Hilltop Trailer Sales This company took 6 weeks to repair my RV, horrible service, extortion-like experience Fridley Minnesota

With weeks left on my warranty I took my RV to Hilltop. I needed a new water heater, thermostat, a test panel for the water tanks, and a few other things. It took a little over 2 weeks to get in. When I dropped it off they asked if it's okay that they didn't get to it for a couple days. I said, "Sure, that's fine." So 2 weeks then passed and I called for an update. My call was not returned until my 3rd message. They said none of the jobs had been started. I reminded them of my warranty ending soon. A week later I called again. They said they did 2 things: clean my black water tank and test my battery and so far my bill was 3 hours labor x $110/hour. I asked why they were doing work I did not authorize, and referred them to my work order. They replied, "I'm getting the sense that you are going to give me trouble when it comes time to pay. Maybe I should tell the guys to stop working."

With 3 days left on my warranty, I drove 200 miles RT to visit Hilltop RV see what was happening. I drove onto the lot and saw that my RV was sitting outside. I walked right up to it, nobody was working on it, nobody knew I was there, and I walked in. It was unattended, unlocked, and the interior lights were on which was draining my battery. So I went to the service desk and the assured me it was secure. I asked about the progress, "You've had my RV for 4 weeks now and have not started the work. Why?" They replied that they'd get to it. 

After having my RV for a full 4 weeks they finally got around to working on it. Shortly thereafter I got the call that my out-of-pocket cost would be $900. They listed reasons such as: The MSRP on the water heater itself is $165 and that is what the warranty will pay. But we charge $309 for that so you have to pay the difference. More importently: The list of jobs they say the warranty company would only cover "partially". For example, the warranty will cover 1 hour labor on project "A", but we need 2.5 hours labor. 

So then I had to call my warranty company. They said everything is covered 100%, except for the $50 deductible. After reviewing the list of repairs needed, they said that over half of them had not yet been requested for coverage. So, I realized that instead of using my warranty Hilltop was just going to charge me for much of the work. Either that, or they were going to charge me and then go back to the warranty company to get paid by them as well.

So I got down to business. I called Hilltop and told them I was aware of what was happening. I told them to work with my warranty company. The service guy said the warranty doesn't cover most of the jobs.  So I emailed the owner, Mike Pearo. He sent an email back saying he'd get back to me. He never did. (Mike, I saved the email)

Finally, after 6 weeks (not including the 2 weeks to get the appointment) I got the RV back. It cost me a lot more than it should have, and since it took them so long a number of my trips had to be cancelled. Right after picking up my RV I had a tire blowout. The metal access panel located a the back of the wheel well had not been secured and the sharp edge was rubbing on my tire the whole time. Roadside assistance took 3 hours because they had to change the tire and remove the gnarled metal that was protecting my black water tank before I brought it into Hilltop.

While I was waiting on the side of the road waiting for assistance, I looked around my RV. It did not take long to notice things were missing. Things that were in my RV when I left it with them 6 weeks prior were now gone. From CDs to hoses, all the way down to those tiny protective rubber feet. 

So I talked to the owner on the phone. Hilltop Trailer Sales took no responsibility for the blowout, saying the timing was a coincidence. Additionally, there was an implication I might be trying to get some free stuff by reporting things were stolen. (In fact, I keep discovering new things missing every time I go in to my RV) He then went on to talk about an employee they needed to let go- that it just was not working out. He never said whether it was incompetence or dishonesty. He continued by saying there are a lot of internal politics at their business and employees are stretched thin. Their service guys are simply overworked- and they're working on my vehicle. 

They refused any sort of compensation, reimbursement, or consideration of any kind. Nothing. I said, “Hilltop charges $110.00 per hour for labor and you charged double the MSRP on many parts. Based on price, Hilltop is not some discount business. You are a full price shop. And with those prices people expect a high level of service”. After saying that, they were still unmoved. They only wanted to get me off the phone so they could go home for the evening. The phone call ended without a happy ending and the only compensation for my headache is to write this and give fair warning to someone who is choosing an RV shop. I asked the owner, "Where's the customer service?" He replied, "What do you mean by customer service?" Exactly.  My phone call with the owner ended with him saying, "Sorry you believe we failed you."