Shortly after arriving in OKC, I decided to make an appointment to get the non-working items on the rig repaired. Not wanting to duplicate the problems we had at Steve Casey’s in Denver, this time I researched and found McClain’s to be one of Winebago / Itasca’s top dealers. When I called, they told me the earliest they could fit me in would be October 22; almost 3 weeks away. Well, if that’s the best they can do, let’s do it. We had planned to be here for 2 – 3 weeks, so a little longer wasn't a big deal.
After getting her mom’s phone / cable / internet bundled, and getting her new computer set up, CC has been busy doing mother / daughter “things”, of which I’m not sure I want to know the details. In addition, we have both been busy seeing old friends over dinners, at happy hours, and football games; we are, after all in the heart of football country. CC’s daughter, Letta, came for “a girls weekend out”, while Rick and I went fishing and stayed in his Lake Hudson “cabin”; now my wallet is lighter and the freezer is full of fish. You do the math.
Monday, October 22, came before we knew it. Upon arrival at McClain’s I was told they didn’t make appointments; it was first come, first served. Say what? I was not a happy camper, and it probably came through in my subsequent conversation with Julie, the customer service rep at McClain’s. She asked what our problems were and I said I went over that with the person that made the appointment, to which she repeated, “We don’t take appointments”. I took a deep breath and started in on my litany; the Kingdome satellite system is not locking onto the satellite, the electric element in our Aqua-Hot is not working, the Dometic ice maker is not making ice and we have a broken support bracket on our front windshield MCD motorized shades. She said, “OK, I’ll try and work you in today”. With that exchange behind us, we proceeded to the customer lounge.
By 4 pm, CC was getting mildly irritated, and went to speak with Julie and soothe any wounds I may have inflicted earlier. A few minutes later CC returned and said they were trying to get to our list but they were very busy due to an RV Show in OKC the previous weekend. Julie did offer to let us “wait” in our rig, versus sitting in their lounge, and just as we were headed out the door, the service technician, Lloyd, said he was ready for our rig. OK, it’s 4:30, how much can they get done by closing at 6 pm? That would be nada. They backed the rig out of the shop, and parked it in one of their complimentary sites with full hook ups adjacent to the service building.
Tuesday morning we were in the shop by 9 am, and Lloyd diagnosed the Dometic problem, stating we needed a complete new ice maker. He tried to troubleshoot the Aqua-Hot, but could find nothing wrong. He acknowledged that there was indeed a problem with the King-Dome, as it would lock on and a few minutes later lose the satellite. By 6 pm, they backed us out of service, and back into our temporary “home site”. Julie then informed us Lloyd would not be in on Wednesday, due to a previously scheduled doctor’s appointment, and the fact she would like him to continue with our rig since he was their most experienced tech. What was I to say? OK seemed the proper response; not exactly what I wanted to say. As CC reminded me later, you catch more bees with honey, than you do with vinegar.
Thursday morning at 9 am, the rig was again in the shop. Lloyd spent the day trouble shooting and on the phone with King Dome, trying to get that issue resolved. Around 3 pm he informed us that our extended warranty required the system had to be returned to the King Dome factory for repair or replacement, which would take 2 – 3 weeks. What the hell? Now I’m thinking IF the person I spoke with from McClain’s, when we arrived in OKC had told me to bring the rig in then, we would be back in business by now. I was not a happy camper. I was equally miffed at our extended warranty. While I tried to regain my composure, Lloyd was busy troubleshooting our Aqua-Hot issue. By 6 pm we were once again in our “home site”.
Friday morning, 9 am, the rig was moved back into service. Around 10 am, Julie approached us in the customer service lounge and informed us that our extended warranty would not pay for shipping the King-Dome back to the factory, which was $160. By now, I’m REALLY not happy. “Let’s go call them”, I said. Julie put me on the phone with Lou from our extended warrant provider, and I tried to calmly and carefully explain the situation to him. When he finally asked what I wanted to do, I bit my tongue, and asked if it would be possible to get an allowance on a new satellite system, so as not to detain us in OKC an additional 3 weeks. When he said yes, I almost fell over, and when he offered $900 I couldn't believe my ears.
CC and I researched our options, knowing we definitely did not want another King-Dome, and finally decided we really didn't need “in motion” but for sure wanted the automatic satellite locator feature. The Winegard Mini-Max was our choice, and luckily for us, had one in stock, and installed by the end of the day. Finally…….something is getting fixed. Lloyd also diagnosed the Aqua-Hot problem to be a bad 110 volt, 14 gauge wire running from the circuit breaker to the Aqua-Hot. We’re waiting to hear back from Winebago on whether or not they will cover the cost of that repair.
So, here we sit, waiting on the ice maker from Dometic and a bracket for the front MCD motorized shades. Originally, Julie “predicted” they would be here November 5. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it gets here this week, as both CC and I are getting a case of hitch-itch. The staff here at McClain’s has been fantastic since our initial meeting Monday morning. CC says they are just tired of seeing our ugly mugs; I say, “Pass me the honey”.
Until next time, take care and stay well………………..
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