No more info for owners from GD?

[chunker]

Let me offer a defense of Winnebago. My motorhome is an Itasca, Winnebago product. Winnebago makes a variety of wiring, plumbing, etc. diagrams available online. There are also parts diagrams with appropriate part numbers per color scheme or wood stain. My understanding is this is available for all/most of their motorhome lines. When I found out they had bought GD I was hopeful that procedure would be applied to GD products. Nope, and least not yet. If I need a proprietary part for my motorhome, I can get it direct from Winnebago. Don't have to go through the dealer. Did just that a couple years ago for an exterior trim piece. Every cabinet door has a sticker with the part number so if I need the left door above the sink, the part number is there and I can reference the parts diagram and talk direct to Winnebago CS.

When I had the Solitude I broke a window. Couldn't order direct, had to go through dealer. But at least the GD rep referred me to a dealer that gave fast, good price service. They drop shipped to my independent service facility to install.

[backtrack2015]

Let me offer a defense of Winnebago. My motorhome is an Itasca, Winnebago product. Winnebago makes a variety of wiring, plumbing, etc. diagrams available online. There are also parts diagrams with appropriate part numbers per color scheme or wood stain. My understanding is this is available for all/most of their motorhome lines. When I found out they had bought GD I was hopeful that procedure would be applied to GD products. Nope, and least not yet. If I need a proprietary part for my motorhome, I can get it direct from Winnebago. Don't have to go through the dealer. Did just that a couple years ago for an exterior trim piece. Every cabinet door has a sticker with the part number so if I need the left door above the sink, the part number is there and I can reference the parts diagram and talk direct to Winnebago CS.

When I had the Solitude I broke a window. Couldn't order direct, had to go through dealer. But at least the GD rep referred me to a dealer that gave fast, good price service. They drop shipped to my independent service facility to install.

Winnebago Towables isn't there yet. It's near impossible to get construction details and nobody answers the phone or responds to email on the towables side. Parts are still something for which you have to contact a dealer. The support for motorhome owners, on the other hand, looks very impressive. Hopefully Winnebago will up their game a tad on the towables side. I've been happy with GD.

[huntr70]

Let me offer a defense of Winnebago. My motorhome is an Itasca, Winnebago product. Winnebago makes a variety of wiring, plumbing, etc. diagrams available online. There are also parts diagrams with appropriate part numbers per color scheme or wood stain. My understanding is this is available for all/most of their motorhome lines. When I found out they had bought GD I was hopeful that procedure would be applied to GD products. Nope, and least not yet. If I need a proprietary part for my motorhome, I can get it direct from Winnebago. Don't have to go through the dealer. Did just that a couple years ago for an exterior trim piece. Every cabinet door has a sticker with the part number so if I need the left door above the sink, the part number is there and I can reference the parts diagram and talk direct to Winnebago CS.

When I had the Solitude I broke a window. Couldn't order direct, had to go through dealer. But at least the GD rep referred me to a dealer that gave fast, good price service. They drop shipped to my independent service facility to install.

Winnebago motorized has always been, and still is, very owner oriented.

The beautiful thing about Winnebago motorized is that they are 100% company owned and doe snot owe anyone anything.

They manufacture 90% of their coaches onsite, including the cabinets (door) you referenced. That's why you can call them with the part number from the sticker and have them build you a new door. They also have a soft lines plane where they make all their furniture covers, duvets, curtains, etc.

I visited the complex about 8 years ago, and in the plastics plant they were manufacturing mudflaps for John Deere tractors, and in the metals plant they were extruding aluminum running boards for Dee Zee, and stadium seating. Only about 15% of the items produced in those 2 plants are used in their own products. The rest is for other companies.

They are truly a one of kind in the RV world.

Now, they just need to get their head in the game and get some innovative products to get back their market share that they have been losing over the last several years.

