new 26.5 mb delivery December 03, 2007, 03:54:17 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86687I recently (Nov 12) took delivery of a new 26.5 mb and I must say I was very disappointed in the entire delivery proceedure. We arrived on a Fri and went immediately to the factory expecting to be able to see our unit, not able to because they hadn't finished detailing. Same story on Sat. My wife was getting antsy as she wanted to see the interior befor buying linens and things. Mon morning arrived 8ish and were again told it wasn't ready. Finally about two hours befor we were to leave with the driver Dave rushed thru a 'this how it works' speech. With a cursery inspection we found the back window blind s didn't work and the filler over the staples hadn't been stained to match the cherry finish. Dave hurried and tried to fix the filler but of course he didn't have time to fix all of them. He supposedly had the blinds replaced but of course they broke on the trip to Fl. Everything was rush rush so that the driver could leave on time. Needless to say over the next weeks we have found many fit and finish items that need repair such as missewn seat covers, door doesn't fit and squeaks and other upholstery aand stain problems. Of course we don't live in Calif and that makes it dicey to get these things repaired. The underlying message in all of this is 'Don't let them rush you when taking delivery. I must add that we didn't have any trouble with the unit mechanically just the fit and finish. I was not prepared for the 'personalities' of the employees, unfriendly except for Dave and Vicky.
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery Reply #1 – December 03, 2007, 04:17:28 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86688Quote "I recently (Nov 12) took delivery of a new 26.5 mb and I must say I was very disappointed in the entire delivery proceedure...""louvandenbosch"WOW... I'm blown away! In all the years I've been associated with LD motorhomes and Lazy Daze Inc. I have never heard or read about a less than positive delivery experience.This has got to be a first, anyone know of anything different.Steve S. Lazy Bones & Jiggs
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery Reply #2 – December 03, 2007, 05:18:50 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86691QuoteWe arrived on a Fri and went immediately to the factory expecting to be able to see our unit, not able to because they hadn't finished detailing. ... Mon morning arrived 8ish and were again told it wasn't ready. Finally about two hours befor we were to leave with the driver Dave rushed thru a 'this how it works' speech. Your pick up appointment was for FRIDAY and you didn't get to do the walk through until MONDAY??? With only two hours to do the walk-through, if it had been me, I would have put a screeching halt to everything and insisted on rescheduling the driver for either later in the afternoon or the next day. That way, you could have had a leisurely walk-through and LD would have had time to fix the things that needed to be fixed. Like Steve S., this is the first I've ever heard about a less than positive experience in picking up a new LD!Linda Hylton http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=1167 http://earl-linda.blogspot.com/
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery Reply #3 – December 03, 2007, 05:21:26 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86692Quote "I recently (Nov 12) took delivery of a new 26.5 mb and I must say IQuotewas very disappointed in the entire delivery proceedure...""louvandenbosch"WOW... I'm blown away! In all the years I've been associated with LD motorhomes and Lazy Daze Inc. I have never heard or read about a less than positive delivery experience.This has got to be a first, anyone know of anything different. I don't think it is a first. We met a couple who bought a new 2007 TK in early Oct and were very surprised by the unfriendly behavior and rushed delivery from the LD factory folks. If I recall correctly, their LD was not quite finished when they arrived. They thought they would at least get a pleasant thank you from someone in the company, but it seemed like the LD company felt they were doing them a favor to make an RV for them. I don't think they had many complaints about fit and finish though as they seemed very happy with the LD itself. Come to think of it Steve, you probably met them at the Balloon Fiesta, which they loved! Mary Tribbett Dixon, CA
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery Reply #4 – December 03, 2007, 06:17:01 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86694Quote "I recently (Nov 12) took delivery of a new 26.5 mb and I must say I was very disappointed in the entire delivery proceedure..." If you haven't already, you should let Steve Newton know what happened. I've said this before but it may be worth repeating for those who are taking delivery soon and into next year. Try to schedule a morning orientation (not on a Friday) with a drive-away the following morning. Then if there are fit and finish problems, you have an afternoon to deal with it. If there are no problems, you are only out one more night in a motel or an RV park until your border escort shows up. Ideally, I would take delivery in CA and travel around a week or so to check for glitches befoe I headed back to my home state.Chris
