My husband Don & I had been shopping off and on for a travel trailer for approximately six months. We were casually looking figuring when the right travel trailer and deal came along we would jump on it. On June 5th, 2009, we visited Baydo's RV Center in Fife, Wa. We were approached by a friendly salesman named Tommy.
We told him what we had in mind and he showed us several possibilities. One in particular stood out for us. It was a 2005 Salem made by Forest River. It was the perfect size for us at 22 feet and would pull great with our Tundra. We struck a deal for $11,500 with $2000 credit for our beautiful Coleman popup we used as a trade-in. We bought it "as is."
We were very excited. It was just what we had been looking for. We love it. This RV would be ideal for our camping and geocaching trips.
We had our first overnight stay on June 21, 2009. The following morning I walked across the floor barefooted for the first time and found a spot in the floor between the bed and the wall that felt odd to me. On further investigation, I realized it was a bad spot in the floor. It seemed to extend into the storage area under the bed. This storage area has an exterior door. I opened the storage compartment door and felt the floor and realized the floor had a large soft area. It had obvious water damage. Unfortunately, we had not examined that area as well as we should have before purchase..
I immediately called Tommy at Baydo's . He talked in a very supportive way assuring me everything would be fine. He said we should bring the trailer into their service area for a complete inspection of the damage and to find the leak. He said this inspection would be done at no cost to us and because we had purchased the trailer "as is", we would have to cover the costs of materials, but there would be no labor charged for the repairs. He said and I quote, "We will not make anymore money from you. He also said he would talk to his boss about splitting the cost of the materials. If the damage was too extensive, he said they would consider taking this one back and setting us up with another coach.
I explained to Tommy one of our biggest concerns was mold. I told him it was critically important to know if it was wet in the walls or ceiling. Tommy assured us that would all be inspected. We would know the exact extent of the damage and where the leak was. He said they would put the trailer into a type of water chamber that would simulate heavy, heavy rain. He said with the help of this chamber they should be able to find the leak. He even stated that this is why we bought from a dealership and not a private party. They would stand behind their sale. He also thanked us for our patience and for being so nice about this. He felt we had every reason to be angry and appreciated the fact that we were not. Tommy assured us he would stay on top of this situation and take care of us. He made us feel much better because we were in good hands. Or......so we thought.
Another concern was that our family had reserved an entire campground for a four day family reunion starting on July 17th. We also had a reservation for July 22nd - 25th. My husband & I were both extremely worried that our trips would be ruined by not having our travel trailer back in time. Tommy assured us there would be no problem. He said they had bumped us right to the front of their two month waiting list and we would have the results of their inspection and and estimate of cost and time within a few days. He said he would tell them not to start the repairs unless they could have it finished in time for our trip. If not, we would pick it up, use it for our trip, then return it to the Baydo's Service Department for repairs. Once again, we felt reassured by Tommy.
I spoke with the service department to let them know when our coach would be arriving. While speaking with the Baydo's service Center, I was asked if I could actually see any blackened wood. I explained the damage was under the vinyl flooring and asked if she thought it would be alright for us to carefully pull up the vinyl floor to see the damage rather than just feel it. She said to go right ahead. She said there was no reason not to.
To part 3
We told him what we had in mind and he showed us several possibilities. One in particular stood out for us. It was a 2005 Salem made by Forest River. It was the perfect size for us at 22 feet and would pull great with our Tundra. We struck a deal for $11,500 with $2000 credit for our beautiful Coleman popup we used as a trade-in. We bought it "as is."
We were very excited. It was just what we had been looking for. We love it. This RV would be ideal for our camping and geocaching trips.
We had our first overnight stay on June 21, 2009. The following morning I walked across the floor barefooted for the first time and found a spot in the floor between the bed and the wall that felt odd to me. On further investigation, I realized it was a bad spot in the floor. It seemed to extend into the storage area under the bed. This storage area has an exterior door. I opened the storage compartment door and felt the floor and realized the floor had a large soft area. It had obvious water damage. Unfortunately, we had not examined that area as well as we should have before purchase..
I immediately called Tommy at Baydo's . He talked in a very supportive way assuring me everything would be fine. He said we should bring the trailer into their service area for a complete inspection of the damage and to find the leak. He said this inspection would be done at no cost to us and because we had purchased the trailer "as is", we would have to cover the costs of materials, but there would be no labor charged for the repairs. He said and I quote, "We will not make anymore money from you. He also said he would talk to his boss about splitting the cost of the materials. If the damage was too extensive, he said they would consider taking this one back and setting us up with another coach.
I explained to Tommy one of our biggest concerns was mold. I told him it was critically important to know if it was wet in the walls or ceiling. Tommy assured us that would all be inspected. We would know the exact extent of the damage and where the leak was. He said they would put the trailer into a type of water chamber that would simulate heavy, heavy rain. He said with the help of this chamber they should be able to find the leak. He even stated that this is why we bought from a dealership and not a private party. They would stand behind their sale. He also thanked us for our patience and for being so nice about this. He felt we had every reason to be angry and appreciated the fact that we were not. Tommy assured us he would stay on top of this situation and take care of us. He made us feel much better because we were in good hands. Or......so we thought.
Another concern was that our family had reserved an entire campground for a four day family reunion starting on July 17th. We also had a reservation for July 22nd - 25th. My husband & I were both extremely worried that our trips would be ruined by not having our travel trailer back in time. Tommy assured us there would be no problem. He said they had bumped us right to the front of their two month waiting list and we would have the results of their inspection and and estimate of cost and time within a few days. He said he would tell them not to start the repairs unless they could have it finished in time for our trip. If not, we would pick it up, use it for our trip, then return it to the Baydo's Service Department for repairs. Once again, we felt reassured by Tommy.
I spoke with the service department to let them know when our coach would be arriving. While speaking with the Baydo's service Center, I was asked if I could actually see any blackened wood. I explained the damage was under the vinyl flooring and asked if she thought it would be alright for us to carefully pull up the vinyl floor to see the damage rather than just feel it. She said to go right ahead. She said there was no reason not to.
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| Both pictures taken of the storage compartment floor after we pulled up the vinyl. |
That evening my husband & I pulled back the vinyl in the storage compartment and found a great deal of rotted wood. In one spot my husband was able to put his fingers throught the flooring. I called Tommy and told him what we found. He again assured me all would be fine. On Monday, June 28th. we delivered our travel trailer to the Baydo's Dealership so they could transport it to the service department the following morning. Before we left Tommy assured us he would call us either Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning with some information. He never called. I tried to reach him Thursday morning only to find he is off on Thursdays & Fridays.
We patiently waited to call him on Saturday, July 4th. At this time, he told me the service man had visually inspected the trailer but would not have any definate information until Monday, July 6th, when he actually started taking it apart to see the extent of damage. Tommy said he would call Monday afternoon with all the information we were waiting for.
We patiently waited to call him on Saturday, July 4th. At this time, he told me the service man had visually inspected the trailer but would not have any definate information until Monday, July 6th, when he actually started taking it apart to see the extent of damage. Tommy said he would call Monday afternoon with all the information we were waiting for.
His call never came.
To part 2To part 3
