Seneca Dealer Dilemma Question....

[DocDW]

First of all I would like to thank all of you on this board for being so helpful, as I have not yet purchased a motor home but feel much more confident in my knowledge about them with the information garnered from this site. I will try to, as much as possible, make this a short story as I am very interested in your responses and opinions on my question.
I currently own a Jayco 5th wheel that I purchased from a local dealership and have really enjoyed the Jayco camper and up till now, appreciated the dealership's sales department and service when it has been needed. I recently went back to this dealership and inquired about the Seneca line. They currently did not have any in stock, but said they might be interested in getting one in if I was possibly interested in purchasing one. There is another dealership about 1.5 hours away that does stock them, and I have talked to them briefly about the Seneca line, but in the thought of customer loyalty, went back to my original dealership for further discussion.
This is where it gets interesting… I did my homework and did some price research of which I found that a large national retailer had a great price, but we all know that that price comes with almost no follow-up service. Interestingly, the local dealership from which I purchased my current camper said they would match that price. I was extremely happy and proceeded to make plans to order the camper. The dealership said that they would order in a unit with my desired specs (Senecas have very few options) and I would be under no obligation to purchase (did sound too good to be true). So, I confirmed my desires (back in Feb) and was told that we would most likely see it sometime here in June...... fast forward to this week. I called the dealership to see if they had heard anything about the delivery date and they now have informed me they do not even have one on order. They decided it was too expensive to have sitting on the lot if I did not buy it. I did tell them that I understood what they were saying and did not disagree with them, but was shocked to first hear about this in the beginning of June, when I assumed it had been on order since February. They now told me I would have to put down a large deposit (which is nonrefundable if I don't buy it) for them to order it. I told him I was concerned that I would not even fit in the shower since I am 6'6" tall and would have a hard time putting down thousands of dollars on a camper that I have never been in and I was not sure I would even fit in. They told me to fly to that national dealership, try out the camper and then come back and buy it locally. I hinted to them that if I flew to the national dealership to try it out, I might as well by it from them. The local dealership then told me if I buy it from someone else, I need not even try to bring it back locally for service because they would definitely refuse to fix it. Oh, by the way, the dealership 1.5 hours away wants $5,000 more to order one in and won't budge from that number........Sorry for the long post…..Please advise..

[RaceChaser0]

Doc, that's a crappy expierence from the dealer. When we purchased our GreyHawk, we did a lot of searching on the internet first (and research on this forum with the same results of learning a lot!). Then we found some dealerships that had a few different options we wanted to just check out (we took a couple saturdays in a month a made a road trip day out of it driving 3 hrs to check out a few dealerships and 2 hours to check out some other in the opposite direction). From these trips we decide what floor plan we wanted (checking all those things like shower/bathroom clearances, storage dimesions to fit certain things, etc). Then once we locked in on a floor plan, we priced shopped looking for the best deal. Finally we ended ordering from a dealership right by the jayco factory (about 4 hrs away from us) which has the best price. The first time we ever stepped in the dealership was the day we picked it up. Like you mentioned, when ordering from a big dealership, there was really no follow up or anything, but we were ok with that because we got a great motorhome at a great price. As far as service, any jayco dealership should service your rig, so if your local dealership says they will turn you away because you didn't buy there, then maybe they aren't a dealership to build a relationship with. Just my two cents, good luck and keep on your path of researching and finding what's right for you.

[Mark S]

I ordered from RV One since my local dealer was about $18,000 more for my Seneca. I picked it at up at Orlando RV, a dealer 4 hours away that I had never been to, with the expectation that for the savings I would get crappy service and for the $18,000 I could buy a lot of service.

From the get go I could not have been more pleased. They fixed every item we found during the PDI and when they found the refridgerator had a leak they ordered a new one and installed it the day after it came in. Wow, was I surprised. I asked the service manager about repairs and was told they are about a month out on appointments, much like I hear from others.

Lastly, if I dealer told me that they would not service my RV if I didn't buy it from them, that would make my decision easy. I would thank them for their time and never darken their doorway again. Just saying

I guess maybe I was lucky but I had a very positive experience buying from RV One. Others may have a different story.

