# Dealing With Keystone



## djd1023 (Sep 29, 2003)

I recently had some work done on my Outback sofa slider. It was blowing fuses. My nearest Keystone Dealer is 90 mins away. Since the RV is still under warranty, I called Keystone before having the work done, to see if I could get work done at a non-Keystone dealer that is closer to my house. I called twice and was assured both times that if invoice came to a max of between $150 - 200 that Keystone would reimburse me if I sent them the invoice. The work came to $181 and change. I sent the invoice to Keystone as requested. Received a call from them this morning, disputing the fact that it took the dealer 3 hrs to diagnose, fix, and test. As it turns out, there were loose wires in wall switch, they cleaned rails, lubricated system, etc. I don't think that sounds out of bounds....does anybody else?
I'll keep everyone informed of the outcome in case anybody has future dealings with Keystone.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

I don't think it sounds to out of line. I'd press them to just pay the bill. After all, they authorized you to spend up to $200.

Why would keystone balk over $181? They ought to just pay the bill, keep the customer happy and be done with it.

Mike


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## JimWilson (Feb 24, 2004)

I agree; sounds reasonable to me. And since the repair included loose wires you could always tell them that had they made the trailer correctly in the first place they wouldn't have to pay for any service at all!


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## hurricaneplumber (Apr 12, 2004)

I agree, sounds about right.

Plus if they have a problem with the amount of time spent, they should contact the one who actually worked on it and question them. You are being the middleman being asked to justify someone else's work and it shouldn't be that way.

I would keep track of who you talk to, with dates, times and names, keep a log in case it gets dragged out and you need proof. Make sure you get first and last names, I learned the hard way that some companies don't know who the 'Bob' is that I talked to the other day.

Good luck.


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## djd1023 (Sep 29, 2003)

Yeah...Hurriacane. The owner of the dealer that did the work told me to have Keystone call him if they have any questions....which I did. My big mistake was not getting names, dates, etc as you suggested.


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Sounds fair to me. I, personally, take mine for service where I bought it. I am still trying to get some of the bugs worked out on my trailer (out of warranty), but always have dragged it back to the dealers service dept. (80 miles each way)
I understand you fully...I've towed mine back there 4 times now.


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## j1mfrog (Jun 6, 2004)

Something I've found beneficial:

Every time I take my Camper in for service, I write a very courteous letter to the service manager explaining exactly what's wrong and how I want it fixed. I drop off the letter in person with the service manager. A day or two before bringing the camper in I "cc" Keystone customer service a copy of the letter. Keystone will call the dealer while my camper is there to ensure everything is fixed. After picking up the camper, Keystone calls me to see if everything was taken care of to my satisfaction. This has been very effective for me.

As an added benefit, I have a record of all the service performed, but more importantly, Keystone does too.

Mine is still under warranty. If I have to get something fixed after the warranty expires, I may be able to show a history of problems.


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

I learned to put mine in a letter format to the service dept, but never sent it to KEYSTONE. Great Idea! No one has EVER CONTACTED ME after my unit was fixed. Not even the service dept!


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## djd1023 (Sep 29, 2003)

Had the same problem with the slide blowing fuses this weekend 
Had to crank out manually. Does anyone know if the Outbacks come with a tool to do this? I had to use a wratchet and it's a tight fit between the floor and the bottom of the sofa where the manual screw is located.


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## JimWilson (Feb 24, 2004)

Schantz said:


> I often had over 10 small items to get corrected and usually they got them all.


Holy @#$*, how many things have been wrong with your trailer? Sounds like you've been in for service more then once, and had maybe 10 items per trip? Geez, that sounds like an awful lot of problems.


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

> Had the same problem with the slide blowing fuses this weekend


Well, do you think this will impact whether Keystone pays that bill or not?









Tim


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Sounds about right to me. I have the same year trailer as Schantz. My trailer has been to the service dept. 4 times. (it's there as we speak for the 4th) Most of mine were leaks, but I had a list of 6-10 things each time as well. Some were just minor stuff, but when you have to drive 160 miles roundtrip...you want EVERYTHING to be fixed so you don't have more problems later.

I think the longer they make these trailers...the better the quality is going to be. I know some people that got 2002 models and they were falling apart!

I try to resist the urge to buy expensive autos or RV's when they first start making them. They usually have lots of issues.


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## djd1023 (Sep 29, 2003)

I brought the rv back to the dealer that did the work and he rediagnosed as the wires that go from the motor to the wall switch go underneath the floor and when rv is in transit, the wires are rubbing and chaffing and are shorting out. He recommends moving the wires from underneath the floor to going under the sofa, thru the wall by the shower and up to the switch directly. He said this should cut down on the chaffing that takes place while the Outback is travelling. He is also going to call Keystone and see if they will allow him to do warranty work on it.


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Good Luck. I know how you feel about having to drive 80 miles one way to the dealer. I hope Keystone authorized your local guy to do the work.

Tim


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## JimWilson (Feb 24, 2004)

djd1023 said:


> I brought the rv back to the dealer that did the work and he rediagnosed as the wires that go from the motor to the wall switch go underneath the floor and when rv is in transit, the wires are rubbing and chaffing and are shorting out. He recommends moving the wires from underneath the floor to going under the sofa, thru the wall by the shower and up to the switch directly. He said this should cut down on the chaffing that takes place while the Outback is travelling. He is also going to call Keystone and see if they will allow him to do warranty work on it.


Why not just leave the wires where they are and enclose them in some wire loom?


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## djd1023 (Sep 29, 2003)

Jim...I guess the dealer decided to reroute the wires because to get at the wires to do anything to them, they would have had to take the underbelly off. I guess he figured this was easier and cheaper.
By the way, the dealer spoke with Keystone and explaned the problem and the fix and they said they saw no problem with reimbursing me. Yes I got names this time


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