Good news, Bad news

Me&Margie · Post by **Me&Margie** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:54 am

Good news: We took delivery of our new "Bird" yesterday. The PDI went very well, and the tech was very patient with us as he showed us how to use all the systems in the rig. Towing the rig home was a breeze, considering it was our first time on the road with the rig and it was dark & rainy, and traffic was a mess as usual.
Bad news: Sorry, but I need to vent!! We expected our dealer to toss in a few "goodies" when we took delivery. Wrong!! Maybe our expectations were too high, but we expected the propane tanks to be filled, a starter kit for the sewer system, maybe even a water hose. We got nothing!! They wouldn't even go so far as to put a battery in the clock, and we had to buy a teflon disk from them for the king-pin. Now granted, we didn't really press the issue with them, as we were tired and just wanted to get home with our new toy. Hopefully there won't be any major warranty issues with our rig, because if not, it will be a cold day in H_ _ _ before we step foot in that place again.
Please feel free to give us your opinion on this matter. Were we expecting too much from a dealer where we just spent close to $40K on a new rig?? If so, then I apologize for the vent!!
Anyway, thanks for listening.
Now comes the fun part. Taking the bird out and doing some serious camping!!
Take care, and have a Merry Christmas!!

Tim · Post by **Tim** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 8:21 am

I think that is very unprofessional on the part of the dealer. How does one check the furnace or stove without propane? They definately would not get my business after the warranty period was up.
Merry Christmas.

Tim

jennyt · Post by **jennyt** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 9:17 am

I agree that they could have shown a little more goodwill toward a customer and at least have some basic essentials such as the propane and battery for the clock! Too bad for them as you will likely never recommend them to other potential owners or give them any further business. In the meantime - enjoy your new bird!!

ratherbcamping · Post by **ratherbcamping** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 9:50 am

I'm rather surprised that your dealer didn't do these simple things. We picked up our Cardinal Oct. 6th, and told them to make sure it WASN'T winterized as we were headed immediately to our favorite campground.

We had full propane tanks, a battery in the clock, a free teflon plate, and an "accesory kit" which included a sewer hose and electrical adapter. Everything was ready to roll and we had a great maiden voyage.

It seems as though with the price we pay for our rigs, the dealer would realize that a little bit goes a long way in customer satisfaction!

Joyce

Luizianna · Post by **Luizianna** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 10:37 am

Wow...we got all the goodies plus some levels, and our dealer paid the $100 for the second years warranty from Forest River.

You're right to be upset, the mark up on those things have to be trememdous, there are 3 new dealers just in our area in the last 6 months and they have so many rv's that you'd think there was no way they could sell that many!!

Even with all the goodies, we still spent a small fortune at Camping World the first few months!

Enjoy and make many rv'ing memories!!

campswithcritters · Post by **campswithcritters** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 3:43 pm

You are definitely justified. I recieved all the goodies with the exception of the teflon plate, which I walked over to my trade-in and took that one!

bop11 · Post by **bop11** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:24 pm

I agree with everyone. When we left the dealer we could have gone directly to a campground and started camping. We would have except it was a Wed. and we both had to work Thursday and Friday so we waited until Friday afternoon. Just had to load up some grub and off we went.
Don't skimp when it comes to buying a sewer hose... Longer works better then one that won't reach and A little heavier duty will not embarress you at a busy dump station!!

Congrats and go have some fun!!!!

Me&Margie · Post by **Me&Margie** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 7:38 pm

Thanks for the positive reply's everybody. Makes us feel a little better. Question was asked how they checked the furnace & stove without propane. They have a tank mounted on a hand cart which I assume they wheel around to all the rigs that are being prepped for delivery.
Oh, and waiting in the mail for us when we got home was an offer from CW to join the Presidents Club for $12 a year. My check will be in the mail tomorrow!!
Take care....M&M

Post by **Olbird** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 8:03 pm

They sure did not do a good job taking care of you.
Did you buy your rig from Baydo's in Tacoma, WA.

George:

Big Dog · Post by **Big Dog** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 10:57 pm

Sorry to hear your dealer took the cheap route and as I am about to put in my order I also would like to know if you got your trailer from Baydos. I've talked to them about three or four times and I'm not sure if I will go thru them or Adventure RV.
We hope everything else goes well and enjoy your new toy. Steve and Mary

walmor · Post by **walmor** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 11:01 pm

You should have "Pressed the Issue". I not only got the startup kit but the built in vaccum system, two slide toppers and a metal roll up cover for the awning, just to buy it from them.

Walt

Me&Margie · Post by **Me&Margie** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 8:00 am

To answer Olbird & Big Dog's question, it was not Baydos that we bought from. We bought our Cardinal from the Everett branch of Apache Camping Center. They also have sites in Tacoma, and Portland, Or. I thought about going down to Baydos, after we had decided the Cardinal was the one we wanted, but driving all the way to Tacoma from the Stanwood area didn't seem to be very practical at the time.
The sad part of this whole thing is, we were treated very well by our salesman, David. I guess thats one of the reasons why we expected more from the dealership when we took delivery. OH, Well, live & learn I guess!!
Take care.....M&M

Luizianna · Post by **Luizianna** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 11:03 am

Well at any rate, it is a done deal now and should not make you not enjoy your new toy to the max!

All you have to do is walk inside it...and like Donna says, "fall in love all over again" which is what we do also, after two years of having our bird!!

The excitement of planning the next trip, the hooking it up and getting in the truck and taking off down the road, looking back to make sure she is still with ya!! lol. The panic attacks when you are on the interstate and the people in the on ramp don't look like they are gonna slow down and you can't get over into the left lane...lol

Getting to the campground and finally getting that BIG BIRD parked! The excitement of setting up...getting the awning and your chairs out..finally getting to sit down and admire your prized possession and your surroundings. Then all of a sudden, days have passed and it is time to pack up and head home

Unless, you are among the ranks of the retired and don't have to "weekend" camp! But move over, come Feb 07.. our first 'BIG TRIP TO FREDERICKS BURG" We wont have to pack up Sunday afternoon and HEAD HOME!! yeeeehaaaa!!!

Rob & Cathy · Post by **Rob & Cathy** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 1:03 pm

Olbird wrote:They sure did not do a good job taking care of you.
Did you buy your rig from Baydo's in Tacoma, WA.

Interesting you should mention Baydo's in Tacoma. That is were we bought ours. Without getting into details I wouldn't buy another from them. Of course that is just my opinion based on my experience.

Rob

Me&Margie · Post by **Me&Margie** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 3:24 pm

OK, I promise this will be my last comment on this subject. It seems the deeper I go the muddier it gets!! Was out in the bird this morning getting serial numbers & such for all the warranty cards when I happened to look up and noticed a corner of the decal next to the smoke detector was peeling off. After I had smoothed the decal up I decided to test the detector. NOTHING!!! Pulled the detector down and almost fell over.
The detectors 9v battery was installed upside down!! Man, what next??
And to Luizianna, I couldn't agree with you more. The bottom line is this big beautiful bird is ours (and the banks), and is sitting in our yard just waiting to get packed up and headed out. We are fortunate in that we are retired and can take off just about anytime the fancy strikes us. Thanks to everyone for listening to my venting. Hope to see alot of you folks down the road sometime.
Take care....M&M

Cardinal RV Club