My disappointment in Heartland

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I purchased a 2011 North Trail 32BUDS in April of this year. Three days after this, I noticed mold growing inside of the dinette booth. It did not rain in the three days I had the unit in my possession, so I imagined it was an existing leak. Upon closer examination, I found water damage to both sides of the booth. I immediately contacted my dealer and brought it in on 4/19/10 for service. I also noticed that the slide out floor would sag in the middle whenever it was fully retracted. The dealer said they would look at the floor while finding/fixing the leak. After 2 months at the dealer, I called to see what was the hold up. Heartland wanted to change the entire floor of the slide out and they were waiting for the floor to be shipped to them. The floor finally arrived at the dealer at the beginning of July and was able to pick up my unit on 7/22/10. I questioned the dealer about the length of time I was without my unit and told him how I was unhappy I felt. He said he could probably get my warranty extended for the period I was without my 32BUDS.
Today, I contacted the dealer to see what the status was on the warranty. Dealer said Heartland won't budge and I could contact them myself to see if I could do any better. I called customer service and they told me the same thing they told the dealer. "Heartland products have a 1 year warranty from the registration date" and "they can not extend my warranty date". He basically said it was the dealer's fault and not Heartland's it took so long and that they only provide repair parts. I explained that I was without my product for 3 months for something that was wrong with the camper the day I purchased it and now I have 9 months to see if something goes wrong or breaks before it is on my $$.
I'm not looking to get an extra year from Heartland, just have 12 months from the day it was repaired. I thought Heartland would stand behind their product and do the right thing, but it seems I was wrong. I don't think I will ever purchase another Heartland product in the future. Sorry for the rant, but I need to vent.
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
I know you are a new Heartland owner and just wanted to let you know how much I have seen Heartland go above and beyond what they have to do. I don't know of any company that will officially extend their warranty just because you had your unit repaired. If you bought a new car and had to have the transmission repaired I do not believe the manufacturer would extend the warranty of the entire vehicle for the original warranty period. You might find Heartland will go the extra mile should you have difficulty after the warranty period but much depends on the circumstances. FYI - you will find many of the components of your unit are covered by the component manufacturer warranty which runs longer than the Heartland warranty. For example the Refrigerator is 2 years. So the one year warranty is just that. I know it is frustrating to have issues with a new unit (been there done that) but give the company a chance. At least they did replace what was defective. Good luck and enjoy your new rig.
 

newbie

Northern Virginia
I like to think that I am fair minded when I read post about Heartland and their warranty claims. While I understand your frustration, I do not think you are entitled to any more warranty time. After all, you still have a 9 months to sake out any major problems. I do not think an auto manufactuer would extend you warranty under similar circumstances.

I have had my Heartland Landmark for over two years and have been overall satisfied with their product. Have I had problems, yes, but overall I think they make a good product.

I know this isn't what you wanted to hear but it seems to me that you are being too hard on Heartland.

John
 

sgtbigb

Well-known member
Do u want and extra year for everything that u find wrong the first year? If u find a company that will do that please post thier name!
 

Dave012

Well-known member
No, just an extra 94 days of warranty.

I see your point of view. You take possession for 3 days, return it for 3 months because of an issue that appears to be related to its manufacture, and then are finally able to take possession again.

The analogy that others are making to other manufacturers is interesting. If a substantive defect in my truck had Ford keeping it for 25% of its warranty period, I think I would be talking to Ford about what they would be doing for me. If I bought a microwave, used it for 3 days, and it broke down and couldn't be fixed for 3 months, I think I would likely get a new microwave from the store.

I can see Heartlands point of view as well, but perhaps it would be a reasonable compromise to extend the warranty on the defect item (not everything else) for the 94 days to allow you to use it longer and see if there is a reoccurance.

Good luck.
 

beasleyrl

Well-known member
I will not defend Heartland but can tell you from personal experience they definitely stand behind their product. In my case, it was a problem with a slideout leaking 8 months after the warranty had run out. My dealer had basically given up and wasn't able to find the problem. I talked the Heartland and after they heard what was going on, they (HL) were pushing me to get the unit back to my dealer so they could make it right. HL told the dealer what to look for and sure enough, it is now fixed. The dealer even remarked they had not seen a manufacturer go to that level to support a customer before.

Now this is only my 3rd rig, but I can guarantee you I never saw that from the other manufacturer. For what it is worth, I would seriously consider finding another dealer for service. Even if you can't find another HL dealer, my understanding is that HL will typically authorize repairs elsewhere within reason. Any place that keeps your rig for 3 months obviously doesn't want your business again.
 