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery Reply #5 – December 03, 2007, 09:32:50 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86703Dave and Vicky I'm SO SORRY you had such a bad experience. As others have noted, I myself have never heard of anyone left with such a sour taste after pick up.When exactly was your pick up scheduled? It seems you got in on Friday, and were upset that your coach wasn't ready for viewing. I can completely sympathize because I remember how excited we were when we picked up our rig.From your report, I'm assuming your pick up date was Monday morning and you were scheduled to leave with your driver around noon? And apparently the rig wasn't ready in the AM as promised? What a drag for you!All I can say is I'm so sorry, but I believe you'll be happy with your LD in the long run.Hope we can meet up on the road sometime.Katehttp://cholulared.blogspot.com &http://www.cholulared.comWant to find us? Click below, we're #3096 http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=3096
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery Reply #6 – December 03, 2007, 09:49:02 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86704Quote I recently (Nov 12) took delivery of a new 26.5 mb and I must say I was very disappointed in the entire delivery proceedure. This could be the new and improved Lazy Daze. Ed is gone and maybe this is the way things at LD will go. Granted Steve is a great guy, but managing a business top to bottom and being the R&D guru are two different things. I hate to say it but I am not surprised.Henry
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery Reply #7 – December 03, 2007, 10:00:19 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86705If in fact you had scheduled pickup on Friday, then there was indeed a problem. But it doesn't sound as if that's what you're saying. From your message, it appears you had scheduled pickup on Monday. If so, there was no reason to assume the coach would be ready three days earlier. And perhaps the attitudes you perceived as "unfriendly" were simply a reflection of the fact that you were breathing down their necks several days before your scheduled delivery. In our Files area there are several documents with helpful advice on picking up a new Lazy Daze at the factory. I'm afraid you must have missed them. Among the suggestions offered: schedule pickup one morning and drive-away the next, so you won't be in a rush; and after delivery, linger in the area for a day or two so that you can pinpoint any minor problems that a quick trip back to the factory would take care of. I know this sounds unsympathetic, and I don't mean to excuse Lazy Daze for the mistakes they made in building your coach, but I do want to point out that there are easy ways to minimize the inconvenience of such mistakes, mainly by prudent scheduling. It's unfortunate that rather than reschedule the ICC driver or take a day to assess the problems and have the factory fix them, you headed straight for Florida. I'm sure that you can find a competent RV repair place there to deal with these issues, and of course Lazy Daze will reimburse you, but you could have saved yourself a lot of annoyance if you'd given the factory the opportunity to correct the problems when the rig was delivered.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery Reply #8 – December 04, 2007, 01:02:24 am Yahoo Message Number: 86706Andy, It sounds like to me that you are missing the point here. If a new buyer is using an ICC driver at delivery of the motor home they don't have the option to hang around and test the RV at a nearby campground. They are not even allowed to drive the rig until it has been turned over to them outside the state of CA. At that point their temporary CA permit does not allow re-entry to the state. They would have no option but to return home (FL
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery- The future of LD? Reply #9 – December 04, 2007, 01:07:40 am Yahoo Message Number: 86707"This could be the new and improved Lazy Daze. Ed is gone and maybe this is the way things at LD will go. Granted Steve is a great guy, but managing a business top to bottom and being the R&D guru are two different things. I hate to say it but I am not surprised."Henry While this delivery is probably a fluke, I too worry about the future of LD. Steve is a one-man show and is not a young man anymore. Someday he is going to want to slow down, retire or his health will fail. There are no more Newtons in the wings so, unless Todd and/or Vince are somehow made partners, I can't see much of a future for LD, as we know it. Outside money may come into the company but with that big changes will undoubtedly occur. Better business minds may see things differently but I cannot see things going they way they are for the long term. For the short term, I hope Steve can find a way to delegate management to others so he can concentrate on design and production, things he seems to excel at.So, what do the rest of you think? I will want a new MH in five years or so and hope that a new LD would still be available.Larry
