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Old 07-15-2019, 08:36 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron in BC View Post
I think that there's a big difference between employees who are involved with customer contact and those who aren't. If I walked into the showroom and employees there didn't acknowledge my presence I'd think that was poor customer service. I wouldn't expect someone in the parking lot heading to work in the factory to go out of their way to deal with customers.

But, hey, we all have our own expectations.

Ron
Ok, what about Mr. Reace? When I took Susan to the factory to confirm a decision for our 21 we were sitting in a trailer with Kim and Reace poked his head in and I said "hi Reace this is my wife Susan". Sez he: "is that your trailer parked out there? You need to move it". You should have seen the look on Kim's face.
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Old 07-15-2019, 08:38 PM   #22
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John: I can understand your frustrations. Your expectations are high, it took a lot of convincing your wife to make the investment in time and money and then things don’t go quite as planned. I would try to relax and work with Escape to resolve any issues under warranty. Escape tries hard but just like any other human endeavor they are not perfect. Try to learn as much as you can about your trailer so that you can do some basic troubleshooting and fixes if you are so inclined. I think it is unfair to imply that some posters are being untruthful or hiding the truth. From what I have seen, the friendliness, collective knowledge and generosity on the forum is amazing. Don’t underestimate the help that you can receive if you are cordial. I have only met two members in person, but have conversed with many privately and hope to one day sit around the campfire with others. Try to enjoy retirement as I’m sure you deserve it and remember that some of us are still at work everyday. Good luck.
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Old 07-15-2019, 08:47 PM   #23
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I cannot help but wonder how much 'never camped in 25 years' contributes to this situation? Certainly one should be able to purchase an item and expect it to perform, but prior experience can certainly be helpful in setting expectations. The fact that nearly everyone on the forum has camped for many years probably also colors their responses.
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Old 07-15-2019, 09:24 PM   #24
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As a longtime RV'er, fairly new to Escape, I have always felt that you have to be somewhat handy and willing to tackle at least minor troubleshooting and repairs if you're going to have a trailer and use it much. Many of the appliances and basic components haven't changed much in 20 years as far as their design and function, but manufacturers seem to keep finding ways to cut more corners and save a buck or two resulting in more component failures and reliability issues. I know how focused Reace and ETI are on building a quality product and I'm sure it is a source of endless frustration having to deal with the fallout from product issues and component problems.

Compared to my previous stick-built trailer our Escape is worlds above in the quality of construction in every way. I knew going into the process that there would inevitably be at least a few minor component issues and accepted that I'd have to deal with those myself since we live in Texas. But our old trailer died from roof leaks, the frame rotted away in several places and our Escape will never do that. Any component can be replaced, and the quality and soundness of the overall trailer will last for decades.

After doing this for 20 years I at least am pretty well able to troubleshoot and understand any problem that comes up and have a pretty thorough understanding of all the systems and components in our trailer. But when we first started out that wasn't the case, everything was foreign to us and I learned many things the hard way. CDMixer, I'm really sorry you had such a frustrating experience and hope that you are able to get everything resolved one way or another and then be able to get out and enjoy camping, that's what it's all about.
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Old 07-15-2019, 11:28 PM   #25
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Several weeks later the Canadian dollar went down to its lowest in quite some time. I wanted to take advantage of this huge opportunity the problem was escape trailers were on vacation. I cannot believe a company that knows that most payments are wire payments, and a lot of people watch the dollar value before making a move someone should have been in work given the situation.
It would be surprising for the whole company to be on vacation. Was this perhaps one person without a vacation backup, or the whole company for a day or two on a statutory holiday... or the week between Christmas and New Year's?
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Old 07-15-2019, 11:43 PM   #26
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It would be the same company that has returned calls or responded to emails at 11pm on a Sunday night.
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Old 07-16-2019, 06:00 AM   #27
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A few comments to your challenges with Escape as well as the forum. If a forum member makes you uncomfortable, you can block their replies. As to customer service, many companies have their own challenges. A well known auto company, Toyota, didn’t offer any assistance in my having a brake controller installed. When I brought the new car to the dealer, the service advisor explained that you can’t tow with a Highlander! (Despite a 5,000 pound tow rating!) I posted to the forum, and within a couple hours I had step by step advice for the installation. (the installer thanked me for the help) I think if you go through the challenges and overcome them step by step, you will overcome the obstacles. If not, possibly towing is not for you. Some people don’t enjoy dealing with the challenges of rv’ing, and for them traveling and staying at hotels with “room service “ is the route to go. For many of us, overcoming the challenges is part of the enjoyment. On my latest trip, the refrigerator acted up - I blew out the orifice and the problem was solved! Good luck and thanks for sharing with us on the forum.
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Old 07-16-2019, 07:33 AM   #28
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This thread is following the same path as so many others
Someone has genuine concerns / issues with Escape and their products , tries to convey his experience in words and ends up being a moving target
If the OP says he called , text , e- mailed , or sent smoke signals to Escape and got no response , I BELIEVE HIM !!
My experience with trying to contact Escape has been similar
If the OP left and told all if us to go to HELL , I wouldn’t blame him in the least .
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Old 07-16-2019, 07:54 AM   #29
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Thanks Steve you and some others understand the situation.



I appreciate (all but one) PM offering offline support for any issues I have.


As someone said camping is not rocket science this has nothing to do with my camping skills or mechanical abilities.



This is a brand new trailer those who say start repairing it myself (Yes and void any warranties) go do that yourself.



