ComplaintsforThe Trailer Showroom

• Initial Complaint

  04/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The Trailer Showroom sells garbage from a company called ************* Trailers (***). I ordered the trailer almost 2 years prior to actually getting it, because of covid, supply chains, etc. When the trailer was finished, it was now almost $3k more. To the owners credit, he did offer half of my deposit back while they were in litigation with ***, which was 1/2 more than allowed in their contract. I should have taken the money. I received the trailer in a hotel parking lot, which was agreed upon location due to the original build location shutting down. Two access doors that I had ordered to be placed on the front of the trailer, were both installed on the side of the trailer. Salesman ********************* recognized the mistake and said he would send me two more doors for the front. Kind gesture, but it does not repair the two holes in the side of my trailer that were not supposed to be there (5 months later, still no doors). The ** screen door is approximately 3/8" short of latching, making it 100% unusable. The driver's side rear bottom was caved in, **** said that can be easily be fixed by me getting underneath and pounding it outward. **** said he did it when he picked it up. Once home, I began going over the trailer while I disassembled the interior panels in preparation of insulation. My plan was to make a 4 season toy hauler out of the trailer. In doing so, I found countless welds that were already rusted and appeared to be done by someone without eyesight (verified by certified weld inspector). Supports were 1/4-1//2" short on the rear ramp frame. Awning supports were screwed to sheet metal only. Floor framing is off side to side as much up to 1 1/2" in spots. One cross member is crushed. The list goes on and ultimately is not the trailer showrooms fault. What is their fault, is they sold me the garbage and now will not return emails, calls, texts, etc. The *** trailer they sell has a useless warranty and you will get left holding the bag. Avoid at all costs.

  Business response

  04/09/2023

   

  Allow me to start by saying that I sincerely appreciate ****************** business. We also appreciate ****************** statement mentioning that our company isnt't the root of his complaint nor were we at fault. More than that, I appreciate his patience during the entire process. He's been a great customer to work with.

  I can't deny that it was a long and frustrating process for all involved. Having said that, I must still share my company's view of the story.

   

  (1) The customer received his ******************** in a hotel parking lot because we agreed to deliver the trailer to him in ***** (It was manufactured in Georgia). The freight to ***** would normally have been approximately $2,412.00 but we did it free of charge so as not to inconvenience the customer and because the build time was much longer than expected.

  (2) The access doors in question were not placed incorrectly. They were placed in standard locations because the customer's signed paperwork didn't specify a specific location (see attached copy of customer signed paperwork). In the email sent to the customer along with this document, it is specifically stated that it is the customer's responsibility to contact us within *********************************************************** if a placement instruction needs to be added (see attached copy of the original email to the customer). The manufacturer had no way of knowing that the customer wanted the access doors in any configuration other than what is normally considered to be standard. Having said that, my representative (****) went above and beyond by contacting the manufacturer and brokering a resolution where the manufacturer agreed to ship two additional doors to the customer at no charge so that he could install them where ever he would like. It is my understanding that the doors have yet to be shipped, but that shipment is in the works.

  (3) There shouldn't be two holes in the side of the customer's ********************. There was no need for him to remove the two side doors as the customer was informed that the manufacturer will be shipping two new doors to him.

  (4) I can't speak to the issue he reported with the ** screen door. I have not personally seen the trailer.

  (5) The rear bottom being dented was a shipping issue. I have no control over that.

  (6) As for any rusted welds, most any steel frame trailer (no matter how expensive) will show signs of rust on the welded joints if you remove the interior walls.

  (7) The supports for the ramp door being "short" is a function of the way that the reinforced ramp door option is designed. The manufacturer tells me that they are all designed in that manner and that it is not a defect.

  (8) My representative (****) has indeed returned numerous emails and either answered or returned numerous calls from **************. We archive all emails, and all calls are recorded, thus I have verifiable proof of this.

   

  As stated earlier, the freight to ***** would normally have been approximately $2,412.00 but we did it free of charge so as not to inconvenience the customer and because the build time was much longer than expected. This effort cost our company more than we profited on the trailer, thus we are at a deficit on this unit because we wanted to "do the right thing". I had absolutely no problem losing money on this sale in order to "do the right thing", but I don't agree with the customer's characterization of events nor on the quality of the trailer that he received.

  We sincerely appreciate ************** being so understanding when supply chain issues stopped parts of the process in it's tracks.

  In conclusion, we hope that the manufacturer will expedite the shipping of the two access doors (free of charge), and we look forward to ************** being a happy and satisfied customer in the long run.

