flexing frame and bad repairs

Scott, I have a 2006 bighorn 3055rl. purchased 3/06. the front end has flexed enough to cause a gap of1/2 to 3/4 inch between the side wall and the front wall when hooked up. It has been a p**sing match between Heartland and Lippert as to whos at fault. Lipperts "factory' repair team fixed at it and now its worse. It seems i have to chase Chris to get any response. He promises to return calls, and never does. he has promised written copy of warranty coverage and I've never recieved it. when I called friday and ask if we could just bring it back to the factory to be repaired,we were told that the factory has no repair facilities! I would really like to get this repaired before it becomes a legal issue. please contact me at 208 670-8847. thank you Theo Fife Do not have Chris call, I'm tired of being given the runaround.
 

Forrest Fetherolf

Senior Member
usandthreedogs said:
Scott, I have a 2006 bighorn 3055rl. purchased 3/06. the front end has flexed enough to cause a gap of1/2 to 3/4 inch between the side wall and the front wall when hooked up. It has been a p**sing match between Heartland and Lippert as to whos at fault. Lipperts "factory' repair team fixed at it and now its worse. It seems i have to chase Chris to get any response. He promises to return calls, and never does. he has promised written copy of warranty coverage and I've never recieved it. when I called friday and ask if we could just bring it back to the factory to be repaired,we were told that the factory has no repair facilities! I would really like to get this repaired before it becomes a legal issue. please contact me at 208 670-8847. thank you Theo Fife Do not have Chris call, I'm tired of being given the runaround.

Your not the only victim with no return calls. I am still waiting for a call from Coley in September. When I called him regarding the nightmare purchase with Clovis RV in Fresno, CA, he would get back to me that same day. Didn't happen. He was going to call Clovis RV and decide which of them would pay for the installation of mor-ryde system that I paid for but didn't get. I met with Chris DeLaPas in October and again discussed the issue, he would get the answer from Coley. Didn't happen, even after two more calls to Chris. Maybe a "Complaint and Summons" will get the phone ringing and results.
 

Scott

Well-known member
Mr. Fife,
Sorry that Chris didn't get back with you as fast as you wanted, but he was trying to get you taken care of. He talked to you on Friday and the people he needed to speak with about your coach were not available until this morning. He got with them first thing, and I know that he has sent you an email stating that he has worked it out to have the coach looked at and repaired.
The complaint and summons dept. that Forest asks for is a call to David Partin - Heartland's Director of Dealer Services at 574.262.8030 - and yes, you will get a response within a day or so.
ST

Mr. F
 

Scott

Well-known member
Oh, yes, the dreaded "legal action.." In such a litigious society, it should shock no one that this phrase comes up in our industry. In my 20+ years in the RV industry, I have seen people threaten "legal action" for everything from cabinet doors that needed adjusted, to microwaves that went bad, to some pretty incredible demands that I won't go into.
For the record, at Heartland, I do my best, as do our many customer service employees, to work with people to get issues resolved. Most of the time, the dealers are on the same page, but sometimes they aren't, which is unfortunate. The only thing we can do there is replace those types of dealers with ones that are serious about customer service after the sale.
We want our customers to be happy, and back out on the road as quickly as possibly. We do this because we care, not just because we are legally bound by the written precepts of our warranty to do so. And no, it doesn't take threats. Of course, there are always those who think the written warranty doesn't mean anything - and if they threaten "legal action", that the manufacturer should simply disregard the written warranty and provide whatever they ask for - which has included some pretty incredible requests (demands) by the way. Unfortunately, it can cost that person thousands of dollars just to find out that, indeed, there is a warranty that is very precisely written, and in the end, both the manufacturer and customer agreed to abide by it when the coach was purchased.
While we have not been able to make every Heartland customer happy, our track record is very good for being able to satisfy the vast majority of them.
Nevertheless, we will always strive to make EACH and EVERYONE of you happy, to the best of our abilities and in agreement with the terms and conditions of our warranty - and then some when possible.
Thoughts for the day.

ST
 

busted2341

Well-known member
Well said Scott....I beleive Heartland is doing what it can to do the "right Thing"......I know in my case You Have....by the way is the frame something I need to watch for.....Just for info, I have a friend with an 2004 Prowler that had the same separation at the wall on his coach. He discovered that just 3 months ago, well after warranty. It got covered because Lippart, I guess, discovereed they were using bolts that were not strong enough at the frame...After 3 months of arguing, it is done and safe now......
 

lbuchan

Senior Member
I agree with, well stated Scott. Sometimes in our frustation to get things the way we feel they should be we forget our own obligation and make threats. My experience with Heartland has proven to me that they do care and want their product to be the best it can be. As Scott has stated before, human worker do make mistakes, all of us have. It's a great company that works hard and wants to corrrect those mistakes and take the customer satisfaction to heart.

I've been Rving since the early 1970's and have yet to find an RV that doesn't have some type of problems. While shoppiing for my current fifth-wheel I was impressed with what I saw in the Heartland product and am not sorry at all about my decision to buy a Bighorn.

Keep up the good work, Scott.

Larry
 

cdbMidland

Past Michigan Chapter Leader
Please allow me to put in my two cents in support of what Scott is saying.

