La Mesa RV

Call it sneaky or whatever but make sure you read absolutely EVERYTHING even though the paperwork is delivered very quickly when you are signing. Afterwards, you're basically ignored as though they don’t care whether you ever come back to do business in the future. I received better CS when I bought my car. Afterwards, you are basically ignored.

When I showed up in the RV for the appointment they had no record of an appointment. I dropped off the RV but then it was over two weeks before I heard from a service advisor. He was new and just getting going on the warranty items. It’s been almost five weeks now since we dropped of told the RV for warranty repairs and we still don’t have the RV back. I was told they are making a claim against the AC manufacturer as it is not blowing cold or heated air and that they are waiting on parts from the manufacturer. The service rep now says they have repaired the other warranty items on the list but I’ll believe it when I see it. Based up my experience so far I would not recommend La Mesa RV to prospective purchasers or to existing owners.

On delivery, one propane tank not filled, mattress missing support in one area, and toilet missing 4 finishing decorative bolt covers. We changed our delivery date/time to accommodate our salesperson. But during the delivery the sales person never made contact with me, nor has he contacted me subsequent to the delivery. Overall impression is that La Mesa is not customer oriented. Only want to make a sale. Perhaps if our purchase was for a more expensive product, we would have received a better experience.

During the wait for warranty work I looked for and found several reviews on my computer, all of which warned against having service done at La Mesa RV Service Center, El Cajon CA. (When picking up my RV six weeks later after the warranty work, which was done well, I was approached by an RV owner warning me not to have service done there based on his described awful experience.)

I have two problems related to parts which the parts specialist at La Mesa RV, San Diego told me I needed for my new RV. The first was a parts kit of several items for a price of $119.57. About $100 worth of the kit was for 3 drain hoses, none of which could be used in my RV. I asked for a refund but was refused. In order to fit the main hose in the only RV container I had to saw off the end with projections, which made the other two hoses useless in my RV. I consider this an unethical taking of approximately $100, since the parts specialist should have known that the hoses could not be used or kept in my RV.

The second item I was told I would need by the parts specialist at La Mesa RV, San Diego, was a lock and key set for the large outside storage compartment at the rear right side of the RV, at a cost of $88.33. The compartment had no visible lock, which of course is necessary to store anything of value if the vehicle is unattended, such as at a trailhead. I was amazed that there was no lock on the compartment and so were the technical specialists, since the three Winnebago RVs I had previously purchased all had locks on all outside compartments (and so were included all drain hoses in the sale).

When the La Mesa RV service specialists tried to install the lock I had purchased they found that the lock was there already, but had been covered with plastic and painted, which they uncovered. They then replaced the lock I had purchased in their parts store which I had insisted they return to me or refund to me. I am certain that the RV had either been purchased previously and the compartment damaged, or that it was damaged previous to sale to me and repaired, taped, and painted to hide the lock. Since obviously Winnebago would not have hidden the lock in manufacture, the parts specialist, an active representative of Winnebago, should have known this. The hidden lock should have been exposed prior to the RV sale.

Since the purchase of the RV on October 19, 2018, three months ago, I have been in constant contact with several personnel at La Mesa RV San Diego, often without reply for days, asking for assistance and at least for some refund for the loss of $207 in unethical treatment. Although I received some encouragement and assistance from two personnel, no actual assistance whatsoever had been provided. I am therefore still requesting some ethical consideration and refund for approximately @$200.

On the agreed arrival date, I called to get a ride from the Hotel they had suggested to the lot. They were surprised that I was there and advised me that the MH was not ready and that there were things that needed to be repaired. After a heated conversation the MH was ready to go the next day. I was given temporary registration and plates so I could return to California. The temporary plates are good for 30 days. As the first 30 days was getting close to expiration, I requested another temporary tag and registration. I called many times to have my permanent documents expedited to no avail.

Jupiter Tag and Title is the useless entity supposedly doing the 3rd party registration. I checked their reviews and they were not good. I have had to ask for my third temporary tag and registration. Stay away from La Mesa RV to avoid the aggravation of what is supposed to be an enjoyable experience. They have no understanding of good customer service or customer appreciation.

During the walkaround the entertainment center didn't work because the remotes weren't there. "We'll overnight them to you." That didn't happen but two days later a guy dropped off the box. No help no information, see ya, bye bye. At least I got the books, better than most. So after a couple of days trying to get things right I discover the TV Antenna doesn't work. Several calls and messages and nothing. We found out that the vehicle was shipped to Port St.Lucie on Saturday after we left (not the one we saw) and they forgot the box. It was impossible to prep this vehicle or checked everything out without "The Box", other than maybe vacuumed out.

