Disappointed by Poor Communication and Lack of Preparedness – Royal RV Center, Middlebury, IN
GR84RED is approaching its fifth birthday. With age come new challenges. You have to monitor every aspect of the RV to ensure that it will perform optimally and address your travel requirements. Much of that is handled in our “Warranty Forever” policy. That covers things like roof sealing, furnace, hot water heater, and many aspects of the chassis. All that checked out and passed for our 2025 service. But there was another thing that I noticed as we prepared for our 2025 travel season. In March, while performing our de-winterization I noticed that our “house” batteries were not holding a full charge. The batteries were not powerful enough to operate the auto-levelers, which do not require 30 amp electricity. My research indicated that AGM Marine & RV batteries are good for about five years. It seemed to me that 2025 would be a good year for new batteries. Especially with a 60-day, 8,100 mile, cross country trip on our calendar.
Finding a trustworthy RV service dealer can be surprisingly difficult. Many shops lack the expertise to handle the wide range of systems RVs rely on—electrical, plumbing, appliances, chassis, and more—and even fewer deliver consistent, customer-focused service. From missed appointments to poor communication and incomplete repairs, it’s frustrating to invest time and money only to feel like your concerns aren't being taken seriously. A truly reliable RV service center should combine technical know-how with transparency, responsiveness, and respect for the customer’s time and investment.
At the Vienna / Villagio rally in Shipshiwanna, IN, in June of 2023, we were introduced to Royal RV Center (a sponsor of the rally). We visited their facilities in Middlebury and were given a short tour of their service department. They are a Renegade dealer, and indeed there were several Renegade models in their inventory on the property and in the service facility. While planning the first few days of our 60-day cross-country trip, I realized that we would be traveling through the “RV Capital of the World” in northern Indiana (Elkhart). I figured why not stop in Middlebury and give Royal RV a shot at the battery replacement.
Our plan was to stop by Royal RV on the third day of our cross-country adventure (5/21) to have the batteries replaced. It would be a relatively quick stop just 90 miles from our campground of the prior night. In early February I called Royal RV to schedule this simple battery replacement (two AGM "house" batteries for GR84RED). Logan, in their Service Department, told me a service representative would contact me to discussed the required service. Two weeks went by with no call back. On February 25th I called again. This time Logan asked for photos of my current batteries to ensure they’d have the right replacements on hand. I texted a photo immediately. On May 14th, a week before the appointment, I called to confirm — only to be told the employee who scheduled my service was no longer there and all the appointment information had been lost.
Jennifer, the new service administrator re-scheduled my appointment for the morning of 5/21 and asked for another picture of the batteries. I re-sent the photos immediately. Fast forward to Wednesday 5/21, and we drove to the appointment as planned, armed with a dozen donuts from the Sauder Village bakery in Archbold, OH. The donuts are an unapologetic bribe that often works wonders with the service crew. After checking in and handing over our keys, we left for breakfast at around 9:15 am. When we returned, we were told the necessary batteries weren’t in stock but were supposedly being delivered by a supplier and the service would be completed within two hours. It took another three plus hours to finish what should have been a 30 minute service. At 2:00 PM we hooked up the Jeep and drove north to our reserved campsite in Allendale, MI.
This kind of mismanagement and lack of preparation — especially after three months’ notice and clear communication on my part — is deeply frustrating. I expected more from a dealership that claims to prioritize customer service. We discussed our frustration with Jeremy, the Service Manager, who explained his issue with trying to inventory batteries for all RV models. Completely understandable, but I gave them three months notice, all information they asked for, and was prepared to answer any questions they might have. Their communication and preparedness was very poor and resulted in a delay in our service and our travel day. Plus we received no concession on the bill. They could have at least waved the 30 minute service fee. Unfortunately, based on this experience, I can’t recommend Royal RV Center and would advise others to double- and triple-check everything if you plan to work with them.
P.S. - We met another dissatisfied couple in the waiting area, who had scheduled warranty work on their rig. 17 days later they were finally on their way home with a few issues still pending. They also left frustrated saying they would address the remaining issues at home.
