What in The World is Going On? Terrible Dealer Service

[StuBlanton]

I purchased a new Travato in March 2024. It has a slight problem with the awning that does not completely close on one end. Dealer say problem can't be fixed and they have requested a replacement under warranty from Winnebago. The problem is that after 3+weeks the dealer still not have a response . The dealer has been good in following up on this but they are telling me that it's taking a month or more to get responses on warranty repairs. This seems excessive . God only know how long it will take to get an actual repair once its approve. Am I alone in this or is there a wider spread problem I am unaware of ??

[creativepart]

Generally, dealers are terrible about not following through with this kind of work. And, then they lie to the customer blaming Winnebago to save face because they know it's their fault.

You will find that anytime... warranty or not... that you can avoid going to the dealer you really should. Most will want a month before you can get in, then lie to you for 2 to 3 months, then do the job poorly or not at all and then you're stuck. It's likely they haven't done anything to your RV nor contacted Winnebago yet.

What to do... call Winnebago Customer Care and complain weekly if you must. They may be able to provide you with the name of someone else that can do they job and they'll reimburse that other service provider.

Customer Care
(800) 537-1885 - Toll Free
(641) 585-6939

Due to horrible dealer experiences like you are seeing most all of us have found ways to NEVER visit a dealer for any reason. We DIY most things and use independent shops or mobile techs for every issue.

[CrispyBones]

I agree with Creative. Dealerships are a PITA. It'll take months before anything can get done. I waited 4 months once just to have a support bracket put on my furnace due to a recall. They promise you the world while they still don't have your money. Ever see the episode of Seinfeld where Elaine is describing to "the virgin" how a guy leaves after sex? Yeah, it's like that once you sign on the dotted line.

[Morich]

I see it as a combo of a large number of smaller things.
Some is just due to the dealers having no one specific company that they deal with. Unlike a car dealer they usually have several different lines they deal with and that leaves them not really knowing exactly where to go for the advise!
Then when it gets down to the folks who work RV repair, they are often faced with much the same only on a lower level. Are the repair folks good at plumbing on Winnebago or is it another brand? Do they know where and how to get good info to do their work? First they would have to work at the job a long time to know where to get what they need as it is constantly changing.
In the Winnebago line, they have semi-recently bought another company who makes the trailer group. So who knows who to call? from a repairman's view, that is a good time to change jobs, meaning that we are often looking at new folks or folks who are not up to getting a better job! That's not a happy setup for finding the best service!

And at the current time, we are still going to miss a lot of the expert help we lost while covid was causing major havoc. The big point is many feel covid is over but that doesn't take into account how many good folks we no longer have!
Lots of them died and lots more quit because they decided living was more fun than working until they died!

[TJFogelberg]

Bought a new Minnie Winnie in 2016 from Bullyan RV in Duluth. This is a good Winnebago dealer...4.3 score on Google with over 500 reviews. Worth the trip. Not perfect but much better service in a smaller dealership/city than most. The location is technically Hermantown which is just on the edge of Duluth "up on the hill". There is a new Costco with a great gas station just down the road. We have also gone to Forest City more times than I like to think about for service both in and out of warranty. And 2 trips to HWH in Iowa for jack service. Know all your options and don't rule anyone out. Camping World has saved me more than once (I know everyone dislikes them).

[BirchyBoy]

As Creative said, call Winnebago but you can also ask if they have the necessary paperwork from the dealer.

[ACB]

Originally Posted by StuBlanton

I purchased a new Travato in March 2024. It has a slight problem with the awning that does not completely close on one end. Dealer say problem can't be fixed and they have requested a replacement under warranty from Winnebago. The problem is that after 3+weeks the dealer still not have a response . The dealer has been good in following up on this but they are telling me that it's taking a month or more to get responses on warranty repairs. This seems excessive . God only know how long it will take to get an actual repair once its approve. Am I alone in this or is there a wider spread problem I am unaware of ??

As some others have suggested, I would contact Winnebago customer service. I had similar problems when my Winnebago was under warranty. The selling dealer was not following up. When I contacted Winnebago directly, told them the story, things happened very reasonably.

Good luck

[StuBlanton]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I did followup and contact Winnebago directly. Turns out that repair has been approved and parts ordered. What really frustrated me was that I could not get this information through the dealer. Seem like a simple thing but it can turn into a major frustration !

[Morich]

This sort of service is what I'm beginning to expect on anything I need help doing! Not just an RV problem but it seems we have way too few people who want to do service work.
My last go was a broken spring on a garage door. Simple job that we have had done a number of times in different places but this time it was a trauma.

The first guy started that I needed a new door as it was more than 15 years old. The first price was around $1600 for a whole new spring and roller unit as there was a date on something that was past ten years.
We beat that around and he came back with only replacing the springs on each side for around $400 but by that time he had called his boss to get a senior discount and approval for a coupon!
By that time I only wanted to get him out of the place so I could call a repairman!
I got it for near 400 and tipped him 20 for not trying to jerk me around! He was here and gone in less time than the jerk spent trying to rob me!