[TLC]

If that hometown dealership has a hard time financially having inventory they're probably not long for this world..
I can't beleive a sanctioned Jayco dealer would even be able to turn down any warranty work if you didn't buy it from them. That reflects badly on Jayco.

Best of luck

Tim

[rgolding]

We bought ours at MH2GO (Motor Homes to Go) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Great Price!
Great Service after the sale! I highly recommend them, but have no connection other than a very satisfied customer. Contact Evan Shephard about inventory and prices.

[jasum]

Buy wherever you can get the very best pricing for what you want.........I also bought from a dealer with a good price 100 miles from where we live. This dealer service is NOT good, but you can always find an RV repair center IF it is something you can't fix yourself.

Good Luck

[Jiggles]

First off the way I read your post is that you have not walked through the Seneca. You should be able to go on line and surf for a dealer with a Seneca on the lot. May be hours away, but worth the trip. We were able to find one at an RV show 3 hours away. Then you can find your best deal. We went to RVExpress, an Internet connection for RV Connection in Indiana about 2 miles from the factory. Had to put down 10% at time of order. Everything worked out well.

[jloco]

I guess it was in fact to good to be true. They should have informed you that they never ordered it. Did you ever touch base with them between February and now? Go to a dealership that has them, see if you like it, then order it (with deposit) from your local guy. You mentioned he had a good price. I can't really blame the local dealer for not ordering one if they don't have definite buyer.

[chasfenwick]

An employee at our local Jayco dealer told me matter-of-factly that they have never ordered a Seneca for inventory and never would. But they DO always have Class A's and other Class C's on their large lot. My assumption is that they consider the Seneca to be too specialized to risk the investment. I can hardly blame them.

[memphis02]

I think that the dealers just miss the level of interest in the Seneca. I don't care what campground we're in. Even if there's a custom prevost next to us, folks always want to come talk about the "Freightliner".

It struck me as odd when we had to drive several hours to see ours and I worried that because they weren't popular that they might be the wrong choice. -Glad I found this forum when we were deciding!!

[SloPoke]

Our local Camping World dealer... (2 miles away) has 2-3 Seneca's on the lot most of the time, and almost always has one on display on the Street Display. They try and stock one of different floorplans and have had the FK, the FS and RB on recent visits.

Now as far as buying one... I would find a dealer that is willing to let you Test Drive one, that is a BIG Selling point over the E450 chassis C's. You won't feel all warm and fuzzy until you have driven one and walked thru the floor-plan you really like. Then go and talk price. If they can't come close to other dealers, keep shopping around.

Remember... this is Peak Season for them... they are not going to make killer-deals until the dead of winter or real early spring.

[SJD]

I too had a local dealer(2hrs away is closest dealer) tell me that they would not have one on their lot because they did not sell. They did say that they would order one for me if I wanted one. I ended up going to a dealer six hours away to get one at a very good price. That dealer is Crain's RV in Little Rock. I have not had to go back for warranty service but they have helped me through questions with photos and explanations so I would not have to drive the six hours to their shop for minor issues on things I could take care of. They have told me if there is an issue I need them to take care of, I can call them and they will make room for me in a very timely fashion. I have not had to test that comment but I do believe it to be true based on the rest of my experience with them. After my purchase I did call the local dealer back to see if they could help me on warranty, just to see what they would say. The answer was yes probably in 3-4 months. That just tells me that they did not want my business with a comment like that.

[rgolding]

These experiences are so interesting to me. Is it laziness or self importance that people expect far more from these dealers than is practical? You need to go to dealers that are familiar with the products they sell to get good, fast, reliable service.

You buy a vehicle to travel in and then want service on this vehicle to be blocks from your house. Just because somebody becomes a Jayco dealer, does not mean they embrace the entire line of Jayco products. Now maybe it is thought unreasonable, but nobody can stay in business and be masters of everything. And a company like Jayco, just wants to get in as many markets as possible.

If a dealer sell tents and expands his inventory line to include tent campers, is he really suppose to be able to work on a Freightliner Seneca? And if he is bold enough to take on your problem with a Seneca, is he really suppose to not charge you for the 20 hours it will take him to do a job that a trained Seneca mechanic can do it 1 hour?

