Ohio Good Sam member Jack Rigby contacted Good Sam’s consumer advocacy program, Action Line, when the manufacturer of his RV’s refrigerator wouldn’t cover the cost to replace a faulty part:
During our recent summer journey, we spent 10 days in Houston before heading to Alaska in our Itasca Navion. The RV’s Norcold NG611 refrigerator was working fine, but occasionally the “Check Gas” light would blink. Switching off and on would reset it, but since we were about to leave on a long journey, I called several RV repair places to get it looked at. The soonest available appointment was six weeks away.
We began our journey north hoping the fridge would continue working, but on the third day the light was blinking full time. Since the fridge and freezer were full, we tried again to get it looked at. After making some calls, I was referred to Golden Mobile RV and Diesel Service of Golden, Colorado. We met Mitch, the owner, at a campground near Denver. It took an hour for him to determine that the gas-valve solenoid had failed to open properly. He made a call to a local Thetford/Norcold distributor, which had the part. We drove across Denver, bought the part, then met up with Mitch again, and he quickly installed the new gas valve. The refrigerator has worked perfectly ever since.
I called Norcold a few days later to explain the circumstances and ask for reimbursement for the failed valve. At that point our Navion had been in service one year and seven weeks. They said, “No, you are out of warranty, but if you had called us first, we sometimes authorize the part’s replacement.” I explained our situation, to no avail. Is there any way you might encourage them to stand behind their product?
After petitioning Thetford on behalf of Jack Rigby, Good Sam Action Line received the following reply from the company’s customer service supervisor, Jackie Gotts:
I called and spoke with Mr. Rigby and after consideration have agreed to cover the expense for the part that needed to be replaced and the labor incurred for the repair made shortly after his warranty expired. I am processing a refund in the amount of $340.50. Unfortunately, we were not able to refund the cost for the service call, as our warranty policy states the consumer has the responsibility to deliver the product to an authorized service center for warranty service. Mr. Rigby was happy with my offer, and I feel the matter has been resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Since 1981, the Good Sam Club’s Action Line has helped resolve thousands of disputes between members and businesses. If you have an RV-related consumer issue and would like assistance from Good Sam, contact Action Line.
