RV action line

Unhappy with security conditions in an RV park, and unable to forge an equitable agreement with the park management, a Trailer Life reader recently shared his apprehensions with "RV Action Line."

My wife and I are regular visitors to the state of Florida and are seeking a perfect RV park to spend our retirement years. Last year, we arrived at the Goldcoaster RV Resort in Homestead, Florida. After our initial stay, we found the park to meet our standards and returned again this year.

During our latest visit to the park, our two bicycles, which had been chained and locked to the rear of our RV, were stolen. The park's manager advised me that this was an ongoing problem and that approximately 17 bicycles had been stolen in the past year. He also proclaimed that security was the responsibility of individual owners.

I spoke with a few of the long-term residents of Goldcoaster RV Resort, as well as the Dade County Police Department. They informed me that there were more like 50 bicycles stolen, which lends evidence that there is a serious problem that is not being addressed by park management.

It is all right for the park's staff to feel secure in their alarm-equipped homes, but the rest of us are left to the wolves. There is a lack of security in this park, and we do not feel safe enough to return next year The park administration has recently responded to our pleas by installing barbed wire on a problem gate. However the gate has had so much traffic over it that its wire mesh is bent out of shape.

We must commend the park's manager for his efforts, but it is too little, too late. Our $500 bicycles are gone for good.

FRANK TAYLOR

QUEBEC, CANADA

We passed on Taylor's very alarming issues to Sun Communities Inc., the owners of Goldcoaster RV Resort. They responded:

We are sorry for the inconvenience experienced by Mr. Taylor at our resort. We have, in fact, had a number of bicycle thefts at this park over last winter, but most of them were left unlocked and unattended. As a result of those thefts, Sun Communities has taken the following measures to help reduce bike thefts while making Goldcoaster RV Resort a safe place to live.

A very active Crime Watch program has been formed, which holds meetings on the second Thursday of each month.

A security golf cart with discretionary flashing lights has been made available for the Crime Watch patrols.

Our park entrance gate is now closed 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

Two part-time persons have been hired to staff the main gate for 40 hours per week added coverage.

Additional fencing and barbed wire has been included in the park's perimeter barrier to provide I OO-percent coverage. Extra barbed wire has also been added to necessary gates, which makes them more difficult to climb.

Alarms have been installed at the front gate to alert resort staff of anyone walking or riding a bike in or out of the park.

A questionable gate entrance is being eliminated. We are also doubling street lighting within the park, as well as increasing individual light luminescence.

We continue to work with the MetroDade Police Department as closely as possible. We are also looking into the cost of securing professional guard services.

In conclusion, Sun Communities has made many improvements and is doing everything feasible to upgrade the security of the Goldcoaster community. There is only so much our resort managers can do. The ultimate responsibility for securing one's personal possessions still remains with the individual.

We regret the inconvenience caused to Mr. Taylor. We believe that we are doing our maximum best to ensure that Goldcoaster RV Resort residents experience a perfect south Florida tropical paradise vacation.

MIKE ALCORN

REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT

SUN COMMUNITIES INC.

FORT MEYERS, FLORIDA

A PIECE OF THE ROOF

Caught between a rock and a hard place on a roof repair, a reader wrote:

In October 1997, the rubber roof on my 1993 fifth-wheel trailer developed some leaks. I called Dicor Corporation, which manufactures the rubber roof membrane. Dicor's warranty reads "five years on parts and labor and ten years on parts. "

Dicor did send me materials to patch the roof but refused to pay for the labor to do the repairs. I talked to one of its staff, who wanted me to have a piece of my roof cut out and sent in.

My repairman informed me that he would not do this, as the subsequent patching to cover it might not hold. Furthermore, he said he would not guarantee the work under such circumstances. I feel there should be no questions about the labor in this case, since it was still under warranty.

IDELLA BASART

BANDERA, TEXAS

Basart's dilemma was conveyed to Dicor Corporation with our request for further consideration. Dicor responded to Basart with a copy to "RV Action Line."

I have researched your matter thoroughly and provide the following information. Dicor Corporation enjoys a very strong reputation for its customer service and for standing behind its products 100 percent. Our warranty on your roof was a "10-year Brite-Ply membrane material warranty and a five-year labor warranty to the original purchaser against premature deterioration to the point of failure because of weather if properly maintained." Our warranty now is for 12 years.

We did send patch and repair materials to you at no charge simply to enable you to have your unit fixed and protect it from future water intrusion. Our concern is to protect customers from further damage first and to determine the cause of such damage second through proper identification.

Due to the fact that deterioration is rare, we requested a piece of the rubber membrane in question be sent to us for analysis. This inspection determines if the source of your problem was deterioration due to weathering, improper installation or neglect. You were also advised several times that this was necessary to validate any warranty claim. We regret that no sample material was submitted and therefore a labor claim cannot be substantiated. After reading and understanding our policy on warranty claims, we hope that this matter is considered resolved.

KATHY BAINES

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE

DICOR CORPORATION

ELKHART, INDIANA

REFER RUCKUS

Understandably upset with the difficulty he was experiencing with one of his travel trailer's appliances, a reader complained:

I have experienced several problems with the quality and workmanship of the Norcold refrigerator in my travel trailer, which was new when I purchased it in 1996. I have used the unit approximately 78 days total. During that time, it has been in the shop for repair of the refrigerator four times.

Beginning with our maiden voyage, the door has fallen off twice. This required the replacement of door hinges both timeswith the same type of hinge. Additionally, the ice maker would not operate and we likewise had to return twice to have it repaired. Eventually, we ended up replacing the entire ice maker

I contacted Norcold and asked for either a replacement refrigerator or an extension of the original warranty. The company's response did not address the issue of quality and workmanship nor a replacement. Instead, they offered an extension of the warranty at a cost of $119.

I do not believe this is an equitable solution to my concern. I would consider a minimum resolution to at least include a warranty extension free of charge.

VELMAR 0. REED

LODI, CALIFORNIA

We received the following letter from Norcold, which, hopefully, indicates all is now well in the Reed case. They wrote:

We were able to reach a resolution to the troubles Mr. Reed was experiencing with his refrigerator We received a letter from him stating that he considered the matter resolved. I placed a call to him today to follow up and left a message with my return telephone number should he have any future concerns. You may consider this file closed.

MIKE HOELSCHER

MANAGER

CUSTOMER SERVICES

NORCOLD

SIDNEY, OHIO TL

RV Action Line is a forum for resolution of conflicts between our readers and providers of goods and services. After you have exhausted all other resources without success, contact RV Action Line, by mail only, at 2575 Vista Del Mar, Ventura, California 93001. Please include copies of bills and correspondence, as well as a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Copyright T L Enterprises, Inc. Feb 1999
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