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Thread: Service after the sale
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03-10-2020, 07:45 PM #1
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Service after the sale
I just received a text from a retired friend who is just finishing up a 30 day trip to Texas. He owns a very nice older SOB (Some Other Brand - lots of newer folks here, don’t want to offend).
He said there were a lot of Grand Designs there and they were very nice. He talked to one camper who said that he had some issues with his Grand Design but that the factory was really great to deal with and was very happy with the service after the sale.
I hope I never have any issues serious enough that the factory needs to get involved but it’s good to know that their reputation is well deserved. This is one of the reasons we chose Grand Design.
MarkMark & Megan & Levi (our floppy eared four legged furry friend)
2019 Reflection 303RLS
2019 Chevy Silverado 3500HD Duramax
B & W Companion
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03-11-2020, 08:13 AM #2
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Not to dump on your enthusiasm, but there are widespread shortcomings in service at Grand Design dealers. It's the nature of a forum like this one that we'll hear more often from those having problems than from those who are not, but man oh man there are a LOT of bad stories about dealer service across North America. Mine is among them.
You can find other posts by me detailing the appalling service we had from our dealer, which had our trailer for five months of the first year that we owned it. As of a few days ago, when a large heavy piece of trim came very close to falling off and doing more damage to the trailer, we are now over 50 (fifty) issues with our trailer ranging from falling-off trim to a replacement refrigerator.
In dealing with a few of them near the end of our Solitude's one-year warranty (including a couple that the dealer simply refused to address) I *DID* find that the factory was good to deal with. Others stymied by bad dealer support have also reported good things about factory support. For example one of our hydraulic leveling jacks blew its top seal making it pretty much impossible to move our trailer. We were stranded for almost a week, but GD did ship a replacement jack to us and later quickly reimbursed the cost of the mobile technician who installed it (after we got prior approval for that).
Having been owner of two Grand Design trailers over almost two and a half years, I've concluded that the first, easiest, and often best option when something goes wrong is to fix it yourself, maybe with parts supplied by GD if under warranty. Second option is to get support directly from GD for replacement parts and prearrange compensation for third-party service to effect the installation or repair.
The last-resort option in a lot of cases is to take it back to the dealer. There are good dealers around - we see a few happy reports here and a couple of good dealer reps participate here so I'm sorry that my carping about this slags them too. However there are way too many bad stories to think that dealer service isn't a widespread problem, so a decision about involving the factory for assistance isn't always made just for very serious issues.Last edited by boyscout; 03-11-2020 at 08:15 AM.
Mark - 2018 Solitude 310GK - 2017 F-350 diesel SRW short box - Pullrite Superglide hitch
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03-11-2020, 09:58 AM #3
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On a positive note, General RV (Wayland Mi) has been a pleasure to work with. I have had my share of issues with my Reflection but they always stepped up in a polite and timely manor.
Dan and Deb
2021 337RLS
2020 Lariat Super Duty 6.7 Diesel Crew Cab Max Tow, Air Lift 5000
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03-11-2020, 02:37 PM #4
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Well, Mn-Mark very likely bought his from the same dealer I did (Pleasureland near St. Cloud, MN - right?)
They have been very good to me. Prices are not cheap, but are what I expected. They are very busy, so you do have to schedule an appointment several/many weeks out. In all cases, they had the parts in ready and waiting for the appointment day. They've been proactive in pre-ordering parts from GD, just based on the phone call for the appointment. Even for what, to me, seemed to be some involved work, they got it done within 2-4 hrs. In two instances, I dropped it off weeks early from the appointment, as we were going by on the last day of a trip (no in-between plans for use). They worked on it on a "as time available" basis, and got it done long before my scheduled appointment date. Once they didn't do the repair correctly, and I had to do the 2 hr round trip again. They had me come back as soon as it was convenient for me - even offering next day. To make it up, they threw in a lot of extra preventative maint. work for free.
I haven't needed any really big multi-day jobs, so can't comment on how well that may go, but I'm pretty confident there would be few dealer horror stories from them.
Service manager states they love GD - any issues that do pop up are generally quick and easy to deal with. Most of the time they get warranty authorization over the phone (to be followed by paperwork later). Parts arrive in 1-2 days, almost always. Same can't be said for some of the other brands they sell.
My local Jayco dealer (Hillcrest) deserves a 10 out of 10 for their service. Pleasureland gets a 9 out of 10. Very fortunate to have two great dealerships available to me. Now if either one could have a "how to" chat with my Ford dealer.....2017 Imagine 2670MK
2012 F-150 SCrew, Eco, 4x4 6.5 box
Max. Tow, HD Payload, Airbags, ProPride hitch
(Previous: Jayco 26.5RLS Fifth, Revolution Pinbox)
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03-12-2020, 09:15 PM #5
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@sande005, you are correct, we did buy ours from Pleasureland in St Cloud. Good to hear that you have been happy with their service.
On a side note, you should have seen the bank tellers face when I told her I wanted a check made out to Pleasureland.
@boyscout, On our previous TT, I was able to do any needed repairs myself. I plan on doing the same with our Reflection unless they are too involved. So far it hasn’t needed any repair or service work. It’s too bad that you have had issues and your dealer hasn’t been accommodating. It’s good to know that Grand Design has been helpful.
MarkMark & Megan & Levi (our floppy eared four legged furry friend)
2019 Reflection 303RLS
2019 Chevy Silverado 3500HD Duramax
B & W Companion
Frame Flex
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