Problems In Nacogdoches?

Topic: Problems In Nacogdoches? (Read 6627 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #75 – June 09, 2014, 09:27:42 pm

Neal and everyone else,

I did call, many times, and worked my way up the food chain until someone paid attention and made things as right as they could. Nothing for my time, a 400 mile detour to get someone else to fix the problem. Cory Rucker did apologize for the misdiagnosis, replacing the wrong parts and for leaving my coach much dirtier than when it went in.

I also completed the service questionnaire repeating my experience. This got no response. They didn't even acknowledge that they received it.

I have owned my own businesses for nearly 40 years. My work depends on a close working relationship with my clients, trust, honesty and performance. With a relatively small customer base FOT cannot afford to lose a single client due to their own mismanagement of customer relationships, poor quality workmanship, lack of attention to detail and the one on one connection at the service door coming and going we all deserve and expect.

I take my coach to the Cummins NPower service center in St Paul. The service manager makes it his business to make sure they know what my concerns are when they start work, keeps me up to date on progress and will spend as much time as needed to show me and explain to me what was done when it work is done. I don't see a cashier who has no idea what is going on, the transaction is completed by the service manager. It is the reason I go back.

Here is the address I have for Cory Rucker. Positions may have changed.

I have sent him an email calling this topic to his attention.

Roger

Cory Rucker
Vice-President of Operations
Foretravel of Texas
936-564-8367 ext.181
800-955-6226
cory.rucker@foretravel.com

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #76 – June 09, 2014, 09:36:09 pm

A post I started..."As of today (5/8/14) first available service is July 14th...That is crazy...Come on guys..Afraid to ask about remodel shop."

Really getting concerned FOT doesn't seem to put the $$ into training or hiring competent mechanics..

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #77 – June 09, 2014, 10:01:31 pm

Here is an excerpt from a letter we sent to FOT following extensive service (60 items) on our new-to-us U320 purchased at FOT (not a consignment):

What was done well: We were impressed by Foretravel's willingness to correct so many problems with a used coach. Everyone was friendly and accessible - it was very helpful to interact with the technicians. The Tiffin factory service center is much the same but their appointment system is very difficult to work with. Newmar is a little different as the techs drive the coach to the service buildings and bring it back to your site. They do not allow customers in the service bays.

What could have been done better: The quality of the work varied by department. When there were failures, it was usually caused by an inexperienced person or they were rushed for time and failed to verify the work was done properly. This was more likely to happen on things Foretravel was paying for.

The company could do better on feedback to customers about what was done that day. It seems the service writers do not monitor progress very closely until the work orders go back to them at the end of the day. We did not hear from our service advisor often enough on progress/problems. Not a problem for a customer with a one or two day stay, but folks with a long list like us would appreciate a more proactive approach.

How does Foretravel's service compare: Better than a typical RV dealer, but not as good as other factory service centers we have used: Tiffin, Newmar, Freightliner, Cummins, and Allison. The paint shop and three expensive failures in the general repair shop dragged your rating down to below average.

The quality of the work performed:

1. The remodel department did the best overall job - everything was done on-time and the craftsmanship was excellent.

2. The fiberglass shop quality was very good and we thought the price was reasonable for the amount of work performed.

3. The paint shop was very sloppy. The actual paint work done was fine, but we had to clean up overspray on the drivers mirror and window, there was paint on the taillight bulbs because they did not protect them when the lenses were out. They also reversed the back-up and turn signal wiring. We had to take the coach back to have a stripe painted as it was left off. They also failed to notice a damaged refrigerator vent that should have been replaced before applying the roof sealer.

4. The chassis shop fixed the leaking steering box OK, but should have checked the rest of the suspension as it was obvious the tie rod end boots were badly deteriorated, the sockets were dry and needed replacement - which we would have been glad to pay for if we had known about it at the time.

