According to the forum rules, you cannot bad mouth any dealer or manufacturer who may be or is an advertiser. It is perfectly acceptable to praise your favorite brand, person or dealer.

The problems start with personal attacks instead of a review of the facts. It's difficult to be objective, when it's you, who has been exploited or damaged. Trying to exact revenge by maligning the offender is not permitted.

Money talks, and this forum is paid for by the "sponsors". These are the advertisers who have to pay, to have their name placed in front of the membership of this forum.

BOL  gard

 The rules state you can not name names and I had another forum about trailer service and did not name names of the dealer that is the trouble and now the fourm has been frozen and was told I would be banned.  So if you are a dealer and pay big bucks you can stop a forum from letting the public know the truth!

How is that for a forum that is used for questions/ answers and venting???

This forum has alway been for questions and answers...Venting has never been a stated benefit...

As a judge would instruct an attorney after an objection...

Ask your question in another way...

For example...Dealer Name...NO COMMENT...

Well, we'll see what Dave says...:D

But in your case about servicing...I'd have to say if I was the dealer...I'd have told you to take it back where your bought it for warranty work...but that's just me...

If you have a problem with a trailer/dealer,to my knowledge there have never been restrictions on taking an issue private if you're naming names.I've named a former dealer that was a joke when we bought a new trailer many times to people that have asked on here.The difference is: they have sent me a PM asking the name,and that is how I have disclosed it.

Naming them in public only encourages them to come onto the forum naturally to defend themselves,so,it becomes a "he said,I said,they said" issue because then,it is a fight between the two.

 I agree with RTK. He didn't malign any dealer by name, instead he named a dealer that he recommended. One of the purposes of this forum is to learn information. Informing the membership of the name of a competent dealer is always welcomed and condoned. We had an "Attaboy" list that was established for exactly that purpose. There were no warnings issued when that was published.

If I say, that I won't go to a particular large trailer dealer in Eastern Ohio, because I don't like the way he does business, and not name him, am I going to be banished?

For RTK to be warned of being banished for promoting a good dealer, is wrong.

Gard

OK,yeah,I see what you are talking about,now.On another thread.Thanks for pointing it out to me.

So,I guess if I were to name the TOWN where we bought the Platinum it would be easy,perhaps to narrow down the dealer,thus,I shouldn't say the town's name? Jeeze.Anyway,anybody that wants to know who it was,PM ME.Glad to tell it.

BTW,nothing wrong with the trailer itself except minor hail damage that we could not see from the way the trailers were parked until we got it home,out of any shadows,and sighted along the side of it.The trailer was excellent.

It was the dealer that wasn't.

But in your case about servicing...I'd have to say if I was the dealer...I'd have told you to take it back where your bought it for warranty work...but that's just me...

WHY would you do that??  If you was a dealer for a large company and advertised that you sale and service that product, that is what you should do NO MATTER WHERE THE TRAILER WAS bought from!  Or change your advertisement to state "we sale and service only the trailers we sale"!  I'm sure there is thousands of folks that buy trailers then either have a job transfer, have to move or even find a better price in another state and if a manurfacutre has a dealer in that state WHY should the customer have to go back to the state that they bought the trailer in to get it worked on???  Same and buying a car or truck!  You NEVER see a car or truck dealer refuse to do warranty work because that vehicle was or was not bought for that dealer.  Warranty work is easy money!

And YES, I did name a dealers name, but it was the dealer that wants to work and does not care who built the trailer or what state it came from.  I guess like's money too....

Same and buying a car or truck!  You NEVER see a car or truck dealer refuse to do warranty work because that vehicle was or was not bought for that dealer.  Warranty work is easy money!

....

Oh,yes,you will! That very thing happened to us in our own home town here.We'd bought a truck from a dealer in the southern part of the state,and,while under warranty and less than a year old it began to use oil every 3K miles,we took it to the local GMC dealer,and got nothing but the run-around.They tried to run the warranty OUT without doing a darn thing about it.We took it to another little po-dunk town to a GMC dealer,and right away,they pointed out to us there had been a bulletin issued by GMC to all dealers about this problem,stated it could be the torque manifold bolts.We also found that no report of our complaint had ever been logged with GMC,which is standard with any complaint under warranty.

So yes,you sure will see a dealer that is prejudiced against someone that bought a vehicle from  another dealer when it comes to warranty work.WE sure did!

