Complaint Review: General RV - Birch Run Michigan

On 30 April 2016 I purchased a 2009, 31 foot class C Four Winds Chateau for $59,567.30 from General RV in Birch Run, Michigan.  On 23 January 2017 I noticed some delaminating on the side of the coach between the door and slide out while in Florida.  I had a licensed RV Technician in Florida inspect the roof, and he said "How soon can you get this back to Michigan?" He went on to say "This has to be worked on indoors because in has dry rot in it."  My calls and emails to General RV regarding the matter went unanswered. 

On the way back to Michigan, I stopped at a reputable Repair and Restoration shop in Elkhart, Indiana on the first week of March 2017 and they determined the same thing, however, they could not determine to what extent until they got into it.  I emailed General RV and requested they help defray the cost of the repairs with no response.  On the first week of May 2017 the repair shop was finally able to have me return and leave the RV with them.  I contacted the extended service company and they refused to accept any claim regarding water damage. 

The Repair shop in Elkhart determined the dry rot was so extensive the roof, side, and rear cap had to be completely replaced.  The unit would also have to be repainted to make everything match up.  The foreman in Elkhart wrote a  statement declaring this was due to one to two years of neglect and it occurred prior to my purchasing the motor home.  It was a long time in the making.  This was obvious to the trained eyes of the General RV personnel especially when taking a unit as a trade in, which this particular unit was (General RV Location:  Canton, Ohio). 

In the RV business, like any other, the name of the game is to find as many reasons as possible to trade low and sell high. This is how I know General RV knew about the dry rot but did not disclose it.  The Operations Manager said I should have brought it to General RV first.  They never returned my emails or phone calls in the first place.  When I picked up the motor home at General RV, on the date of purchase, I was told it was completely inspected, the roof caulked, and there was no sign of leaks.  That was a lie.  Besides the major issue of the dry rot, there was a running board that fell off, a water heater with a pin hole in the tank, rubber stripping coming off the coach exterior, cracked decals, the seats blistered, a new TV that had to be refitted because the original TV died from a defective sound card, and the camera control module/radio had to be replaced because the rollers literally went up in smoke. 

The total bill came to $40,000 which financially devastated me.  By this time General RV was asking for the approximately 150 photos the repair facility in Elkhart took of the damage in various stages of repair of the dry rot.   I mailed them to the Operations Manager at General RV on a flash drive.  I spoke with the Operations Manager at General RV and he indicated he received the photos of the damage and that General RV was not going to pay for any of the repairs.  The Operations manager even said "why don't you just sell it to someone else?"   Having the repairs done in Elkhart was the right choice because I knew it would get done and get done right.  The facts were also made known by dealing with an objective and reputable third party for the repairs.