Caution when ordering parts

Taurus2415 · 08-12-2015, 11:15 AM

I recently had a tire blowout on a trip that took out the fender skirt of our 28DSBH. After trying to repair the skirt, I decided that I needed to replace it. I called Jayco only to discover that they do not sell parts to individuals. I searched around for the correct part but could not get a match. So I called a local dealer and got a quote for a price. $75 seemed a bit steep but was better than some equivalent parts I saw. They refused, however, to quote shipping costs because Jayco sets the price and they did not know.

Now comes the fun part. $123 for shipping. Needless to say I blew a gasket on that one. I called the local dealer and they said they have no control over the cost of shipping. I called Jayco and they initially refused to even talk about shipping costs. I did speak to a manager who still did not give a satisfactory answer as to why it could possibly cost so much to ship. The box it came in was not gold plated. It weighed 6lbs and was 83" long. Seriously? $123 is the best they could do?

I really like my travel trailer but this kind of customer service really makes me pause. I guess my advice after telling about my experience is to use a great deal of caution if you choose to buy from Jayco through a dealer.

etex211 · 08-12-2015, 11:40 AM

83" long is a pretty large box. I'm sure some oversize charges applied. I'd take the box and it's contents to UPS and Fedex and see what they would charge to ship it back to Jayco. That should give you an idea of what they actually paid for the shipping.

bedrck46 · 08-12-2015, 12:11 PM

was it ships as freight? If it was that would explain the high charge for shipping.

Almost had the same happen to me I ordered 4 plastic strips for a pop-up I was told by the dealer (parts Department) that they would have to be shipped as freight. I then asked if Jayco would cut each piece in half and was told the he talked to Jayco and they assured him they would be cut in half and shipped UPS or FED_EX or even USPS

The order was placed and it was specified on the order to cut parts in half.

Jayco wound up shipping them whole and charged the dealer over $90.00 for freight.

The dealer was kind enough to eat the shipping charges and only charged me what it would have cost if shipped by UPS or others.

As was explained to me by the dealer (parts Dept). It was ordered to be cut in half and shipped and Jayco agreed to do so. Also knew that I wouldn't accept the freight charges so he honored what was agreed to.

BTW dealer was Gayle Kline in Mountville PA.

These were the plastic strips that the bunk ends slide on They come in 12 foot lengths. Weight is almost nothing.

Its not that Jayco charges the high price it is what Jayco is charged that is passed on to the consumer.

Grumpy · 08-12-2015, 12:26 PM

You probably are also seeing double shipping fees. JAYCO does not keep an inventory of parts, they order what is needed for production. When you order a part JAYCO has to order it and then pays shipping to the factory and then they have to pay to ship it to you.

As to buying parts through a dealer, that is the only way JAYCO will ship it and that is do to dealer complaints that they are being "CUT OUT" if parts are shipped to the customer. You might find a similar part through a 3rd party, but it may not be an exact match.

Don't like shipping charges either, but that is part of the game unfortunately.

**norty1** · 08-12-2015, 12:30 PM

Oversize shipping is expensive.
I had the exact same thing happen but it could not be cut in half. Shipping was more than the parts but it is what it is. The packing has a cost also and should be factored into the cost.

I had another dealer years ago that would have the factory put the part in a new rig being transported and save the shipping cost but I don't know if that is still an option.

DocBrown · 08-12-2015, 12:49 PM

If you are willing to wait, a good dealer can get Jayco to ship it with other things that the dealer needs from them, thus avoiding or reducing such steep shipping costs for things that would normally get shipped separately.

This was offered to me when I was looking for alternative table legs. I didn't do it because they had no ETA due to the fact that they weren't expecting anything from Jayco for a while.

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