ComplaintsforPrincess Craft Inc

• Initial Complaint

  02/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I mailed a Certified letter with Return receipt to *************************, Operations Manager of Princess Craft **, asking Princess Craft ** to respond to me within three weeks; however, I did not receive any response as of today. We took the camper to Princess Craft ** to unload the camper off our truck and for a repair of the campers bumper and **** damage after an accident with any additional repairs that would need to be done after the Princess Craft TVs inspection of the whole camper for damages. At that time, we trusted the Princess Craft **s inspection of damages. After all they are the ** repair shop and ** seller. Princess Craft ** got hit by a large hail 9/24//2023, and our camper sustained hail damage. To our shock, ** from Service texted me a copy of our signed paper that relieves Princess Craft ** of this responsibility. YWe signed the paper, but we were NOT told anything about this waiver. We thought we are signing a paper for the repair that we are responsible for the payment.We had no other choice but to agree to pay for an estimate, taping off cracked portions of the camper, and replacement of sky window that got damaged while on their premise. It is unacceptable that we had to pay $159 for the estimate and $79.50 for taping off of damaged parts that happened under the shops possession. This should be done for free. There is a history of Princess Craft ** not performing a proper inspection of damages and blaming customers and nature for their mistakes. We brought the payment 11/17/23 (W/O *****). We pointed out that the retractable stairs being hard to open after this accident damage repair. There was no problem with the stairs before the repair, the stairs did not sustain any damage in the accident. We picked up the camper and paid for the estimate, taping, and window replacement 12/2823 (W/O *****). As we cleaned the camper one week after we picked it up and discovered that the ** damage listed as hail damage is not from the hail at all.

  Business response

  03/14/2024

  We heard from the Zateckys within a few days after their accident and originally informed them that we were 2 months out for a repair appointment.  After hearing their struggle,we offered to have them drop it off so they could continue with truck repairs,but it might be 6-8 weeks before we could start on it.  We completed their estimate, submitted it to State Farm, and there was a significant amount of confusion concerning their coverage from State Farm. 
  
  To be fair, insurance coverage can be tricky with a truck camper.  If you contact an insurance agent and ask if they cover truck campers, they often confuse it with a truck cap that simply covers the bed.  A truck camper is an ** that fits in the bed of the truck, has a bed, dinette, kitchen and bathroom.  It is possible that when they purchased the camper, they called an agent, and the agent told them that if its on the back of the truck, its covered so there is no need to pay additional!  ************** companies add an additional rider to the policy, which is far less than full insurance on the camper.  In either of these situations,the camper is covered if it is being transported on the truck, but it is not covered for any other situation.  While I dont know the details, it is possible that this is the type of coverage the Zateckys have on their truck camper. This often happens because the truck camper owner relies on the expertise of the insurance agent who doesnt understand the value of a truck camper or the difference between an ** style truck camper and a simple truck cap or camper shell.
  
  The State Farm agents that we spoke with did not know what a truck camper was, and they confused the truck repair with the camper repair facilities.   There was confusion about whether it was covered,whether the coverage was active only when on the truck, and whether it was a separate claim from the truck.   Princess Craft had nothing to do with the approval delays or any cancellation of policies, coverage or payments.  This was all done at State Farm and ** spent hours on more than a few occasions trying to get the accident damage covered for the Zateckys. 
  
  As a dealership, we often review the insurance confusion with customers so they will understand the hazards of limited coverage.  This is not an unusual situation,unfortunately.  Since the Zateckys did not purchase their camper from us (which we are not at all concerned with!), we did not have that opportunity.  I stress the insurance coverage only because I feel it is at the heart of this issue.  If there was full coverage on the truck camper (meaning it was insurance on an independent policy which then offers full coverage on or off the truck) then repairs would have been approved quicker, parts ordered sooner, and both the accident and the hail damage would have been fully covered and a supplement for the A/C at this time would be no problem. 
  
  All dealerships do have insurance coverage for all the new inventory that is unsold and sitting on our lot.  Our insurance company will not cover customer units or repair units waiting for service. I cannot buy that coverage from my agent, even if I wanted to.  There is not an ** dealership or a car dealership that I know that has coverage for service units on the lot.  It is simply not how dealership insurance works.   During the same hailstorm, my car was at a dealership down the street and received serious damage that was, of course, not covered by dealership insurance.  As far as I am aware, this is standard in the industry.
  
  The repair was delayed because we could not get coverage confirmed on the repair due to the issues with State Farm.  Each time we reached them, it would be a new agent that had to review and learn the details of the claim.  We would review the fact that it was a truck camper, and not a truck or a camper shell.  The checks were sent to the truck repair facility in error, and Princess Craft was told the check was on the way.  We did put in for a supplement payment as is customary with insurance companies, and after many phone calls,we were able to get the insurance coverage for the Zateckys so they would only owe the $500 deductible. 
  