5. The general repair shop had highs and lows. The large majority of jobs were done well but there were significant failures that could have been avoided. The items listed below were originally on or added to the PDI.

   a.) Both front bearing seals were poorly repaired (job#11). The seals used were not the correct Stemco gaskets, too much red RTV sealer was used and they were loose and leaking oil by the time we drove the coach home to Florida. We paid $291 to have the job done correctly.

   b.) The rusted-out generator tray was replaced - but they did not re-install the rubber vibration isolators. The vibration and noise inside the coach were very high afterwards and I was told by the tech it was normal. I explained the problem to the Power-Tech factory and they told me the isolators should have been put back in during reassembly. We spent $521(parts and labor) to have 4 isolators installed to solve the excessive vibration problem.

   c.) The Aqua-Hot (job#37) failed the day after leaving Foretravel. Our Aqua-Hot dealer told us the shaft bearings were bad causing the blower motor to run too slowly and eventually overheat and fail. This should have been noticed by the tech at FOT who replaced the leaking fuel pump. Instead, he adjusted the fuel pump pressure to compensate for the slower rpm. Our cost to replace the bearings and blower motor was $657 + labor.

FOT never responded to the letter - guess they just don't care.

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #78 – June 09, 2014, 10:29:20 pm

well, I will say that we had a terrible experience at FT and wrote to Lyle Reed. He commented back we were bad customers and said we come in with no appointment and were cheap. He said that they had to rob parts off an aquahot to fix mine. So my response was I do not know what bothers me more the fact that your people lie to you or that you can not read your repair order. If you look and I gave him the number it said replace aquahot it was 9900 dollars. Is that robbing parts. Oh and they could not find the ACs we had. So we had a little feud going for two years. They would not talk to us and while the guys in service were great (the remod shop) the whole place was failing. They got rid of Lyle as top dog and cory went to the head of service and he cleaned it up. I have had good service there the last few times and Alton has had the shop running very well. I think that they have had turn over though and that has hurt them. It takes a while to train a new person and unfortunately they have not put in a check procedure it seems. I think that this is an issue now for Cory to address. He does not need to do it publicly but he needs to check what is going on. I have had nothing but good things to say about remodel and they have gone above and beyond and have been on time and done right and for a fair price. I had my fuel lines changed and they did it on time and fair. SO I will say I have had good service there as recently as January but have had my share of poor service. The issue is that you need to talk to them about it and bring it to their attention. I know that they must read the return surveys but I do not think they have grasped that this is now an issue at least publicly.

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #79 – June 09, 2014, 10:34:42 pm

+1 - John H.

A business is sometimes a funny place. What might be important/critical to some might appear to be insignificant to others. As the Director of Quality for a major steel company in the Chicago area, I had responsibility for all internal and external customer complaints and corrective actions. I would often shudder and shake my head when I issued my Quarterly Report of the Status of Corrective Actions to the Management Review Board and consistently Sales had the most unanswered and delinquent complaints. When brought to the attention of my boss, the Pres, he would shrug his shoulders and suggest that Sales had more important things to do than answer customer complaints. When our Registrar, UL, came in for their next Continuous Assessment of our Quality System this was a glaring Finding. The Pres looked at me and asked ME why Sales hadn't responded to the outstanding customer complaints. I could only remind the Pres. that HE hadn't directed Sales to complete their work because they had more important things to do. Play Golf, go to sporting events, go fishing, etc, etc.....with customers. And some of the execs. wondered why our customer base was dwindling and our profits were shrinking.

It is possible that FOT's upper management does not want to support us and our business.

I find this whole thread very disturbing.................................

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #80 – June 09, 2014, 10:42:24 pm

Bottom line? No interest expressed. Not even the tiniest amount. I did experience some glazed eyes and defense posturing, but little else. Hope I don't bore you with all of this!

East Texas. Only thing that I had results with was a lot of results. Then they paid attention a bit more.

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #81 – June 09, 2014, 11:11:46 pm

Quote from: Carol & Scott – June 09, 2014, 10:34:42 pm

I find this whole thread very disturbing.................................

Me too. I hope someone at FOT does get a look at it with an eye towards FIXING rather than DEFENDING the issues noted.

