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Old 09-27-2016, 01:44 PM   #1
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Service for Forest River Rockwood Travel Trailer

Need some help. I live in Columbus, Ohio. I went to a local Rockwood dealer in Canal Winchester looking for specific travel trailer. They didn't have what I wanted but said it would take up to 12 weeks to get it. So I looked around and found the one I wanted in Saginaw Michigan. We drove up there and got the Rockwood Ultra Lite 2604WS. I got a pretty good deal and the dealer was very good. I was told about the manufacturer warranty and I even got an extended warranty. I was told at that time that because I lived so far from Saginaw (5 hours) that I could take the trailer to ANY certified Forest River dealer to have it serviced or for any warranty work. They also said that if we were out on the road and someone broke that ANY certified dealer would service it.

We just took a 10-day trip around New England. While on the trip the exhaust fan in the bathroom stopped working. So today I called this local dealer in Canal to get an appointment. I was told that they didn't do service on any trailer if they weren't purchased from this dealership! The guy told me they were too busy with work for RV's that this dealership sold and couldn't take any RVs purchased from other dealers! HUH!? I've never heard of anything like this! I couldn't believe it. So I got online to the Forest River web site to contact them. But under CONTACT it says to contact your local dealer for help.

So any ideas on what I should do? Have any of you run into this problem?
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Old 09-27-2016, 01:50 PM   #2
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That is why so many people buy local. Most dealer will NOT service units they did not sell.
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Old 09-27-2016, 01:53 PM   #3
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Welcome to the world of RV service -vs- anything else you've ever had worked on.

Unfortunately your SELLING dealer didn't do you right telling you what they did. But hey, they wanted to make a sale so they will tell you ANYTHING!
FR pretty much leaves the service work up to the discretion of its dealers, just as you found out.

You can call FR and describe your situation. They 'may' suggest a dealer(s) to whom you can take it to. You might also have some luck finding a mobile tech who can do the work and get reimbursed by the factory. Get authorizations FIRST!.
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Old 09-27-2016, 03:57 PM   #4
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Actually I have a couple more questions. So let's say I am out on the road about 500 miles from home and something vital on the trailer breaks. Are you saying that I won't be able to take it or have it taken to the nearest Forest River place to get it fixed?

Also, I would love to call FR and ask them what to do, but as I said when you go to their website and click CONTACT it says that I should contact my nearest dealer for help. So do you know how to contact FR directly? thanks.
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Old 09-27-2016, 04:13 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Toddupton View Post
That is why so many people buy local. Most dealer will NOT service units they did not sell.
I've owned RVs for 30 years and I had never heard of any dealer refusing to work on units they didn't sell, until I got on this forum. I wonder if it's a regional thing. The only RV we ever purchased local was the first one. We have used dealers for service all over the southwest and never had any problems. Maybe the OP can use an independent. We have also had good luck with them even using warranty.
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Old 09-27-2016, 04:19 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by Tundra15 View Post
Actually I have a couple more questions. So let's say I am out on the road about 500 miles from home and something vital on the trailer breaks. Are you saying that I won't be able to take it or have it taken to the nearest Forest River place to get it fixed?

Also, I would love to call FR and ask them what to do, but as I said when you go to their website and click CONTACT it says that I should contact my nearest dealer for help. So do you know how to contact FR directly? thanks.
If you are on the road traveling, you call FR and explain the problem they will get you to a dealer to do the repair, I know because that happened to me while I was in Florida, they arranged for a dealer between where I was and my destination. You call the Rockwood Service at the factory..... Also your stealer lied to you...
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Old 09-27-2016, 05:18 PM   #7
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This dealer attitude is well known in the RV community and on all RV forums.
It also happens with all RV manufacturers,not just FR. Including Winnebago.
It's discussed on a daily basis here.
FR and other RV manufacturers can't force their dealers to do warranty work on units they didn't sell. They can encourage them to.

FR can find other dealers willing to do the warranty work or independent RV shops that will.
Just contact them.

We bought our HTT from a Chicago dealer 2000 miles away and FR found us local dealers that would do the warranty work.
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Old 09-27-2016, 05:36 PM   #8
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Ok I appreciate all the input on this..... In the mean time I looked up on the forum how to fix my trailer and it is now fixed.

However, I have asked several times if any of you know HOW to contact Forest River??? Because when I click on CONTACT US on their website it basically says I would get better service by contacting my local dealer....nothing else...no phone number...NOTHING! Then I did a GOOGLE search on 'how to contact Forest River customer service'. One hit showed a phone number so I called it and SURPRiSE it was no longer a working number!! Another GOOGLE hit showed the FR website subset page where you had to picked what kind of equipment you had...5th wheel, TT, even pontoon boats. So I clicked on CONTACT US for TT and it took me right back to the page that says 'contact your local dealer for best server'. Sorry but this is maddening!

SO DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO CONTACT FOREST RIVER CUSTOMER SERVICE OR A FR REP ???????? thanks.
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Old 09-27-2016, 05:42 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by Tundra15 View Post
Ok I appreciate all the input on this..... In the mean time I looked up on the forum how to fix my trailer and it is now fixed.