[minnow101]

One thing GD needs above all else at this juncture is continuity and conformity amongst the employees working in Customer Service. As evidenced even in this topic, one owner calls in and is treated like gold and another calls in and gets little help. CSR Roulette I call it.
As the dealers GD has selected to sell their rigs are independently owned, GD has little control over how these dealers address customer issues. So you have great dealers, good dealers, not so good and terrible examples selling GD products which results in great to terrible customer experiences; some of which will be reflected not only to the dealer but back to GD itself.
If GD is now taking the tact that only your dealer can help you, thats a big change in philosophy and GD just becomes another builder of RV’s like Keystone, Thor or Forest River. In other words, there is nothing that makes GD stand out from the rest of the pack.

[offtohavasu]

One thing GD needs above all else at this juncture is continuity and conformity amongst the employees working in Customer Service. As evidenced even in this topic, one owner calls in and is treated like gold and another calls in and gets little help. CSR Roulette I call it.
As the dealers GD has selected to sell their rigs are independently owned, GD has little control over how these dealers address customer issues. So you have great dealers, good dealers, not so good and terrible examples selling GD products which results in great to terrible customer experiences; some of which will be reflected not only to the dealer but back to GD itself.
If GD is now taking the tact that only your dealer can help you, thats a big change in philosophy and GD just becomes another builder of RV’s like Keystone, Thor or Forest River. In other words, there is nothing that makes GD stand out from the rest of the pack.

This is something I have some sympathy for. I'm a Director for a company in which part of our role is providing a positive customer experience to our tenants and guests. I take pride in hiring quality people to do the job. However, every once in a while, I get an employee who makes a boneheaded mistake or says the wrong thing. We take it seriously and do progressive discipline, however, I never communicate that to the reporting party. Praise in public discipline in private.

The second piece of the puzzle is knowledge. Every once in a while upper management will say, "So and so did this 3 or 4 months ago.". To which I reply, "Who did you tell?" "Nobody". How in the h-e-double hockey stick can I fix a problem I don't know about?

So my long and not so direct point is, it's impossible to be sure my crew is saying, or doing, the right thing all the time. It's even more difficult if I don't know about it. So as in this instance, go up higher in the chain. Trust, but verify. If it proves that the information the OP was given is incorrect, you get the satisfaction of knowing and GD knows they have an employee they need to deal with.

[Wicked ace]

You have to remember that for every negative/unhappy owner you see here there are thousands that are very happy; count me into the latter group.

That my friend is an internet myth of these forums perpetrated continuously. I have yet to see any concrete proof of the data and each time I see it repeated the "happy' number seems to increase exponentially.

[SGT ROC]

That my friend is an internet myth of these forums perpetrated continuously. I have yet to see any concrete proof of the data and each time I see it repeated the "happy' number seems to increase exponentially.

Kind of hard to prove. Those that do not have issues tend not to post anything. Those that do have issues post a lot. I doubt that you will ever see concrete proof of this - ever. I think that can ultimately complaints can only help the industry in the long run. You, my friend, post a lot about how bad GD is. I truly believe that you have issues with your rig. Unfortunately we here can only offer advise and help. If there were not more happy than unhappy buyers - none of the Manufactures would sell anything to anyone.

[GeoffnCheri]

Sorry for the rant, but I think the happy owners are getting drowned out. When I joined this board a year before I bought my unit, it was primarily a site to help and inform rather rant and rave, i hope that it gets back to that someday.

This ^^^^^^^^^

[Wicked ace]

Geoff and Cheri
2011 F250 CC 6.7L
Pull Rite 16k SuperGlide

This ^^^^^^^^^

Before you comment tell me you aren't pulling your 5W with your truck overloaded.

[tigerGUY1955]

The whole RV industry is just backwards. I'm glad GD tries hard to make folks happy.

I'm a second hand buyer of the rig we paid cash for.....2017 375RES Solitude.

I spoke to a young lady that knew I wasn't the original buyer. She took my VIN #. She PROMISED to send me a schematic I needed to do a repair. Never showed up.

I believe it wasn't sent as I've been critical on the forums of quality of the building producs used....and the FACT it is advertised otherwise.

And GD...this is becoming typical rather than the rarity. You talk the talk, but.........................