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #82 – June 10, 2014, 01:47:53 am

Quote from: John S – June 09, 2014, 10:29:20 pm

.... He said that they had to rob parts off an aquahot to fix mine. So my response was I do not know what bothers me more the fact that your people lie to you or that you can not read your repair order. If you look and I gave him the number it said replace aquahot it was 9900 dollars. Is that robbing parts. .....

That little exchange makes me wonder whether they actually *did* "rob parts" to fix your Aquahot and then charged you for a new unit. Accusing a customer of being a "bad customer" is the most egregious failure of customer relations possible. Especially after they spent nearly $10k in repairs/replacements (whatever).

Makes me glad I can do most of my own work.

Craig

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #83 – June 10, 2014, 10:24:57 am

Well, they sold it as a new unit and gave me the core refund. The boiler unit that was sealed was leaking and there is no fix for that.

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #84 – June 10, 2014, 11:30:34 am

As Craig said " Makes me glad I do not depend on anyone to (within reason) to fix or improve anything" If I had to rely on the manufacturer I would not own any RV as it woul be too stressfull.

I make this next comment soley to give this item a "break" from the headlines, in a hope that FOT does do something about the problems mentioned in this Post and we get back to the "helping" rather than the "complaining" mode we are usually about.
Let's hold off on any further comments and see if they (FOT)do what is sorely needed, answer the "negative statements " mentioned here.

JohnH

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #85 – June 10, 2014, 11:31:07 am

Quote from: John S – June 10, 2014, 10:24:57 am

Well, they sold it as a new unit and gave me the core refund. The boiler unit that was sealed was leaking and there is no fix for that.

Could they have "robbed" a boiler unit from another assembly and installed it into your device? It just seems strange that the head of their service department remembered you because they had to scavenge bits from one device to fix yours. Suspicious... to say the least.

Craig

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #86 – June 10, 2014, 11:35:02 am

Well it was a sealed unit and I saw the core afterwards. I think the service writer just lied to Lyle who believed him. He is not writing there anymore but I have to say that Cory fixed the place up. I also had great service there the last two times but it looks as though it is slipping.

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #87 – June 10, 2014, 01:01:14 pm

Quote from: John Haygarth – June 10, 2014, 11:30:34 am

I make this next comment soley to give this item a "break" from the headlines, in a hope that FOT does do something about the problems mentioned in this Post and we get back to the "helping" rather than the "complaining" mode we are usually about.
Let's hold off on any further comments and see if they (FOT)do what is sorely needed, answer the "negative statements " mentioned here.

JohnH

I agree. But I also point out that we have just passed the 11th day of this thread being "out there" without any response to this group. I'll hold my breath just a little bit longer.

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #88 – June 10, 2014, 09:22:13 pm

I live in California and have owned 4 Foretravels. One of my best friends is an ex-Foretravel mechanic who still works on high end coaches, (Prevost based chassis ) We do a lot of routine maintenance together, but I still make my bi-annual pilgrimage to Nac. In all these years I have never had an issue that couldn't be solved when brought to the attention of management. Cory, Drew, and Mark have always been responsive to my needs and any issues brought up while there. What I noticed about some of the posts blasting Foretravel is that the time of the alleged problem is not always clear. Old news to complain about won't get any changes done. What we as a forum and individuals need to do, is to be specific in our complaints and report if the issue has been solved to our satisfaction. I mentioned today to James Triana that Foretravel was getting a lot of bad press .He said that some of the complaints have been taken care of but the poster did not repost the intervention by Foretravel. If this is the case I urge any one that this may apply to, to repost. All of us want the best service from Foretravel and they do make mistakes, all service companies do. Others reading this forum may weigh the few negatives far more than the abundance of positives. That would be a shame and certainly in the long run effect you investments.

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #89 – June 10, 2014, 11:46:48 pm

esaulten - Thank you for your comments. You are a long and loyal Foretravel owner.

With all due respect:

I think the point of this thread is that many here feel that service from FOT has been declining and needs improvement.

This statement is not intended to be a general statement about ALL departments or a general bashing of the Company.

