Consumer fraud, as defined by Arizona law, is any deception, false statement, false pretense, false promise or misrepresentation made by a seller or advertiser of merchandise.in addition, concealment, suppression or failure to disclose a material fact may be consumer fraud if it is done with the intent that others rely on such concealment, suppression or nondisclosure.
After reading the details of my report, you can decide for yourself whether RV Outlet Inc.in Quartzsite, AZ practices consumer fraud or is just another dishonest RV dealer.
This is a report about an RV purchase made in January at the RV Outlet Inc. Quartzsite, AZ location.in this report, RV Outlet only refers to their temporary location in Quartzsite, Arizona. This location was consisted of employees and motorhomes brought to Quartzsite from RV Outlets in Fresno and Pismo Beach, CA, and from Clovis RV in Clovis, CA for the winter sales season. As it is now again the 2009 snowbird season in Quartzsite, I feel it is now my duty to warn others against buying from this dealer. My report could literally save your life as well as the lives of others.
Summary of my experience with quartzsite rv outlet
RV Outlet Inc.in Quartzsite lied to me about the following items.
1. The safety of the coach
2. What repairs and cleaning RV Outlet was going to do to before delivery
3. When RV Outlet was going to deliver the coach
4. When RV Outlet was going to deliver the title
5. The validity of the service contract they sold us
The 2008 cast of Quartzsite RV Outlet characters whom, IN MY OPIONION, should be avoided:
1. John Black, Sales Manager, (aka RV Outlet Fresno and Clovis RV Sales Manager)
2. Tony Scharr, Salesman, (aka RV Outlet Pismo Beach Salesman)
3. David Villalobos, Store Manager, (aka Clovis RV Sales Manager)
4. Craig Squires, Service Manager, (aka Fresno RV Outlet Service Writer)
5. Wellington Bill Louis, Finance Agent, (aka RV Outlet Fresno Finance Agent)
6. Efraim (last name unknown), Technician, (aka RV Outlet Fresno Technician)
End of summary
If you want more information, here are the
DETAILS OF MY EXPERIENCE WITH QUARTZSITE RV OUTLET
On January 6 John Black and Tony Scharr showed my wife and me a 2002 motorhome. Both of these people proudly pointed out that RV Outlet had just put six new tires on this coach. They told us that, even though the coach had only 5980 miles on it, it is not safe to drive an RV on tires over six years old. Mr. Black and Mr. Scharr said that, as a matter of safety, RV Outlet replaces tires that are six years old before selling a coach. I want to point out that Michelin North America and numerous online sources concur that RV tires should be replaced after six years.
The six new tires were a major part of our decision to purchase this coach at full asking price. At time of purchase we were given a Due Bill that specifies Work promised to be performed at time of sale. The major items on the Due Bill were:
1. PDI
2. Safety
3. Bedroom TV installed
4. Replace slide toppers
Promised Item 1, PDI
Both Mr. Black and Mr. Scharr told us that PDI is a 150-point Pre-Delivery Inspection that an RV Outlet technician performs on a coach before it is delivered.
Promised Item 2, Safety
They told us that Safety refers to a safety inspection that an RV Outlet technician performs on a coach before it is delivered. Mr. Black and Mr. Scharr said that RV Outlet performs these inspections to avoid any liability in delivering a coach whose systems are not functioning or are unsafe.
On the agreed upon day, two weeks after we purchased the coach, we went to the service lot came to take delivery. We found that almost nothing has been done to it. The feces smudges that were in the toilet when we first looked at the coach were replaced by urine stains and pubic hairs on the commode. NOTHING had been freshly cleaned, inside or out. Nothing was repaired nor replaced.
Numerous times we asked Mr. Black, Mr. Squires, Mr. Louis, as well as a contractor RV Outlet hired to prepare coaches for delivery, for a copy of the150-point PDI and the Safety inspection forms that was used on our coach. Among their replies were:
1. They couldn't find these forms, but would look for them.
2. The forms were at the other Quartzsite lot. (This happened whether we were at the sales or the service lot down the street)
3. The forms must have been sent up to Fresno with the sales folder for our coach.
4. We couldn't have a copy of these forms because they were proprietary to RV Outlet! (This great lie was from Quartzsite Service Manager Squires.)
All of their replies were lies. All of their lies were obviously covering up the bigger lies? That RV Outlet never performed its promised 150 point PDI inspection, and RV Outlet never performed its promised safety inspection.
Promised Item 3, Bedroom TV installed
For over five weeks, from the January 6 sale date to February 15, RV Outlet could not find and install the promised appropriate 20 bedroom TV. On February 14, Mr. Squires came to our RV campsite in Quartzsite and placed a boxed TV on the ground and stated Here is your TV. Readers beware. This may be a typical TV installation at RV Outlet. It turned out that although the delivered TV was a 20 diagonal model, its overall size was tiny and much too small for the original built-in cabinet enclosure. Mr. Squires stated that this replacement TV costs $1,000. He lied. The truth is, this Vizio TV costs under $300 at any Walmart.
Promised Item 4, Replace slide toppers
On January 7, Mr. Squires stated that he could get a company to come out to the service/delivery lot in a day to measure these awnings, and then replace them shortly thereafter. A few days later, Mr. Squires then said that the toppers were a special order item and it would take a few weeks to get them replaced. This is in spite of the fact that in January in Quartzsite there are numerous companies who will come out to your rig and replace awnings and slide toppers.
