Reasonable turn around time for warranty repairs.

GOTTOYS

Well-known member
I made an appointment to bring our Big Country back to the selling dealer after our initial trip with it for some adjustments and repairs. I called and made an appointment and went over my list of small problems. I was told to bring it in on Oct 18, which was a little over a week from when I called. I brought it in and went over everything with their Service Manager who was very nice. A couple of the items, a delaminated front door and a warped cabinet door would need to be ordered. The rest of the concerns shouldn't require any parts. A week and a half later I was told it was ready to go except for the two things that needed parts and that the parts WERE on order and might not be in for about 3 more weeks??? I told him I would need it by the last week in Nov. so as we were taking it South for the Winter. He then said maybe I should leave it there and he would GET the parts ordered and maybe they would be in in 2 weeks?? Is this a run around or what?? I spent 25 yeras in the car business and never tried this story. Is this normal? I haven't heard a word from them since. The GREAT service was part of the sales pitch. Maybe I expect too much...All totaled the labor on this whole project won't amount to 5-6 hours, if that...Yes, I'm disappointed..Don :confused:
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
Sounds like SSDD (same stuff different day) to me. Many dealers seems to always give their service customers the run around with RV repair, especially warranty type. I would call Heartland parts to verify your parts have been ordered as many times dealers will say parts have been ordered when in fact they have not. When it comes to cabinet and door parts they in many cases have to be made for that particular coach, so that slows the receiving time way down too. Just keep on top of it and 'bug' the dealer as the squeeky wheel gets the grease. Good luck.
 

RoadJunkie

Well-known member
Not unusual, Don. The first time I went in for repair it took about a month and I took my unit in (second time) on October 5th and it's still there. Some fixes were taken care of right away, some waited for pics to be digested at Heartland and warranty approval process, some waited on (wrong) parts, and then waiting for correct parts to be sent. I suspect you're back in the repair que when all the stars line up again. I planned the repairs when I knew I wouldn't need the rig for a couple of months, but I would hate to be living in a hotel all this time if I were full-timing. I would suggest communication on a frequent basis, try to express your concerns and portray a sense of urgency in your concern.
 

Bob&Patty

Founders of SoCal Chapter
Don, call HL service and find out when the dealer ordered the parts or if they ever did. HL will know when, where, and how....trust me. Like Jim said "SSDD".
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
Have had similar experiences. Last one... Dropped off July 9, picked up September 18. They told us they had to wait for ALL the parts to come in before they could do any work. One was a large item, (back wall board), that had to ship by special freight carrier. Patience, positive attitude and persistence, will get you much further with the dealer. I kept stressing I had a trip planned, so they had a goal. But I never griped. Just reminded them about the trip and checked in regularly, no pressure, just checking...

And, we picked a time of year where not having the coach was not going to kill us... Busy time of year for DH job, and too hot to go anywhere in Texas!
 

GOTTOYS

Well-known member
Well I got it back. The new entry door came in and it was damaged. It is usable but they have ordered another. I need to get out of Dodge before the weather gets bad up here and couldn't wait another 3-4 weeks for a replacement. It's already been there a month. Several of the small things were untouched...I give up. I can do them myself. They left the decal off the new door which I can understand but I wish they would have put the snap-on covers over all the screws on the door frame so it would at least look somewhat finished. I get to look at that for the next 4 months on my new trailer. I was told when I brought it in that they would go over my list of repairs when i picked it up. Didn't happen. I asked for some paperwork to show what was done. Was told there was none. Didn't have time to get the paperwork done. Business there must really be good! Service Advisor got me the keys, showed me where it was parked and left. I thought it would have been a nice gesture to help me line my truck up on the hitch. Nope, got to do that myself. Very courteous. I've fired better help than that. One of my compartment doors was left unlocked while it sat outside on their lot. Luckily it looks like everything is still there. I'll be back for the new door but that's it for me. When anybody asks about why my door looks like that I'll be more than happy to explain. I got what I thought was a really good price on my trailer. Now I see what was missing. It's not always about the price. Not Heartland's fault. There are other dealers that can work on it.....I guess it's my turn...Don
 