Gbaglio great to hear they took a call at 11. I never said they don't take calls they took mine and told me to call Domentic.
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Old 07-16-2019, 08:14 AM   #30
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I can understand your dismay.
I am retiring in November and it is my wish to pull the trigger on an E21.
But after reading your post I wonder if the "New Escape Trailer Industries" is more focused on quantity than quality. Yes, I know there will be some issues as with anything new these days.
But I have to wonder, should it be to the extent you encountered.
I will continue to visit this forum and gain as much knowledge as I can both complementary and critical of the present Escape before I make my final purchase decision.
Please keep us advised of your progress.
I truly hope everything works out for you to your satisfaction so you can enjoy your retirement and the camping experience.
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Old 07-16-2019, 08:24 AM   #31
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Thank you Olddog if you have any questions PM me.
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Old 07-16-2019, 08:33 AM   #32
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There was no need to worry too much about not having bought the starter kit and not having the propane tanks filled. Having empty propane tanks is an easily solvable situation! You obviously had to spend one night without propane, but the situation could easily have been resolved the next day. Just drive up to many gas stations in Canada and the US with your empty tanks and they will fill your propane tanks while you wait for a small fee. Then you are good to go.
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Old 07-16-2019, 08:35 AM   #33
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Thanks Dave Murphy,



I do not want to start pulling wires out of the fridge to troubleshoot taking a chance of someone saying I did something and voided the warranty. I am no



When this is out of warranty different story.
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Old 07-16-2019, 08:36 AM   #34
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There is no reason to be so critical of an honest comment and implying that he cares about a post count. Brian has likely helped hundreds of people solve problems, make improvements to their trailers and operate safely...myself included. These people then have the opportunity to pay it forward by helping others. This is a tremendous service to this group.
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Old 07-16-2019, 08:38 AM   #35
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I have been into the Escape Trailers factory probably ten times in the past six years, and although I have met Tammy and seen Reace scurrying around the building, I have never actually been introduced to Reace (and he did not come up to me and introduce himself). I was not offended in the least by him not introducing himself to me. I figured that he was a busy guy (he looked like he had things to do) and that if I took up his time, that was time taken away from him on things that really needed to get done (like solving real problems that customers may have). I guess my expectations for interactions with the Escape crew were somewhat different from the OP's.
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Old 07-16-2019, 08:47 AM   #36
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P in PM stands for "private" if you were not aware. These messages are to not be discussed on threads.

I have refrained from posting my thoughts as I know of a few who would just love the chance to call me a pom pom waver, whereas I actually just say what I feel. Now that there are new owners it can't be said I am "protecting" the previous ones.

I certainly have had a few small issues with my Escapes but for the most part chose to fix them and complained very little on the forum as I felt no need to or that it would help either. Escape was great at getting me any parts I needed, though they were very few. I definitely had WAY worse issues with previous trailers having problems.

It has been mentioned here, and I fully agree given my experience, that while I do believe that Escape does a great job (for the most part) on the trailers they build, but cannot be totally responsible with what happens to installed products from others. There certainly are better products out there, but if it came to it most customers would not be willing to pay even more for the trailer. I did take the option of lots of upgrades done by myself, partially to end up with something better, and partially because I could and enjoy doing so. I have also heard of many instances of making certain any issues they caused were fixed.

There will be some learning of how to best deal with things from the new owners of Escape, something Reace and Tammy learned along the way. Production should not be affected much short of custom work they are willing to do, and in time the front end of the business will improve too.

Okay, go ahead, blast me for my personal thoughts. I do have many more but am refraining.......
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Old 07-16-2019, 09:04 AM   #37
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Jim,


I appreciate this comment if you are referring to me to "blast you" unlike others thats not why I read the forums. Its an opinion, your personal thought, what most come here looking for!


Oh I guess I gave out too much information on my PM
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Old 07-16-2019, 09:30 AM   #38
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Jim,


I appreciate this comment if you are referring to me to "blast you" unlike others thats not why I read the forums. Its an opinion, your personal thought, what most come here looking for!
While I get great comments from the majority here, there are a few who dislike my point of view regarding Escape, which to be fair is a bit apprehensive at the moment until we get a years worth of results from the new owners.
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Old 07-16-2019, 09:30 AM   #39
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No you didn't and please ignore those who want to pretend to tell you the way it is except moderators on this forum who are not shy in that regard.
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Old 07-16-2019, 09:51 AM   #40
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It is fair, if you just spent forty thousand dollars (or whatever) for something, to expect every component thing on it to work perfectly right out the gate. That is normal. I felt that way the first week I had my trailer, but, of course, stuff happened. Our third night camping none of the interior lights worked. I went nuts searching for answers.

It was galling to think I might have to turn around and go back to the factory for a solution. For that kind of money you want answers, not excuses.

Orientation day had my head spinning. How was I ever going to remember all that stuff? Understanding the manual awning protocols still boggles my mind. Never spoke with, or met Reace. Thought maybe I deserved just a little recognition, I did recognize him on the floor there, but that was OK. The guy was busy.

Years earlier when camping in Baxter State Park in Maine one year we opted to stay in one of the primitive cabins on the lake where the caretaker/ ranger lived with his family. You rolled out your mattress on an army surplus bunk bed, got your water outside at a farm pump, were expected to leave the place like you found it. Chatting with the caretaker I asked him what kind of people using these bare bones cabins he dealt with and who were the most trouble. He said the ones who were church ministers were the worst, because they expected everything to be handed to them, done for them. I never forgot that.
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