This is our TOP 10 guide on what customers are frequently asking! As a small business, transparency is very important to not only our customers but for our small business and this section goes over our most common questions discussed.
The first question we will ask: Has it been plugged in for approx.24 hours?
If no, wait the 24 hours. Absorption refrigerators require 24 hours to reach correct temperature. If your fridge is still now working move to our second question: Do you smell Ammonia or see a yellow substance when you open the outside back access door of the RV refrigerator?
If you do, you will absolutely require a new cooling unit. If you don't have any of the Ammonia symptoms, you will need further diagnostic testing with a scheduled appointment. Also keep in mind that absorption refrigerators require to be powered on for 24 hours do a complete diagnosis.
We are located in Zephyrhills area. We are strictly a Mobile RV Repair Service and do not have a repair facility at this time.
Because every RV is different, it generally requires our RV tech to come out and diagnose problems and take down information or in some cases, call the manufacturer while we're diagnosing your issue. Because there are so many variables with an RV, and we can't stock our truck with every known RV part, we do not give free estimates. We will charge a minimum of 1 hour for diagnosis time and if the item(s) can be fixed on the spot, the tech will fix your issue or the tech will communicate the next steps that will need to be taken to make the necessary repairs.
Sometimes "poop" happens, we understand! We recommend contacting an RV Tank Cleaning company to professionally clean your RV holding tanks. Sometimes these companies may need a helping hand from our RV tech to open a gate valve so we can certainly work with them to help customers in this situation. The costs for a Tank Cleaning company are fairly reasonable, and they can solve many issues with just one trip. They can even help with tank sensors not reading correctly! Give us a call and we can give you recommendations.
We do have a mobile service call fee for initial appointments. Time starts when we arrive. No trip fees unless you are out of our serviceable area. We service: Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills, Dade City, Lutz, Land O Lakes, San Antonio and Thonotosassa. We do all diagnostic and repairs at your door without the need to drive your RV to a dealership. Please see our "Rates" tab in the navigation bar and read our Bundle "Flat Rates" and "Emergency Rates" for further details. All fees will be discussed before Tech comes out. As always, we accept CC, Checks and Cash due at time of appointment. Our tech is a certified RVIA/RVTI RV technician. His credentials can be found in the navigation bar under "Certifications".
Given the current cost of gas, we have adjusted our scheduling to service one area per day to cut down on travel times and gas consumption. (We can service more customers per area rather than driving each day to multiple areas). This is how we keep our prices affordable. However, it's up to the discretion of the tech at time of call, if he is able to fit you in on a certain day and by your location. We do try to accommodate everyone but sometimes scheduling doesn't allow for same day appointments. However, we do have after-hours and emergency appointments that can be scheduled same day if requested. If you're out of our typical service area, a trip charge may also be assessed. Please see Rates tab.
We book out weeks in advance. We do our very best to time things appropriately however sometimes appointments that are ahead of you could go over due to the severity of the issue. The tech sometimes does not know the level of the service call until he arrives. Sometimes the problem may appear easy and when the Tech dives into the problem deeper, other problems could be at play. Sometimes the customer doesn't know exactly what the issue may be and requires extended diagnosis times or calls to manufacturers. And lastly, and one we can all relate to: sometimes life just happens. We do our very best to make appointments within our scheduled window. It's never intentional to keep customers waiting. We are human just like you with families and sometimes emergencies. Our goals are to try to service everyone in a timely manner. On the flip side: We sometimes find that none of our appointments had severe issues and are quick fixes. We try our best to call if we see any deviation on appointment arrivals. Our company operates 24/7 even when we are closed. Clerical work, contacting manufactures, coordinating and staying on-top of parts arrivals: all done by 2 individuals who understand the need and demand for quick service. We do our very best to answer any and all calls when they come in. If you do by chance get our voicemail, we will try our best to get to everyone as soon as possible.
Yes, however these are on a case-by-case basis and are subject to availability and manufactures authorization. We work with Dometic, Coleman (AirXcel/RVP), GE, Thetford and Norcold just to name a few. We perform manufacturer's warranty work as a customer courtesy. In some cases, the manufacturer does not cover initial diagnosis time. We are not affiliated with any manufactures or dealership. We do not make any warranty decisions. Denials or approvals are solely up to manufacturer's discretion. Happy Camper Mobile RV Repair LLC does not make any decisions on what is covered and not covered by the manufacturer. As always, any fees not covered by the manufacturer will be the responsibility of the customer.
Yes, we work with dozens of extended warranty companies. We work with extended warranties as a customer courtesy. Happy Camper is not affiliated with or sells ANY extended warranty policies. We are not affiliated with any dealerships or manufacturers that sell extended warranties nor do we make any approval or denial decisions per your extended warranty policy. Any fees not covered by an Extended Warranty Policy will always be the responsibility of the customer to pay.
This is a loaded question and based off our answer here, we've practically seen it all.
