Warranty Service Tips from Mr. Bad Experience
We finally got our rig back on Friday! 2 days short of 2 months in service.
Here is what I learned and would share with the forum.
First, make sure you document all of the items that you'll be having serviced and make sure you keep good notes on the dates, people, and processes.
Second, build a relationship with the service writer at the dealership. Make sure that they understand that you'll work with them to create a healthy relationship and you need their focus and attention on your service. Don't try and berate them, yell at them or any behavior that may alienate them for future service. You'll be dealing with them for a while unless you have multiple warranty dealerships close by. Be human first and recognize that they're humans as well.
Third, question everything. When they tell you that they're waiting on Jayco, call Jayco. Jayco told me that they had responded to the dealership 8 days ago... Once I caught the dealership in a "lie" about waiting on Jayco, things moved along. They understood that I wasn't going to just "trust".
Fourth, involve the salesperson at the dealership that sold you the unit. They want to maintain a good relationship in this age of social media. They will step in and assist as much as possible. If that doesn't help, get the sales manager involved. And if that doesn't help, get the general manager involved.
Fifth, understand that the warranty process isn't entirely owned by the dealer and Jayco. I had a bad A/C unit and Garmin dash unit and the dealer had to wrestle with both of those suppliers independently of Jayco. It really is a messed up system in my opinion and as soon as I have a couple of extra billion dollars, I'm going to set up a system that more closely emulates the car dealership model. Please don't hold your breath on that one. When I spoke with Jayco they told me directly that those items were between the dealer and the supplier. Crazy...
Sixth, understand that you purchased a vehicle that is incredibly underpriced for what you're getting. Our Greyhawk cost less than a couple of our cars but the RV came with a toilet. If we expect Lexus quality in an RV, we're crazy. Take a deep breath and roll with the punches.
Seventh and last, be active and plan your service appropriately. If you have a good relationship with the dealer they'll work with you. Take the rig in for the initial service of the easy things, then take the unit if possible and enjoy what you can while they await parts, approvals, etc. Then, bring it back for them to do the other work once they're ready to make it happen. Don't do the crazy thing I did which was to leave it at the dealer for way too long and then complain about it. Yes, it's tough to enjoy the RV without a second A/C, but doable.
I hope this helps someone out there in Happy RV Land!
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