It is evident that fellow FoFum members love their Foretravels and desperately want FOT to succeed.

I do not think members voicing criticisms expect FOT to provide perfect service.

I do not want my Foretravel to decline in value and do not want others reading this forum to get an overall negative impression of this brand.

In my opinion, FOT Management should address this basic concern and communicate with this forum in some objective meaningful way.

I would be pleased to assist in any way.

FWIW

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #90 – June 11, 2014, 10:52:48 am

Hopefully my Posting of this answer to my email to James T does not cause any problems for him. This was from yesterday.
Quote"
Jay
Thank you for your concerns and backing of Foretravel.
We are aware of the issue and have addressed the issue with Mr. Blevins. Said to say he never let the forum know we had been in contact.
We had lighting strikes last night and systems did not get up and running until 1500 today.

James Triana
Foretravel Motorcoach
end of quote.

Do not know were the Jay came from but still the answer is they do know of the problem and hope they get back to us all soon.

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #91 – June 11, 2014, 11:57:41 am

I do not think you will get him in trouble. The improvement in service over the last few years has been dramatic and this is why this got so much attention. We all have had issues with auto dealers and service appointments. The way they are resolved is the question.

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #92 – June 11, 2014, 01:17:59 pm

Quote from: John Haygarth – June 09, 2014, 08:10:15 pm

I think it is a shame all these comments are not being addressed by FT management by way of this Forum by a simple message such as "We at Foretravel are extremely concerned by the comments and feelings exspressed here and we will immediatly take note of such, and impliment what needs to be done to bring confidence back to the Foretravel name. Please feel free to send your concerns to -------------.com and there will be an answer forthcoming both individually and to this very important Forum of Foretravel owners"
If this Forum is monitored like it should be, and a week or so goes by with no comment, then there could be real concern to us all that they really are not bothered by what we think, and that would be "a kick in the stomach".
John H

I just want to let everyone know that this Forum IS DEFINITELY monitored by the folks at Foretravel. They are just smart enough to know that very probably any comment or explanation they try to make can (and will) be misconstrued by someone or other and wind up defeating their purpose. I just got off the phone after having Drew Pierce (VP of Operations) contact ME with regard to a comment I made about being upset after our failure to obtain a service appointment and then seeing a post that half the service bays were empty and guys were standing around. He was calling to let me know that they ARE ,in fact, booked out pretty far and are doing all they can to get caught up. In addition, he let me know that as a result of some of the comments they see here on this Forum procedures that HAD BEEN being discussed were brought to the front burner and implemented immediately. Namely, there are additional Quality Checks now in place in the Service Department ... Team Leaders have stamps and are required to sign off on all work orders with the Shop Foreman. That insures communication between parties! I know in the past, we have had an intermittent problem that refused to duplicate itself when we got to Nac. Instead of just changing out parts, the Techs took a look and could not definitively decide what was wrong. Once it was an air leak, another time is was something else ... but the bottom line is that instead of just throwing parts at the issue, Foretravel noted "Problem not found" on the work order. That can be frustrating when you go 100 miles down the road and the issue reasserts itself! They now will do their best to diagnose the issue and let the CUSTOMER decide whether or not to change out a part and avoid a possible return visit. That way, we are letting the more expert diagnosticians give us THEIR opinion and letting US decide whether or not we want to spend our money on a new part or roll the dice and make a trip back. I think that is a VERY fair way to stop assigning blame and have everyone responsible for the crapshoot that is Motor Coach repair!! There are probably very few psychic repair places ... and Foretravel has certainly never held itself out to be one! I surely appreciated the phone call from Drew ... and I more than understand the reluctance to actually jump on the Forum and post replies. A personal, one-to-one conversation is really the better way to clarify things when you are in their position. I am going to do a better job of scheduling my service appointments to avoid getting caught in a long wait time ... and I look forward to meeting the new mechanics who are in the process of being trained. There are SEVERAL ... and that is a huge job!!