New potential owners should do the research and not just listen to salesmen. Of course, if you are reading and posting on this site, I guess you have already joined the ranks of people that want to learn and gather research from people that have walked down this path before you.

Read between the lines, if a Jayco dealer does not carry an inventory of Senecas, he does not have the people with the experience to work on them.
A doctor that does colonoscopies all day is not experienced with working on septic tanks, but they both involve plumbing. Doesn't mean he can't work on septic tanks, but why would he and why would the customer pay him to take the time to learn how to do it.

I now step off my soap box and go back to enjoying traveling in our Seneca, that is maintained by people experienced with working on Senecas. Enjoy your day or don't, its your choice.

[TLC]

Nah, if you're a Jayco dealer you work on ALL Jaycos.
Dealers can pick and choose which models they sell but can't pick and choose which ones they provide warranty service on...

Who's the customer?
Who's there to make money?

[SJD]

I agree with everything you said, that is why it took me a year of reading this forum & researching dealers. That is why I had an excellent pdi & only minor issues. My dealer knows what he is doing & how to prep a coach. But I expect a dealer that advertises a product then they should carry inventory. Otherwise just tell the public you just don't carry that line. Much easier on both dealer & potential buyer. FYI they carry all other motorized Jayco products Class C & A, both on their lot

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by TLC

Nah, if you're a Jayco dealer you work on ALL Jaycos.
Dealers can pick and choose which models they sell but can't pick and choose which ones they provide warranty service on...

Who's the customer?
Who's there to make money?

If they didn't sell it they have " no obligation" to provide warranty service, JAYCO will tell you the same thing. Unlike auto dealerships, RV dealers are independent and not franchised


As to finding a SENECA dealer since the majority of the units get sold out West finding a dealer East of the Mississippi could be challenging in some states.

[steverkemp]

Call Jayco and ask to speak to the Seneca rep for your state. Tell the rep your story and ask him to help you figure out a solution.


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[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by rgolding

Read between the lines, if a Jayco dealer does not carry an inventory of Senecas, he does not have the people with the experience to work on them.
A doctor that does colonoscopies all day is not experienced with working on septic tanks, but they both involve plumbing. Doesn't mean he can't work on septic tanks, but why would he and why would the customer pay him to take the time to learn how to do it.
.

And at the same time - don't assume that a dealer that does carry an inventory of Seneca's has parts or people with experience to work on them either... My Camping World dealership has lots of Seneca's on the lot and will not do any service on the Freightliner Chassis components (scheduled maintenance) When I needed Onan Generator warranty work - they send me to Cummins/Onan.

Also don't assume that even a giant RV dealer is going to carry parts in inventory for your Seneca. Even if they might have the parts for sale in the showroom and have the parts available for sale in the Parts Department. Our same dealer will order the part - tells us it will be two-three weeks to arrive and then perform the repair, when reality is 5-6 weeks for the right part to arrive and another two-three weeks to do the repair.

yea... go try and use your RV with a broken Water Pump or a broken Propane regulator waiting weeks and weeks for repairs on warranty or Extended Warranty.

Service After the SALE is far more important than you think.

[DocDW]

I would like to thank all that have commented on the post.....all very good thoughts and ideas.

Originally Posted by steverkemp

Call Jayco and ask to speak to the Seneca rep for your state. Tell the rep your story and ask him to help you figure out a solution.


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I did call the Jayco Rep and he was very knowledgeable and helpful. I will take the advice of seemingly all and will do some driving to go find one to look at and test drive. I will look for the best price, but will also acknowledge that the best price isn't always the cheapest purchase price....but, will start with the knowledge of the price of the very high volume dealers. This forum has been increadible and I am glad I found it. I really do appreciate all of the advice and experience here on the board.

Thanks.

[norty1]

Our local Jayco towable dealer told me he is not interested in selling MH's because they do not have the staff to do the maintenance and do not want to expand into that area. Our local CW has them but does not carry towables. I guess they are franchised separately.

I did appreciate their honesty.