Walk Thru / PDI

[spot9270]

New jayco trailer owner. Had scheduled walk thru this morning and to say it went poorly is an understatement. Had a list of items to be taken care of signed by store manager stating everything would be done 100%. Upon arriving after alleged PDI was done we found out otherwise. Called day before to be sure unit was done before taking off work and was told yes it was, greeted by salesman at door and he said just looked at unit and everything done and trailer looks great. Went out back to start walk thru and camper is covered with snow and some yahoo up on the roof with snow shovel hacking away like he's shoveling a sidewalk. Noticed immediately that damaged corner trim wasn't fixed, broken front lens wasn't fixed so I was like whats going on here? "walk thru guy" starts making excuses and telling me 2-3 weeks for a new exterior light, didn't know @ damaged corner etc. It was obvious we were all going in and around camper for the first time. All this after being told how extensive and thorough the PDI was Going to be. Very disappointing way to start something you have been looking forward too. Hopefully they make it right but my confidence level is not very high after being lied too.. Any advice
is appreciated.

[Crabman]

Unfortunately the walk thru inspection and the dealer PDI experiences seem to vary greatly from dealer to dealer. Some get it right and some.....don`t. All issues SHOULD be addressed before your walk thru when the dealer does his PDI before the unit is offered for sale or if ordered promptly after it arrives on their lot.

[3'senough]

Some dealers just want their $ as they are paying interest on the unit until you fund the loan or fork over the cash. I would have walked away and said see you tomorrow or when it's ready to your satisfaction.

The only leverage you have as buyer is prior to the signing. Once you pay the excuses come ten fold. The fact that you called and confirmed all was ready and then not would have set me off!

If you walked away without your unit as a result I would lean on them for some extras as a result of your letdown.

Sorry your great day went sour on you.

[spot9270]

I tell you it set me off. You never saw a showroom full of salesman clear out so quick. It wouldn't have been so bad except for the deliberate deception. Unfortunate because we had done our research on make and model. Probably the easiest sale they ever made. It wasn't like they missed a thing here or there they plain just didn't do a thing as far as a PDI is concerned, not to mention the items they guaranteed to fix. A large dealer too with locations all over the country. Makes me wonder how many other people they have done this to. Ok I'm done ranting. Any ideas of what I should try to hit them up for. It definitely won't be any service or installed items. Thanks again and hope I don't sound like a crazy. Just frustrated at being taken advantage of.

[Gone campin]

One thing for sure - I would check that roof over very carefully! I would have immediately taken out my phone and gotten pictures/video of him up there doing that...

[spot9270]

Your really making me feel better...LOL And yes I will.

[3'senough]

It seems the bigger they are the less they care. Tail light guarantee. If it's who I think it is (NY, FL, IL, etc.) then you are already on the hook with $. As far as hitting them up I would lean on the salesman and his manager for a deal on accessories that you can carry out with you. My first unit came from a large wholesaler and the PDI was good as was the delivery overall with the unit in perfect shape. That being said warranty work was never done by the selling dealer and I went to a local dealer who earned the second units business as a result of great service.

I have heard of some instances where dealers have delivered units right to your home where issues like this have come into play. Squeaky wheel, an email to customer service and a phone call to the manager might get more action for you too.

Also yes I would inspect the roof as safely as possible.

Hopefully it all comes together for you.

Time to get yourself a good local dealer lined up.

[Paintinfool3]

i have had my share of frustrations with my dealer too. The only thing in my opinion they did well was the sale. first time we went out the whole interior was wrong. Second time after they ordered us another one the interior couch, chairs and bed were wrong and the faucet was wrong. I accepted the couch chairs and bed, they sad they would change out faucet in kitchen. Next day I drive out for the walk through and when showing me the power awning he sut it on the grab bar and broke the awning arm on that side. He said they would have to order one. We took the camper and dealt with the broken arm for the season and took it back for the warranty repairs we had found. They replaced one cabinet door that was separated at the stile and when I picked it up and got home I found they had broken the cabinet door next to it i called them and told them and they said we couldn't have done it . I put in for warranty on cap fade and when I called to check on the ok they said my camper was done and ready to pick up. I said that's interesting since my camper is here. Jayco will be doing the repairs needed and the cap in the fall. I would not take it back to the dealer for anything

[jloco]

Oh boy... I'll be having my PDI in the next month or so. My initial walk through looked good. The only issue I saw was a cracked fender skirt which they ordered. It appears that they torqued the screws too tight when they put them on.