We eventually took delivery of the coach (5 weeks after purchase) before the Bedroom TV was installed and before the slide toppers were replaced. The final delivery walk-through was conducted by technician Efraim. He did not know, among many other things, how to empty the fuel filter water separator, and how to properly set the air suspension system. I later learned that leaving the air suspension system it in the Auto mode, as he suggested, could cause the leveler jacks to over extend.
We negotiated to take the coach to our campsite to facilitate moving our personal items from our trade-in coach while awaiting delivery and installation of the TV and slide toppers.
Tires
Once I got the coach back to our campground, I checked the Federal DOT date codes embossed on the coach's new looking tires and discovered that they were manufactured in 2002! We had agreed to pay full price for this coach, in part, for the safety of driving on new tires. Driving on six-year-old tires and thinking they are new is asking for a tragic accident to happen. I reported this discovery to Mr. Black and Mr. Squires. They acted a little surprised and repeated that the tires did LOOK like new! Even though they did LOOK new, we still requested the six new tires for which we had paid.
A stranger to us, David Villalobos, called us and introduced himself as the RV Outlet Quartzsite Store Manager. He was trying to locate our trade-in coach. It seems they had lost it. I confirmed that we still had the coach and its title. I told him that I would deliver our trade-in coach only after all the promised work on the coach we had just purchased was completed to our satisfaction, or after we received a certified bank check for the items promised, including the tires.
Threats
He demanded that we bring the coach to him so he could look at the tires. When we refused, Villalobos became enraged and shouted into the phone at me that the coach belonged to HIM. He further ranted on that he was going to report our trade-in coach to the Arizona State police as stolen unless we deliver it to him IMMEDIATELY. (Would you like to be threatened by a bully when you buy an RV?)
On February 15, 39 days after we purchased the coach, RV Outlet arranged with a tire dealer in Quartzsite to install the promised six new tires. A few days later, technicians came out to our camp site and replaced the slide toppers.
Because we didn't take actual physical delivery of the coach for more than a month after we purchased it, Sales Manager John Black promised us that RV Outlet would send us a check covering our 1st month's loan payment. He lied.
Our story doesn't end yet. Here are some more RV Outlet screw ups:
Title
We asked that the coach be titled in the name of our LLC. RV Outlet agreed, and then they sent in our loan application in our personal names, not the LLC. This mistake could have cost us over $5000. We later corrected the error with our LLC lawyer.
RV Outlet failed to send us the title before our temporary 90 permit expired. After explaining to the Fresno, CA RV Outlet clerk that I purchased this coach to actually use it, not to keep it parked next to me house, she go us a one-time 30-day extension from the AZ DOT. Subsequently, this permit also expired. So, 120 days after we took delivery of the coach, we had no valid permit to take it on the road. On June 9, OVER SIX MONTHS AFTER OUR PURCHASE, we finally received the original AZ Title and Registration Application and the AZ Certificate of Title. Evidently, RV Outlet sold us a coach for which they didn't have clear title. Does this sound legal to you?
Motorhome Service Contract Scam
We purchased a motorhome service contract. Bill Louis, the RV Outlet Finance Agent and agent for the service contract provider, told us that the service contract provides for direct payment to the repair facility for authorized repairs. He told us that under no circumstance, should we pay any repair facility directly.
On May 8 I took the coach in for service that I expected to be covered by this motorhome service contract. It turns out that the shop where I took the coach, Las Vegas Freightliner, flat out doesn't accept direct payment from insurance companies. I would have to pay for the repairs myself and then try to get reimbursement from the warranty company. When I called the warranty company, it had no record of me nor of my coach. On May 21, Bill Louis acknowledged that RV Outlet forgot to send the premium and copy of the $2,200 service agreement to American Guardian Warranty company. Again, you have to ask yourself Was this consumer or insurance fraud or just another example of sloppy work by RV Outlet?
Only after I mentioned that I was going to seek help from the Arizona and California Better Business Bureaus, the Arizona and California State Attorney General offices, and the Arizona and California Department of Insurance did Mr. Louis finally arrange for me to be reimbursed for my repair bill.
The above are facts surrounding my purchase of a motorhome at RV Outlet in Quartzsite, AZ. Based on my actual experience with RV Outlet, Quartzsite, here are my parting thoughts for its potential customers:
IN MY OPINION, RV Outlet Quartzsite counts on customers being in town for a short period of time only. Based on this, RV Outlet Quartzsite will make promises to customers and hope you aren't around long enough to demand satisfaction.
IN MY OPINION, RV Outlet Quartzsite Sales people make promises that the service people can't or won't keep.
IN MY OPINION, Being truthful and ethical are not characteristics of employees at RV Outlet in Quartzsite.
A FINAL THOUGHT
If you are even THINKING of looking at RVs at Quartzsite, here is a big money saving suggestion. Check out RV prices in the Kelley Blue Books at the Quartzsite public library and online at. Print out your research and share it with any salesperson you deal with.
Good luck in RV shopping and Happy Trails to all you current and future Rvers.
Rnbj
Henderson, Nevada
U.S.A.
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