1. This site is not affiliated with Range RV. Duh! 2. All trademarks,
whether or not acknowledged, are the property of their owners. 3. This is a
non-commercial critique of Range RV of Hesperia, CA. 4. This is an
exercise of my 1st Ammendment rights to free speech.
If you came here
looking for Range RV of Hesperia, California,
you are at the wrong place!
Read through this and at the bottom of the page you will find a link to
their regular web site.
Joe Range has left me "homeless"
(at least while vacationing or camping)
since 2004, over 7 years now! THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU!
This is a critique of Range RV and their
behavior following a fire on their property that destroyed my new
Fifth-Wheel trailer.
Since this site is a critical review of a Company or Product, it
qualifies as Fair Use
under trademark and copyright law.
All I want is satisfaction. To
date, nobody has offered to simply replace my trailer. The best offer I
have received would have cost me $8,300 out of my
pocket! This does not include the loss of use. After the fire I had to
cancel several trips that were already planned, including attending a
family reunion. Now, after all this time, I have no idea how many trips
I might have taken!
Act 1:
I drop off my 6-month old 5th-wheel trailer for service
[July 1, 2004]
I drop my trailer off for some "minor" warranty
repairs. (The trailer has already spent most of its short life getting
warranty service!)
"You don't need to
worry Mr.
and Mrs. Walker. Mr. Range
will make sure that everything
will be taken care of." - Range RV Employees
Act 2:
The Fire
[August 31, 2004]
An early morning fire breaks out in the
pusher-style motorhome parked next to my trailer. The motorhome is
completely destroyed. The passenger side of my 5th-wheel trailer, only
six feet away
is severely damaged, later totaled by the insurance company. The original story from the
Daily Press is no longer available. (Cached
version of the original Daily Press article)
Act 3:
The Shock, The Despair and The Hope
[September 1, 2004]
I arrive on the scene and am overwhelmed by the
damage
to the motorhome and my 5th-wheel trailer. My wife was in tears, but
the employees at Range RV assured us that "Mr. Range will make sure
that everything will be taken care of".
I begin to think that everything is going to be OK. I thought Range RV,
who had been good to me so far, would replace my 5th-wheel trailer. Fire Department Report
and Photos My photos of the
damage
Act 4: Insurance companies get involved
[September 1, 2004]
Range RV's insurance, American Hardware Mutual, refused to accept
responsibility, saying it was the motorhome's fault.
The motorhome's insurance, Progressive Insurance, refused also, saying
it was the fault of the refridgerator manufacturer, Norcold.
Norcold is still "investigating"
Two weeks after the fire, my insurance company finally got out to check
my 5th-wheel trailer. They declared it a total loss.
Act 5: Salesmen never know when to quit
I had no idea that to Range RV "taken care of" meant "more profit for
them". The next thing I know thay were offering me
another trailer for another $960 down and an additional
$100 per month over my existing payments!
Needless to say, I found this "settlement" infuriating.
Range RV gave a written quote to my insurance company, Mercury
Insurance, for $19,700 to replace my 5th-wheel trailer. But there were
many restrictions. It had to be bought from them. It was a special
order so it could not be refused or returned.
Finally, they would not be able to deliver it until after December! (If
at all!)
My finance company gave the blue-book value of the trailer as $24,900.
Since the trailer is no longer produced, it was hard to get an exact
match, but I was able to get quotes ranging from $28,000
to $33,000 for nearly identical trailers from various dealers.
My insurance company, Mercury, offered me the $20,000 amount quoted in
writing by Range RV. I refused to take a bath of over $8,000 for a
as-new 5th-wheel that had only 45 days of use!
It's
been so long now that at least I have paid off the original loan!
Act 6: A visit from the Sales Manager.
While parked outside Range RV, protesting their
treatment of me, I was paid a visit by the Sales Manager. He was
looking out for my safety and wanted me to leave "before something
happened.' Hmmmm...I wonder if a reasonable person would consider
that a threat?
I give credit to Hank Mishkoff of TaubmanSucks.com for giving me
the idea to create this web site in the first place. I thoroughly
enjoyed reading his blow-by-blow
description of how he fought and won. He had the guts and determination
to see it through.
I also liked some of the style and structure of his site and have
borrowed from it, though as an amateur
I do not do it justice.
If you want to reach me, you can call me at 760-559-6523.
My email is "buba@cellcomm.net"
If after reading this page you still want to do business with
Range RV of Hesperia, California, then simply be aware! Click Here
to continue on to Range RV's web site.