Kevin and Henny White

Past California-Central Chapter Leaders
I think I would be talking to the dealer and maybe heartland again because I do believe that If this problem pops up again they are bound to make it right after all it was a problem from day one. and everyone is concerned with mold these days I do not think anyone would want to be liable for any illness conected with a mold problem that did not happen while under your possesion.All and all Heartland is a very wonderful company they have always taken the time to talk with me. Give them a chance
 

lhetsler

Well-known member
I understand your point as well, but I have to agree, I don't think they can extend warranties each time something is fixed. I would be more concerned that they fix it right and it sounds like they replaced the entire floor of the slide. Hope you enjoy your new unit. You will just have to camp more to work out any other bugs. I do wish postings did not contain titles such as you used. I think such titles are mean't to make Heartland a whipping post.
 

mrcomer

Past Ohio Chapter Leaders (Founding)
The thread title should be "your disappointment with your dealer" not Heartland. Your dealer did you a dis-service. Try to get them to lengthen your warranty, it was their fault.
 

camr

Well-known member
I believe the greatest frustration comes from purchasing the unit with the very reasonable expectation of using the unit for the purpose that it was both manufactured and purchased for, and then having it parked at the dealer for a large majority of our RV season. It is so easy to reply that any other manufacturer would do the same, but that is a very hollow reply. I, like every other member, bought an RV to go camping with, not to park it on a dealer's lot!!!!!!
I honestly believe that if one of the next posts in this thread were to say that Heartland has looked after the OP's problems to their satisfaction, then Heartland will probably sell a couple more RV's. And as long as a thread like this indicating that Heartland is more than pleased to sell someone a defective unit and have them do without it for such a long time... well, they will probably lose more than a couple of sales. The Golden Rule sure seems very applicable here.
 

Dave012

Well-known member
The thread title should be "your disappointment with your dealer" not Heartland. Your dealer did you a dis-service. Try to get them to lengthen your warranty, it was their fault.

How is a defective trailer not Heartlands fault? Perhaps the length of time to fix is on the dealer. Without knowing all of those facts, some of this is still on Heartland as it was defective on purchase.

If there is a problem with Heartland's dealers, then Heartland should (and may be) putting pressure on their dealers to not tarnish their name.

I think the OP's title is reasonable.
 

RoadJunkie

Well-known member
Did you agree to the 1 year warranty when you bought your rig? I know I did. The "right" thing for HL is to include a warranty and live up to the details of the warranty. I plan to use the rig as much as possible, during the warranty period, and enjoy "camping" despite the issues that may arise, oh, and never worry twice. You may not have any other issues with the rig. Don't dwell on this and have a ball in the new rig.
 

wdk450

Well-known member
The thread title should be "your disappointment with your dealer" not Heartland. Your dealer did you a dis-service. Try to get them to lengthen your warranty, it was their fault.

Maybe you can get your dealer to give you a special discount on an extended warranty due to your previous warranty problems with them.
 

camr

Well-known member
I think you both miss the point and emphasize the OP's point when you say that you plan to use the rig as much as possible. You got to use your rig, he didn't. He bought it in good faith fully expecting to use it, and through no fault of his, has the rig parked waiting for repairs. Not for a few days OR a few weeks, but months!!!! It is so easy for those of us who have the use of our rigs to play the "You have a one year warranty, what more do you want" card, but your unit isn't parked while the payments continue to roll. And the important factor in this particular case is the length of time that the unit has been out of service as a percentage of the warranty period. Lets hope that Heartland pulls through on this one. Good faith sells a lot of product!!!!
Did you agree to the 1 year warranty when you bought your rig? I know I did. The "right" thing for HL is to include a warranty and live up to the details of the warranty. I plan to use the rig as much as possible, during the warranty period, and enjoy "camping" despite the issues that may arise, oh, and never worry twice. You may not have any other issues with the rig. Don't dwell on this and have a ball in the new rig.
 