Most corporations reimburse at a LOWER LABOR RATE for WARRANTY WORK...which means that the dealership is absorbing some of the costs of the warranty repair...and some corporations will DENY PAYMENT for WARRANTY WORK that they have NOT approved...(read lots of paper work)

It is NOT easy money...several of my friends own car dealerships...and they HATE WARRANTY work for NON_CUSTOMERS, because of all of the hoops they have to jump thru before the corporation will send them their  monies...which means they are working on THEIR OWN DIME and not the corporations coin...

Paul hit it right on the head. I have had a truck dealership turn me away on warranty work. I bought out of state for $5000 less than what I could buy anywhere at home. Let me re-phrase that...take a week to get it in and look at it. That didn't work. That $5000 that I saved became a royal PITA before I sold that truck. Next truck I bought was at the dealerhsip that was most convenient to stop at on a daily basis. Shopped price on the internet and then bargained with the dealer until we reached a price that we could both live with. My service work has been better ever since.

Not knowing who the trailer dealer is (and I don't want to know), a lot of trailer dealerships have small service shops that stay booked out, or out source their work. As a customer of a dealership, I would hope that my trailer would be more important to them that a service customer that didn't buy it from them. That is part of what I am paying for when I buy the trailer. 

The dealership that you bought your trailer from sold it to you knowing that they were not going to have to do anything to service you after the sale. They sold the trailer and are done with you. If you buy at home...even at more money...that dealer is going to take better care of you than the dealer two states away. IF the dealer you bought the trailer from is so great, maybe you should call them and see if they can arrange service work for you. Just because a price is less, doesn't always make it a better price.

There aren't too many things on a trailer, that when aren't working are worth $5k. A competent mechanic and RV dealer can repair anything wrong with a horse trailer.

I understand what's being said about warranty work, and being on the bottom of a priority list for factory repairs. My point is, if you are saving $5k on the purchase price of a trailer, you can afford to take it to an outside source for repairs. It's unlike an automobile or truck, where the drivetrain components and electrical issues are cost prohibitive.

Most accessories have their own manufacturer's warranties, and many new trailer problems are simple adjustments or maintenance. If you are willing to shop at long distances to save a significant amount of money, you should be aware of the warranty issues and plan accordingly.

I have purchased used trailers. automobiles, boats and many other items. Whenever I do so, I have to plan on additional worse case scenarios, for the repair of items I've overlooked or those that will need repair whenever I take ownership. I usually add an additional amount of money, in my head, to the purchase price, for a total cost of buying the object. If this price exceeds that of a new unit, then I buy a new one. With a new product, I shop for price, and weigh the pros and cons of where to purchase it.

As was stated, if you want or need the best service, you should buy locally. If you want to shop for the best price, you should be aware of the problems of after sale repairs, and plan accordingly.

BOL  Gard

Big bucks has nothing to do with being able to come on this forum and tell everyone how bad you think a business treated you.  Even if you DON"T advertise on here, I'm going to protect businesses, individuals, and yes, even you from "drive by" accusations.  There are two sides to every story and if you got a warning, you can guarantee I heard both sides.  I'm not taking sides, but people shouldn't be forced to come on this forum to defend their name.

We have a civilised system (the legal system) for handling disputes.  This forum is not offered to be your personal court of law for one sided indictments.  We all live by our reputations and if we allow people to come on the board and attack the reputation of another without due process - you are allowing this forum to be abused.

And yes, even if you don't mention someone by name, it is often made very obvious by posters with personal axes to grind to give you a good idea who they are talking about.  That is their purpose after all.

Solution? 

1.  Keep it truly generic.
2.  Contact your local Better Business Bureau or legal counsel.
3.  Take it to another board that caters in consumer fraud. 
4.  Start your own forum called "IgotscrewedbyabadhorsetrailerdealerandIamtotallyinnocent.com and hire an attorney. 

Respectfully,
Dave
HTW

Hi Folks!  I'll be glad to address how long distance warranty work is handled by DHMCO.  We sell trailers in every state in the union, and some foreign countries, on a daily basis.  We've done this for years, and have always made certain our customers are taken care of, regardless of where they may live.  Please see below.  THX  DON

1.  A simple toll free call to us gets the process started.

2.  We determine the problem from the customers description if possible.

3.  If the customer can be walked thru a simple fix, we do so.

4.  If that is not possible, we locate the closest facility that can handle the problem, and schedule the customer in for the diagnosis and repair.

5.  We normally select an RV dealership if possible, in that they usually have qualified technicians and a nice facility, as well as lots of parts, etc.

6.  This also cuts down on customer exposure to a trailer dealer that may not want to work on it because you did not buy it from them.

7.  The diagnosis is made, if its warranty, approval for repair is given, work is done, we pay the bill, customer goes down the road happy.