I said I had a rally I did not want to miss and they let me have it the following week. I went on the rally and found out the area that they worked on still did not work so after Christmas I got a hold of the service mgr and asked to have it looked after. I was turned over to his service writer who said the soonest she could get me is over a month away on Feb. 6, 2019. I came in at 1100 am as I was told and everyone looked at me as if I was an alien from somewhere else. They did not have me listed anywhere. I still left it there. After a week I called in asking about it. No it's not in the shop yet. Now I also had mentioned that the window somewhere in back of the sink was leaking and during a rain a lot of water was on the floor.

In another week they said they were too busy to bring it in. This figured as I had read that they were hiring mechanics. I called the mfg and was advised to bring it to another of their dealerships. I promptly went down, picked the coach up and made the appointment. The items were taken care of. Oh and coming home the hatch door on the hot water tank blew off. And got destroyed. This was one of the items that was stated "we owe you". In three mos time this could not be fixed? Well after buying a new hatch and painting. It was quite a disappointment and I know that If I were to ask for reimbursement from La Mesa it would be easier to ask for the pope to turn protestant. Beware La Mesa down by Vero Beach.

I was not born yesterday! This is dishonesty at its worst and Winnebago should be ashamed to associate its long standing and excellent brand with such a dishonest company like La Mesa. I understand their volume with Winnebago and the revenue that you generate from La Mesa in general. After I told them I would walk from the deal if he didn’t reprint the contract WITHOUT the $6K he reluctantly reprinted it and his demeanor became combative and nasty. FAR from customer friendly.

BUT it doesn’t stop there. We left a deposit of $500 with them and was given a receipt for it. When we went to pick up the coach and met a different finance person in Sanford and after we had signed all papers, we had to ask about the $500 deposit. It was nowhere on any of the final signed paperwork. After discussion the finance person again reluctantly put a check request in and and gave us a copy of it and said we would have our deposit returned within a week. We are now starting the 3rd week and no check.

When we called we were given the run around and a promise of a returned call. Of course no call! This is YOUR agent, your dealer the one you gave a gold star for on your website! We cant be the first customers who have complained about La Mesa’s shady dealings but yet they get the gold star. Their hubris is loud and clear and it only tarnishes and damages the valued Winnebago brand especially when you endorse and award the a “favored” status on your website. Remember we who are customers. Without us there would be no need to have dealers. This is how owners of your entry level coaches are treated; as second class customers.

The next thing I noticed was leaking from the shower pan, the water would travel out from under the shower and flow across the floor and then disappear underneath cabinetry. La Mesa Service looked at it and reported to me that there were no problems with it. The fantastic roof fan leaked water when it rained and I had to capture water in cups, the ceiling was soaked with water. I saw mold growing. I had to wait more than a month before the service department could repair the issue, they said they cleaned the mold and said the leak that I saw in the moonroof was probably water that had traveled through the ceiling from the fantastic fan to the moonroof...

Now, months later, another technician looked at the shower pan and noticed that the pan has a crack which was filled with silicone. The technician was familiar with the RV model and was confirmed that this was not normal (I spoke with the manufacturer and they said they would not ship a unit out with that fault so it is obvious that La Mesa found and tried to fix it prior to selling the unit). La Mesa re-filled the crack in the tub for me but the pan still leaks, and now I have to wait more than two months before they can fit me into their schedule. Knowing how they work, they won't order a new pan until they look at it again so that means I possibly have to wait another month or two after that, so November?

Just recently I saw that the backside of the kitchen cabinetry is de-laminated, obviously the water leak is causing damage to the unit. When I complained about the radio and the other items a salesman actually asked me sarcastically if I want to buy another unit. WTF. Did I mention I am a full-timer? This makes life very difficult and stressful and now I'm worried about mold. Nothing is perfect but jee wiz.

As I'm preparing for a upcoming trip I decided to have the tires rebalanced. Much to my surprise I had a bent wheel... Hmmm if they had it sent out for the pre sale vibration check they would have found the bent wheel. Please do not believe a word they say after you leave the sales dept. Regarding service... oh what could I say. I paid for a special coating. Yeah right. It was never applied but they are going to recoat it after the fact. They repaired a leaking window but you guessed it still leaking. Waiting since September for new vinyl graphics for the front, hopefully it'll happen sometime this year. It takes 4 to 6 weeks to make a appointment for service then you go through the parts ordering song and dance. I could go on and on. Some people walk away happy, I try to keep my sense of humor about everything as I believe my service advisor is truly trying to provide quality service.

