Update... Lance called me yesterday and said they will ship the parts to me. It was out of the blue so I was a little surprised. I don't know why they changed thier minds but am glad they did so.
I always like posting on this board because it is just plain entertaining reading the responses you will get. But that is what is great about this country; we can disagree on a subject altogether but still sit at the campground and have a beer together.
I don't want to start another debate but to answer a few questions about the were the items really broken, could the problems be related, etc... I was out the Lance Campout in WV two weekends ago and a Lance Camper tech. looked at my Camper. The shower had been out for about 8 months and water pump just went out. He stated they both needed replacing and to call Lance about getting them fixed locally. This was a Lance dealer telling me this and I no reason to not believe him. That is what started the chain of events that led to my frustration. All is well that ends well; it just took more time to resolve that I would have liked.
- Eric
I purchased a Lance 1131 18 months ago and have a two year warranty. I have had no big issues with it and had to fix a few small issues myself which I expected (QC for every manufactuer not being great these days). Family and I love the camper.
But... The nearest Lance dealer to me is about 250 miles away (where I purchased my camper). My water pump is broke and my exterior shower is broken so I need to get them fixed/replaced. I have about 20 RV dealers in my area (none are Lance obviously). I called my dealer to talk about how to get this fixed with out driving 500 miles round trip and wasting two days. They informed me to call Lance and ask them for authorization to have another dealer fix it. What I was told by Lance is that yes those items are under warranty but I will have to take it to a Lance dealer to get them fixed. I explained to them the nearest Lance dealerer is 250 miles aways. I was told it doesn't matter and they will only authorize repair at another location in a "dire emergency." This is ridiculous!!! Heck; I would love for them just to ship me a new water pump and shower and I will install them myself but they won't do that either.
For the record I have no complaints about the dealer where I purchased my camper. They have helped me out and understand my frustraition. Obvioulsy they will fix it for me if I bring it there. Now the issue is whether to spend $200 on diesel fuel (and two days) or just a little bit more and purchase the parts myself.
For anybody considering the Lance Warranty Dept. to help you out with some common sense don't count on it. Do any of you have any bright ideas on another way to make Lance see the light? My father writes for MotorHome Magazine (TM) and suggested I send a letter into thier Warranty/Tech section and see what happens when they call (that was his advice when I was venting to him last night). Guess I will be writing a letter this weekend.
Thanks for listening to me vent! Any great ideas would be appreciated. - Eric
Up
* This post was
edited 10/27/09 09:37am by endalby *
08 F350, DRW, 4WD, DSL
07 Lance 1131
1 wife, two kids, and a dog
85 CJ7 Part Time Toad
You might try e-mailing to their customer service department with a link to this thread, and let them know if there is a happy ending here you will be very pleased to post it.
Mike and Carole
2006 Triple E Regency 27 foot SXL
2005 16.6 Double Eagle
How about asking your dealer if he will order the parts and ship to you and he can bill Lance for the labor just for sending to you.
Papa Bob
1* DW "Granny"
1* 2008 Brookside by Sunnybrook 32'
1* 2002 F250 Super Duty 7.3L PSD
Husky 16K hitch, Tekonsha P3,
Firestone Ride Rite Air Springs, Trailair Equa-Flex, Champion C46540
"A bad day camping is better than a good day at work!"
In this case bypass Lance (whose customer service generally wildly fluctuates from terrific to "we don't care"!), and go straight to Shur-Flo (the best customer service around!) for the pump and (probably) Camco for the outside shower, and tell their customer service your problems, I'm betting you'll get both replacements in the mail free!
Jack Cole CEO of Lance Campers used to hang out here on RV.Net, and cared about you Lance owners, as did the original founder Dick Murry when he was around. How soon they forget!
See it from Lance's POV for a second... If they let you take your camper to just any RV shop, who knows what will happen? You're talking about places that may or may not have skilled mechanics to fix your problem. You're talking about places that may or may not have experience working on Lance campers.
I know, it's "just this" or "just that" and "how can it be any different from any other camper"... Maybe that's the case, but maybe not. Maybe your actual problem is much different from your perceived problem. There are just too many maybes here, and if it were my money on the line, I'd want to play it safe and make sure people who are presumably trained and experienced with my particular product work on my product. I'm not going to take a soaking from some Johnny-come-fly-by-night RV shop who not only manages to not fix your pump and shower, but also manages to open up a seam where water can get in because his favorite tools are a 3lb sledge and a wrecking bar.
I really hate to sound like the bad guy, but this is how warranties work. This is what you signed on for. You can't turn around and change the rules now because it's inconvenient.
I can understand your concern in getting your New camper, NEW. Things happen and not everything works perfectly. It seems you need to have the items fixed NOW. You have a Truck Camper and it should be mobile, so plan a trip in the next few months to a location that has a LANCE dealership. Use your camper and truck for what it was designed for.
Many of us use our campers without the water portion activated during the winter months by just carrying water bottles and jugs to make the sink and toilet flowable and flushable and a solar shower filled with heated water from your microwave or stove, hung from the Shower rod in your LANCE 1131 will provide you a shower too. As for the outside Shower, do you really need it at this time of year? Can it be put off until you travel by a dealer or are your travels confined to only around where you live, a LANCE free zone?
Some options; buy a new pump yourself and install it and when you get to the LANCE dealer, at some future time, take it out and have them install a replacement one. You will now have a spare pump plus one to provide auxiliary pumping to move water to your tanks. In our race trailer we carry lots of extra parts with the rule; If you have it, that part won’t break. (Wish that was true with 4-speed Toploaders (we carry two)). As for the outside Shower, isolate it by sealing off the water to it. A simple cut of the two supply lines, bend them over onto themselves and clamp them with a small C Clamp, or get a couple of stoppers and crimp lock them, then use the inside shower. The view might not be as nice inside, but your neighbors might thank you.
With my PACE 5th Wheel Trailer, the manufacturer authorizes other RV locations to due warranty work, so it does happen. But do you really expect FORD to authorize a Chrysler dealer to do warranty work? Maybe your expectations are too high, but then again we are living in a world that has an expectation of instant gratification when and how we want it. (insert stomping foot here for effect)
$200 in fuel? Even at 12 mpg and $3/gal, it only equates to $125 for the trip. Yeah, then there is the time along with wear and tear on the truck.
I would make it into a camping trip arranging it so they will do the repair Saturday morning. Still a pain, but at least you get something out of the fuel you burn besides the repair work.
I can see it from both POV and have to agree with Lance since it is the only way they trust to make sure the parts are actually broken in their unit.
You may want to ask them what qualifies as an "emergency"? It may be a simple case of if you are camping and more than 100 miles from a dealership. If so, just camp out at the nearest camprgound and then call to complain that you are going to have to cut your trip short because of the problems. Sometimes it is just asking the right question and talking to the right person.
Photo Albums (Congaree NP added 12/09/09)
2004.5 Ram 3500 4x4 Quad-Cab SRW CTD 6-spd
2004 Lance 815
1982 CJ-8 Scrambler - going, going, anyone
Loving wife, two horse crazed teenage daughters, two horses, two cats
Offline
. I don't know why they changed thier minds but am glad they did so.
Online
