Texas Holdout
In October 2008, my wife and I traveled from Iowa to Galveston, Texas, in our motorhome to assist victims of Hurricane Ike. We were glad to find a spot at Space Center RV Park in League City, about 20 miles from our workstation on Galveston Island. Most of the RV parks that hadn’t been shut down by the hurricane were packed with people displaced by the storm and with hurricane-relief volunteers.
Our happiness was short lived. After our third day in the park, we discovered that two of our lower driver’s side compartment doors had been scratched when the grass around our site was mowed. We immediately reported the scratches to the park manager, who came to inspect the damage. The manager indicated that the young man who’d done the mowing the day before had similarly damaged another motorhome in the park a few days prior. The manager promised to report the damage to the park owner. However, he said that the he believed the man they hired to mow the grass was responsible, not the park.
Several days later, we were contacted by the man who mowed the lawn. He admitted he’d damaged our motorhome. He said that he was out of his home and out of work as a result of the hurricane and was living in his 26-foot travel trailer with his wife and two children. With no place to stay, he asked if he could mow the park’s lawn. They agreed and paid him $150, letting him use the park’s lawnmower. He indicated that he wasn’t used to the park’s mower and had accidentally scratched two other rigs in the park while mowing.
He apologized profusely and said that even though he didn’t have insurance, he’d try to pay us for the damage. However, the $150 he just got from the job wasn’t going to cover it. This just didn’t seem right to us, and we felt that the RV park ultimately was responsible.
We talked to the park manager several times and were told the owner would contact us. He never did. We wrote two letters to the owner documenting our damage and asking him to turn the matter over to his insurance company, but we never received a reply.
After 30 days, our hurricane-relief work was completed, and we left Space Center RV Park without any resolution. When we got home, we sent a registered letter to the owner along with the copies of the previous letters and estimates of the damage. The owner has still refused to talk with us.
We had the two compartment doors painted at a cost of $390. We’d like Space Center RV Park to reimburse this cost.
Greg and Yvonne Burton, Auberry, California
ACTION LINE: After sending a petition to Space Center RV Park in Houston, Texas, Action Line received the following update from the Burtons:
As a result of Action Line’s letter, we received a check for $390 from Space Center RV Park. We’d like to thank Action Line for the assistance in getting a quick resolution to the problem. Action Line really does help!
Refund Gone Wrong
I have a problem concerning McMahon’s RV in Irvine, California. I’ve spent almost a year trying to cancel an extended warranty I’d acquired from the dealership. I drove to McMahon’s and signed all the required paperwork to cancel the warranty. I was told that the refund would be mailed to me in three weeks. I’m sitting here months later, and I still haven’t received a check. I’ve called every week for over five months, and the response is always, “It’s in the mail” or “We’ve lost your file” or “We’ll get back to you.” I’ve spoken with several people in the company, including the finance manager, sales managers and even the company’s legal assistant. Still nothing.
Gerald Ohman, Santa Rosa, California
ACTION LINE: A petition was sent to McMahon’s RV of Irvine, California, on behalf of Gerald Ohman. Mr. Ohamn has subsequently contacted Action Line with the following update:
I just received the refund from McMahon’s RV. I want to thank Action Line for the intervention on my behalf. Action Line was able to get the action that I was unable to obtain.
Brother, Can You Spare a Spare?
A tire on my RV blew out 40 miles from the closest turnoff in Bakersfield, California. When the man with the tow company arrived, we discovered that the rig’s spare tire and rim were the wrong size for my coach. The coach used 225/70 R 19.5 tires, and the spare was 245/70 R 19.5. I was left with no choice but to have the tow company tow the coach 80 miles in order for me to buy a new tire to continue on my way. The cost of the tow was $225.
The tow company was unable to find the right size rim for the spare tire, so I called Winnebago’s customer-service number and explained the situation. I felt they owed me a tire and a rim. The customer-service rep told me they’d look into the situation to determine whether the responsibility lay with Winnebago or Workhorse, which manufactured the RV’s chassis. I waited one day for a phone call back, and when I didn’t get a call, I found a local truck shop and bought the rim for $266.65.
I realize that my coach is out of warranty, but this isn’t really a warranty issue. I bought the coach and expected it to be equipped properly. It wasn’t. Can Action Line please assist me?
Rex Brown, Sheridan, Oregon
ACTION LINE: A petition was sent on behalf of Good Sam member Rex Brown, resulting in the following response from Rod Schlingmann, service manager at Winnebago Industries:
Mr. Brown placed a call to our service administrative office to inform us the spare wheel on his 2004 Winnebago Brave was the wrong size and wouldn’t fit as a spare. Even though his new-vehicle limited warranty expired nearly five years ago, we advised Mr. Brown that we’d research the problem and get back to him. Unfortunately, before we were able to return a call to Mr. Brown, he purchased a rim, not giving us the opportunity to assist him directly.
As a goodwill gesture, we’re offering Mr. Brown what it would cost for us to provide him with a new tire and rim. We hope this resolves his complaint, regardless of the age of his vehicle.
Suspended Service
On our way to Wichita, Kansas, the air suspension bags on our Dynamax motorhome failed. We called Dynamax and were directed to an authorized repair shop for Air Lift, which makes the RV’s suspension system. The shop billed Air Lift, but we paid the night’s hotel bill and the airfreight charges for the parts so that we wouldn’t have to wait a week for repairs.
After returning home, the new air bags continued to leak, forcing the compressor to continually run to compensate for the lack of suspension. I took the RV to the dealership. Several calls and a month later, I finally received a call back from the dealership’s service manager, who stated that the dealership was about to go out of business. He also informed me that he was having a hard time getting the new bags from Dynamax. I decided to bring the RV home and find someone else to do the repair work.
I contacted Dynamax and was referred to another authorized repair shop to do the work. Once the repair work was completed, I paid the bill and was told by Dynamax that I’d receive the reimbursement shortly. Since then, I’ve received countless excuses from Dynamax explaining why the money hadn’t come.
Our RV had only 2,998 miles on it when Air Lift replaced the air bags the first time.
John Parker, Kingston, Tennessee
ACTION LINE: A petition was sent on behalf of Mr. Parker to Dynamax, which prompted the following correspondence from Dan Johnston, Dynamax customer-service representative:
We’re aware of Mr. Parker’s suspension issues and have worked diligently with him and Air Lift, the suspension manufacturer, to resolve his concerns. We recently helped coordinate service at the Air Lift factory to completely review his unit and repair as needed. Dynamax doesn’t warrant the suspension system; Air Lift does. It was our understanding that Air Lift was handling the repayment for the suspension repairs. That hasn’t happened. As a goodwill gesture, Dyanmax is reimbursing Mr. Parker the original $638.40 plus an additional $220.85 for suspension repairs he incurred prior to going to the Air Lift factory.
CONTACT ACTION LINE
Got an RV-related dispute? You can contact Action Line by e-mailing
actionline@goodsamclub.com, writing to Action Line, Box 8545, Ventura, CA 93002, or using the
online form on our website. Be sure to include:
• a brief letter of explanation
• a short summary detailing your expected resolution
• your return mailing address
• if applicable, copies of receipts or other pertinent records
The Good Sam Club’s Action Line has resolved thousands of disputes in favor of members. Highways highlights a sampling of these results in each issue. If you have an issue to resolve, go to
www.goodsamclub.com/community and click on RVer Rights.
Since September 2005, Action Line has received
5,663 letters from you and recovered
$387,231.04.