RayChez wrote: I don't own either but I have checked both for future coaches to have. I really like the looks of the Monaco inside and out. I do not like the stiff ride of the Camelot that I was test driving. Beautiful coach and all but I don't like the ride. Everything else was nice.
Phaeton has a very poor floor plan and I just don't like the workmanship of the interior on the Phaeton. Now we get to the Allegro Bus and that is a real nice coach and would be in my short list. Now all this talk about taking a coach to the factory for repairs is a no brainer to me. If I had to take a brand new coach to the factory for repairs I would rather just go with another brand. Some in this forum think that is the greatest thing. I think it is terrible that you have to drive several hundred or thousands of miles just to get to where they manufactured the coach. A good dealership should be able to handle 99% of any problems that come up on a coach. I can see taking back if it is something catastrophic, but just for small items? NO way!
No question about it... a GOOD dealer SHOULD be able to handle most repairs.
The problem with most dealers is getting quality trained help to work on the many manufacturers that most dealers try to service.
At the factory the technicians there only have been trained on one product so you get potentially better service.
Tallyo
2007 Winnebago Adventurer
W-24, 6 spd Allison
Saturn VUE w/ Brake Buddy Vantage
Drinks-6, Eats-4, Sleeps-2
Semper Fi
THere is no best coach. Every mfr. has problems. None of them have proper quality control. Note that not one RV mfr. is ISA 9001. If any of you have ever worked for a company that tried to get that certification you would know that it would be impossible for any of the RV mfrs. to obtain. We own a Monaco and did look closely at the Allegro Bus. For the $ it is better than my Monaco. BUT: Tiffin delivers his units with lots of problems. They are all fixed AFTER the sale. If I lived closer to Red Bay I might have bought one. If Tiffin were to open a few service centers I think he would double his sales. Tiffin has some serious problems with windows. They either leak or fog. Has been this way for about 4 years and nothing has changed. But regardless there is no other mfr. who will stand behind his units like Mr. Tiffin.
Go to Red Bay ??? Tiffin has 2 factory service people in Ca. that make house calls if needed!!!!! Not sure of any other company will do that. I chatted with one of them at the last Allegro ralley at French Camp Ca. that was impressive!!! good luck rvtommy
WA1RI wrote: I sold Tiffin, Monaco and al in their family, as well as American, Fleetwood, Damon and Forest River.
Not that I know it all, but I did receive a lot of training and factory tours.
For a price point there are more features on a Tiffin. period. Now, whether these are the features YOU are looking for, and ifthe floorplan is the ONE that works for you, the brand hardly makes a difference.
FWIW, the cust satisfaction stats usually released in the spring were not this year. Because Tiffin smoked everyone else. The reporting group didn't want it to look so one sided. Oh, and not because they were all so happy at the factory, but because they were all so happy withtheir coaches.
Me, I have an older Fleetwood. Number of reasons, 1- all the bugs worked out?, 2 no slides, we all know these will leak or break? 3- I could write a check for it.
Tiffins of that vintage had horrible styling.
As Lucy stated, this erroneous info that you have to take your coach back to Red Bay for service is quite comical. If you CHOOSE to go to Red Bay for service, it is commonplace for them to do repairs for little or no cost on coach's out of warranty. I also personally have had dealings with one of the West Coast service rep's and he bent over backwards to help me with my minor issues and allowed me to take my coach to a service center of my choice. I noticed my coach pulled to the right slightly, but it was such a minor issue, I didn't mention it to Tiffin until six months and 4k miles later. Tiffin authorized and paid for a full alignment with no questions asked within minutes while I was at the service center. When I offered to pay myself and get reimbursed through Tiffin, the service manager said "Don't worry about it, Tiffin is great to deal with." He said Fleetwood was the worst at authorizing/paying for warranty claims and Monaco was a close second. Nuff said about that...
* This post was
edited 07/13/08 03:02pm by an administrator/moderator *
08 Tiffin Phaeton 40QSH
08 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited w/Hemi
We are happy with our Tiffin and we've been to Red Bay. This Allegro Bus replaced a Newmar that we were not satisfied with. It's your money and your choice - just hope you are lucky and make a good decision and that the folks on the assembly line are happy .
As Lucy stated, this erroneous info that you have to take your coach back to Red Bay for service is quite comical. If you CHOOSE to go to Red Bay for service, it is commonplace for them to do repairs for little or no cost on coach's out of warranty.
All I can say is that I have been reading posts in this forum for six years, and I could never understand why most Tiffin owners wanted to take their coaches all the way to Red Bay to have it serviced. Geez! with the price of fuel now days, it would be cheaper just to trade it in for another coach.
Another thing I could never figure out is why call Bob Tiffin so much. That poor man must be on the phone all the time talking to unhappy customers. You can go back and check some of these posts and all they say all the time is call Bob Tiffin. That is what is so comical about the whole thing.
Ray, I've owned our Allegro Bay for almost five years and have never had to call Bob Tiffin, as his employees have taken excellent care of us! Furthermore, many fulltimers like to go to Red Bay for service and get there a month early and their camping fees are zilch as long as they are there for warranty work. That is one reason why they are not rushing Tiffin to get the job done quickly. Plus, you end up hanging out with other Tiffin owners, going out to eat with them and visiting with them in the various motor homes, which makes for a very friendly atmosphere. The only way to understand Red Bay, is to actually go there, do the factory tour, and chill out with the other motor home owners. Even my wife will ask, "when can we go to Red Bay?" Only problem is, we have no logical reason to go there! It is definitely a completely different atmosphere there, vs the other MH manufacturers! Chuck/Bagman.
RayChez wrote: Now all this talk about taking a coach to the factory for repairs is a no brainer to me. If I had to take a brand new coach to the factory for repairs I would rather just go with another brand. Some in this forum think that is the greatest thing. I think it is terrible that you have to drive several hundred or thousands of miles just to get to where they manufactured the coach. A good dealership should be able to handle 99% of any problems that come up on a coach. I can see taking back if it is something catastrophic, but just for small items? NO way!
We can take our Phaeton to any dealer or service center we wish. If it is for warranty work, we just have to have the factory authorize it.
We choose to take our Phaeton to the factory for service. The operative word is "choose." In the five and a half years we have had our Phaeton, we have never had to pay for any repairs done at the factory. All repairs were covered "under warranty" even though we are long out of warranty.
The excellent service we have had both at the factory and in telephone calls to the techs have made us loyal customers.
Bob Tiffin may not "walk on water" but he and his company set a standard for customer relations and service that others should strive to meet.
Dennis and Cindy Henderson
fulltiming, currently at Crabtree Meadows, milepost 339 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina
The excellent service we have had both at the factory and in telephone calls to the techs have made us loyal customers.
Bob Tiffin may not "walk on water" but he and his company set a standard for customer relations and service that others should strive to meet.
I am not a Tiffin owner or a prospect but I do understand and get this.
Bob Tiffin and his associates at Tiffin have made "customer care" the top priority at Tiffin. This mission is in evidence in just about everything they do.
I do not believe that Tiffin builds the best engineered coach or the best quality coach but I do believe that there is no manufacturer that exceeds their commitment to customer support after sales.
In terms of visiting Red Bay I completely understand... Owners have the expectation that they will receive special treatment will look forward to visiting..Plus there is the fellowship of fellow owners... And the lure of the local charm...
Visiting Red Bay is on my list and I do not own a Tiffin.
Offline
