We purchased a Leisure Travel Vans Unity murphy bed model in Seattle. We were looking for a place in Bellingham to have it serviced as we are maintenance intensive. Additionally, my wife neither enjoys traveling to Seattle or the traffic there. Our murphy bed electric lift was making an unusual noise when retracted or extended so we had Al’s look at it. They said that we needed to replace the bed lift, so we did.
On the first journey after having it replaced the electric bed lift failed after being used three times. The lift gears were damaged and the bed was unlevel and would not retract. So our vacation abruptly ended as we had no place to sleep. It is worth noting that the murphy bed lift had worked for nine years prior to being repaired at Al’s. I did a little research on the internet and discovered that the bed lift was a known issue. We told Al’s that we wanted to have the bed lift converted to manual operation. What Al’s said they were willing to do was to warranty the electric bed lift (which took months to get the parts for) with the bed lift manufacturer and do the same repair again. What we really wanted was a solution that would make it less likely that we would have to cancel a vacation and be down for another year. As waiting several more months for a job that was not recommended and could fail again after three times was not enticing, we declined. Additionally, the RV was at Al’s for a water heater replacement that required paint to match the coach. Al’s had mangled the base plate when they removed it. The explanation was that the manufacturer had used too much adhesive. So we had to have the service panel painted.The paint job took over a month. So summer and fall are now gone. We had to cancel all reservations for 2021. The year was a write off.
When we went to pick up the RV, the coach was disassembled inside with the murphy bed wall unattached and lying on its side. The interior was a complete wreck. The only work that Al’s was doing was on the exterior. We requested that Al’s not work on the bed lift. The load they left lying around inside shifted on the way to the storage facility with a crash. The paint was bubbled, they gouged the side, the stripes did not match. After sitting in Al’s storage lot for over a month the Unity was covered with blobs of sap from the trees over the lot. We had to use solvent to remove the sap. They forgot to turn the master power switch off, which caused the coach batteries to completely discharge. We found battery acid spilled on the body above the coach entry steps, and on the steps. It was the repair job from hell.
We sued Al’s in small claims court for the botched bed lift installation and the paint job. The bed lift installation was around $2200 and the paint job was around $400.We were awarded a judgment for the faulty paint job, and Al’s had to reimburse us for the filing fee.
After our small claims court session, the owner expressed to me the sentiment that “You would have done better in mediation”. He didn't get it. It was not about the money. It was about doing the right thing. We hope that others do not find themselves in an Al’s situation.
Beware of the repair order that Al’s will ask you to initial. It says that you have a ninety day warranty. We do not live in our RV and it does sit in storage for longer than ninety days at a time. So the warranty may be useless by the time you are able to use your RV.
We bought the Unity from Johnson RV in Seattle. When we notified them of the bed lift issue at Al’s more than two years after we purchased the Unity they reimbursed us for $2200. They did not have to do this. Johnson charged it to “customer satisfaction”. Even though they are in Seattle, we will go there for service. They service other manufacturers. They are honest, professional, and prompt if not local. It is well worth the effort to get there.