On Oct 20th, 2006 I purchased my very first RV, a 2001 Coachmen Catalina Lite travel trailer from Tom Johnson Camping in Concord, NC. The trailer appeared to be in good shape to me and I paid what appeared to be average retail for it. The salesman said that the trailer was inspected and they found no serious problems with it.
I noted some stains below the front window and the salesman told me the cleaning people just missed it (this was my first ignorant mistake trusting them). There was also a couple of places where the paneling was buckled a little but the walls felt firm.
On my first camping trip with the trailer in late February, 2007 the front window leaked down the wall again. After I got the trailer home I started checking the interior walls on the inside of the overhead storage above the bed. This is when my fingers pretty easily pushed a hole through the panelling to find soaked wet insullation.
I took a look at my sales sheet and I noticed that they had pretty plainly put on it "sold as is". This was my second mistake which I now consider a stupid one because I trusted their inspection to find such problems.
I contacted the sales manager and he said to bring it in and let them take a look at it and they would do right by me. I took it in and they said they would replace the inside paneling and would only charge me half since it was obviously water damage that could not have happened in the three months since I purchased the trailer.
They also gave me the option of trading my trailer for another. I considered this until the sales person said they could only allow me $2,000 (20%) less on my trailer than what I purchased it for three months earlier. I did not consider that option as "making things right".
When I picked up the trailer after they repaired it I was feeling pretty good because it looked like they did a pretty good job with it and I thought they charged me a reasonable price. After I got home I started checking the front wall in the bottom storage area and again found rotted walls and soaked wet insullation. Who would think that if the top was soaken wet in the walls that it would not be the same in the bottom walls. If I had not checked for the water in the walls the whole lower section would have completely rotted.
I sent emails to the service manager and Tom Johnson and got no replies.
My experiences from my first three months of my very first rv has taught me several things:
1. Never trust a dealer (specifically Tom Johnson Camping) to check or acknowledge any water damage. Either they did not check it at all or they do not have people who are sufficiently skilled to find such things. I personally think they knew and found themselves and ignorant sucker (myself) to purchase the trailer so they would not be out the expense of repairing it.
2. Never purchase an rv "as is" without some sort of warranty.
3. The definition of "we will make things right" must mean something quite a bit different in dealer lingo than most folks think it means.
4. Never assume that a dealer's service department will search for any problems beyond what they feel they just pass on to the ignorant customer.
I am writting off my experiences with Tom Johnson Camping as an education - not like an RV 101 course but more like an RV 100 (bonehead) course.
I sure hope they did at least get the leak stopped.
I noted some stains below the front window and the salesman told me the cleaning people just missed it (this was my first ignorant mistake trusting them). There was also a couple of places where the paneling was buckled a little but the walls felt firm.
On my first camping trip with the trailer in late February, 2007 the front window leaked down the wall again. After I got the trailer home I started checking the interior walls on the inside of the overhead storage above the bed. This is when my fingers pretty easily pushed a hole through the panelling to find soaked wet insullation.
I took a look at my sales sheet and I noticed that they had pretty plainly put on it "sold as is". This was my second mistake which I now consider a stupid one because I trusted their inspection to find such problems.
I contacted the sales manager and he said to bring it in and let them take a look at it and they would do right by me. I took it in and they said they would replace the inside paneling and would only charge me half since it was obviously water damage that could not have happened in the three months since I purchased the trailer.
They also gave me the option of trading my trailer for another. I considered this until the sales person said they could only allow me $2,000 (20%) less on my trailer than what I purchased it for three months earlier. I did not consider that option as "making things right".
When I picked up the trailer after they repaired it I was feeling pretty good because it looked like they did a pretty good job with it and I thought they charged me a reasonable price. After I got home I started checking the front wall in the bottom storage area and again found rotted walls and soaked wet insullation. Who would think that if the top was soaken wet in the walls that it would not be the same in the bottom walls. If I had not checked for the water in the walls the whole lower section would have completely rotted.
I sent emails to the service manager and Tom Johnson and got no replies.
My experiences from my first three months of my very first rv has taught me several things:
1. Never trust a dealer (specifically Tom Johnson Camping) to check or acknowledge any water damage. Either they did not check it at all or they do not have people who are sufficiently skilled to find such things. I personally think they knew and found themselves and ignorant sucker (myself) to purchase the trailer so they would not be out the expense of repairing it.
2. Never purchase an rv "as is" without some sort of warranty.
3. The definition of "we will make things right" must mean something quite a bit different in dealer lingo than most folks think it means.
4. Never assume that a dealer's service department will search for any problems beyond what they feel they just pass on to the ignorant customer.
I am writting off my experiences with Tom Johnson Camping as an education - not like an RV 101 course but more like an RV 100 (bonehead) course.
I sure hope they did at least get the leak stopped.