There are different "tiers" of extended warranty policies consumers can purchase. We are usually the ones to clarify statements made to customers after policies are sold. Customers will state: "My (Salesperson, Dealer, Extended warranty) said my policy covers bumper to bumper" for my RV repairs". Unfortunately, this blanket statement is not always the case. As a company that has dealt with thousands of claims, generally speaking, extended warranty companies will cover broken appliances pending a full diagnosis from a certified RV tech. Depending on what "tier" policy you were sold at the dealership or by the extended warranty company, they may or may not cover your items. Every policy has terms and conditions, the fine print details that have to be met by the warranty company. Most policies have a deductible that will have to be met unless otherwise stated. Our company is not privy to your contract details even if you hand your policy over to us. The adjuster for the warranty will outline their criteria requirements at the time we place a claim on a customer's behalf. Happy Camper is upfront with fees, and we explain what a policy will and will not cover based on your adjusters' findings once your policy information is disclosed. Typical fees not covered are shipping, shop supplies and in rare cases, if our parts pricing aren't within an "allowable" cost range for part replacement under your contract agreement. We work with reputable, local parts vendors and sometimes pricing may be more than what the allowable coverage will pay on your policy. That's not something we have any control over. We work with local vendors for customers' benefit and quick turns. Labor may also have discrepancies; albeit a rare issue to have but it does happen from time to time. Labor is dictated by an official flat rate guide used by the RV industry. If by any chance the tech feels it will take longer than what industry flat rate states for the repair, and the extended warranty decides they will only cover the official flat rate or less, you will be notified before the repair and the extended warranty's decision. If you chose to do said repair, you as the customers will be responsible for the difference that the extended warranty does not cover. It's very rare to have this issue but it has happened. Again, this is all dependent on what policy you're sold at time of purchase and what your diagnosed problem might be. Fees not covered by extended warranty company will be the customers responsibility. If you take your RV to a Dealership to have your RV serviced under your extended warranty policy, dealers do have the ability and the discretion to absorb above costs that the extended warranty will not cover. However, you must weigh your options such as time in which you will need to leave your RV at the dealer or if you have no way of transporting your RV to the dealership. Happy Camper Mobile RV Repair is not affiliated with ANY dealer or extended warranty company. It is at the sole discretion of your extended warranty company adjuster whether or not your repair is covered. We have absolutely no say in the matter. Keep in mind that once a repair is approved: Any extended warranty company has the right to request and send out an adjuster to do an on-site audit of your repair.
We are vetted as a warranty service center with the following RV Manufactures: Forest River & Grand Design. This does not mean your claim is approved to fix immediately. A claim must be started, an official diagnosis must be scheduled and completed by our licensed RV tech and then a claim is submitted on your behalf. The manufacturer must review claims and usually ask for additional pictures etc. in order to make official decision. It is at the sole discretion of the RV manufacturer to approve your warranty claim. Happy Camper Mobile RV Repair LLC does not approve claims for ANY RV manufacturer/OEM. Happy Camper is only approved for the warranty claim that is submitted and approved with Happy Camper. If you require additional work at time of your scheduled claim repair, you will need to schedule a new appointment to start another claim or if its customer pay, we may be able to do repair that same appointment depending on parts and time available. Claims are a long process and have a great deal of moving parts with manufacturers especially when the manufacturer must send out the parts for your repair. We've dealt with hundreds, and I can honestly say, not one is quick to be resolved. The amount of paperwork, back and forth with the manufacturer is unfathomable and we as a small business are very upfront about this fact. Not to mention that most OEMs do not cover the initial cost of a mobile diagnostic appointment. We've been round and round with OEMs and they are firm about this fact. We do charge a Diagnostic fee for ANY OEM warranty call. You as the owner of your RV can dispute this and take it up with the OEM personally to get some sort of reimbursement. OEMs will dictate when and if they will send out parts. Recently, OEMs have required mobile RV companies to pay for your warranty parts upfront even though it's a warrantied item. We will not take on the expenses for large ticket items such as appliances, windows, axles etc. as a small business. It takes months for our company to be reimbursed for any repairs. As a suggestion: If you require your claim to be expedited, you can choose to pay for your claim upfront and parts will be ordered by our company with a deposit. Depending on the part, sometimes we can expedite your repair quicker than the You then can submit your paid in full invoice for reimbursement to your RV manufacturer. You as the RV owner have more power than our repair tech because you own your RV. All parts are subject to availability. Sometimes it takes weeks for parts to be shipped. The OEM/their suppliers dictate this, we as a small business have no say in the length of time it takes for a part to arrive. Please keep in mind, if you make an appointment for warranty work via Happy Camper for your RV and the tech cannot replicate the problem or a "No Problem Found" is recorded during your diagnostic appointment, the customer will be responsible for the appointment fees. The OEM will not cover it. You may want to consider taking your RV back to the dealership, you might have more leverage with them because you've purchased your RV from them. Being mobile and a small business, we cannot absorb warranty claim costs of ANY kind that aren't covered by the OEM/manufacturer as we are not affiliated with any of them. As always, we perform these services as a customer courtesy.
Yes, in general, we do. However, claims must be pre-approved. On rare occasions, insurance companies may not pay for the initial diagnostic appointments, shipping or shop supplies. Initial diagnostic to create estimates are required when a customer files a claim with their insurance company. We always charge for diagnostic/estimates. Information, photos and parts need to be gathered and submitted on your behalf. This takes time and we charge for this. Any fees not covered by the insurance will be the customers responsibility. If parts need to be ordered/expedited from the manufacturer of the RV, we do not have any say as to the availability of parts or the time it takes the manufacture to ship them out. They work on their own timetable. We do our best to keep customers informed of this.