When I contacted the credit agencies to have these hard inquiries expunged, I was informed by Experian and Transunion that I would need letters from each of the banks that processed the credit request asking to have the hard inquiries removed. The banks stated that they could not do this as the requests were "Dealer-Initiated" and that I would need to speak with La Mesa to have them resolve my issue. I spoke with Frank **, Finance Manager after requesting a call back from the La Mesa RV Finance Manager. He apologized for my experience but stated that La Mesa RV is not able to create the requested letter for me as they cannot intercede on behalf of an individual in terms of their credit report.

I then contacted the La Mesa RV Customer Relations team on 6/11/2018 and spoke with Jay ** on 6/12/2018. Mr. ** contacted me back after obtaining my file and stated that no letter would be available as there were no records created by either Frank ** or Barry ** (Sales) stating that (1) we were not ready to purchase and (2) we did not approve our application going out to multiple banks as we wanted our credit application only to go to our existing bank.

No apologies given and when I asked to speak with the President/CEO of La Mesa RV, Jay informed me that the President/CEO was traveling extensively and would not return my phone call for at least 4-5 weeks. Jay went on to state that the President/CEO would refer me back to him as Jay handles all issues and there would be no available recourse for me in this case. I informed Jay ** that due to this response that I would not be doing any future business with La Mesa RV and will be submitting a complaint.

We drove the coach back to Naples, it did drive and ride a little better than the test drive. The coach was parked for a week, then were offered a free weekend at Cypress Trails in Ft. Myers for the weekend of May 4-7, 2018. While we were there we experienced a few other issues, and decided to drop the coach off at La Mesa for repairs and correct the steering issue. We were told own the coach and our responsibility to take it to the chassis shop for repair. We explained it was like that when purchased the coach. Well the coach is still there for repairs for now and they haven't made the warranty repairs. We are picking it up on Friday to take to the chassis shop. I feel we have been mistreated, taken advantage of, and told the coach was repaired and driven and this is not true.

While in Finance, our CSR Stacy ** stopped by, asked us if we wanted our T.V. Installed (which we brought with us) on a swing bar? Cost $170. Never mentioning that if on a swing bar it would be permanently mounted! Which our CSR conveniently forgot to mention to us. FYI our camper has an Outside TV Bracket! When we finished in Finance, our camper was parked outside all hooked up to our vehicle! My husband decided to walk around the camper to do a double check! He noticed the latch right behind the ball was NOT in locking mode! When my husband tried to lock it, The locking mechanism would not lock into place, and the paddle lock would not go through the hole.

We were being sent out with an unsafe ball & hitch! We found the mechanic that had installed the hitch. He worked on it for several minutes, then said "Oh I know the problem." He struck a screwdriver through the hole and jiggled it down. Saying "There You GO!" My husband asked if we had to do this every time? Mechanic just said "No, it'll get better!" Tuesday, April 1st we were going on a 3 day shake down Cruise with our NEW camper. Our first day, we started making a list of it.

Within an Hour, we had a list of Items that had Not been taken care of during The $995. Dealer Prep! As friends stopped by, everyone immediately noticed the TV, just because someone in the factory had slapped a white sticker on the wall that's Where the TV Was installed, With wires and cords hanging down the wall! This is when we realized the TV was Mounted Permanently! (We have an outside TV Bracket) (Intelligent people are able to Think Outside the box!) Not La Mesa RV Fort Myers Florida! The wood Frame around the bed and Table were ALL coming apart! I decided to try out the shower, within minutes the water was backing up in the shower and ready to overflow! When I yelled at my husband to open the Grey Tank. Out came, pieces of Wood, caulking, molding, sawdust!

When we mentioned this to our CSR, She said “Oh, that's just building materials left over from the factory!" REALLY. This is when we decided to leave our campsite 2 days early, return to La Mesa So they could fix what was Not done the first time. Back at La Mesa - We were reprimanded by our CSR - Stacy **. People Make Appointments, and What Gave Us the Right to Just Show and expect Our Camper to be worked On! I wanted to say "if everything had been done correct the First Time, we would still be at the campground, that we had paid for!" Instead, we Cleaned out the refrigerator, freezer, our clothes, everything in the camper so we could leave it with La Mesa!

