Complaint Review: Robert Crist and Company - Mesa Arizona

Letter below that was sent to dealer.  Received a response stating the unit was used, deal with it.

I am contacting you today in reference to serious, timely, and costly issues related to an RV I purchased from your company in June of 2014.

RCRV, On my initial visit, I stopped by your lot and viewed a 2005 Monaco with your salesman, Joe Rosten.  After some deliberation, I purchased the unit on June 27^th, 2014. This was my first RV, which I purchased for a very specific purpose that I made very clear to my salesman as well as other employees.  I purchased the unit for a 14 month charity tour of America, which I have been planning for two years (three years now). I was supposed to begin the tour immediately after the purchase but have been unable to do so because of the many problems I’ve had with the RV.  I have charity partners, tour commitments, and a significant investment into the tour.  I have closed my business and sold my home to do the tour.  When I purchased the unit, I had a very specific time frame, and to date, the unit has been in for service for over two-thirds of the time that I’ve owned it. I’ve exhausted more than half of my budget for the tour waiting for the unit to be fully operational and road ready.  I have been exceedingly patient, but enough is enough and a resolution is required.

During my interactions with my salesman, Joe Rosten, he showed me the unit, and specified numerous times that the unit had been gone through thoroughly top to bottom, twice.  He said that every system and feature was 100% operational, and the unit was ready to take on the road immediately and that Travis Chilton, your Master Technician had done the PDI.  I was reassured countless times that the unit had been inspected by a Travis Chilton and the only admitted/disclosed issue was that the entry keypad was not functional.  I was told multiple times that I was “gifted” a $2500.00 Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI).  Considering I was never given any inspection report and that multiple non-functional items were purposely not disclosed, there was no value to me in that “gift”.

The following is a timeline of events that have taken place regarding the purchase of the RV from your dealership:  All dates are approx. and not exact – for reference only.

June 27, 2014:

• I arrived in Mesa and was assigned to meet with, Travis Chilton, the Master Technician.
• We walked the unit and for every question I asked about the unit, Travis Chilton responded that he had reviewed the feature or part and that it was fully functional.
• We took the unit for a fifteen minute test drive during which I discovered that the gas gauge and VORAD were not working, and the middle AC unit continued to trip the breaker.
• Travis Chilton said these issues would be resolved.
• I drove the unit to my friend’s house in Phoenix where I stayed the night.

June 29, 2014:

• In the morning, the RV would not start after many attempts.
• I was finally able to get the RV started, and I returned to the dealership for a service appointment.
• During this service trip, all of the batteries were replaced, and they attempted to fix the gas gauge and middle AC but were unable to do so.

June 30, 2014:

• Tim and I were scheduled to take the unit and sign the papers, so we drove to California and signed the contract.
• At this time, the VORAD and middle AC were still not operational, and the chassis AC was very hot.
• We returned to the dealership, and I again left the unit to be serviced by RCRV.
• The middle AC was replaced, but they were unable to fix the gas gauge or the VORAD.
• The technicians, Travis Chilton, and Joe Rosten assured me that all of these issues would get resolved at no expense to me.
• To this date, there is still no resolution and I’ve spent thousands of dollars.

June 30, 2014:

• After several days of delays and service repairs, I was scheduled to pick up the unit.
• When speaking to Travis Chiltion, he mentioned that I better get some new tires on the tag axle.
• Joe Rosten had specifically said that the tires were good and had lots of life left.
• I brought this to Joe’s attention, and two new tires were installed with both parties splitting the cost. This delayed my departure another full day.

July 2, 2014:

• I picked up the unit and was told confidently by Joe Rosten and Travis Chilton that they would do everything to make sure the existing issues I was leaving with would be resolved.
• They gave me the number for Norm, the Service Manager and told me to contact him when I arrived in Albuquerque.
• On my drive home to Albuquerque, the newly installed, brand new AC unit dripped fluid into the cabin and damaged the inlet cover.
  • This required that the unit be fully removed and properly reinstalled at RMRV.
  • RCRV did not install the unit properly, so RCRV paid the 3^rd party to fix the issue.
  • In addition, the headlight switch did not work, so the headlights could not turn on.
    • I called the dealership, and no one could give an explanation as to why it wasn’t working. After 35 minutes of messing with the switch, I finally got it to work.

RCRV also forwarded a new awning wind sensor which was broken and not operational even though your master tech pointed the unit out and assured me it was functional.  RCRV also forwarded after more than a few months two switches that were broken that I had to pay for to be installed.

August 2014:

• I took the RV to a camp site and discovered the following issues:
  • Hot water heater did not work
  • Large leak from under the chassis
  • Kitchen sink was clogged and the drain leaked
  • Bed did not inflate
  • Satellite and main televisions, DVD player, and stereo did not work

Attempted to use the windshield wipers for the first time, and they did not work and failed at 70mph in a down pour where the wipers failed and could’ve caused a crash or something more serious.  This was a very serious incident and the responsibly lies with RCRV.

