Comments on: Dealers disappointed with Dometic recall

By: George Viscia

George Viscia — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 17:42:56 +0000

My experience with this recall is as follows I used a dometic recommended repair facility who installed the recall parts then installed a screw to anchor the new schematic metal plate shorted out the 120 volt element then proceeded to drop off a new element which he did not install found out that the surge had burned out the generator circuit board which he removed to get repaired came back 2 days later and reinstalled the burned board and said he was not required by dometic to repair thi board.Now my RV that worked perfect has no refrigerator or generator and the problem is my problem.Try to find a repair shop that will take over someone elses defective work.

By: Laurie

Laurie — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 03:33:39 +0000

Well take this recall seriously - today my friend’s trailer burned down because of one of these fridges.

By: LeslieO

LeslieO — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 16:59:12 +0000

It’s very interesting to read the dealer’s side of this issue. We just purchased a preowned unit and were not advised of the recall/ We are currently traveling in it and will be sure to contact the dealershipwhen we return. Now we are scrambling to find a dealer who will perform the patch repair and still keep our reservation schedule. We own a refurbushed laptop/computer sales and service business and find certain units are subject to chronic [problems of a specdific type. ex. toshiba / tecra /8100/8200 and some satellites has inverter isssues which cause the screen to flicker. Toshiba only admitted responsibility of the 8100 and replaced the inverter for the customer. Many customers have taken their laptops in to other service centers and paid for a very costly full display repair from dealerships who were less experienced at best or unscrupulous at worst. At least these are not safety issues but my point is it happens in all areas I guess. we sold many refurbushed toshiba tecras before realizing this flaw existed and ate the cost of repairs . Well good luck to everyone. Im up in the western NC Mountaions day 2 of a long deserved vacation and afraid to use my fridge.Sometimes Life comes at you fast. My husband is in denial maybe that is easier.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:00:00 +0000

Great job on the articles which are very informative. As far as the Dometic recall issue goes you are right on…Our service manager couldn’t agree more. His first replacement took about an hour and now he is down to about 30-40 minutes.

At our morning meeting this morning (before reading your article) he was complaining about the payment being so small for what is required and suggested that we decline to do any more of these repairs. We decided to continue servicing our customers who purchased from us and only do others on a case by case basis.

Then in the mail today I received a notice from Dometic stating that if any dealer charges a customer for the repair kit or installation they can be charged a $5,000 fine per incident. They also state that any dealer can decline to do these warranties by calling Dometic and having our name removed from their service list.

I seems to me is that they are really saying “we know we are not paying enough, but if you charge the customer you could be fined”. AND “if you opt out of this recall repair we will take you off our service list”. Big corporations like Dometic seem to have No Fear.

By: Paul

Paul — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 17:59:44 +0000

In the 18 years of being in the RV industry on the service side one thing rings true through the majority of Techs I have talked to. Dometic takes care of Dometic, hands down. If only the Manufacturers would wake up and realize that they should be loyal to the Dealer and the Customer who pays their salary and and be sensitive to their safety both physically and financially.
I remember being involved in two refrigerator recalls in the 80s where Norcold on both occasions stood behind their product in a fair and reasonable manner to all involved. Thats why my dealership displays and sells Norcold refrigerators three to one over Dometic units. We prefer doing business with companies who don”t try to nickel and dime you to death over everything you do with them.

By: Jim L.

Jim L. — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 17:32:49 +0000

It’s simple, really. We “take care” of those who purchased their RV from us. That’s just the cost of doing business. If they did not buy their RV from us, they can wait a VERY LONG time (hint, hint!) or find someone else to do their recall.

I received a packet from Norcold offering a “Spiff” to any Service Advisor if they sell a Norcold Refer to replace specific (read “recall”) Dometic units. Guess what my SA’s are pushing now?

By: Carl Rader

Carl Rader — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 15:38:59 +0000

Sean is on the money in his response. As a forty year veteran of the automotive service business who moved into full-time motorhome work 4 years ago, I’ve been amazed by this industry. Some good; some bad. All the mfrs. and component suppliers put on a customer service oriented face for the public and their tech support is generally pretty good too. But woe is you if you get stuck with warranty work and as a one man band working independently, I don’t very often. Dometic has proven so arbitrary and time stingy that I absolutely refuse to do any warranty work for them, the refrigerator recall included. The final straw was when the company stiffed me completely on the last warranty job I did for them, this after giving me an authorization number beforehand for the work. “Incorrect paperwork” on my part. Okay, ‘bye, see ya’, Dometic. It was a loser even if they had paid me and the lesson was worth the cost.

I have to say I’d hate to be a selling dealer and have to play the game with daily warranty work. Mebbe it’s better from the mfrs. if you’re buying new vehicles, but I can’t see how that would help with suppliers like Dometic. Frankly, the only warranty job I’ve done in four years that was handled in a timely manner with very fair labor allowance was for Workhorse Chassis.

By: Sean Woodruff

Sean Woodruff — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 13:52:20 +0000

This is a symptom of larger industry problems that, unless I’ve missed it, hasn’t been addressed here.

Where are the MANUFACTURERS of the actual coaches in all of this? Why aren’t they outraged and forcing Dometic’s hand to support the dealers and service centers? Are manufacturers and dealers partners (I have to chuckle as I ask this last question)?

There is a pervasive lack of trust that runs through this problem. Dometic doesn’t believe that they will be charged accordingly and the dealer thinks they are being low balled. The man holding the purse strings wins unless everyone refuses to do the work. But, as we all know, there is always someone willing to bend over and do the work for little money (pun intended).

Dometic is approaching this like 99% of the industry approaches their brand. They are treating it as a PRODUCT problem. If someone there had half a clue they would understand it is a stakeholder (Manufacturer, Dealer, CUSTOMER) problem.

Will Dometic be damaged by this? Probably not because the coach manufacturer will continue to use the Dometic product. It’s obvious from their approach they don’t have a clue about supporting a brand. I haven’t heard otherwise.

By: Lonnie Hall/M. B. Thomas RV Sales

Lonnie Hall/M. B. Thomas RV Sales — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 00:10:26 +0000

Dometic is not considering the RV Customer, and will pay
in the future with lost sales/customers.

We are doing the recall for our customers, but making it
clear to them that most of the cost is on us.

Paper work on most warranty work is becoming a nightmare, not just this recall. Maybe it’s time the manfacturer allows an additional charge for the paper work, packing and returning of defective parts!

By: Bob Watson

Bob Watson — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 23:23:36 +0000

Personally I think the recall is a good idea. I actually like doing the work involved because of the quick turn around and the new customers it brings in. You just have to ensure that a positive experience is had by all.
Having said this, I must also add that many customers will bring in units that have problems thinking they will be repaired at no charge during the performance of the recall procedure. Be sure to ask the customer when was the last time they used their refrigerator, and tell them that you will be checking it both before and after the work is performed. Make sure to check the Amp draw of the element as well as visually verify LP operation. It doesn’t hurt to make sure it switches automatically to gas when the AC power is unplugged also.
You should do this both before and after installing the recall kit. If you don’t and the unit doesn’t work afterwards, you will more than likely hear these words from the customer… “IT WAS WORKING WHEN I BROUGHT IT IN”. I know this sounds familiar to some of you.
10 minutes, …. GET REAL. Oh yeah, did anybody see the guy in the video smash up the thermal fuse in the holder?