On November 21 we brought our Rv to Helmkamp in Betlato, Illinois for Service issues. They are listed in the yellow pages as being qualified to work on RV chassis, etc. The main concern was that the rear axle was making noise. There were several issues with this Company. First I asked if our parishables would be alright and they said yes.
Four days later, when we made a surprise visit, not only was our food distroyed from them letting the battery run down, a service technician that was not working on the RV at all was in our RV looking around at our personal belongings and admitted it.
On November 28 the axle was disassembled and they were waiting on an inspector to give authorization on parts and labor. We have an extended warranty for 3 years 36000 and $50 deductible. We also had an issue with our Propane detector malfunctioning and wanted a diagnosis.instead of receiving a written estimate on that, a technician bypassed the alarm system without our knowledge or consent.
We then get a call that the axle is now ready and we go on a test drive, it only took us 5 minutes to determine that the rear axle now has a vibration at 45 mph. We took it back and it was determined that the technician installed a part incorrectly. This now took another day to reinstall it right. We had asked also in the very beginning to keep the RV locked at all times if it was to be outside.
When we went to pick it up on the final day, 16 days later, the bill was $389.79 over the warranty authorization (which was $2300.00), the RV was unlocked and the keys in the ignition. The owner at Helmkamp's response was, look at it this way, the warranty paid for most of it!
Does he not realize that people pay for these warranty's and mine happen to be $3000.00? To justify the extra amount this was his response, well we had to spend at least 45 minutes driving the motorhome to make sure what was making the noise. First we have to go out of town to be able to drive 50 to 60, not like road test of a car. Also just jacking up a motorhome is a challange. You have to do it in stages to get it high enough to work on the axle. There are few places to put jack and stands.
On this axle there is not a table to calculate the shim thickness on the pinion depth. Also, there was metal everywhere which required alot of cleaning. The owner put this in writing and of course it was not justified for the overage. It only takes 2 miles from their shop to get up to 60 mph. And saying that it takes 45 minutes to determine where the noise is coming from, that is nonsense. It was a howl that can be heard very clearly. They are supposed to be qualified for RV's and they have plenty of room in there facility. The owner said also that it takes extra time to maneuver the RV in the facility. They have a front and rear door, it's not difficult!
Basically, he knew that we were from out of state and held our RV hostage. We paid the difference and when we were able to discuss this with our bank they said it was considered fraudulent practices. Our debit card was credited back to us in January. One month later, we find that Helmkamp ran our bank card through for a second time.
By the time you get a lawyer and go through all the headaches it just isn't worth it unless the claim is of a large amount. I just want to know why there isn't more consumer protection available? We had contacted the Attorney Generals Office and basically after a few phone conversations they did not follow through.in the State of Illinois the consumer is supposed to get a written estimate before any work is performed, we did not. It was a nightmare that we do not wish upon anyone.
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