  At the time of the hailstorm, we were still waiting for a few parts to come in.  Because the ** industry is not like the auto industry, average repair time (according to national statistics) is about 6 weeks). This was a difficult repair to navigate, and ** went above and beyond to work with the insurance company to get everything covered. 
  
  One of the times they came in to check on the accident repair and review the hail damage, the stairs were noted as being stiff.  The stairs are not connected to the bumper but mounted on rails underneath the bumper. The left side is less supported due to the design from the manufacturer.  ****** did have some trouble pulling the steps out, but mentioned he had his arm in a sling due to an injury.  We reviewed with them why the stairs were flexing on one side and gave them ideas on how they could brace them to make them sturdier.  They are intentionally stiff to open by design, so they dont open while traveling down the road.   They reviewed the hail damage, and repeatedly asked for a quote reducing the repairs items to determine how much of the repair they wanted to do.   They were fully aware at that time that their insurance would not cover hail damage.   They finally agreed to some minor repairs due to the hail and decided to leave the remaining damage unrepaired. 
  
  They also mentioned that they were considering selling the camper, and asked if we would be interested in consigning it.  When they came to pick up the ****************** reviewed the stairs again.  He also reviewed the portions that we did not repair and expressed concerns about the temporary fix of tape might deteriorate and cause issues in the future.  At the time of pick up, everyone seemed happy and agreeable to all parts of the repair and payment.  ****** climbed the ladder and looked at the roof, and as far as we were concerned, the Zateckys left completely happy with the outcome of the repair.
  
  The Zateckys were very nice to work with and we sympathize with the difficult situation they found themselves in with an accident, State Farm, and the unfortunate hailstorm.  The A/C damage was found after they picked it up from Princess Craft and they are correct, we did not see the damage and would have noted it if we did.  The hailstorm was our best explanation according to what we have seen on the other 400 damaged units we have been working with since September.  We realize that if it was hail damage, it would not be covered by insurance.  If it was part of the accident, it could be sent in as a supplement, even if the insurance had been cancelled as mentioned in the complaint.  ** did ask the Zateckys to call the insurance company to see if they would consider a supplement.  If they agreed, ** offered to create the quote and send it in.    Unfortunately, there is no way to determine exactly what caused the damage to the base of the A/C.   As far as we have been told, the A/C is in good working order at this time despite the cosmetic damage to the base of the shroud.
  
  In summary, Princess Craft works hard to take care of every customer that trusts their camper with us. Clearly, we missed a small dent in the A/C shroud as did ****** in looking at the roof when they picked up the camper and reviewed the repairs.  When and where it happened is unknown.   The pinhole in the sealant is a normal occurrence in **s, and although we may have inspected it at one point, it is a normal part of maintenance and can show up after washing the camper, some weather changes, or just over the course of time.     As we reviewed before, if the Zateckys had full coverage insurance on their camper,both the accident and the hailstorm would have been covered with a $500 deductible.   The time it took to complete the repairs was not due to neglect, but due to insurance struggles, parts arrivals and tech availability.  We did our best to get the repairs done as quickly as possible once the decisions were made and the parts arrived. 
  
  Concerning the hail damage, the dealership insurance does not cover units that are here for service, and insurance repairs have gone smoothly for hail damage on over 40 other trailers that were here during the hailstorm.  Many of them are still in process due to parts availability and tech availability.  All repairs, including the hail damage taping and temporary covering fees mentioned in the complaint were approved by the Zateckys prior to the work being done and paid for at the time of pick up. If the Zateckys would like a new set of stairs, I would be glad to purchase them on their behalf.  We want everyone to be safe.  Im not certain new stairs would solve the issue, but it would eliminate the concern that there is something wrong with the stairs and the hope is that a new set of stairs would be more stable than the current ones.   They could be drop shipped to their location in order to avoid the inconvenience of coming to Princess Craft.    If requested, we would be happy to turn in a supplement for the A/C damage using the original claim number to determine if State Farm would include that in their accident coverage.   Im sorry that the Zateckys feel that we have not done our job well or have charged them unfairly.   Our only goal is to provide fair and honest service to everyone who needs assistance repairing their camper.
  
  I apologize for the delay in my response and hope the Zateckys will have many more adventures with their truck camper.  

  Customer response

  03/18/2024

  Complaint: 21315323
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Princess Craft RV needs to pay for their damages to our camper done,which were due to not caring for the customers product and due to large hail damage while repairs were in progress on their premise. We are not asking for all damages coverage, but just for a fraction.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************

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