Frustrated!!!!

micar

Member
Purchased a new 3300RLB from a great dealer last June,love the RV but a few minor issues we want fixed before warranty period expires.Selling dealer is over 6hrs away, so called a dealer closer to 2 hrs away only to be told that they will do the work but any overruns on flat rate time alloted by Heartland is on my dime!!!So I call Heartland, only to be told the same thing!!! if you want all the "warranty work covered" you need to return to the selling dealer.Not terribly helpful!!! and not giving me the warm and fuzzies to say the least.So I call another dealer they say the same thing,when I ask why a Heartland dealer doesn't cover the full cost other than the original dealer she tells me there is a "warranty cost " built into purchase price that goes to the purchasing dealer to cover flat rate and diagnostic costs not covered by Heartland!!!!! and also that Heartland is not very good when it comes to covering the dealers cost.She tells me it is not like a car warranty where you can take it anywhere and it is covered(even though the RV cost more than our car).So to say the least I am not happy with the Heartland Warranty process or their customer service and am wondering if anyone else has had these issues.
As I mentioned before these are little issue's, a warped wardrobe door and some bubbling flooring...if it was a major issue I would gladly return to the dealer I purchased from.It makes me wonder what would happen if we had a major malfunction far from home while travelling even,"sorry can't cover that fully, take it home with the broken frame" I know that sounds ludicris but could happen by the sounds of it!!Thanks for listening to my frustration and any insight on this from fellow forum members or anyone from Heartland would be appreciated
 

grizzlygiant

Well-known member
When you stop to think about it, only a small part of our trailers are covered by Heartland warranty; the majority of the failure-prone items are covered by other individual suppliers (refrig, micro,frame,tires,axels,hitch, furniture....). These are serviced anywhere under their own warrantys. Though I do not speak for Heartland, I am confident that if you had a serious (cracked frame, etc) while travelong a great distance from home Heartland would be there to help you. That is the kind of company Heartland is.
 

Bob&Patty

Founders of SoCal Chapter
Mike, having a dealer give you the run-a-round is one thing, but I find it hard to believe that someone at HL made those statements. It may have happened but I think I would call HL service and have a talk with someone else a little higher up in the "food" chain. Just doesn't sound right to me. I think what dealers are saying, if the truth were know, is HL is not going to pay an inflated bill for a warranty claim. It's my understanding that HL has a warranty claim repair time (hours payed) manual (guide) for every repair like the automobile manufacturers do. HL will pay OLH (other labor hours) if needed for a repair. Thats the best I can explain it...unless you have ever worked at a car dealer doing warranty work. A dealer that is doing the work has to submit a claim and send pix of what they are working on to HL, then HL with approve the repair for the $$$ amount requested.
 

mrcomer

Past Ohio Chapter Leaders (Founding)
Mike,
I feel your pain but unfortunately these are the truths. It is not just a Heartland thing though, it is an industry thing. What you wrote regarding the answers you received to your questions from dealers and Heartland are right on the money. I will agree that I too do not appreciate this sometimes but never the less this seems to be the way things are in the RV world. This is why it is so important to try and purchase locally. I hope you can find a way to get your issues resolved and get abck to camping and enjoying life.

Good luck,
Mark
 

micar

Member
I would love to buy locally but the reality is the closest Heartland dealers are 2hrs away and only one carries the Sundance brand,I truly believe that our choice to buy from a non local dealer for the purpose of price and before sale service should not impact our warranty process or the cost of repairs not completed within the time frame alloted by Heartland.
Mike
 

timbuktu

Active Member
Not to turn this thread into a battle of buying local or not, but since I am a Active Duty and moving every 18 months, there is no "local" for me. While I have not ordered my Cyclone just yet (will be in a few weeks), as soon as I leave my current duty station (Monterey, CA), I unfortunately expect to run in to a similar situation with trying to get warranty work done from dealers that I didn't purchase my TH from. I guess the best we as customers can do is openly and frequently communicate with Heartland when we are away from our "local" area and in need of warranty work (not implying the OP hasn't communicated, just a general statement). Everything I've found on Heartland over the last year and a half of researching the company is that their customer service is one of the best. On another note, when I visited the Heartland dealer nearest me a couple of weeks ago and I told him where I live and that I had been communicating with out of state dealers, he began to tell me how important it is to buy locally (from him) in order to get quick service (higher priority) vs buying out of state and trying to get him to service my 5er, which I would then fall in the category of lowest priority. After I explained to him I'm transferring cross country in a few months and "local" doesn't mean anything to me, he really didn't have a repsonse. So it is what it is.
 

Bob&Patty

Founders of SoCal Chapter
Mike, have you asked HL to recommend a independant repair shop you can take your coach to?? If HL Ok's it then you are in good shape.

One thing you have to remember...These dealers are NOT like GM, Ford and Dodge dealers. They can say no and get away with it. This something that needs to change but I don't know if it ever will. HL can't force them to do the repairs. BUT they can loose their franchise in a heartbeat if enough people get treated badly by a dealer. Trust me....seen it done.