   

   

  Customer response

  04/26/2023

   
  Complaint: 19891685
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  1) I appreciate the compromise since the trailer staying in ******* would have been a deal breaker. Knowing what we know now, we should have left it in Georgia.
  2)  When speaking to the manufacturer, they have no clue what I was talking about. The manufacturer also said they never got information about the specs I had requested for access door placement.
  I also kept all of my emails and found the dialogue we shared through multiple emails between 1/10/21 and 2/4/21, where I attached a drawing with dimensions of access door placement. Your salesman acknowledged receipt of the emails and told me specifically in the email received on 2/4/21 8:50AM I did receive your email and have requested a New Order confirmation from the Factory, all is Good and you will be hearing from me with a confirmation in a couple of days. Thanks, (salesman). 
  First, with your salesman telling me he already told the factory of the updated specs, why would I follow up?
  Second, if you want to play the semantics game, the waiver you said I signed is from the initial order and contract which was scuttled. You did NOT send that warning on the new contract with the amended order. What you did send was two copies of my credit card receipt and two copies of the final order.
  The salesman said the doors were going to be sent 6 months ago, what is the urgency  now? BBB involvement? Who is going to pay to install them? 
  3) Of course there are no holes in the side of my trailer. What is in the side of my trailer is two additional spots where I risk water and air infiltration and the inability to insulate due to the doors and extra steel framing to support the doors. 
  4) The salesman has pictures of the faults I had found within 48hrs of returning to ******. Included is one that clearly shows the latch of the screen door, short of the catch, rendering it completely useless. 
  5) The salesman admitted to causing the body damage when he picked the trailer up, telling me how to fix it. The shipping issue was caused by your employee, why is that MY problem to fix?
  6) I will cede the rust point. In light of the rest of the problems with the trailer, the rust on a brand new trailer is the least of my worries at this point.
  7) The salesman also has pictures of the welds and the short supports, what you have been told is nonsense from someone with a vested interest in the outcome of the trailer. If that is part of the process, why are some supports touching the frame while others are almost away from the frame? Quality control is non-existent at the plant and you guys are putting your name on it. When I forwarded the salesman an email from a nationally certified welding inspector, there was no response. Why is that? Is it because you know the inspector is right? 
  8) From the beginning, I have tried to measure a pattern of dialogue with your company. Through weird COVID times, I was understanding of your guys policy that you couldnt give updates everyday, etc. I went 1-2 months at a time without any correspondence. Most recently, I had sent 2 emails (3/21 and 3/29) to the salesman advising him that the manufacturer was blaming him for the access door location and an additional email forwarded from the welding inspector. Both went unanswered. Texts are going unanswered, phone calls ***** returned.  After that, I went to the BBB. 
  What's comical is after going back through your response to the BBB to make sure I covered everything, is that you didnt address the crushed cross member, out of square floor framing, you know, the actual structural integrity of the trailer. Never defending the product that YOU are selling. The owner said he archives recorded phone calls..ask him to provide the one where the salesman informed me that he refused to pick up three trailers due to poor quality or the phone call where he recommended that since the market was still hot for cargo trailers, I should sell mine and make it someone else's problem! 
  Again, do not deal with this company. Once they have your money, they hide behind a contract when you try to remedy a garbage product they sold you.
  

  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

  Business response

  04/27/2023

   

  Response with regard to customer's rejection:

  (1) No response is warranted to this statement.

  (2) Regardless the customer's assertion that the door placement was incorrect, he failed to inform us of any discrepancy or necessary revision to his production documents, rather he signed and returned them thus accepting them as they were. I have attached the correspondence sent to, and acknowledged by him along with his signed documentation. I have highlighted the pertinent portions for your convenience. The file name is "Customer Contact Along With Other Documentation for Customer Signature". I have also attached the customer's signed documentation accepting the build sheet and the notes attached to it. Please note that the document has no special instructions, but does contain the customer's signature. That file is named "*********************** Signed Paperwork"

  (3) No response is warranted to this statement.

  (4) We are not the warranting authority. The manufacturer is that authority. As stated previously, we have forwarded the customers complaints to the manufacturer.

  (5) The salesman is not an employee of our company. He is a contractor. Even were he an employee, we do not provide shipping. Any shipping that he does is done through his personal company and is in no way related to our company. We do not arrange or negotiate any shipping for him. We do not collect any funds related to shipping.

  (6)  No response is warranted to this statement.

  (7)  No response is warranted to this statement. The manufacturer addressed this point and we passed along what the manufacturer reported to us.