Bob&Patty

Founders of SoCal Chapter
Don, it seems there are a lot of dealers service departments that are less than, shall I say just OK. With all the RV's we have owned, unless it's something that only a dealer can fix, then I do it myself. I would rather have HL send me the part than deal with the dealer. I will not leave my BH for 2-3 months for nothing. I do hope that you get the new door and its installed right when you get back.
 

slmayor

Founding California Northern Chapter Leader
We were lucky when we bought our BH. I had excellent service from our dealer when we did warranty work on ours. I was able to send pics, get authorization, and have them call me when parts were in to take the rig in. Left it for 2 weeks, then picked it up.

Now that I am working for the Dark Side at a parts and repair center, I see a different view of some of these warranty problems I read about.

In my opinion, here is NO EXCUSE for dealers having your rig for more than a month. We are independent, not affiliated with any dealers or brands, and our guys are able to turn these coaches, most times, in less than 2 weeks. The only time we run into a problem is on a special order for obsolete parts. And even then, we stay in touch with our customers. And if the parts are slow, we track and try to speed things up. Do not accept anything less. Seriously, on some of these minor warranty issues that we read about on here, once parts are on-site, our techs would have them repaired in an hour or so. Major repairs in maybe a week. We order parts from all different manufacturers, and some are better than others as to shipping and delivery. The guys tell me that Heartland is one of the good ones.

The process at our facility goes like this. We look the rig over, give an estimate and then get the repairs authorized and the parts on order (the same day if possible). We call the customer when the parts are in (if they don't want to leave it) and generally install the parts the same day they come in, if not the next day, then call to pick up. That's it. No secrets, no delays, no big stories. There are occasions when the wrong parts are sent, but we usually get expedited service when that happens and WE CALL the customer if there is a delay. We are a small shop, two techs, incredibly busy and we can still usually get you in within a week, two at the outside.
I'm only sharing this as an example of how service can and should work. There is no mystery to this process. I sometimes think that if they are dealers, they are receiving their main income from sales, they don't need it from the service side, so just slack where they can. You can have good service from a dealer, I did and am thankful for it. If you don't, find someone else. It's your choice.
 
Last edited:

GOTTOYS

Well-known member
If Heartland would send me the parts I would be thrilled to install them....Will they really let me do this? I haven't run into anything yet I'm afraid to tackle including rubber roof replacement, chasing leaks, aluminum siding replacement. I haven't taken on a fiberglass repair yet but if I can learn the basics I would try it. I'm really fussy about my work and trust that I can do a better job than most Service Departments. Not bragging, I'm sure the difference is that I can take the time to do whatever is necessary to get it right and I'm proud of my work. Other than the door replacement which I'm not 100% sure I'm going for there won't be anymore repairs done at their place....Don
 

Bobby A

Well-known member
If Heartland would send me the parts I would be thrilled to install them....Will they really let me do this? I haven't run into anything yet I'm afraid to tackle including rubber roof replacement, chasing leaks, aluminum siding replacement. I haven't taken on a fiberglass repair yet but if I can learn the basics I would try it. I'm really fussy about my work and trust that I can do a better job than most Service Departments. Not bragging, I'm sure the difference is that I can take the time to do whatever is necessary to get it right and I'm proud of my work. Other than the door replacement which I'm not 100% sure I'm going for there won't be anymore repairs done at their place....Don

Find a dealer near your new location and see if Heartland can send the parts there, of course talk to the dealership first and get pre authorization from Heartland. Just my thoughts
 

GOTTOYS

Well-known member
Yup! Another phone call from the fine people at Heartland because they read this forum. This time I got a call from Mr. Matt Cameron, Parts Manager, for Heartland. Once again I'm overwhelmed. The customer service from this company is unbelievable! They are more than willing to send me the next new door and any related parts I need to install it. Along with that any technical assistance is a phone call away. I'm telling you folks, this isn't some huge conglomerate that just thinks you're a number we're dealing with..these are real people that want to see satisfied customers..Sooo... be careful what you wish for on this forum, it just may come true. Once again a big THANK YOU! to Heartland....Don
 
Top