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #93 – June 11, 2014, 01:36:40 pm

Quote "I make this next comment soley to give this item a "break" from the headlines, in a hope that FOT does do something about the problems mentioned in this Post and we get back to the "helping" rather than the "complaining" mode we are usually about.
Let's hold off on any further comments and see if they (FOT)do what is sorely needed, answer the "negative statements " mentioned here." end of.

This was the basis of my comment previously to give them a chance to assure us that things are being looked into and any mistakes not repeated. I am feeling better about their ability to look after those that need their help in maintaining a safe and reliable coach.

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #94 – June 11, 2014, 02:22:43 pm

John Haygarth ... I understood completely where you were coming from and what you were wanting to say. You have a very sane and reasonable take on things (even when you hit a big bump and break the hitch off of your toad!!). I quoted you because you posed the question about whether or not the folks at FOT monitor this Forum. The answer is YES!! I also know that I am not the only member that Drew contacted regarding this issue and the long wait times for Service. I wish the others would post their thoughts on the contact that was made by Foretravel reps in response to their posts! It appears that there is serious effort in progress to address several concerns that have been raised. Can't ask for more than that!!

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #95 – June 11, 2014, 03:15:07 pm

Carol, what a memory re the hitch!!! My response was not meant to be other than to let people know as you noted, that FOT are beginning to respond, and to wait before any more is said from Group.
Take care guys.
John H

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #96 – June 11, 2014, 03:16:37 pm

I am sure that they monitor it. I am happy they have adjusted too. We all want FT to succeed and stay strong. I know that there are numerous coaches bought after checking in here. On of the good things about this forum is the ability to post our negative issues. The good thing is that there are only a handful of threads on them and usually there is a response from FT. I also understand why they do not respond but I know they are aware and if they can make adjustments in policies that will reduce a recurrence, then we as owners win. I find this thread unusual in that just this Jan I told Alton: "Alton, I had never seen the shop running better".

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #97 – June 11, 2014, 04:39:14 pm

Thanks for the update Carol on both threads.

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #98 – June 12, 2014, 11:11:07 am

I think that the people at Foretravel are always interested and concerned when there is an issue. We have had to enter into discussions with them at times, after service. Mr. Wonderful ALWAYS goes over our Service Order multiple times while our coach is IN the service bay (just to see what has been looked at) and checks the invoice line-by-line before we leave. In fact, once he was sure there was a rather large error on our invoice, but couldn't put his finger on what was wrong ... he just thought the bill was a lot LOWER than it should have been. We went over it in the Billing Office with Cory and Jeremy ... they assured us it was all correct. OK ... we paid and went on our way, but made sure they knew how they could find us. Sure enough, a few hours later I got a phone call. "Uh, Miz Savournin? This is Jeremy Rocha at Foretravel ...." One department had forgotten to add some labor hours to our bill, making it about $775 lighter than it should have been. Ha! We paid up over the phone and a few hours later a new serpentine belt that had been installed went bad!! Incorrect size had been handed out to the mechanic by the parts department! Foretravel paid to have a new belt installed at a Cummins location near our destination. Bread on the waters!! But ... we have NEVER had a situation at Foretravel that was not resolved to the satisfaction of all parties. Sometimes we just needed a bit of education to see their viewpoint, sometimes they adjusted in our favor. But it has ALWAYS been reasonable and polite and I have always felt that we get outstanding value for the cost of their service.

Re: Problems In Nacogdoches?

Reply #99 – June 12, 2014, 10:42:05 pm

Quote Carol "But it has ALWAYS been reasonable and polite and I have always felt that we get outstanding value for the cost of their service."

Hopefully that is not quite what you meant to say (with all respect Carol), as to me if someone had made a major Billing mistake, even in my favour, and handed a part to a mechanic that was wrong and the mechanic had not checked the part to make sure it was correct, and later on the road you break down and have to go a Cummins Repair shop, (even though it was close to your parking spot) to install the right one. The inconvenience and initial worry would not in my opinion be classed as "outstanding value" even though FOT payed for the correct fix.
Sorry.
JohnH

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