  (8)  No response is warranted to this statement. We did not manufacture the trailer, nor do we do not warrant the trailer.  That fact is also covered in our documentation. We have put the customer into contact with the manufacturer and made all reasonable efforts to communicate with the manufacturer on the customer's behalf. At this point I personally wonder why we made an effort to assist the customer with something that is clearly between himself and the manufacturer, if he was going to place blame on us and file a report with the BBB with regard to the same.

  Customer response

  04/27/2023

   
  Complaint: 19891685
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  1)Agreed.

  2)The paperwork that keeps getting presented is from a deal that I had signed on 11/17/20. That is a dead deal on a trailer that I did not purchase. My order was amended, and a NEW contract was signed and returned for the current trailer on 3/3/21 at 7:15AM. That contract did not include the verbiage that I had to do the salesmans job in contacting the factory, regarding the location of the doors. In my last response to you, I attached the email dialogue I had with the salesman, with a diagram listing the desired location of the doors. The emails stated that he understood and had ALREADY LET THE FACTORY KNOW! 

  3)Denying the fact that your salesman dropped the ball, when I have pertinent documentation of our conversations, does not absolve you of responsibility. Your continued rebuttal argument/paperwork regarding a deal that did not happen, is insulting.  

  4)As a continuing thread throughout this BBB process, I have not once complained that your warranty is horrible because you obviously do not offer one. I do continue to say that you sell a garbage product that has a horrible warranty and that you do minimal (if any) work to assist the consumer in correcting. Remember, I was promised two new access doors (to be replaced at my expense apparently) on 9/30/22. This response is being authored on 4/27/23, I still dont have any access doors.  Unless you are working like mad behind the scenes, the only assistance you have provided is giving me contact information for the factory. On that note, months had gone by without any return contact with the factory regarding the warranty. 
  

  5)I am not sure how your tax structure is set up but when you and the salesman respond to me from the same email address, the salesman has a listing on your website as Associate #2, the email you sent on 11/17/20 has you two even share the same signature line...the IRS would probably disagree with your definition of him not being an employee. Point being your contractor admitted damaging my trailer and I am stuck repairing it on my dime.  

  
  6)Agreed. 

  
  7)Your non-response speaks more than you know when I provided a neutral, third party's nationally recognized opinion.

  
  8)I do not believe they have done anything on my behalf when attempting to make warranty claims other than providing me with names and numbers of people and making me do my own work. As I said in the first complaint, the product that the Trailer Showroom sells comes with a non-existent warranty and you will get stuck holding the bag for shoddy workmanship.  

  
  Additionally, it is funny how I think my tone has been consistent, although frustrated, throughout this back and forth while your attitude towards me has gone from positive (almost glowing) to negative. All I have done is state my case, with pictures, emails, etc. Where is your archived phone calls disputing your "contractor" telling me to make the trailer someone else's problem? Or the archived call where he refused to pick up other trailers you had sold because they were junk? You can only lean on a contract from a deal that was never completed. But if you want to keep holding me to the old/dead contract, I am ok with that too. In that case, you owe me $5,785 in overpayment because that is the price difference in deals which includes the additional $2,875 COVID tax I had to pay. That check would certainly help me cover the cost of repairing my brand new trailer!  You still refuse to defend the product you sell and will only direct all criticism back to the manufacturer and why not, you got your money! Avoid products sold by the Trailer Showroom at all costs, once your check clears, you are on your own.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************

• Initial Complaint

  08/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered a trailer from Trailershowroom.com on 5/20/2021. The contracted purchase price was $6,829. The contracted manufacturing facility was the "Douglas GA" facility. I put a deposit of $2016 with a balance due of $4813. I was told it would be 2-3 months. On 8/10/22, one year and three months later, I received an email claiming a balance due of $5110. I wired the funds on 8/15/22. I did not notice that there was a discrepancy of $297. I then contracted for a company to tow the trailer from the location in Nasheville, GA to TX. Upon delivery, I noticed that the trailer had a ramp door, not double doors in the back. Their website stated that "Barn Doors" were standard equipment on that trailer from the manufacturer in Georgia. I contacted the manufacturer who told me many different stories such as: 1.. The Georgia manufacturer has a ramp standard. I sent a picture showing that their own website stated the Georgia manufacturer had barn doors standard. 2. I was looking at the wrong manufacturing location. I sent a video showing I chose the Georgia facility. 3. The transport company should have noticed that it wasn't barn doors. I stated that the "build sheet" I was given at the initial order didn't state what type of rear door. So even if the transport company had it, they wouldn't have known. I relied upon the "Standard Equipment" description on their website. This trailer is completely worthless for the purpose intended, as you can not use a forklift to load pallets into a trailer with a ramp. I paid $843 for shipping.

