Redwood/Crossroads not stepping up to the plate!

[Rick and Mindy]

I will try to make this thread a generic as possible. I won't mention names or dealers as to not single any one out. Those of you who have followed my posts know that up until now I would say that the Redwood/Crossroads customer service was exemplary in every way. After purchasing my 31sl in February of 2013, several minor warranty issues developed so I returned it to the purchasing dealer for warranty work. A week after the work was complete I noticed 2 of the items had reappeared so rather than pull it back to the dealer I chose to solve the problems myself, no big deal. When it came time for my 1st annual inspection, several minor issues had developed and I decided I wasn't going to take it back to the original dealer who was paid to accomplish the items I ended up fixing. I contacted Redwood/Crossroads Customer Service and explained my hesitation to go back to the original dealer. I asked to take it back to the service center but they were booked solid and I would not be able to have the inspection done on time. It was recommended to take it to a small Crossroads dealer in Texas for the inspection and the warranty work. The tech worked with me and the dealer to get the necessary parts needed to the dealer prior to me taking the coach to them. After the parts arrived, I delivered the coach and a week later the work was completed. When I picked up my 31sl I questioned how several of the items were repaired. Not wanting to leave the coach there, I pulled it home. At home I was able to take a closer look at how the repairs were made. The workmanship was deplorable. Two of the slideout upper bulb seals needed to be replaced. They were caulked with a whited lap caulk which not only looks bad, but it is now cracked and 1 of the new seals is pulling away from the exterior wall. Metal had poked through the eternabond tape at 2 of the slideout corners so the way it was fixed was to remove the existing eternabond tape (which is almost impossible) file down the sharp framing corner and replace the tape. In the process of removing the tape, the roof membrane was pulled away from the roof resulting in bubbling of the roof all along the entire length of the slideouts. The ends of the tape are not adhering to the coach which surely will be a possible water leak in the future. I contacted customer service and the tech at first told me that I should require the dealer to make it right. I explained to him that if he saw the resulting damage caused by this dealer workmanship, he would agree that the dealer is incapable of doing it right and could even cause more problems. He asked for pictures. Iasked him if I could pull it 950 miles to the service center so Redwood could make my coach right again. I sent him pics and he called me back and said he understood my concerns and that he would get with a supervisor for another opinion. That was a week ago. I emailed him yesterday asking for a status and no reply. I then called him today and was told he was on another line but the tech would send him an e-mail asking him to call me. Still no call. I've now got an expensive fifth wheel that I couldn't sell or trade if I wanted to because of the terrible repairs. I'm not sure how to post pics but I would love for everyone to see this. I'm open for suggestions on who to contact at Redwood to get a service center trip authorized and scheduled.

[Dave&Ginny]

If the service center won't return your emails, I'd send an email through the company website. Others on here have done so with positive results. It's my understanding that you can take the coach to any dealer that handles the Cross Roads products.

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by Dave&Ginny

If the service center won't return your emails, I'd send an email through the company website. Others on here have done so with positive results. It's my understanding that you can take the coach to any dealer that handles the Cross Roads products.

You are right Dave, that's how I ended up taking it to a Crossroads dealer in Texas. They were recommended to me by the tech because I don't have any Crossroads/Redwood dealers close to me. After dealing with 2 different dealers already, I'm really gun shy about taking it to another dealer. It will take 3 times as much effort to remove the botched work before being able to fix it properly. I'm not sure that the roof membrane on each slideout will not need to be replaced as well. Also, both dealers were asked to adjust the slides but they are still not adjusted properly. I read about those on this forum that have had such great success with the service center that I can't see why they will not authorize me to take it to them.

[atom ant]

Is it just the delay in time at the service center, or do they just refuse to take it?

I feel your pain - I just got mine back from its annual and I was very nervous about the work they would do. Turns out they were able to get the caulking to stick to the seals where I hadn't been able to.

If it were me, I would probably get frustrated enough I would take to another Dealer or two or three to see what they think and if you have confidence in them, then call Crossroads for approval to get it fixed. That way could be bringing them a solution and they just have to say yes.

