Top Notch Marine and RV Sales process went ok, service for warranty work was a nightmare Fort Pierce Florida

 In February 2013, my partner and I attended an RV show put on by Isle Casino and Resort in Pompano Beach, FL.  During our visit we were looking for a new travel trailer to purchase using our 3 year old pop up travel trailer as a trade-in.  We happened upon a dealer selling the Aerolite’s by Dutchmen and fell in love with the what the trailers had to offer.  They were perfect and because of the show, the prices were in our range.  We worked a great deal with Top Notch Marine and RV, made the purchase which went uneventful.  But, once the contract was signed and they had secured their money, that’s where their customer service ended.  Below is the outline of what happened when trying to get warranty work done.

On 3/26/13 – Spoke with Finance Manager Greg S. regarding a bank topic, advised that we had some warranty issues and was given his email address and the Service Managers email address and told to send a list on things that needed to be looked and when we can drop it off.  I did so that day and requested to drop the trailer off on 4/1/13 and received a reply from the Service Manager the next day saying that 4/1/13 was okay with them.

 4/1/2013 – Dropped off to have the following items corrected:

-        Dinette bracket for bed position failed, causing damage to the wood fascia from the screw.

-        Awning was leaking at mounting place just forward of the galley window.

-        Black water tank was always reading 2/3rds full to completely full.

-        Bottom right cabinet panel below galley sink had fallen off

-        Fan in bathroom would become really loud after just a minute of use.

-        Mount the television to the wall.

-        Fix bumper tube caps where sewage hose is stored so that don’t come off while driving.

Made arrangements to pick unit back up 4/12/13 because the dealership is over 100 miles from our home, plus this gave the service department nearly two weeks to work on the repairs.  We received a call on 4/3/13 that all repairs were done and we can still pick up on 4/12/13.  When we arrived to pick up trailer, we were told everything was done except the black water tank due to a design flaw and if we wanted to take it up with Dutchmen ourselves, we were told to do so with their blessing of luck.  As we walked into the unit, we noticed right away that the TV had not been mounted as we were told because it was still laying on the bed.  We informed the Service Manager who was surprised it wasn’t mounted and had someone go out to mount it.  We also noticed that the battery was completely drained, and since the trailer came equipped with a power tongue lift, we weren’t even able to raise the front of the trailer to hitch to the truck.  They provided us a quick charge to raise the tongue.  

We brought our trailer back to the campground for the weekend and found that the cabinet front we complained about was laying on the floor and the tube bumper caps were about to fall off.  After unhitching, we noticed the battery was completely dead again and took several week before it would hold a charge again.  We later noticed that the fan had not been repaired and when the A/C released it’s condensation, noticed the awning hadn’t been repaired either.

 On 4/16/13, I wrote an email to the Service Manager and CC’d the Finance Manager (who I believe is the owner).  I received a reply right away from the Finance Manager asking to give him a few days to investigate.  I then received an email from the Service Manager the next morning (4/17/13) that started with, “Lets address these issues 1 by 1, First of all, it is not the responsibility of Top Notch...”  (I have a copy of this email if needed).  Also in the email from the Service Manager when we questioned the dead battery, we were told that we needed to check our trucks wiring harness “as it is apparent our charge line is inop”.  On 5/7/13, we had our original equipment 7-pin harness on our 2011 Ford F-150 inspected by a FordServiceCenter and they found no defects.  Since I took offense to this email, I emailed the Finance Manager on 4/18/13 asking that the Service Manager no longer contact us and that we deal with the Finance Manager only until this is resolved.  On 4/19/13, he again responded with the same response asking to give him a few days to investigate.  I waited exactly one week and emailed the Finance Manager on 4/26/13 and asked for an update as I hadn’t heard from him.  I still haven’t received a reply from him.

 On 5/7/13, I called Dutchmen Customer Service to file a formal complaint by calling (574) 537-0600 and spoke with Dan.  He wasn’t able to assist me because Top Notch hadn’t registered me as the owner of any unit.  The only way I can file a complaint is to call back with trailer’s VIN number, which I didn’t have with me.

 On 6/5/13, I called Dutchmen Customer Service to file a formal complaint by calling (574) 537-0600 and spoke with Chad.  I provided him with the VIN # and he found that the vehicle was still registered with Top Notch.  He called Top Notch and spoke with Greg S. who advised him that Andy B. has been terminated and we are not the first customer to have been “burned” by Andy B.  Greg S. advised the Dutchmen Customer Service Rep that I should contact him so that he can take care of the issue.  Dutchmen provided me with the information and took the information to file the formal complaint.  

On 6/5/13, I received a call from Greg S., however, I was at work and unable to answer.

 On 6/6/13, I called Top Notch Marine and RV and asked to speak with Greg S.  Greg answered the transferred call and advised me that Andy B. no longer works there and that he wants to right the wrong that was caused by him.  He then told me that he was actually with another customer and told me to run my story by his new Service Manager Tommy and Tommy would take care of me.  He then transferred me to Tommy.

 Tommy answered the call and I identified myself and asked if Greg had told him anything about me.  He said no, to which I responded, “well apparently, if I mention the name Andy, you will understand” and his response was, “ah, I know where this is going”.  I gave Tommy a brief time-line of the missed warranty work and he asked if I could provide him with the Invoice number as he couldn’t find any of my information in his system.  I was at work and didn’t have the information with me.  I asked if it would be ok to email him the information and the list of items that wasn’t fixed and a list of new items that needed to be taken care of.

 I called my partner, who originally picked up the unit from Andy B. and asked about the invoice, he advised me that Andy B. told him that since there was no amount due, there was no invoice to provide.  I emailed Tommy on 6/6/13 advising that we never received an invoice as well as providing him a list of things Andy didn’t do, a list of things that are now in need of repair (warranty work), and list of things that are on our wish list with a note that perhaps Top Notch would be willing to take care of 1 or 2 of the items on our wish list in order to right the deplorable service we received.

I hadn’t heard anything from him, so on 6/19/2013, I called Top Notch Marine and RV and asked for Tommy.  Tommy answered the transferred call, I identified myself and said, “just wondering if you received my email because I have heard from you in nearly two weeks.”  He said, “Uhm, yes.  I did receive it and I am now waiting on parts that I have ordered.  And I don’t think Top Notch is willing to take on any part of the items you want added on.”  I asked him to keep me updated and he said that he would call me as soon as the parts arrived, although I have no idea what parts he is ordering, especially since he hasn’t even seen the unit yet.

On Monday 6/24/13, I called Top Notch Marine and RV and asked to speak with Greg S. to inform him that we aren’t getting anywhere with Tommy either.  He was with a customer and unable to come to the phone so I left a message with the receptionist asking him to contact me back.  I never received that call back from him.

 On 7/9/2013, I called Dutchmen Customer Service to file a follow-up on the initial complaint and spoke with Bob.  Bob took the additional information to update the complaint and confirmed that there have been no orders from Top Notch Marine and RV for parts for my Travel Trailer or under my name.  Bob then provided me with alternative dealerships that I can use that may be able to assist me with my warranty issues.