However, I have asked several times if any of you know HOW to contact Forest River??? Because when I click on CONTACT US on their website it basically says I would get better service by contacting my local dealer....nothing else...no phone number...NOTHING! Then I did a GOOGLE search on 'how to contact Forest River customer service'. One hit showed a phone number so I called it and SURPRiSE it was no longer a working number!! Another GOOGLE hit showed the FR website subset page where you had to picked what kind of equipment you had...5th wheel, TT, even pontoon boats. So I clicked on CONTACT US for TT and it took me right back to the page that says 'contact your local dealer for best server'. Sorry but this is maddening!

SO DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO CONTACT FOREST RIVER CUSTOMER SERVICE OR A FR REP ???????? thanks.
Rod Batts
Forest River, Inc.
55135 C.R. 1
Elkhart, IN 46514
574-206-7600
rbatts@forestriverinc.com

Rod oversees several divisions of Forest River. If he can't help you directly he will find someone who can. Good Luck!
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Old 09-27-2016, 05:44 PM   #10
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If he can't help you directly he will find someone who can. Good Luck!
Agreed. I contacted Rockwood sales a few months ago on a question about the unit I had on order. I asked something else unrelated...can't remember what now...and he hooked me up with who I needed to talk to. Pretty quick responses also.
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Old 09-27-2016, 05:58 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by NMWildcat View Post
Rod Batts
Forest River, Inc.
55135 C.R. 1
Elkhart, IN 46514
574-206-7600
rbatts@forestriverinc.com

Rod oversees several divisions of Forest River. If he can't help you directly he will find someone who can. Good Luck!
Mr. Batts has been very helpful to me. He called me at home last year when I expected FR to be waiting on me to make the next move.
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Old 09-27-2016, 06:30 PM   #12
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Mr. Batts has been very helpful to me. He called me at home last year when I expected FR to be waiting on me to make the next move.
Ya think he can tell me who in my area New England, has a trailer I need to see? I can't find one anywhere..
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Old 09-27-2016, 06:50 PM   #13
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Forest River RV Contact Us - Forest River, Inc.

Pick out your TT model and it shows contacts. I used it twice so far for questions on my WJ and they have been very helpful.

SERVICE

Chuck Pederson
Phone: (574) 642-8953
Fax: (574) 642-2633
Email: cpederson@forestriverinc.com

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Old 09-27-2016, 07:24 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by gectisme View Post
Forest River RV Contact Us - Forest River, Inc.

Pick out your TT model and it shows contacts. I used it twice so far for questions on my WJ and they have been very helpful.

If you have a Coachmen, Dynamax, Palomino, Prime Time or a Shasta RV you need to contact them separately as they operate independent of the Forest River Division.
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Old 09-27-2016, 10:21 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by Tundra15 View Post
Ok I appreciate all the input on this..... In the mean time I looked up on the forum how to fix my trailer and it is now fixed.

However, I have asked several times if any of you know HOW to contact Forest River??? Because when I click on CONTACT US on their website it basically says I would get better service by contacting my local dealer....nothing else...no phone number...NOTHING! Then I did a GOOGLE search on 'how to contact Forest River customer service'. One hit showed a phone number so I called it and SURPRiSE it was no longer a working number!! Another GOOGLE hit showed the FR website subset page where you had to picked what kind of equipment you had...5th wheel, TT, even pontoon boats. So I clicked on CONTACT US for TT and it took me right back to the page that says 'contact your local dealer for best server'. Sorry but this is maddening!

SO DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO CONTACT FOREST RIVER CUSTOMER SERVICE OR A FR REP ???????? thanks.
There is a copy in the FRF Library, but I will attach the list for you.
Attached Files
File Type: pdf ContactInformation (1) (3) (1) (1) (1).pdf (46.2 KB, 88 views)
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Old 09-28-2016, 01:58 PM   #16
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Try Suburban Rv in Mansfield Ohio on Ashland road. Tom has always been great for us!
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Old 09-28-2016, 02:15 PM   #17
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I have the same trailer! And I came across the same problem. They don't refuse to help me but say they work people who bought from them first so it will be a long wait.
I have been fixing things myself and send receipt to FR and they reimburse me.

Maybe you can look up my posts and see the trouble I had as soon as I bought my trailer...I have been trying to get somebody to get a picture of the axel area of the same trailer but nobody has so far.
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Old 09-28-2016, 07:54 PM   #18
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When we first got our Windjammer and took it "up North" in Michigan, we lost the refrigerator on the way up. It was very windy and a "fuseable link" blew out as the refrigerator kept trying to relight. When we arrived at the CG we discovered it. It was a Sunday and we were stuck when I happened to open the cabinet door over our bar area and inside was a decal saying to call this number if we had trouble with our RV. It didn't say much else, but, I called it and someone answered and within a few hours a repair person showed up and fixed the problem. Maybe you have such a decal in your kitchen cabinet as well. You might check and see. It sure helped us. We couldn't get it as a warranty repair because we caused the problem, but, at least it got fixed - and on a Sunday at that.
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Old 10-03-2016, 06:00 AM   #19
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Since you live in Columbus, Ohio, you may want to try Arbogast RV in troy. It is an easy tow across I70. We purchased our WJ there and have gotten very good service. You can ask them about servicing your TT. They are a forest river dealer. They were going to service our previous Rockwood that we didn't buy from them, but then we traded it for the WJ.
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