•  
  • The wiper system had to be completely manufactured from scratch and replaced.

November 2015:

• Unit was at a local repair facility for over three months:
  • Aqua Hot repair
  • Replace/Re-build wiper system
  • Misc repair issues and winterize unit

March 2015:

• Unit was picked up from three plus month service and then taken to another facility to address the VORAD.  Where it remains to this date.

Since leaving your dealership, I have had to schedule multiple appointments for service and repair to the RV. I was misled and deceived as to the functionality and operation of every single item. The following features have never been operational or functional since I purchased the unit:

ITEM                                                                                                                                                      COST INCURRED

Satellite – not functional – replaced                                                                            $372.50

Main TV – not functional – replaced                                                                            $272.50                

Battery disconnect switch – not functional – replaced                                                     $57.50

Aqua Hot Diesel switch – not functional – replaced                                                        $57.50

Awning wind sensor – not functional – replaced                                                            $57.50

Headlight switch – not functional – replaced                                                                      

Keyless entry – not functional – replaced

Local antenna – missing – replaced                                                                           $117.00

Local antenna switch – not functional – replaced                                                          $78.00

Generator failure – repaired                                                                                      $190.44                

DVD/Surround – not functional – replaced                                                                          

Hot water heater – leaking – repaired                                                                         $1829.71

Hot water heater – not functional – removed, repaired, re-installed

Wiper system – not functional – replaced                                                                    $304.15

Slide out toppers / Master – not functional – replaced                                                   $100.00

Battery Isolator - replaced

Kitchen sink clog – clogged prior to my use – repaired                    

Kitchen sink drain leak – complete pipe separation – repaired

Insta hot water – leaking – repaired                                                                       

Bath and Vanity ceiling vents – not operational – repaired

Front AC T-Stat – not functional – replaced

Drivers side mirror – not functional – repaired

ABS indicator light on – resolved

Unit doesn’t start – new batteries – resolved

Generator doesn’t start – new batteries – resolved

Generator failed in Lubbock – fault code – resolved

Shipping, misc parts and supplies                                                                               $223.50

Deductibles and taxes                                                                                               $880.15

The following items are still not functional and the issues have not been resolved:

VORAD                                                                                                                    $500.00

Bed air chambers – not functional                                                                               $1815.00*

Bed controllers – not functional

Chassis AC - not cold                                                                  

The extensive list above covers all items I was told were functional and fully operational during the walk through and during multiple conversations with both Joe Rosten and Travis Chilton.  In addition, if the unit had actually had a comprehensive PDI as I was promised, all of these items would have been discovered and resolved.  So my only conclusion is, they were discovered, but not disclosed.

I tried to work with Norm and Michael to get these issues resolved, and Norm was minimally helpful in the beginning but quickly had no desire to assist me and simply said he was no longer interested in resolving the issues and to use my service contract and leave it at that.  Norm mentioned on two calls I would be reimbursed for ANY out of pocket expenses related to service work and I intend to hold him and RCRV to that.  Not once did Joe initiate contact, follow up, or even send a thank you card or call after the purchase.  Had I purchased a Ferrari at the same cost from a dealer, I can assure you the personal attention and immediate resolution of the issues would surpass the customer service of your staff members by a million fold.  I understand it’s a leisure industry, but you are selling six and seven figure homes that should demand the same level of service and customer attention.

To date, I have had to utilize the service contract extensively, but for most repairs it has been timely, and often times, I’ve had to battle with them to cover items that are supposed to be covered in the contract.  The contact RCRV sold me is not a compreshensive as it was described - they don't cover all repairs and they don't cover the total time it takes to do a repair.  In addition, I’ve had to deal with an independent inspector who denies repairs, but then after much discussion with the company, they finally determine it is covered.  Regardless of whether or not I have used the service contract, it does not dismiss the fact that I’m still out significant time, my tour has been delayed, and I have had to pay excessive out of pocket diagnostic fees and deductibles.  If the opinion of your staff is that they are not intent on resolving or disclosing the issues because I have a service contract, then that is simply not an acceptable standpoint and very unethical.

The deception and misleading remarks by your staff have not only cost me time but money and lost income. This unit was not road ready and to date is still not ready. I should be half way through my charity tour, and I’m still stuck waiting for the unit’s initial service issues to be resolved. I would like to resolve this issue amicably between the two of us without any legal involvement. My request is fair, justifiable, and commensurate with the costs, delays, and lost income I’ve incurred.   If the unit had been road ready as promised, I would have embarked on my fourteen month charity tour in July. Since it required so much service and time in the shop, I have been unable to leave and use the RV for my charity tour for ten months.

The psychological and financial toll have been significant and continue to grow exponentially as the time frame continues to lengthen.  I simply want my unit to be as described, reimbursed for losses directly related to RCRV’s actions, and get this charity tour that will benefit thousands across the country on the road as soon as possible without any further delay.

I hope that you take this situation to heart and seriously consider my request and are willing to amicably and quickly resolve it so that we can both more forward.

Thank you for your time and consideration regarding this matter.