RSuggs
05-18-2014, 07:49 PM
DRV FACTORY NOT WHAT THEY USED TO BE…
Due to a major accident admittedly my own fault, I inadvertently tore the front air conditioning unit off of our RV. The accident caused substantial damage causing the roof to bow down above the master bedroom ceiling, which caused the roof to leak. I pay my monthly insurance premiums to a reputable company that paid to have the damage fixed. I took the RV back to the factory, which obviously would seem like the best place, apparently NOT. DRV fixed the bedroom ceiling, installed a new AC unit on the roof, but left the dip in the roof. DRV stated that the issue was cosmetic only and it would never be an issue. We received a certificate from DRV stating as such.
A year later the roof began to leak and so we took the RV back to a factory approved repair site that was handling their overload of repair work. The outsourced company installed a new boot around the AC unit and stated that it had not been installed properly to begin with, which is what caused the leak.
Seven months later the roof began leaking again from the same place. I took the RV to a large reputable local repair shop and they would not touch it due to the bow in the roof. I immediately called DRV and scheduled an appointment in January during their slow time of the year. (Side note: Howe, IN is 8 hours from Nashville, TN where I live) January arrived and I made the haul to Howe, IN and DRV installed a new AC boot on the unit again, and stated that was the origin of the issue. I vehemently disagreed with their prognosis and instructed them that I wanted the bow in the roof fixed. The bow is causing water to puddle on the roof, which is making the new boots wear out in a relative short period of time.
Our insurance company stepped in and although the Ins. Co. has to go by factory recommendation they agreed to take off the roof and install new rafters and roof on the unit, but DRV will not take responsibility for the inside damage due to the roof leak. Due to the negligence in installation of the AC boot by DRV as well as the faulty repairs of the outside structure of my RV, I am currently paying out of pocket to repair water damage to the inside. My family and I are caught in the middle of a Conundrum. Negligent Manufacturer vs. Insurance Co. since DRV will not take full responsibility and not admitting to fault. The fault lies with myself obviously for having the accident in the first place, but I would like to know that if an accident occurs and my insurance is willing to pay that the manufacturer would stand behind their work.
Lastly, a bowed roof is NOT cosmetic as DRV continued stating. It leads to substantially greater problems, which I experienced first hand. My wife and I did a lot of research before buying from DRV in the first place because it was a company with a reputation for customer service, integrity, and standing behind their work and a well-built unit. Unfortunately, for my family and I this has not been our experience. It has been a headache and a huge ordeal to get anything accomplished by DRV. I am upset and disappointed that I have had to go through this experience and sincerely regret the day that I purchased from this manufacturer.
Currently, we are still waiting on a third party company in IN to fix the inside water damage. They have called DRV, left messages, sent emails, etc. in an effort to try and get parts to fix our RV. Not only have we experienced a total lack of customer service in the repairs dept., but now the company we did find to fix our camper cannot get parts from DRV. It seems this soap opera is never ending. This is yet another example of how far DRV has fallen. To those considering purchasing from this company I sincerely hope you read this letter and choose otherwise. This open letter is an effort to invoke change in the market. If I impact one person in the camping community to take their business elsewhere, it was worth writing. Here it is May and we have yet to get to go on our first camping trip since the unit has been there since January.
We are done with DRV plus i am seeing that there prices continue going up and the quality is DEFINATELY going down.
Thanks.
Cindy and Ryan Suggs
Due to a major accident admittedly my own fault, I inadvertently tore the front air conditioning unit off of our RV. The accident caused substantial damage causing the roof to bow down above the master bedroom ceiling, which caused the roof to leak. I pay my monthly insurance premiums to a reputable company that paid to have the damage fixed. I took the RV back to the factory, which obviously would seem like the best place, apparently NOT. DRV fixed the bedroom ceiling, installed a new AC unit on the roof, but left the dip in the roof. DRV stated that the issue was cosmetic only and it would never be an issue. We received a certificate from DRV stating as such.
A year later the roof began to leak and so we took the RV back to a factory approved repair site that was handling their overload of repair work. The outsourced company installed a new boot around the AC unit and stated that it had not been installed properly to begin with, which is what caused the leak.
Seven months later the roof began leaking again from the same place. I took the RV to a large reputable local repair shop and they would not touch it due to the bow in the roof. I immediately called DRV and scheduled an appointment in January during their slow time of the year. (Side note: Howe, IN is 8 hours from Nashville, TN where I live) January arrived and I made the haul to Howe, IN and DRV installed a new AC boot on the unit again, and stated that was the origin of the issue. I vehemently disagreed with their prognosis and instructed them that I wanted the bow in the roof fixed. The bow is causing water to puddle on the roof, which is making the new boots wear out in a relative short period of time.
Our insurance company stepped in and although the Ins. Co. has to go by factory recommendation they agreed to take off the roof and install new rafters and roof on the unit, but DRV will not take responsibility for the inside damage due to the roof leak. Due to the negligence in installation of the AC boot by DRV as well as the faulty repairs of the outside structure of my RV, I am currently paying out of pocket to repair water damage to the inside. My family and I are caught in the middle of a Conundrum. Negligent Manufacturer vs. Insurance Co. since DRV will not take full responsibility and not admitting to fault. The fault lies with myself obviously for having the accident in the first place, but I would like to know that if an accident occurs and my insurance is willing to pay that the manufacturer would stand behind their work.
Lastly, a bowed roof is NOT cosmetic as DRV continued stating. It leads to substantially greater problems, which I experienced first hand. My wife and I did a lot of research before buying from DRV in the first place because it was a company with a reputation for customer service, integrity, and standing behind their work and a well-built unit. Unfortunately, for my family and I this has not been our experience. It has been a headache and a huge ordeal to get anything accomplished by DRV. I am upset and disappointed that I have had to go through this experience and sincerely regret the day that I purchased from this manufacturer.
Currently, we are still waiting on a third party company in IN to fix the inside water damage. They have called DRV, left messages, sent emails, etc. in an effort to try and get parts to fix our RV. Not only have we experienced a total lack of customer service in the repairs dept., but now the company we did find to fix our camper cannot get parts from DRV. It seems this soap opera is never ending. This is yet another example of how far DRV has fallen. To those considering purchasing from this company I sincerely hope you read this letter and choose otherwise. This open letter is an effort to invoke change in the market. If I impact one person in the camping community to take their business elsewhere, it was worth writing. Here it is May and we have yet to get to go on our first camping trip since the unit has been there since January.
We are done with DRV plus i am seeing that there prices continue going up and the quality is DEFINATELY going down.
Thanks.
Cindy and Ryan Suggs