Last March, at our last campground in Florida, I managed to tangle with a concrete post that found its way into the rear cap of the unit.

First call was to my insurance company, but since they had no "experts" for RVs in the particular area that I was in, I called Scott and told him about my damage and asked where it could be fixed. He gave me a couple of places near the campground, as well as informing me about LSI in Elkhart if I could manage to get it there. We chose LSI as we knew it would need a new rear cap.

Scott could have brushed me off, saying that there was nothing that he could do, but instead helped me make arrangements at LSI for the repair.

I'm sold on Heartland and am one of its happy ambassadors. Have I had occasional problems - yes. But this is my fourth camping vehicle and I do know that there will be a glitch here and there.

Thanks, Scott and Heartland.
 

mufflerman

Well-known member
I have had rv's new and used since 1983. And I can honestly say I have never had a rv with so many issue's, I expect cosmetic and appliance issue's, But this cyclone has problems from front to rear and top to bottom, wall cracks, heater, cabinets, exterior panels, wheels, bunk beds, interior walls, roof vents, bed frame, wet carpets, gen not wired, no manual hole for landing gear crank, literaly every corner needs attention.
I been trying to get the problems fixed for a year, a dealer in N.M. did more damage then good and now back in Oregon my original dealer cant get parts or a correct wheel (even after sending pic of correct wheel),
And they get different opinions on how the heat ducts are designed,
I feel that I know more than the factory on how this thing is put together.
Most all of these problems could be avoided if more care was put it to building these units, I'm Glad its not an aircraft!
 
Scott, I do not wish to debate this in a public forum. We have been trying to get this fixed since Nov 4. Heartlands initial response was less than stellar. Chris's track record in returning phone calls as promised has been no better. I find it interesting that as soon as I posted this querry on the Net, we had a appointment for a "factory repair" that was previously stated a unavailable. I have never filed legal action in my entire 70+ years. nor do I wish to start. I simply wish to have my home fixed before the warranty expires. If you wish to continue this discussion please call me at the above stated phone number. Thank you, Mrs Theo Fife
 

tdharley

Well-known member
I too am familiar with customers threatening to file legal action. I build new homes in NY. I have never had someone threaten it for something as minscual as a cabinet door falling off (I usually diffuse the situation way before that). I usually get it from new homeowners not understanding a new home. More than once I have had a new homeowner sware their basement was leaking due to puddles in the corners. They will not accept my explaination that it was condensation on the cold walls and that it would go away after the heat was on. It always does.

If anybody thinks that your trailers will leave the factory free from defects have to remember how many hands were on it, before and after the factory, i.e. parts manufactuers, delivery companies & finally the accepting dealers. Just open up any copy of Trailer life or any other magazine and find the troubleshooting section. Or go to RV net and look at the problems with any other manufactuers. Blown out tires (all brands) seem to come up on every forum.

What it comes down to is the factory backing us up. I for one feel that they have backed me quite well. I have dealt with Jim Fenner and accept for him not calling back quicker than I liked, when he did he was very helpful. I do not know about other companies but Heartlan's tech support was right on target with me in helping me diagnose a sewer drain cable problem.

Keep up the good work Heartland.
 

Dusty

Well-known member
I dont know about legal action, but i would like to know if there is a problem with the frame. I have separation of the walls in the closet of my 3500RL
I went ahead today and told a friend i would still buy another Heartland and he is looking at a 3200


if any one has any info from the factory or suggestions, please let me know

Dusty
 

nscaler2

Well-known member
Just to get it clear in my head, is this type of thing considered a Lippert frame defect, and therefore covered by the Lippert warranty? Or is it considered a Heartland defect and covered by Heartland's 1 year warranty. Thanks for the info in advance.
 

Dusty

Well-known member
Nscaler2,

I don't have a clue. I know my 1 year warrenty ran out in June of '06, but I would think something as potentially dangerous as a frame problem would be covered under the frame manufacturer, in this case Lippert. Maybe some one in the forum or from Heartland could shed some light on this issue. I am taking mine to my dealer on Monday and see what I can find out. If anyone has information on this, please post or feel free to email me at :Cherokeekowboy@yahoo.com

Thanks
Dusty
 

Dusty

Well-known member
Thanks for the quick replys fellows. I will get mine to the dealer on Monday and see if I can get this taken care of right away. My 2 years will be up soon.

Dusty
 

Scott

Well-known member
Yes, the frame warranty through Lippert is two years and yes, they are great at making anything right that is wrong. The good news is that things rarely do go wrong with Lippert frames or other components. Let us know if you have any problems or issues with your dealer or Lippert.

ST
 

Dusty

Well-known member
Thanks Scott,

I hope all goes well. My dealer has been very good so I dont anticipate any issues with him. If I have any issues with Lippert, I will certainly let you know as well.

again,
Thank you
Dusty
 

mobilrvn

Member
Well, the reason I am on this forum is because our Lippert frame failed on our 2004 Montana and I want a better replacement. I have cruised several other owners forums. Lippert provides frames to many manufacturers and their "frame flex" problem goes back to at least 2002. It is a much bigger problem than appears here for sure. Montana not have as many problems now it seems, but they do pop up every so often.
 
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