Steve Kennel, Tim and his crew are the "Rock Stars" of the RV Service Industry

chasdvorak

Well-known member
We wanted to thank Steve Kennel, Warranty and Service Rep, Chris, Service Manager and his team for the excellent out of warranty work which was recently performed on our 2009 BH 3580. We've thoroughly enjoyed our coach every seasonal weekend at a local campground and during 3-4 road trips per year (not quite retired yet).

We purchased this Heartland product because of the price, looks, floorplan and excellent reputation of an innovative brand. We've had some self-service, dealer service and rally service in the past with little or no cost. The recent service I received went above and beyond all expectations of the RV industry.

I noticed a slight sag on the roof of our coach behind the air conditioner and some distortion to a side wall. I took some pictures and sent them to Heartland for evaluation. Steve Kennel contacted me, requested additional information and offered to repair the unit if necessary. I dropped off my coach at the factory and asked him what type of repair would be performed if it got to that point. Steve advised they would look at the area and repair what appeared to be a problem with one of the trusses. He also said they would replace the roof if that's what it took to fix the rig. I thought Steve was joking........... he wasn't.

So, imagine our suprise when we picked up the coach yesterday and it had a new roof. We were expecting to find an effective, but maybe not so eye apealling fix with a bunch of screws, staples and caulk. We were wrong. I'm not just talking about a new rubber cover....they replaced the entire roof and a portion of the siding. If that wasn't enough, they went over the entire rig and performed some other tune-ups which included re-caulking the entire rig. Tim and his crew did an excellent job and even took the time to box up clothes in the closet so they would not get dirty during repairs.

All of this occurred between the holidays while Steve was dealing with some medical events of his own. Steve took ownership for the issue, expained the cause, the repairs and promised to treat my coach as if it were his own (I'm thinking he treated it as if it belonged to the Brady family).

We were a little concerned that the expansion of the product line and recent aquisition would have an impact on the way Heartland did business. It didn't....they stand by their product, customers and employees. We bought a Heartland product for the appearance and value but could not expect this level of commitment and service on an out of warranty coach.

Kudo's to Steve, Tim, Jim Beletti and all of the Heartland crew..... We were fortunate to jump on Jim's bandwagon the week we purchased our rig and have appreciated his hard work. We've met some great people online and at the rallies.

Thanks to all and best wished in the New year,

Chuck and Reggie Dvorak
2009 BigHorn 3580
HOC# 1229
 
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SJH

Past Washington Chapter Leaders
Re: Steve Keller, Tim and his crew are the "Rock Stars" of the RV Service Industry

Awesome and Congratulations! I love stories like these! (not the problem but the fix!)

Thanks Heartland!
 

chasdvorak

Well-known member
Re: Steve Keller, Tim and his crew are the "Rock Stars" of the RV Service Industry

Extreme apologies to Steve KENNEL, not Keller. I guess I'm still giddy over the great job and mixed his name with a close friend.... Sorry Steve,

Chuck Dvorak
 

GOTTOYS

Well-known member
Re: Steve Keller, Tim and his crew are the "Rock Stars" of the RV Service Industry

What a great story! Unbeatable service...why even look at SOB..Don
 

kakampers

Past Heartland Ambassador
Steve is great guy, as are all the customer service staff that work for Jim Fenner...another great guy!!

We've had a similar experience with Heartland's customer service, however, ours involved a sidewall (although in warranty)...it's absolutely amazing the work they can do...it came back to us better than new, and have not had a problem with it since. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...we will be Heartland customers as long as they're in business and continue with the customer service model they've had from day one!

Great job Heartland!!
 

Jburks

Well-known member
I'm glad you recievied what you were promised and more, but Heartland doesn't always do what was promised. I agree Steve Kennel is a nice guy. I won't go into the particuliars because I won't bash a product that I still enjoy very much. It may sound like sour grapes but believe me it's not, I have my opinion of the situation and they have theirs and theirs win.
 

davebennington

Senior Member
I have been reading this thread with some interest as we had work done at the Heartland RV service center, I would agree that the folks at the center do a fine job in repairing units.In my opinion Jim Fenner is very much like the lost baggage clerk at an airport he never hears anything good, when you go to him it is bad news and you are upset. He handles it very well given the problems that he faces everyday.

Dave
 

Ernie & Lettie

Well-known member
Glad that you got the R.V. fixed. My r.v. is out of warrenty and a few things went bad, [done wrong at the factory] I called and got told out of warrenty so sorry. Not a good feeling right now. Later Ernie & Lettie
 
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