  Business response

  11/16/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/08/25) */ We are sorry that Mr. ******** isn't satisfied with his purchase but he hasn't shared the entire chain of events. I'll answer his charges one at a time. (1) The price that Mr. ******** agreed to when he placed his order was $7,163.00 rather than the $6,829.00 that he claims. I have a signed order from Mr. ******** and would be happy to share it with anyone who may request it. (2) After a non-refundable security deposit of $2,053.00 Mr. ******** was left with a final balance of $5,110.00 rather than the $4,813.00 that he asserts. This is also shown on the order sheet that he signed at the time of purchase. Again, I would be happy to share that document with anyone who would like to view it for authenticity. (3) During the time of manufacture, the manufacturer raised all of their pricing and our cost for Mr. ********'s trailer increased by $1,001.00. There is a clause in the paperwork that Mr. ******** signed stating that should the manufacturer raise their pricing that increase would be reflected in the final balance due. Rather than asking Mr. ******** for an additional $1,001.00 we elected to pay that difference ourselves thus giving him a $1,001.00 discount for all intents and purposes. (4) Mr. ******** says in his statement to the BBB that he based his assumption on the rear door type on the Douglas, GA facility that he saw on our website. Mr. ******** did not order his trailer through our website. He called and spoke with one of our representatives to place his order. He was told that his trailer would be built at a facility that we work with in Nashville, GA. He never mentioned the Douglas, GA facility. He was aware that it was not being manufactured at the Douglas facility because he was told it would be built in Nashville, GA., which is a completely different company. Their standard equipment is not the same as the standard equipment from the Douglas facility. Their standard equipment includes a rear ramp door. At no time did Mr. ******** mention that he wanted barn style doors on his trailer. All of our calls are recorded and we archive every email between ourselves and our customers. I have personally been through every communication with Mr. ******** to verified this. He also signed our terms of service statement which clearly states that if there is anything specific on the order confirmation sheet sent to the customer that needs to be modified, deleted, or added that it is the customer's responsibility to notify us of it immediately. It also states that if anything important is not shown on the order sheet, it is the customer's responsibility to notify us prior to production start. Mr. ******** signed the confirmation sheet as well as the terms of service documentation with no modifications, deletions, or additions noted. I will be happy to supply a copy of the signed documents if necessary. (5) Mr. ******** states in his complaint that he was given a completion time of 2 to 3 months. We do not give completion dates due to the fact that we do not manufacture the trailers ourselves. We depend on various manufacturers around the country. As we are not the manufacturer, we do not set production schedules and are therefore unable to give accurate completion dates. This fact is also covered in the terms of service documentation signed by Mr. ********. It is also stated in this document that even if one of our representatives were to speculate on a production time it would only be a guess. Having said that, it is true that Mr. ********'s trailer required a longer than usual time to complete. This was caused in part by supply chain issues caused by the Covid epidemic. With supply chains disrupted, the manufacturer couldn't access all of the parts required for the trailer in question as quickly as would have been normal prior to the supply chain breakdowns caused by the Covid epidemic. (6) When Mr. ******** complained about the length of time his build was taking, we offered to allow him to forfeit his non-refundable security deposit and cancel the order. That option would have left us in a cash negative position at the time of his complaint. He refused that offer and instead bragged about how much money has and threatened to file a class action law suit against us. As a matter of fact, he spent a great deal of time emailing us about how rich he is and how we didn't mean anything to him. He also took the time to call us probably every derogatory name that he could think of. (7) Mr. ******** says in his statement that we are the manufacturer. That is not true. We are a distributor, and do not take part in any portion of the manufacturing process. This is also covered in the terms of service documentation that Mr. ******** signed. (8) Mr. ******** had his trailer delivered to him in Texas. He hired the transport company. We had no part in that process. Had there been an issue with the trailer his transporter should have never left the facility with the trailer until it was corrected. In place of that he opted to wait until the trailer was half way across the country in Texas to demand that we correct his error. We are not at fault in this case. Mr. ******** will not receive a refund as he got exactly the trailer that he ordered and signed off on. On a personal level, Mr. ******** has been more than belligerent in almost every communication that we've had with him. He seems to be under the impression that should he make enough threats against us, we will do exactly as he says. We are a family-owned company and regardless the number and severity of the threats he makes, we will not be able to spend thousands of extra dollars to give him things that he did not order or to bring the trailer back across the country to correct his mistake at our expense. I did take the time to contact the manufacturer to ask if there was anything that they could do to help Mr. ******** but their reply was that the trailer should never have been removed from their property if there were an issues with the build which is the answer that I suspected I'd receive. It is also the correct answer. Mr. ******** may very well be one of the most difficult customers that I've dealt with in the more than 20 years that we've been in business. I told him that my dad just had a heart attack and was in the hospital, unresponsive, and on a ventilator and that I would make some calls to try to help him once I was beyond this family emergency and back at my office. Rather than being with my family at the hospital tonight I'm sitting here answering his BBB complaint. In my estimation the man is self-centered and soulless. I'm sorry for his wife. I only have to tolerate him on a short-term basis. She has to live with it every day of her life. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/08/30) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) In the response it is mentioned that there is a signed order, yet it was not uploaded. Also mentioned were recordings of the telephone conversations which were also not uploaded. The documentation I received only mentions the "Douglas" facility. Nowhere on the website does it mention a "Nashville" facility. Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/09/05) */ As mentioned in my rather lengthy initial response to this customer's complaint, he did not order his trailer through our website portal yet he continues to mention portions of the website as a basis for his complaint. He placed his order by telephone with one of our representatives and was informed that the manufacturer who would be building his trailer is in Nashville, GA.. That manufacturer is not even represented on our website. We deal with a number of manufacturers around the country. No two manufacturers have the same specifications or standard equipment. Only a select few are represented on our website for online orders. This customer's trailer was not an online order yet he continues to cite a completely different manufacturer from our website. It seems a bit odd to me that if there were really an issue as large as the trailer having an incorrect rear door configuration, why would that not have been pointed out during his driver's inspection prior to leaving the factory with the trailer? That is the customer's responsibility and by extension it's also his driver's responsibility. It's also a bit odd to me that after taking the trailer from Georgia all the way to Texas, it took another few days before the customer started to complain. Even though we were under no obligation to do so we have made an effort to assist him. I spoke with the manufacturer on his behalf and was told that if the customer had any question about the construction of the unit he should have voiced that question prior to leaving the premises with the trailer. I then personally offered to add his trailer to our website and to try to assist him in selling it at no cost to him if he had decided for whatever reason that he no longer needed the trailer. He ignored that offer.