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by atom ant

Is it just the delay in time at the service center, or do they just refuse to take it?

I feel your pain - I just got mine back from its annual and I was very nervous about the work they would do. Turns out they were able to get the caulking to stick to the seals where I hadn't been able to.

If it were me, I would probably get frustrated enough I would take to another Dealer or two or three to see what they think and if you have confidence in them, then call Crossroads for approval to get it fixed. That way could be bringing them a solution and they just have to say yes.

I originally asked them to assist me in resolving the issues. They have not said that they would take it at the service center or that they would pay to have it repaired somewhere else. The problem with me taking it to several dealers is that I have no Crossroads/Redwood dealers around me. I have 3 large RV dealerships in this area but none of them are Crossroads/Redwood. I originally told the tech that if the dealership I took it to was recommended by them, then they should be dealing with them as far as paying them for the work but I feel Redwood should take care of me, the customer, and make my coach right. I have not been able to get a resolution commitment from them.

[atom ant]

I guess I'm not sure what I would do, other than keep bothering the Redwood center.

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by atom ant

I guess I'm not sure what I would do, other than keep bothering the Redwood center.

I do plan on keeping the pressure on Redwood. These coaches come with a warranty that Redwood needs to stand by. If they have substandard dealers, I have nothing to do with that. It should be the manufacturers responsibility to insure proper training of their representative dealers.

[Rick and Mindy]

I will keep everyone posted on the status as I get any updates. As I said at the first post, I have always considered Redwood a cut above the rest when it comes to warranty. I hope they will do what's right!

[Rick]

I picked my coach up two weeks ago at a Crossroads approved dealer. Had to pay the entire bill myself as the Crossroads dealer did not want to deal with Redwoods warranty reimbursement. All of the bills were submitted by the dealer and I have a copy as well. This Friday I am supposed to find out how much of the $6,700 bill they are going to cover. I have never seen this type of customer service. I hope this works out come Friday. I'll advise either way.

[Dave]

Rick & Mindy,

Very sorry to hear of your frustrations with your coach. Obviously, try to get things straightened out and repaired/replaced by Redwood/Crossroad means. In any event try to exhaust all avenues.

In the end, if all else fails you can look up the "Magnusum Moss Warranty Act". This is across the 50 States.

[Rick and Mindy]

Finally contacted the tech I had been working with this morning. Had to refresh his memory as to my concerns. He stated that he thought he had forwarded it to his supervisor for advisement but realized he had not done that. He didn't give an explanation as to why he didn't return my e-mail or phone call. He forwarded my info to him as we spoke and said that usually he will get a reply within 24 hours. He asked me to call him back if I don't hear from him by noon tomorrow. Will keep posting results. I am pushing and hoping to get a date at the service center.

[spindrift]

I only wish I was able to be at the Rally this year. It's my sincere hope that these kinds of issues are addressed in a professional manner, and a corrective strategy is determined.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Rick

I picked my coach up two weeks ago at a Crossroads approved dealer. Had to pay the entire bill myself as the Crossroads dealer did not want to deal with Redwoods warranty reimbursement. All of the bills were submitted by the dealer and I have a copy as well. This Friday I am supposed to find out how much of the $6,700 bill they are going to cover. I have never seen this type of customer service. I hope this works out come Friday. I'll advise either way.

Rick,
That was the bearing issue wasn't it? Did they end up replacing the axle?

[NW Snowbirds]

Originally Posted by Rick

I picked my coach up two weeks ago at a Crossroads approved dealer. Had to pay the entire bill myself as the Crossroads dealer did not want to deal with Redwoods warranty reimbursement. All of the bills were submitted by the dealer and I have a copy as well. This Friday I am supposed to find out how much of the $6,700 bill they are going to cover. I have never seen this type of customer service. I hope this works out come Friday. I'll advise either way.

