Old Forum Post
Senior Member
[Bruce Costa] My experiences with RV dealers have often been less than pleasureable.
This may well be either because of me or the nature of transaction. The latter meaning that RVs are big, complicated, expensive things with huge learning curves and even larger purchasing decisions, and the fact that dealers must move units sometimes contradicts that reality. The former meaning that if I'm gonna spend this kind of money and strap my precious family in such a thing, I'm not gonna care about the latter. I'm gonna do it right, which means a custom order and a fairly involved purchasing process. So unfortunate associations with RV dealers could be due to either of these issues.
But I don't think so. I think that a lot of RV dealers just don't have a long term view of their relationships with their customers.
I have, however, found one that does: Fretz RV in Souderton, PA. Now, if I write this the way I intend to, this should sound like a solicited, partisan view of the company. But please believe that Fretz has no clue that I'm writing this, and I'll see no benefit from doing so. They just have been treating me very, very well, and I wish to offer good news when I can.
My purchase was as complicated as I indicated earlier. Besides the perfect configuration I wanted, I also wanted some atypical items, I wanted to pick the unit up at the factory in Washington State, and I wanted a terrific price. I got all of these things. What's more, never once during the countless calls that were necessary over many months to create this unit did I feel the slightest indication that the employees there were less than happy to hear from me (and let me tell you, there were times when they'd have been justified in feeling that way - I really, really wanted it "right").
There were problems picking the unit up at the factory which, without going into thousands of words of detail, translated into damage to the unit. Fretz was good for all of it. I understand that they are reimbursed by the manufacturer for warranty work, but they went above and beyond to insure MY happiness with their every repair. And just now I've received a call from owner Carl Fretz regarding a reimbursement for a custom part that we later discovered to have not been installed at the factory. He's just going to cut me a check, and will chase down the manufacturer later.
I assure you that I did not leave him with a large margin for losses after my purchase. And being in my late 30s with three children I won't be buying a new unit any time soon. Still I'm treated like a king.
You and I don't have time for me to mention many of my pleasant interactions there, like the treatment and great pricing I always get in parts, the expertise in service (like the incredible "pre"-delivery inspection they gave my damaged and bug-smeared unit when I got it back to PA, returning it to me in showroom condition), or the information and help I've gotten in EVERY department from EVERY employee I've encountered. They're all eager to give me time whether I'm "their" customer or not. I'm a finicky shopper always interested in a good deal, and I always go out of my way to shop there, for everything from $1 light bulbs to my $800 class V hitch & extension.
Fretz's yellow pages ad reads: "We buy...sell...and trade RVs. Large indoor showroom. 100's of new & used RVs of all types. Jayco, Sunline, Golden Falkon, Roadtrek, Chinook, Alpenlite, and Triple E. www.fretzrv.com." Their phone numbers are 800-723-8119 and 215-723-3121. If you're looking for one of these units, I urge you to call them LAST. They'll give you a great deal and even better treatment. They're worth going way out of your way to deal with.
This is all just my personal opinion...which also happens to be what I'll use when I'll buy my next unit.
Sincerely,
Bruce Costa
Bucks County, PA
- 2001 Alpenlite Silverton Slide-in Camper
- 1998 Dodge Ram Dually Diesel Quad Cab full of kids
- Pace 6x10 utility trailer full of their bikes, gear, and what-not
This may well be either because of me or the nature of transaction. The latter meaning that RVs are big, complicated, expensive things with huge learning curves and even larger purchasing decisions, and the fact that dealers must move units sometimes contradicts that reality. The former meaning that if I'm gonna spend this kind of money and strap my precious family in such a thing, I'm not gonna care about the latter. I'm gonna do it right, which means a custom order and a fairly involved purchasing process. So unfortunate associations with RV dealers could be due to either of these issues.
But I don't think so. I think that a lot of RV dealers just don't have a long term view of their relationships with their customers.
I have, however, found one that does: Fretz RV in Souderton, PA. Now, if I write this the way I intend to, this should sound like a solicited, partisan view of the company. But please believe that Fretz has no clue that I'm writing this, and I'll see no benefit from doing so. They just have been treating me very, very well, and I wish to offer good news when I can.
My purchase was as complicated as I indicated earlier. Besides the perfect configuration I wanted, I also wanted some atypical items, I wanted to pick the unit up at the factory in Washington State, and I wanted a terrific price. I got all of these things. What's more, never once during the countless calls that were necessary over many months to create this unit did I feel the slightest indication that the employees there were less than happy to hear from me (and let me tell you, there were times when they'd have been justified in feeling that way - I really, really wanted it "right").
There were problems picking the unit up at the factory which, without going into thousands of words of detail, translated into damage to the unit. Fretz was good for all of it. I understand that they are reimbursed by the manufacturer for warranty work, but they went above and beyond to insure MY happiness with their every repair. And just now I've received a call from owner Carl Fretz regarding a reimbursement for a custom part that we later discovered to have not been installed at the factory. He's just going to cut me a check, and will chase down the manufacturer later.
I assure you that I did not leave him with a large margin for losses after my purchase. And being in my late 30s with three children I won't be buying a new unit any time soon. Still I'm treated like a king.
You and I don't have time for me to mention many of my pleasant interactions there, like the treatment and great pricing I always get in parts, the expertise in service (like the incredible "pre"-delivery inspection they gave my damaged and bug-smeared unit when I got it back to PA, returning it to me in showroom condition), or the information and help I've gotten in EVERY department from EVERY employee I've encountered. They're all eager to give me time whether I'm "their" customer or not. I'm a finicky shopper always interested in a good deal, and I always go out of my way to shop there, for everything from $1 light bulbs to my $800 class V hitch & extension.
Fretz's yellow pages ad reads: "We buy...sell...and trade RVs. Large indoor showroom. 100's of new & used RVs of all types. Jayco, Sunline, Golden Falkon, Roadtrek, Chinook, Alpenlite, and Triple E. www.fretzrv.com." Their phone numbers are 800-723-8119 and 215-723-3121. If you're looking for one of these units, I urge you to call them LAST. They'll give you a great deal and even better treatment. They're worth going way out of your way to deal with.
This is all just my personal opinion...which also happens to be what I'll use when I'll buy my next unit.
Sincerely,
Bruce Costa
Bucks County, PA
- 2001 Alpenlite Silverton Slide-in Camper
- 1998 Dodge Ram Dually Diesel Quad Cab full of kids
- Pace 6x10 utility trailer full of their bikes, gear, and what-not