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery- The future of LD? Reply #10 – December 04, 2007, 05:56:26 am Yahoo Message Number: 86708We first visited the Mothership in May and met Ed. But you could tell that Ed was not feeling well, he admitted that to me because he needed to sit down while he talked to us after a short tour around the factory. I think at that point, Steve was running the show, except signing checks. When we picked up our MB in September, Ed was no longer able to even come in, so Steve was doing everything. Steve does not have an outgoing personality, but he was pleasant enough and answered our questions. After working with your father for many years, he will go through a difficult adjustment period. Also, Steve isn't that old, so he will probably work another 20 years and the employees are long term, which will help. We had a 12:30 walk thru and spent the rest of the day unpacking the boxes we shipped and just looking around and testing the LD. We scheduled the driver for 9:30 the next morning. Todd picked us up at our hotel at 7:30, so we had another 2 hours of looking, testing, and unpacking. Everyone was pleasant, but they were also working so they didn't spend a lot of time chatting with us. We spent 6 weeks getting back to Alabama to register our vehicle and not once did anyone question us because we did not have a tag. I wonder what the chances are that someone would be "caught" re-entering California without proper registration. To anyone taking delivery from out of state, I would recommend making a list of things to check out (locks, windows, paint job, cabinets opening and closing, fabrics, etc.) and spend at least 4 hours on your own going over everything.Dorothy26 MB "Koko"
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery Reply #11 – December 04, 2007, 07:23:42 am Yahoo Message Number: 86710On Dec 4, 2007, at 2:02 AM, gccanavan wrote:Quote Andy, It sounds like to me that you are missing the point here. If a new buyer is using an ICC driver at delivery of the motor home they don't have the option to hang around and test the RV at a nearby campground. They are not even allowed to drive the rig until it has been turned over to them outside the state of CA. At that point their temporary CA permit does not allow re-entry to the state. They would have no option but to return home (FL in this case) to get their vehicle legally licensed. Do I have it wrong? You have that part wrong. You still do have to take delivery outside the state before you can drive it, but there is no problem returning to california to get home or play tourist a bit. I think there is a 60 day window to get home.-Dave '06 MB, Indianapolis
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery Reply #12 – December 04, 2007, 07:52:49 am Yahoo Message Number: 86714"This could be the new and improved Lazy Daze. Ed is gone and maybe this is the way things at LD will go. Granted Steve is a great guy, but managing a business top to bottom and being the R&D guru are two different things. I hate to say it but I am not surprised.Henry"Whoa! While I am certainly sympathetic to those who had a bad delivery experience, I am not ready to believe that this is "the way things at LD will go".While I in no way want to diminish Ed's contribution to the Lazy Daze company in particular and motorhoming in general, it has been my impression that his contribution has been minimal for the last couple of years. While it was always good to see the old gent at the factory, I do not believe he has been actively involved in policy for a while. That said, his departure would, IMHO, not signal a major change in company policy or in the overall customer service of Lazy Daze. . I do believe that Steve and the crew may be going through a major shift, what with Steve dealing with his Fathers diminishing health while having to deal with a new chassis design from Ford and exploring the possibilities of other chassis, but I believe they will weather through and come out fine.I would be more inclined to believe that for whatever reason, some people have had a bad experience, which is unfortunate, but I don't believe that that signals a major shift in the company or the way they intend to do businessI am not trying to start anything here, or be a sunshiny LD cheerleader, just expressing my opinion.Kate http://cholulared.blogspot.com &http://www.cholulared.comWant to find us? Click below, we're #3096 http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=3096[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery- The future of LD? Reply #13 – December 04, 2007, 09:14:32 am Yahoo Message Number: 86719On Dec 4, 2007, at 6:56 AM, Dorothy wrote:Quote o o oWe spent 6 weeks getting back to Alabama to register our vehicle and not once did anyone question us because we did not have a tag. I wonder what the chances are that someone would be "caught" re-entering California without proper registration. Brenda and I spent 4 weeks getting our LD home. We did get stopped once by the Highway Patrol and it was in fact on the Interstate in Alabama!Quote To anyone taking delivery from out of state, I would recommend making a list of things to check out (locks, windows, paint job, cabinets opening and closing, fabrics, etc.) and spend at least 4 hours on your own going over everything.Dorothy 26 MB "Koko" In our case, we re-entered California to Blythe, CA from Ehrenberg, AZ to stock up on food at Albertson's. We also spent the first week in Arizona to shake down the rig. Had we found anything requiring the Mothership's attention we would have gone back to Montclair. The fact that the California's Agricultural Inspection stations at the border were unmanned is a sign that the state can't be interested in piddling stuff like re-entering LDs.Alex Rutchka '05 MB, SE #4