No Redwood or Crossroads dealers near me so I got approval from Mark to have the annual inspection done by an independent shop last week. He also advised that I would have to pay any warranty repairs to the shop and then submit them to Redwood for consideration. Kind of a difficult situation to be put between Redwood and the repair shop. I can't negotiate the repair cost on behalf of Redwood. This is a change from last summer when Redwood worked directly with a Crossroads dealer (Now gone out of business) and I let them and the dealer agree on repair procedures and the costs for same.

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by NW Snowbirds

No Redwood or Crossroads dealers near me so I got approval from Mark to have the annual inspection done by an independent shop last week. He also advised that I would have to pay any warranty repairs to the shop and then submit them to Redwood for consideration. Kind of a difficult situation to be put between Redwood and the repair shop. I can't negotiate the repair cost on behalf of Redwood. This is a change from last summer when Redwood worked directly with a Crossroads dealer (Now gone out of business) and I let them and the dealer agree on repair procedures and the costs for same.

When I originally talked to the tech at customer service I was told that I could use a local dealer for warranty work but they were very insistent that the annual inspection had to be performed by a Crossroads Dealer. My reply was that If I had to pull it to a Crossroads Dealer I might as well let them do the warranty work. After the fact, I wish I had pulled it to the Crossroads Dealer for the inspection and brought it back to my local dealer for warranty work.

[5th_Time]

Like many people on the forum, there is no Redwood dealer in my area. In fact, the last time I checked, there weren't any in all of New England.

It's nice to have the option to bring it to a Crossroads dealer... but do you really want to do that? Redwood & Crossroads are completely different animals and of course require the specialized knowledge and experience to repair them as well as the factory would. Since I bought mine in '12, I've fixed a great number of issues myself - but that doesn't mean that I'm likely to successfully fix something major that I've never seem before.

This seems especially obvious for proprietary construction and cosmetic issues. Some of the major repairs dealers are asked to perform such as roof replacements, slide rooms & body work make me shiver.

It's no wonder that so many people have stories of having their Redwood's repair at the dealer taking 8, 10, 12 weeks or more while they try to figure out how to do it.

[rcflame]

Just because a dealer handles a certain brand of trailer doesn't mean they know how to repair it. Most dealers handle several different brands of trailers. Some of their techs may go to school a couple weeks on a particular brand but usually don't get extensive training. The basics of trailers are the same, but their are individual differences they have to learn through training or trial and error. The trial and error is a lot of it unless you find a tech with many years experience. A Redwood dealer is not always the best.

[Rick and Mindy]

I hate to say this but I am quickly losing my confidence in the Redwood/Crossroads Customer Service. Called the tech back today as he asked me to, he was on the phone. The tech that answered said he would go into the other tech's office and have him call me back. I explained I had an appointment but I would wait for the call. No return Call! I called back at 2:10 their time(knowing they close at 3 on Fridays) and it was explained to me by the answering tech that the computers and phones had been giving them problems all day. He told me to hold and he would connect me to my tech. Eventually the phone went to his voicemail and I left a message to have him call me today. I hung up, called back immediately and finally the tech I needed answered the phone. He said he was just listening to the voicemail. I told him that I felt like my problem is dragging on and on with no resolve and that I would really like an update on the status before they leave today. He called me back at 2:40pm and stated it would be Monday before he would be able to talk face-to-face with his supervisor Rick. He said he did e-mail him my info and pics yesterday but Rick had not responded yet. He said he was on the phone and could not talk to him. I'm debating sending a nice long e-mail to Crossroads Customer Service over the weekend or waiting until I talk to the tech on Monday. Any suggestions?

[atom ant]

I would wait until you hear the response. You might be burning a bridge too early. It sounds like they are slow, but they are breathing. Just my opinion.

[Rick and Mindy]

Originally Posted by atom ant

I would wait until you hear the response. You might be burning a bridge too early. It sounds like they are slow, but they are breathing. Just my opinion.

I am swaying that way. You are right, I don't want to burn the bridge too early but this is soooooooooo frustrating! I have kept note for all conversations, e-mails and anything else I can think of just in case this needs to go further. I really want to believe they will right this wrong.