GETnBYE

Well-known member
I can see both sides, as I have been on the one side, but mine was a dealer problem with delays and I suspect the OP might be in that same boat. I do know that Heartland can't keep extending the warranty period because wouldn't we all just make a claim on the last day and there goes that ball rolling down the hill. Although flexibility in any company is always a good thing and you never know that if you find a problem after warranty that they won't work with you, I would think it would be a case by case basis and I would also bet that customer service will surprise with their willingness to help you. (given the chance)

I CAN see that the OP did just need to vent as stated in the post and I understand that also.
Good Luck to you and I also know that customer service will work with you as much as they possibly can, so try to see both sides. After you get to use your unit a few times, things might seem a bit better, I hope so. They did for us after having a really bad dealer cost us over 4 months of wasted camping time. Customer service helped us find a much better dealer to work with............KUDOS to RV WORLD OF GEORGIA...............I love a chance to throw that out there anytime I can.
Best of Luck
Anita

I think you both miss the point and emphasize the OP's point when you say that you plan to use the rig as much as possible. You got to use your rig, he didn't. He bought it in good faith fully expecting to use it, and through no fault of his, has the rig parked waiting for repairs. Not for a few days OR a few weeks, but months!!!! It is so easy for those of us who have the use of our rigs to play the "You have a one year warranty, what more do you want" card, but your unit isn't parked while the payments continue to roll. And the important factor in this particular case is the length of time that the unit has been out of service as a percentage of the warranty period. Lets hope that Heartland pulls through on this one. Good faith sells a lot of product!!!!
 
I can see both sides, as I have been on the one side, but mine was a dealer problem with delays and I suspect the OP might be in that same boat. I do know that Heartland can't keep extending the warranty period because wouldn't we all just make a claim on the last day and there goes that ball rolling down the hill. Although flexibility in any company is always a good thing and you never know that if you find a problem after warranty that they won't work with you, I would think it would be a case by case basis and I would also bet that customer service will surprise with their willingness to help you. (given the chance)

I CAN see that the OP did just need to vent as stated in the post and I understand that also.
Good Luck to you and I also know that customer service will work with you as much as they possibly can, so try to see both sides. After you get to use your unit a few times, things might seem a bit better, I hope so. They did for us after having a really bad dealer cost us over 4 months of wasted camping time. Customer service helped us find a much better dealer to work with............KUDOS to RV WORLD OF GEORGIA...............I love a chance to throw that out there anytime I can.
Best of Luck
Anita

Like I stated in the original post, I needed to vent to get it off of my chest and feel better now. I had just gotten off of the phone with Customer Service and didn't feel like they cared. I just felt like the time it took to repair a unit that had damaged done prior to me purchasing it, should have been done on my warranty time. They would have had it repaired anyway if it was found by the dealer prior to me buying it. Three days of ownership cost me 3 months of camping time and warranty.
Yes, there were some issues I had with the dealer and I lay most of the blame with them on the length of time it took to repair the item. I called them various times to get an update on when the replacement floor would arrive, only to have an "I will call Heartland to find out." I hope my North Trail will be "defect free" from here on out and if something does happen just out of warranty, Heartland will help. I bought the unit because of the layout and the good reviews about Heartland. If I need any future warranty work done, I will be sure to call Customer Service to find another dealer.
 

Hamshog

Member
Hey Windsurfer,

I agree with your position on the use of the 3 day old coach. Maybe the dealer would extend your warranty on their dime for the 3 months you were without. That just isn't right that you didn't have use/couldn't use your rig because of pre-existing structural damage, that may have been there when it arrived at the dealers lot. I don't see why Heartland wouldn't step up on a claim like this? I know that all I've read about them, they're very good about claims/repairs, but it would be a good faith jesture to extend this for you..

I also would have been down the dealers back after a few weeks of waiting..

Regards, Hamshog
 

SouthernNights

Past South Carolina Chapter Leader
I think one, if not all the reason HL just doesnt extend warranties might be legal.
They would be setting a precedent by extending your warranty because you had it sit at a dealer for 3 months. If they did it for you they would have to do it for everyone-even it a coach sat for 3 days, they would have to extend the warranty by three days. They are bound by many laws-not just policies-when it comes to written warranties.

On the other hand, "goodwill adjustments" can be made after the warranty has expired. They can be made on a "one on one" basis and do not require taking into consideration how it might affect any other relationship with other owners. Actually, considering HL's track record here on the forum on how they have helped other people that were out of warranty it seems that the company really does care and owners should find comfort in the fact that HL has and will step up to the plate when they need to.

Again, they are not required to do any "goodwill adjustments", but isn't it nice they have on occassion?
 

RoadJunkie

Well-known member
Nope, I didn't miss the point. It's not like I don't understand why people might think they have been slighted by long repairs, my rig was in the shop for a month dealing with problems. It did not even cross my mind to expect the warranty would be extended. I imagine HL considers unofficial "Good Will Warranty" coverage on an individual basis, but to expect additional coverage is not what we all agreed to when signing up to buy their rig. If one is not content with the 1 year warranty, another option is to buy an extended warranty like many others have done. But would you expect a 3 year aftermarket warranty to be extended because your rig was in the shop for XXX days? Good luck with that!
 
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