[Fairenatic]

Just printed out the PDI checklist. The truck has been cleaned and loaded. I leave in the morning and should hit Middlebury, IN. by Monday. Should be sunny and a good time to arrive.

I have warned the dealer that this PDI is going to take some time. I already received their PDI and they say everything is fine.

I also am paying for a leak test while I am present. I think it is worth the added expense.

Hope it all goes well.

Thanks again for all the guidance and resources.

[jloco]

Originally Posted by Fairenatic

Just printed out the PDI checklist. The truck has been cleaned and loaded. I leave in the morning and should hit Middlebury, IN. by Monday. Should be sunny and a good time to arrive.

I have warned the dealer that this PDI is going to take some time. I already received their PDI and they say everything is fine.

I also am paying for a leak test while I am present. I think it is worth the added expense.

Hope it all goes well.

Thanks again for all the guidance and resources.

I hope all goes well for you!

[NVGun40]

A recommendation I will make, as this has worked for me with dealerships (especially large ones with multiple locations), both RV and most recently an auto dealership.

Think of them like a lazy employee; when something is not explained in a step by step process and/or when not being immediately supervised, they will do things the absolute quickest and laziest way possible. Sometimes you have to treat them that way.

Next, just like your rant has taken some of your personal time, this to will take some personal time; but I guarantee you will receive results. Write a professional letter. Keep emotion out of it but detail the shortcomings and shortcuts and the events you have been through and the minimum fixes they are responsible for. Then make suggestions on proper conduct/compensation (don't ask for extras, this way you don't make yourself sound like you are trying to get something for nothing). Make four copies of the letter and sign it (include a cc: and the following four recipients to the letter). Send one to the company headquarters addressed to the CEO (or equivalent), send one to the top guy at your dealership, send one to Jayco CEO (or equivalent) and send the final one to your local (or the dealerships local better business bureau). Give the letters time to be delivered at least to the dealership itself. They will see at the bottom of the letter that you CC'd their headquarters and Jayco and the BBB. Then go in and insist the manager, at least, walk through with you.

Make sure you have your ducks in line and your conduct is professional and not emotional. In most cases, you will have them falling all over themselves to get things right.

If they correct all the issues, a nice added touch is to write another letter informing all the copied parties that the issues were solved and you consider the matter closed.

The last time I had to do this was over a service call on my truck. (I take very good care of my truck and do most work myself but there are somethings I take it to the dealer for) Needless to say, I now have a reputation at the dealership; they may not like me, but they know they cannot pull the wool over my eyes and they take very good care of myself and my truck. As such, I have recommended people to them and they take very good care of them as well.

[ROC-REQS]

Originally Posted by spot9270

... All this after being told how extensive and thorough the PDI was Going to be. Very disappointing way to start something you have been looking forward too. Hopefully they make it right but my confidence level is not very high after being lied too.. Any advice
is appreciated.

spot9270,

You could always call Jayco customer service and tell them your experience and dissatisfaction with the dealership.
Having Jayco on your side by possibly calling the dealership, may give the dealership added incentive to make you happy.

Good luck and hope everything turns out good.

[Paintinfool3]

I called jayco service and they will be doing the repairs on mine this fall. What does it say when they are already booked through june for warranty work. It tells me problems big or small aren't being take care of by the dealers with the same kind of care about jayco satisfaction as the work done at the jayco factory service dept. Thankfully I am only 70 miles from there so for me it is a no brainer, I want them to do my repairs

[spot9270]

Dealer manager called today. Is overnighting new light for ext front of camper, says he's going to pull camper inside,fix rust on frame and repair damaged corner strip. Supposed to be ready Wed-thursday. Very apologetic and says he will make everything right. Sit tight and hope for best and try walk thru again then. Like the advice received from forum and will try suggestions given if it doesn't go well then.

[ALJO]

There's no excuse for sloppy work, not at the Jayco Plant nor at the dealer. That's why I don't by brand new anymore. Most of the problems are fixed after 2 years and the depreciation is already at 65% at least.
Just bought a used unit from Voyager RV, Kelowna Canada, unseen just some pictures and video, when we came to pickup the unit we went through a walk through. Then we went to do the paperwork and after that a PDI. We spent 2 hours at the dealership and went on the road. This dealer has a very good reputation as we bought from them before. Now I am working on this unit to do all the mods the way I would built an RV. We are making it our second road dependable home.

