVers when we first bought the coach in '06.

[FleetMan]

I have always had good service from HWH, over the phone, parts service and work done at the plant. However, they like many in the RV support industry have been hit very hard by the down economy and I suspect they are doing their best just to stay alive as a business. Many of the RV companies in Indiana that were affected by the economy and high fuel prices in 2007 and 2008 were forced out of business, never to return.

[Clifftall]

Originally Posted by FleetMan

I have always had good service from HWH, over the phone, parts service and work done at the plant. However, they like many in the RV support industry have been hit very hard by the down economy and I suspect they are doing their best just to stay alive as a business. Many of the RV companies in Indiana that were affected by the economy and high fuel prices in 2007 and 2008 were forced out of business, never to return.

Sad but true. I went to their factory in Moscow Iowa years ago and was treated like a king. Overnight parking w/ elec. they took you to lunch while you were there and even repaired items that were out of warr.

[bowpulpit]

HWH may make great products but frankly their customer support stinks. I had an issue, called them and it took 6 weeks before they called me back. In the meantime I found this company owned by a former HWH employee (I think) who is located in Elkhart IN. Exceptional knowledge on all HWH systems and he stocks all the parts you will need at the same price you would pay HWH. Tell your repair shop to give them a try.

HWH Replacement Parts - Stuart's Services

[tderonne]

I just want to know what the rod wipers are in my jacks. Nothing matching them to be found anywhere I looked (Grainger, Parker, McMaster-Carr, Fastenal, etc.). Local hydraulics guy came up empty too. Cost me almost $250 to replace two $3 pieces. Probably 20 minutes of work at HWH. Arghhhh....

[John Hilley]

An equally good source of HWH parts and service in the west is 3Ts RV in Lake havasu city, AZ

3Ts RV

[bachler]

Our Hyd. Motor went South. while we were on a caravan in Alaska. We told them where our next campcround stop was 2 days later The motor was there. I installed it. as it was easy when they explained the R&R procedure to me. They even sent me a new Switch , For HWH still opperates with the old school in mind ( treat each customer special) In any has had a had experiance I assure you it was NOT done Intenulay;; ( I have no affileation with any one. ONLY fareness).. Life is good;;

[gjd]

HI, Had a ram problem,RV repair shop called HWH and they talked them thru trouble shooting ,and got it repaired.gjd

[Wayne M]

Consider what has been said about the economy. Then, consider how many phone calls a day they must get. Here is a piece of information that even makes those phone calls escalate. My Winnebago has Kwikee/PowerGear jacks. When I was at the Winnebago factory they noticed my hydraulic lines were getting puffy. I told them to replace them. They stated that it would take two days to get the lines as they had to order them from HWH. That's right, the pump and jacks are PowerGear, but the lines come from HWH, or at least that is where Winnebago service ordered them from. I did question why HWH when they were power gear and they replied that the get the lines from HWH.

So consider the cut back in personnel, and then how many phone calls a day they must get. It is one of the reasons that many companies now only take calls from dealers.

I'm not trying to defend a bad service from HWH. I have no parts from them on my unit (except the hoses that I know of), I'm just throwing some information out so as we don't get to quick to judge.

Happy trails.

[CJ7ole]

I must have gotten lucky this time. I called on August 28, they answered the phone and I immediately got transferred directly to Ashley and I got authorization right then to ship a cylinder back for repair. I told her the problem I was having with a sticking cylinder, we did some trouble shooting on the phone to verify it was likely a rolled seal. It was repaired and shipped out September 14. Cost $211.92. Bad news, it was a cylinder they repaired 2 years earlier, not under warranty.

Two years earlier I also got on the return call list, it took a week to get back to me. I am just happy they are still in business.

[John Hilley]

Looks like their prices have gone up a lot also. I payed $140 for a replacement cylinder a couple years ago. About 5 years ago I stopped there and they replaced a leaking cylinder for less than $100.

[FIRE UP]

Ladies and gents,
As WayneM suggests, we have to consider the economy and more in this, and many other large companies situations. I strongly suspect that no company, surely wants to develop bad PR for, not only its present customers but also, future customers/dealers etc. In the RV world, we've all seen this time and time again, in many facets and or, component suppliers to our rolling Kleenex boxes on wheels.

How many times, threads, posts, and more have you all read, seen and heard about issues with a certain company in regards to either warranty replacement or, assistance on line or on the phone, or replacing a part, is a very pleasant experience with some folks while a complete nightmare with others?? It happens on a regular basis.

Trying to please all the people, all the time, based on the market of RVs and all the components that they are comprised of, is a tough chore, to say the least. HWH, like ShurFlo, King Dome, Cummins/Onan, CAT, and many, many more, now have parts in literally millions of motor homes, trailers, and more and, while a company builds its clientele, it sometimes does not build its operational support team equally.

We've seen this with cable companies, Dish and Direct TV, and lots more. We deal with it the best we can. When we purchased our present rig, our Itasca Horizon, 36DG about 18 months ago, plus or minus, we had a bad cylinder leak in one of the rams that moves the bedroom slide in and out. Talk about a serious pain in the a$$ to get to, man that was a tough one. But, knowing it was most likely not covered under any warranty or any other action, I removed it, took it to a local hydraulic shop, had the seals replaced for $60.00 and re-installed it, rather than even call HWH to find out what was their take on it.

So, again, no company out there wants bad publicity. I'm pretty sure they would like to be of assistance to everyone and anyone in need of info or action concerning their equipment. But, based on the cost of running a company, overhead, benefits, health plans, etc. the employee side falls short many times. How many times have you been to the grocery store and seen long lines at the check out stand, when there's many check out stands not in use, due to not enough folks to run them?
Scott

[RickO]

Originally Posted by FIRE UP

Trying to please all the people, all the time, based on the market of RVs and all the components that they are comprised of, is a tough chore, to say the least. HWH, like ShurFlo, King Dome, Cummins/Onan, CAT, and many, many more, now have parts in literally millions of motor homes, trailers, and more and, while a company builds its clientele, it sometimes does not build its operational support team equally.

I certainly agree the current economy presents challenges for business as well as individuals. I also agree that no company seeks bad PR. It's probably also true that HWH has failed to grow their customer support infrastructure to meet the current needs of their customers.

But having millions of customers is a problem that a lot of businesses would love to have and I would contend that if they can't meet their expectations for support it makes them vulnerable if another company comes along which can.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a fan of HWH but I hate to see what appears to be a bad trend.

JMHO.

Rick

[chiefk]

It is now 2014 and the customer service still sucks. Waiting for 2 days now so I can talk to somebody to order a part!

[The Okie]

Originally Posted by chiefk

It is now 2014 and the customer service still sucks. Waiting for 2 days now so I can talk to somebody to order a part!

Not sure about HWH but if you are in Elkhart Indiana area and need service I recommend Stuarts service for your hwh service needs. Had mine there this past march for work on leveling system very nice guys very knowledgeable. My auto level works much better than when it came from Newmar.