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery Reply #14 – December 04, 2007, 09:42:36 am Yahoo Message Number: 86721linger in the area for a day or two so that you can pinpoint Quoteany minor problems that a quick trip back to the factory would take care of. Good tip, except it's difficult, if not impossible, to do when taking out-of-state delivery. According to California law, when taking out-of-state delivery in order to avoid paying California sales tax, the vehicle is supposed to remain out of the state for 12 months. I know there are people who have turned around and immediately gone back to California, but they're pushing their luck in doing so...particularly if they didn't bring license plates from their home state with them to put on the Lazy Daze and are driving around with no plates.Linda Hylton http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=1167 http://earl-linda.blogspot.com/
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery- The future of LD? Reply #15 – December 04, 2007, 10:12:04 am Yahoo Message Number: 86723The fact Quotethat the California's Agricultural Inspection stations at the border were unmanned is a sign that the state can't be interested in piddling stuff like re-entering LDs. Don't count on this being the case. While the CA inspection station at Ehrenberg hasn't been manned for the past couple of years or so, it is NOW manned. Now, it is an *agricultural* inspection station (there are usually Border Control agents there, too) so whether or not they'd pay much attention to an LD without license plates is questionable, but I wouldn't take the chance. By the way, groceries can be had at the Quartzsite General Store (great meats!) and at the Roadrunner, which has recently expanded, both on the north side of Main Street east of the 4-Corners (junction of Main and AZ-95). You can now find just about anything in the way of groceries that you could find at the Albertson's in Blythe. (Stay away from the Big Market on the south side of Main Street west of the 4-Corners next to the veterinarian's office).Linda Hylton http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=1167 http://earl-linda.blogspot.com/
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery- The future of LD? Reply #16 – December 04, 2007, 11:37:49 am Yahoo Message Number: 86730"If a new buyer is using an ICC driver at delivery... their temporary CA permit does not allow re-entry to the state."As others have said, there doesn't seem to be any difficulty with doing that in practice. Over the years, many of our members have returned to CA as visitors after taking delivery, but I can't remember ever hearing of one who was stopped, much less fined.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery Reply #17 – December 04, 2007, 11:57:22 am Yahoo Message Number: 86732Quote "I recently (Nov 12) took delivery of a new 26.5 mb and I must say I was very disappointed in the entire delivery proceedure..."Quote"louvandenbosch"WOW... I'm blown away! In all the years I've been associated with LD motorhomes and Lazy Daze Inc. I have never heard or read about a less than positive delivery experience.Quote This has got to be a first, anyone know of anything different.Steve S. Lazy Bones & Jiggs Hi Steve S,Oh yes, I can remember some other problem deliveries. Take a trip down memory lane to message #40109. What do they say? If you don't learn from history you are bound to repeat it? hmmmSteve K. (and I had been wondering why we haven't been reading any delivery reports lately!)
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery Reply #18 – December 05, 2007, 11:47:46 am Yahoo Message Number: 86773Just to set a few facts straight. We were informed that our unit was ready for pickup in mid october. We were not able to pick it up then and reiterated that our requested date was in dec. Because of the friday advice we scheduled the delv for mon the 12th. By arriving early we expected to be able to at least view the unit since it was already paid for. This was not to be. In fact it was not ready on the time scheduled for delv. Because of stars in our eyes we did not see all of the problems immediately but the ones we did notice they were unable to fix befor the omnipotent icc driver had to leave. Also keep in mind that we were warned not to come back into Calif for some period of time. Some of the items were discovered after we had lived in it for a 2 weeks; such as, the missewn cushion covers and the runs where they touched up the paint under the window. Needless to say I will think twice befor I again buy something of this value that doesn't have a dealer network.