[Fairenatic]

Thanks for the kind words jloco

Just arrived in Middlebury . Weather has been awesome. PDI in the morning.

Hope it goes as smoothly as our trip so far.

Cheers

[spot9270]

Picked up camper today. Fixes to items that needed to be addressed were done at a bare minimum. Other than that we love camper and looking forward to using it. I think next time I would order camper direct from Jayco, go out and pick it up and bypass dealer all together. This was going thru a local dealer(10 miles) for us that also happens to be a huge multi state dealer. Customer service was a joke. In the end seems like a nice camper just disappointing that the purchase experience was so poor. Live and learn!

[Soltice]

Since we are on the topic
We have a very FIRST walk through first week of April with a Technician
Having no experience with Travel trailers what have been some of your experiences?
What should I be looking for?
I have very favorable impression of our dealer so far
This forum and you folks have been fantastic and I have jotted down a list of things as I go along
The Air conditioner mounting for one was something I did n t know about til hearing it here

[Fairenatic]

Originally Posted by jloco

I hope all goes well for you!

Thank you kindly jloco.

I think the members deserve a detailed report. It should confirm what many have already stated in this forum.

The Jayco business model, and to some extent, the dealers, is to profit from the uneducated. Pure and simple.

The tech was very good and he did as much as he could in the time given him to make the TT ready for delivery.

But, as everyone has stated, he walked me around the TT in about 30 minutes and he was done.

I thanked him and began my PDI from the checklist on this forum. I told him I would ask for him if I needed help. I took the exterior and my girlfriend took the interior. She was tough on them and was more critical than even I was. She did not know the background or how Jayco works. So, her surprise at the lack of quality was a great affirmation that was unbias.

I started on the roof. Wrinkles everywhere. Trash under the EPDM, etc.
Decals coming off, screws missing, latches not working well, etc. I am not going to do into detail but I came back with a full page of things wrong. My GF came back with about the same.

The service manger started making noises he wanted to charge me for the stall time and tried to give me an additional bill of $350. I pointed out to him that the tech was not there the whole time and that we would have been waiting on them because the Equalizer 14K hitch I ordered at the same time I placed my order somehow slipped through the cracks. I also pointed out that they did not do their job and I should not have to spend all this time if they had. I was a little more diplomatic about it and the service manager backed down. Needless, to say, I left the trailer so they could fix the things that they could without parts. Not sure what they will or will not do but their favorite expression is that any damage or poor quality is "acceptable". From nailing through the outside of a cabinet to wrinkles in the roof material.

Parts, that should be right down the street, take the dealer two weeks to procure. So, I will still be stuck with a long dealer service stay when I get back to Houston. I understood this from the discussions here so I was far more calm about it than I think a customer who had not participated on this forum.

Not sure if it will be ready to go today. Not sure what the dealer will do or not do before I pick it up. I have to assume far less than I would hope and it will be left for a dealer in Houston.

I have my factory tour today at Jayco at noon. I think my GF will be far more surprised than I will be at just how quickly these things are slapped together.

Now, do not get me wrong, all in all, they did a pretty good job. It is the lack of attention to detail and the mistakes\damage made due to the rushed manner in which the units are assembled. My biggest peeve is the nailing through the exterior of a cabinet instead of dados for the shelving. It is not acceptable to putty over the nail holes in any home construction yet it seems to be an "acceptable" method in the RV industry. Also, one of the valves on the heater is turned backwards, instead of a separate part number with a counter clockwise operation that faces out so it can be easily operated. Once again, it is all about reducing labor hours to maximize profit.

I can not imagine how long it would have taken to do the PDI if I had done everything on the list like removing cover plates and undercarriage barrier material to manually operate the slides and check for more water leaks. Also, if my GF had not taken the interior, we would have been there way past 7pm and we started at 9am. As it was, we wrapped up around 4, including some re-inspection with our list with the manager. I photo copied our punch list. The service manager asked where I got the PDI checklist I had and if he could have a copy. I gave it to him.

While I irritated them to no end, there was an underlying respect for my knowledge and thoroughness. I was sympathetic to the position they were put in by the mfg and how little time they are given to make things right.

Lastly, I did not get my pressurized leak test of the unit. They did not even have the equipment to do so. Somehow my request was lost in the process and they said they interpreted my request as a water leak test. Even though I was very specific when I made the request when placing my order. I will have it done here in Houston.

Let me know if you have any questions. I will update my report once I go back to the dealer and find out what they did or did not do on my punch list.

I hope this helps someone in the future.