Are the repairs something minor/simple?? If they are, I just do it myself. It's quicker, don't have to take the coach anywhere, and the repair will probably be better. If you need apart, call HL with your VIN# and email some pix...they will probably send it to you.
 

mrcomer

Past Ohio Chapter Leaders (Founding)
Not to turn this thread into a battle of buying local or not, but since I am a Active Duty and moving every 18 months, there is no "local" for me. While I have not ordered my Cyclone just yet (will be in a few weeks), as soon as I leave my current duty station (Monterey, CA), I unfortunately expect to run in to a similar situation with trying to get warranty work done from dealers that I didn't purchase my TH from. I guess the best we as customers can do is openly and frequently communicate with Heartland when we are away from our "local" area and in need of warranty work (not implying the OP hasn't communicated, just a general statement). Everything I've found on Heartland over the last year and a half of researching the company is that their customer service is one of the best. On another note, when I visited the Heartland dealer nearest me a couple of weeks ago and I told him where I live and that I had been communicating with out of state dealers, he began to tell me how important it is to buy locally (from him) in order to get quick service (higher priority) vs buying out of state and trying to get him to service my 5er, which I would then fall in the category of lowest priority. After I explained to him I'm transferring cross country in a few months and "local" doesn't mean anything to me, he really didn't have a repsonse. So it is what it is.

Your situation is certainly different and for you, calling Heartland Customer Service would be the first place to call and they in turn would direct you to the closest repair center. Fulltimers have this problem too when they need work done on the road.
 

micar

Member
Bob & Patty;the repairs are minor a warped closet door and some loose vinyl flooring in the loft area,along with some squeaking doors and a bent landing gear foot.I am told that the squeaks and misalligned doors are only covered for 90 days from the time of purchase....so too bad on those but again something i can fix.My concern is the flooring and how to repair,if i take pictures maybe Heartland will send me a new door???? not sure but worth a try.My frustration is with the fact that unless you live around the corner from a dealer you are screwed in regards to timely and effective warranty claims!
 

Bob&Patty

Founders of SoCal Chapter
Mike, yes trim items, fit and finish are a 90 day items as far as warranty. The bent foot on the landing gear I doubt if anyone would cover unless it was noted at your PDI at the dealer. Now if you are very nice HL might send you a door for a discounted price (maybe free) you never know. Just so you know, most new car warranties are 90 days on fit,finish, trim, paint. and a dent??? Well it had better be on a PDI slip of some kind..in writting and signed by a manager. Some sewing machine oil or WD40 should fix the squeaky door hinges. The vinyl floor...I don't know. Are you anywhere close to Indiana?
 

GOTTOYS

Well-known member
Heartland was very good about sending me parts to do my own repairs. My dealer is a 150 mile round trip and on the other side of the City from me. I doubt that this is uncommon. I can fix most any problem in less time than it takes to drive there. Give the Customer Service Department a call. They are very helpful and will work toward making you a satisfied customer....Don
 

Birchwood

Well-known member
I puchased my Landmark and headed to Florida from Canada 5 months later.We stayed there for 6 months.
If I had a warranty issue in Florida I guess I would have to return to my dealer in Canada for repairs.
I don't even think my RV dealer is open in the winter !
Heartland will allow any Rv repair company to do warranty work as long as its authorized by them first.
 

Duramax1

Well-known member
You said that your selling dealer was located 6 hours away, while the closest Sundance dealer was 2 hours away.

I rather suspect that you purchased in Sundance in the USA to save some money. Simply allocate part of the savings to now pay for the repairs.
 

micar

Member
I take offence to that Duramax1 we did purchase here in Canada with Canadian dollars,take a look at the map,Ontario is a big place and it is quite easy to have to travel a distance to purchase.We were unaware that the one dealer was even in business until we used the dealer locator on the Heartland website and we tried to make a deal at the other dealer but they were almost impossible to deal with.This thread was not intended to bash Heartland or any particular dealer the intent was to get info from other owners and to see if the info I was given was in fact true
Mike
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
What is this, a Canadian Smackdown? If you boys want to fight, take it outside. Micar's not the first to report being told "tough Nabisco's" on getting warranty work done by a different HL dealer than he purchased from. It seems pretty common in the states, as well.
 

micar

Member
Been a long time since I opened this thread,so wanted to update things.The dealer we bought from was able to convince a dealer closer to do the work for us.Thanks to Edward at Leisure Trailer Sales in Windsor Ont.
So 2 days before the Warranty was up the trailer went to Campkins in Whitby Ont.,where it stayed for 2 weeks and half the work was done before we picked it up to use.It then went back to them for 2 more weeks to finish the repairs, a new door for the closet had to be shipped from Heartland.Picked the trailer up today,work was done to our satisfaction and at no charge.
So other than the inconvenience of not having the Trailer for a month in the summer,everything worked out ok.
Mike
 
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