Hilltop Trailer Sales

With weeks left on my warranty I took my RV to Hilltop. I needed a new water heater, thermostat, a test panel for the water tanks, and a few other things. It took a little over 2 weeks to get in. When I dropped it off they asked if it’s okay that they didn’t get to it for a couple days. I said, «Sure, that’s fine.» So 2 weeks then passed and I called for an update. My call was not returned until my 3^rd message. They said none of the jobs had been started. I reminded them of my warranty ending soon. A week later I called again. They said they did 2 things: clean my black water tank and test my battery and so far my bill was 3 hours labor x $ 110/​hour. I asked why they were doing work I did not authorize, and referred them to my work order. They did not really have an answer.
With 3 days left on my warranty, I drove 200 miles RT to see what was happening. I drove onto the lot and saw that my RV was sitting outside. I walked right up to it, nobody knew I was there, and I walked in. It was unattended, unlocked, and the interior lights were on which was draining my battery. So I went to the service desk and asked about the progress. I said, «You’ve had my RV for 4 weeks now and have not started the work. Why?» They replied that they’d get to it.
The next day they finally got to it. I got the call that my out-​of-​pocket cost would be $ 900. They listed reasons such as: The MSRP on the water heater itself is $ 165 and that is what the warranty will pay. But we charge $ 309 for that so you have to pay the difference. Another reason: the warranty will cover 1 hour labor on project «A», but we need 2.5 hours labor.
So then I had to call my warranty company. They said everything is covered 100%, except for the $ 50 deductible. After reviewing the list of repairs needed, they said that over half of them had not been requested for coverage. So, I realized, that instead of using my warranty Hilltop was just going to charge me for much of the work.
So I got down to business. I called Hilltop and told them to get their act together. They basically said they refuse to do that, but not in those words. So I contacted the owner, Mike Pearo. He must have done something because my out-​of-​pocket did go down. But what an uncomfortable situation I had been put into.
Then, after 6 weeks (not including the 2 weeks to get the appointment) I got the RV back. I had already cancelled a number of small trips because it took so long, and now it was the first day of my vacation and I was just getting it back. I noticed something very strange. Something was wrong. I discovered that things had been taken from my RV. «I need to call the owner» I thought to myself.
A couple hundred miles down the interstate I had a tire blowout. The metal access panel located a the back of the wheel well had not been secured and the sharp edge was rubbing on my tire the whole time. Roadside assistance took 3 hours because they had to change the tire and remove the gnarled metal that was once protecting my blackwater tank.
So I talked to the owner on the phone. They took no responsibility for the blowout. There was an implication I might be trying to get some free stuff by reporting things were stolen. I asked, «Where’s the customer service?» The owner asked, «What do you mean by customer service?» He went on to talk about an employee they needed to let go– that it just was not working out. He never said whether it was incompetence or dishonesty. He continued by saying there are a lot of internal politics at their business and employees are stretched thin. Their service guys are overworked.
They refused any sort of compensation, reimbursement, or consideration of any kind. I asserted that they charge $ 110 per hour labor and charge double the MSRP on many of their parts. Based on price, Hilltop is not some discounted third rate business. They are a full price shop. And with those prices people expect a high level of service. The phone call ended with no resolution and the only compensation for my headache is to write this and give fair warning to someone who is choosing an RV shop. My phone call with the owner ended with him saying, «Sorry you believe we failed you.»