TravelTiger
Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
Interesting news from another manufacturer, but may have some insight on why units are not being cleaned satisfactorily to remove corrosive materials:
Forest River ends policy of washing RVs on delivery
ELKHART — In a memo sent to RV dealers across the country yesterday, Forest River President Pete Liegl announced the company would no longer wash RVs before the units are delivered to RV dealers, RV Daily Report has learned.
“The RV industry continues to be challenged with getting units delivered in a timely manner through RV transport carriers at peak seasons of the year,” he wrote in the memo. “The solutions extend beyond just the RV transport carriers and more drivers, and include manufacturers and dealers.
“Drivers get paid for driving. The easier the delivery process is, the more time they spend on the road delivering units. Imagine if we could deliver 20 percent more units with the drivers we already have by simplifying the process.
“One of the largest issues drivers report is the wash requirement and wash fee:
• Drivers spend additional time on the road searching for adequate wash facilities.
• The proper equipment or facilities for an RV wash are frequently not available or are inadequate.
• Drivers report that dealer disputes relative to the quality of the wash job or the wash fee are common — delaying them from getting back on the road.
Drivers are tying up heavy equipment to serve as “wash bays.”
“Drivers should be driving. Accordingly, effective Aug. 8, Forest River will be discontinuing wash services and wash fees on all shipped units,” wrote Liegl. “With this policy change, each shipped unit will receive a $30 wash credit on the invoice.
“Additionally, Forest River will endeavor to establish a protocol to timely address any issues with drivers upon delivery of units in order that they are not unreasonably delayed for any single issue,” he added. Working together, we have always found solutions to challenges we have faced.”
Liegl also noted that some units have already shipped without the $30 credit. He instructed dealers to document those instances so the company can make up the short fall at a later date.
The decision is not sitting well with RV dealers, RV Daily Report has learned.
Not only does the $30 credit not cover the time to wash a unit, dealers don’t like the idea of investing even more time to make it ready to display.
The biggest problem dealers have with the policy is that the RVs could arrive so dirty that their staff could miss scratches, rock chips and other problems when checking in a dirty unit. As a result, potential warranty claims may be rejected because the issues were not caught and noted during the check in process, one dealer told RV Daily Report.
Forest River ends policy of washing RVs on delivery
ELKHART — In a memo sent to RV dealers across the country yesterday, Forest River President Pete Liegl announced the company would no longer wash RVs before the units are delivered to RV dealers, RV Daily Report has learned.
“The RV industry continues to be challenged with getting units delivered in a timely manner through RV transport carriers at peak seasons of the year,” he wrote in the memo. “The solutions extend beyond just the RV transport carriers and more drivers, and include manufacturers and dealers.
“Drivers get paid for driving. The easier the delivery process is, the more time they spend on the road delivering units. Imagine if we could deliver 20 percent more units with the drivers we already have by simplifying the process.
“One of the largest issues drivers report is the wash requirement and wash fee:
• Drivers spend additional time on the road searching for adequate wash facilities.
• The proper equipment or facilities for an RV wash are frequently not available or are inadequate.
• Drivers report that dealer disputes relative to the quality of the wash job or the wash fee are common — delaying them from getting back on the road.
Drivers are tying up heavy equipment to serve as “wash bays.”
“Drivers should be driving. Accordingly, effective Aug. 8, Forest River will be discontinuing wash services and wash fees on all shipped units,” wrote Liegl. “With this policy change, each shipped unit will receive a $30 wash credit on the invoice.
“Additionally, Forest River will endeavor to establish a protocol to timely address any issues with drivers upon delivery of units in order that they are not unreasonably delayed for any single issue,” he added. Working together, we have always found solutions to challenges we have faced.”
Liegl also noted that some units have already shipped without the $30 credit. He instructed dealers to document those instances so the company can make up the short fall at a later date.
The decision is not sitting well with RV dealers, RV Daily Report has learned.
Not only does the $30 credit not cover the time to wash a unit, dealers don’t like the idea of investing even more time to make it ready to display.
The biggest problem dealers have with the policy is that the RVs could arrive so dirty that their staff could miss scratches, rock chips and other problems when checking in a dirty unit. As a result, potential warranty claims may be rejected because the issues were not caught and noted during the check in process, one dealer told RV Daily Report.
