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Old 09-28-2012, 04:00 PM   #1
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Trailer: 2013 Escape 19
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Remote service...

I am in the market for a trailer, and I'm seriously considering an Escape. I know I'd be happy with the product.

One concern I have: Escape is in B.C., while I am in Ontario.

From all the reading I've done, I trust Rease and Tammy to put together a good product. But everything has problems from time to time. Has anybody had any experience with trying to resolve post-sale issues from a distance? How did Escape handle it?

On a related note: any thoughts or concerns regarding delivery vs. taking the time to pick the trailer up in person? Picking it up in person is possible, but definitely not easy...

Please convince me I'm concerned unnecessarily...

Doug
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Old 09-28-2012, 05:32 PM   #2
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Re: Remote service...

I was one of a few customers in '09 who had some defective axle assemblies in my 19 from Dexter -- weak brakes springs, so the brakes squeaked from slight continuous drag. I mentioned this to Reace at the'10 Bandon gathering. He instructed me to take the trailer to my local RV shop and have the defective parts replaced and send my receipt to Escape. He also checked with other Escape owners and if their brakes were squeaking, told them the same. This I did and promptly received full compensation from Escape. Reace stated that he was to receive compensation from Dexter, I hope that happened -- I've forgotten to ask.

The operating components on the trailer are covered under separate warranties, and most RV shops are authorized to do warranty work. If you had a trailer problem that was Escape's responsibility, I'm sure they'd tell you to take it to your local RV shop, get it fixed, and then send them the receipt for reimbursement. I'm betting that rarely happens due to Escape's high standards and quality control. Some of their suppliers will even go beyond warranty. My Maxxfan recently had a problem and even though I was over a year out of warranty, they sent the part free.
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Old 09-28-2012, 05:56 PM   #3
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Re: Remote service...

Welcome, Doug. People have had their trailers delivered to Sault Ste. Marie and elsewhere. You wait for a couple of people in your region to have yours and theirs delivered together and you go pick it up. Price depends on how many trailers so you likely do not want one door-to-door but that is possible.
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Old 09-28-2012, 07:13 PM   #4
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Re: Remote service...

Hi: dbailey... I'm down here in Ont. too!!! Had some small issues, some of my own making. Because we bought used we had no warranty but lots of help from Reace anyhow. The last issue was the switch for the power vent in the bathroom. I searched local suppliers and came up with one for $3.95. Took me 20 min. to change it.
I know you might feel uncomfortable with the distance...but that would be involved no matter which fiberglass trailer you buy. One thing I know for sure is you can't go wrong with an Escape Trailer. Alf
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Old 09-28-2012, 10:56 PM   #5
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Re: Remote service...

Thanks for the comments, all...

It's good to know that Escape has a good history of dealing with problems even remotely. From everything I've read, if we go fiberglass it will certainly be Escape. One alternative that's still in the running is Taylor -- they do full custom trailers, but with stick frame construction. I don't like stick frame, but I haven't (yet) done the research on Taylor to know if there are other trade-offs that make them worth considering. A friend is bringing home a Taylor in a few months, so I'll have a closer look then.

Assuming I go Escape (and that's the way *I'd* bet on myself right now)... Since we're such trailer novices, I'm inclined to pick the trailer up and get the instructional walk-through. I think I remember reading/hearing that Escape provides a substantive introduction to the trailer when it's picked up. I can learn a lot in a couple of hours with a knowledgeable teacher. But it means committing to at least a 3 week vacation to retrieve the trailer, and that's tough while we're still working.

But that's a decision I won't need to make for a bit. (The plan is to purchase a new trailer at the end of the 2013 season, or early in 2014.)

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Old 09-29-2012, 10:50 AM   #6
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Re: Remote service...

We drove to Canada from California last year to pick up our trailer. A few hours after leaving the factory, while pulling out of a gas station, a young girl backed into us. After securing the damaged parts (and performing other unpleasantries) we continued our trip home. The door on the trailer was cracked pretty badly so we needed a new one. Once home, I called Tammy see if they had a door available and put the RV repair shop in contact with her The repair shop ordered a new and had little problem in getting it (but shipping took a while). I'm not sure what the cost was since all was covered by insurance but we had our Humpty Dumpty egg ‘together again’.

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Old 09-29-2012, 12:06 PM   #7
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Re: Remote service...

We drove from Central Coastal California in August to pick up the 17B, and timed it such that we arrived in Chilliwack the Sunday evening before we'd arranged pick-up. Dave took us through a very thorough 4 hour introduction on Monday, and we spent that evening at an RV park close by. Had to replace one broken cabinet hinge that afternoon, and the next morning a screen latch that we broke ourselves, before heading off to Victoria enroute home. We managed the whole trip in 10 days. I've since been over the trailer pretty thoroughly, and continue to be impressed with how well it's put together. I'm pretty confident there won't be any major service issues. Our local RV service shop has seen one Escape in our area, and feel the same way. Any manufacturer has the same exposure to service needs with the products they install in these trailers, and it appears Tammy and Reace are choosing wisely and not cutting corners.

Bob
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Old 09-30-2012, 11:39 AM   #8
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Re: Remote service...

You will never find a RV manufacturer better to work. Tammy and Reace bend over backwards to help customers with trailer problems in and out of warranty. No other factory will you find the CEO President working on the production line wearing a tool belt and working through the process. Reace also does repair work on customer trailers.
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Old 10-02-2012, 04:35 PM   #9
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Re: Remote service...

The personalized walk-through was really good for me - I had never owned a trailer or camper so much of the info was brand new. If you've owned trailers before, the overall stuff should be pretty clear. Also, Tammy did a great video walkthrough a couple of years ago.

I went up to get my trailer - I wanted to make sure everything worked (and that I knew how to work it) while I was close enough to get it addressed. Everything worked exactly as expected! I have 3 friends who bought new trailers or Motorhomes (after tent camping with me and seeing how nice my trailer was ) and they all had a list of things of items that weren't right - everything from leaks in the propane, to windows not opening or the dinette that wouldn't break down into a bed (the bench had to be adjusted to allow the table to lie down). So, I'm thinking that the Escape quality and attention to final details just can't be beat!

When I picked up my trailer, there had been a shipping glitch and my awning hadn't arrived - I knew this as soon as Reace knew it and I got regular updates on the probability of it showing up before I picked up the trailer. When I picked up the trailer, Reace and Tammy had several options for resolving the awning issue - I asked them to just have the awning shipped to my home town for installation there. That they did, and when I got home from my trip, it was an easy and no-cost-to-me trip to a local RV place where the awning was installed.

I've had the trailer for 6 years and so far I haven't needed any problems with the trailer addressed. I live close enough to make the trip up for enhancements - I do feel better about having them work on the trailer rather than some local outfit that might not know much about fiberglass or have the same professional attention to detail and quality.

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Old 10-02-2012, 05:36 PM   #10
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Re: Remote service...

If you can make time for the trip to the factory to pick-up your new trailer you really should do it that way. They spent nearly 5 hours with us going over every little detail on using the trailer and even spent time on towing setup. We really appreciated this experience because it was our first travel trailer.

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