8.  It its not warranty, I sometimes pay the bill anyway!

All warranties are by the manufacturer of the product, they are nationwide, and the manufacturers we deal with are superb when it comes to making folks happy.  Where you bought, and where you break down, should have no bearing on the service you get.  So yes, you can buy from us, save money, and get excellent service regardless of where you live!  And yes, DHMCO does work on trailers that were not bought from us.  It is my opportunity to make customers of those folks too. 

DHMCO

When are you coming to Kentucky? I'm looking for a career move, But can't seem to find a company that is as honest as the one I work for now, You seem to be there.

I find many of the topics posted on this site to be very interesting and have been able to gain some valuble knowledge, but am also very dissappointed that almost every post either ends up being a bitch session or an ad for a dealer. 

And,that is the very reason that most people don't buy from a local dealer that is trying to make up their small volume in price.

I am not trying to slam small dealers,people have to do what they have to do,and everyone's got to make a living,they aren't in it for fun.So I don't want to get a big hoo doo going with dealers,but,that is the reason that we bought our GMC truck several hours away,in another part of our state.The local GMC/GM/Toyota/ect ect several other big auto names didn't want to deal with us.WOuldn't even attempt.It was like,"Well,here's the truck,take it or leave it." It was obvious then,that they didn't care if you bought it or not.

WIth my husband's work schedule,it was hard to take off without it counting against him to drive those hours.We did speak with the dealer where we bought the truck.Their suggestion? Take it to our LOCAL dealer,they should be able to work with us since the warranty was still in effect.WRONG,they should have ben able to,and,they COULD have been able to,but,they didn't WANT to!!!

I have to say when it came to our second trailer purchase,an Exiss from Jim's motors,Cuba,MO that there has been nothing but good treatment,good will,and good results in all of our dealings with them.They even agreed to meet us at a named drop off point,our choice,to deliver the trailer that we'd bought,and they also met us there to pick it up for some minor warranty work,and,brought it back,met us there,this was all right before Christmas,too.

THANKS MR JOHN,Mr.Jim,Scott,and all of you guys at Jim's! Sure can't say you don't want to work with folks!!!

That is DOWN RIGHT UN-AMERICAN...

You are truly a gem...keep up the good work...

DHMCO serviced ALL of my trailers with care and expertise, as if they sold them to me themselves.  I DO miss having their service department here in Birmingham, where I could call with a stupid question, and get a straight answer by someone I was acquainted with.  Hey Don, like HWBar . . . I'm looking for a career move too !  Oh yeah, women probably can't sell trailers

Hey Don, like HWBar . . . I'm looking for a career move too !  Oh yeah, women probably can't sell trailers

I think I have said this before, I sell equipment for a living, women do very well in sales. A good salesperson knows the product they are selling, but more importantly knows the product they are selling against. I don't get into the bashing of the competition, I merely point out the features of my product that the competitors can't beat. I hate being pestered by a salesperson, so I intentionally avoid being a pestering salesperson.

To All . . .   Oh yeah, women probably can't sell trailers

This was just a "FUNNY" !  I KNOW I could sell trailers.  I've been very successful in my sales career.  From cigarettes (Former RJR sales rep ) to Yellow Page Advertising (Bellsouth), and now Real Estate.  Not only can women sell, they are the major decision makers in most "large item" sales transactions !    It's all about integrity, honesty and hard work.

Yeah,that is really all that I ask,and I believe most everyone else will agree.Just tell the truth,don't lie,don't cover up the facts,just say,"hey,we want to point out to you that this trailer has some minor hail damage,you can barely see it unless you 'sight'down this white wall in the sunlight,but,we want you to see that it's there,and there is some on the roof if you'd like to take a look at it too." Then tell me you have the trailer priced accordingly.And  don't try to hide the fact that a horse has been hauled in this 'new' trailer I'm buying,even if only once.Being a horseperson,I/we have sense enough to see the rub marks on the inside of the feed manger walls where the halter and lead have rubbed it. Don't tell me you will get me a set of keys to replace the ones that were lost,then,don't follow through and not do so,and cause me to have to call the manufacturer and get them myself.Just tell the truth about it,most people will find out,anyway.

Sounding familiar to anybody out there???

I don't mind paying what something is worth but,I like for the truth to be part of what I've purchased about an item.

I agree with ya'!  Same type deal I into right now. 

 If I advertise that I sale and service something, that is what I am going to do, no matter where the item came from when it was bought new.  As long as the customer or warranty is going to take care of the payment. 

 What would be nice, is if the mfg. of these items would step in and MAKE the dealer do the work on the items they advertise for and if the dealer declines to do the work the mfg. should pull the dealership from them and find a dealer that will service what they sale!