• Initial Complaint

  02/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered a trailer to be built by this company on Dec 04 2020 and was given a completion timeline of 8-12 weeks. I am currently still waiting for the trailer to be completed over a year later. I have attempted to contact the company countless times and rarely received any response. The company admitted to giving me false information about my build's progress by giving me status updates on other customers build. The company is simply giving false information in an attempt to buy time to allow a stipulation in the contract to be met, which says that once the frame is welded the buyer no longer allowed to be refunded their deposit. This company is now attempting to buy more time after over 13 months by offering me only 50% of my money back if I cancel the order. In the most recent email correspondence, the company said that they need even more time to complete my order. The company believes that their vaguely worded contract allows them an unlimited amount of time to fulfill my order and they I most simply allow them to keep my money and never received the product I ordered. I have been exceedingly patient with this company and now I can no longer afford to continue waiting on an ever-prolonging completion timeline. I simply want my money back in full and to cut ties this this company

  Business response

  07/08/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/02/03) */ Even though our contract (that the customer signed) clearly states that deposit amounts are not refundable for any reason and that we do not ever give specific completion dates we made an effort to work with this customer. We sent him an email giving him the option of waiting for his trailer to be completed or if he wanted to cancel the order we would make an exception to our contract and refund 50% of his deposit amount. Had we stuck to the letter of the contract we didn't have to offer him anything but in the interest of good customer relations we made the offer. The customer has now rejected our attempts at working with him and has began a campaign of defamation utilizing a number of internet sites. We have already contacted our attorney and plan a vigorous legal response to this slanderous action. We would like to send the BBB a copy of both the signed contract and the email that was sent out to the customer. Please contact us with a way to upload these documents at your convenience.

• Initial Complaint

  11/19/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I signed a contract for a custom car trailer March 4th, 2021 for $8,804.00 with Trailershowroom.com. I paid a non-refundable security deposit of $1,456.00. They gave me a receipt and the document says "Balance Due at Pick Up: $7,348.00". I received an email November 4th, 2021, stating my trailer was nearing completion and the the balance due when I pick it up would be $7,840.00. They believe they can change the price of the contract without my consent. I do not agree.

  Business response

  12/13/2021

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/11/22) */ Due to the volatility of raw materials pricing due to supply chain issues caused by the Covid pandemic our suppliers do not guarantee final pricing to us. We therefore were forced to add a disclaimer to our terms of service contract stating that prices are subject to change without notice. The customer signed this contract. We offered to absorb more than half of this price increase and accept a financial loss ourselves even though the customer signed the contract and we were under no obligation to do so. We will be happy to make the customer signed contract available to the BBB should they find it helpful.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