Friday April 4, La Mesa Called us to come get our camper. When we arrived, our camper was parked next to the waiting room. The door was open, so we walked outside and stepped into OUR camper! That was when Steve ? GM stepped in and began YELLING at us for being in Our Camper! My husband said "sorry, I didn’t see a sign saying Don't Step Here.” While the GM proceeded to YELL, We don't need signs, I'M telling YOU! Then our CSR enters, when I say "a 5 year old could have done a better job mounting the TV!" That's when we were shown a piece of paper saying we were OK with a swing bar! NEVER telling us it was a permanent Fix! And we didn't expect to see hanging wires! My husband removed the swing bar, and Put the TV Up the Way it should have been done! FYI we now have a New TV swing bar which we paid $170. Is now Sitting on our workbench!

There was ONLY one person at La Mesa that knew what he was doing. Mike ** - Worked on the Ball & Lock for 3 hours, Modifying until it Was Right! There was another mechanic who came in and repaired ALL the other items until they were done RIGHT! La Mesa really needs to have a Class for its GM's & CSR's How to treat customers AFTER they've Purchase a Camper! Customer Service doesn't Stop As Soon as The Stamp is on the paperwork Paid In Full!

While negotiating they said they would sell the warranty at their cost. When I asked to see their cost, they weren't ready for that question. They said they couldn't because they have no paperwork showing the cost so I settled at $3500. The deal is done - just need to wait for pick up. The day before delivery, my new service adviser Mike ** calls to inform me that the RV has a problem with a USB port, GPS, and a vibration, but all is ok. It's in the shop getting looked at and the delivery day is still on. They said that they balanced the tires, updated the software for the GPS, and fixed the USB. On delivery day, I take a train to Davis. My RV is in a tented area getting cleaned, I do a walk around and I start seeing paint problems, then while the sales staff and I are looking at the RV and how beautiful it is I noticed some black marks on the Winnebago-added trim.

While it does not stand out at first glance, there is definitely a faded look you wouldn't expect on a new vehicle. The sales staff plays it down and tries to buff it out with no luck. Everything that needs attention is listed on a work order to be addressed at a later date. My first trip was to Fort Bragg. The speed limit on 128 is 55 mph but the RV feels better between 45-55 mph. But wait - there is a very significant vibration, even the stitching on the steering wheel is blurred and hard to hold. Then I find myself pumping the brakes every time, they feel soft and spongy. I tried to use the GPS but when you put in the first letter for the destination city it goes to the next page "Item not found." I run the heater and find the vanity and supplies are all 119 degrees a 30-degree difference from the front of RV. The TV has no power and bathroom pocket door has a big gauge.

There is now a total of 22 items in need of attention. On my first trip to the service department, I meet Mike **. I start with the GPS because I assume this should be easy to resolve. I asked Mike ** to put in my address, he puts in "S" and it goes to "Item not found". He plays with it for 3-5 mins and asked me for my zip code. He hits enter and the city shows up but with a list of every street in town and you have to scroll down to find the one you are looking for. Then I'm told, "A friend has one of these and that's how it works." We finish going through the 22 items. We are almost done and Mike ** wants to know what 10 items I want fixed this trip! Their policy is only 10 items per trip to the service department! AND it's brand new! I was told they fixed the GPS and the vibration prior to this - nothing was done. Finally seven weeks later repairs are supposedly done.

It took SEVEN WEEKS and communication was nonexistent! It was so bad I had called their customer service department and spoke with Mr. **. Only then did I hear from Mike **. I had asked by e-mail several times if the vibration, brakes, and paint were taken care of. While they would reply to the e-mail, they would avoid my questions. Finally I received a e-mail from the service manager that they test-drove it and there was no vibration. They waited SEVEN WEEKS to tell me the paint problems will not be corrected - that the flaws are acceptable per Winnebago. When I pick up the RV I noticed the pocket door for the bathroom was replaced but sitting 5" behind the door frame. Mike ** sends the RV back to repair the door, but once home I found they didn't even put in the doorstop for the other Direction.

The work order states front wheels needed balancing and brakes are good. After SEVEN WEEKS in their shop I still have a significant vibration but now it's at different speeds - and still pumping brakes to stop. The heater still gets bathroom excessively hot. I opened up the compartment where the heater is and find ducts not fastened, or loose. I repaired it myself in 10 minutes. I took the RV to Fletcher Jones Mercedes in Fremont. They find rims are bent! I called Mr. ** and his answer was to give me my money back! I don't want my money back! I want a working RV in the brand new condition I paid for. Mr. ** will not replace the rims.