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery Reply #19 – December 05, 2007, 12:52:56 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86776wrote: "Needless to say I will think twice befor I again buy something of this value that doesn't have a dealer network." --- I'm sorry that your pickup experience was not what you had expected/hoped, and that you apparently found a few (minor?)"warts" on the coach that might have been spotted and repaired before you left the factory. But, do consider the following points:1. No coach, and that includes Lazy Daze, is wart-free upon delivery or afterwards; the *factory* even says, "We're not perfect". And, judging by the general build quality of much of what's out there on the road (or beside it), it's *highly likely* that if you had taken delivery of another brand of coach, you might well have had a "punch list" that would *still* be in the process of being resolved -- if the dealer and the manufacturer weren't too busy passing "defect responsibility" back and forth with you coach-less in the middle! 2. Some (manufacturers and) dealers of some brands of coaches will stand behind the products they sell, but many will not; attempting to resolve punch-list glitches from one of these types can be a long, hassle-filled, and frustrating experience. Buying a product from a "dealer network" is *not* a guarantee of product quality, after-sales service, or support. (In fact, one of the reasons that I chose a Lazy Daze was to *avoid* having to deal with some clueless, rip-off, sleazebag, local c**pseller, but YMMV!)As I said, it's regrettable that your delivery process wasn't a happy one; I hope that you can get any glitches resolved to your satisfaction and enjoy your new coach.Happy trails.Joan
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery Reply #20 – December 05, 2007, 01:20:58 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86777"I can remember some other problem deliveries. Take a trip down memory lane to message #40109."I remember that message. It describes a few legitimate (but easily fixed) problems, plus a host of things the person *thought* were problems. The fact that he started out the post by bragging about how he paid his teenagers two dollars for each defect they found gives you an idea of how he approached the delivery. The boys had a strong incentive to flag anything and everything, and evidently they did. Here are some of the supposed "defects" they found: * No paint on the entry door catch (there wasn't supposed to be any, because it would rub off in short order) * A cab light that they thought didn't work (because they didn't know how to turn it on) * An angled toilet (it's installed that way to provide more legroom)* A magazine rack that they thought needed more varnish (it didn't) ... and so on. Yes, he had a leaking toilet that shouldn't have gotten past final inspection (fortunately easy to fix with a screwdriver). But most of his "defects"... simply weren't.And despite a lengthy and detailed recitation of these mostly imaginary problems, he states "Nothing that I mention should be construed that the folks at Lazy Daze are not doing a good job. I am satisfied with Lazy Daze... If I were to do this over again, I would still buy a Lazy Daze." If that post and the recent one are the only bad delivery reports in the past three years, I think it's safe to say that Lazy Daze is doing better than 99% of RV manufacturers. :-)Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery- A suggestion Reply #21 – December 05, 2007, 02:53:59 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86780"I've said this before but it may be worth repeating for those who are taking delivery soon and into next year. Try to schedule a morning orientation (not on a Friday) with a drive-away the following morning. Then if there are fit and finish problems, you have an afternoon to deal with it."ChrisTo add to your excellent suggestion, out of state buyers should schedule a morning pickup and arrange for the ICC driver to show up the next afternoon. Have LD store the rig in their lot overnight and then spend an extra night in a local motel. This would also enable to the new owner to spend the entire afternoon in their new LD, inspecting it from top to bottom. An extra day should be plenty of time to handle just about any problem the shows up and to eliminate the rush.Most of us find minor defects in our new LDs that can easily be handled by the Factory. When we got ours home, we found that one of the cab curtains has small tear in it. I was given the choice to bring it back or to have them shipped the curtain to my home. The other small problems were easy to remedy at home. LD knows that most of their MHs are sold by word of mouth and they do their best to satisfy the new customer as long as the problem is in the coach. Chassis problems are another topic. In the case of the vandenboschlou's (not having a clue what their real names are), LD will probably ship them a replacement cushion and whatever other parts are needed. If the attention of a RV repair shop is needed, LD's policy has been to reimburse the new owner for whatever repairs are needed. After spending years reading about the extensive problems of many new owners of SOBs on RV.Net, LD owners have it easy. http://www.rv.net/forum/>Larry
cab light Reply #22 – December 05, 2007, 04:28:07 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86781On Wed, 05 Dec 2007 19:20:56 -0000, "Andy Baird" andybaird@...> wrote these inspiring words:Quote* A cab light that they thought didn't work (because they didn't know how to turn it on) This puzzled us. It comes on when the door is opened. And we finally figured out it will come by rotating the head light switch. But if the switch on the light has any function we have not discovered it. Cheers, Don
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery Reply #23 – December 05, 2007, 04:38:23 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86782On Wed, 05 Dec 2007 18:52:52 -0000, "jctaylor1941" jctaylor1941@...> wrote these inspiring words:Quote(In fact, one of the reasons that I chose a Lazy Daze was to *avoid* having to deal with some clueless, rip-off, sleazebag, local c**pseller, but YMMV!) amen but, I want to add buck passer to your list.signed, one who picked up a 2007 with following defects: 1) a missing light cover in bath, Dave noted it and put it on before we entered the rig. 2) two drawers that needed adjustment to keep them from opening. we learned the adjustment trick. 3) the outside fridge door oscillated when above 65mph. Steve sent us a picture showing how to adjust it to fit tighter.Home is where you roam Don & Dorothy Koko & Pelli
Re: new 26.5 mb delivery Reply #24 – December 05, 2007, 05:01:30 pm Yahoo Message Number: 86784Needless to say I will Quotethink twice befor I again buy something of this value that doesn't have a dealer network. Take it from me...having a dealer network is NO guarantee of being able to get service!!!Linda Hylton http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=1167 http://earl-linda.blogspot.com/
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